Gary Con XIV

Gary Con XIV is being held this weekend, the first in-person physical con since Gary Con XII was canceled back in 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Promotional art for Gary Con XIV (March 24-27, 2022)

I made the pilgrimage to Lake Geneva along with my son, taking the opportunity to roll some dice with old friends, as well as make some new ones.

Winter War IV (1977):

I ran "Tower of Ulission" on Thursday morning, the first round of the D&D tournament at Winter War IV, held back in 1977, and am running "Sword of Hope" this morning, the second round.

Both adventures were published by Judges Guild, although a planned, third instalment was never released.  (See my recent reviews, posted on Dragonsfoot, here and here).

Miniatures:

Native Britons ambush a force of Roman legionnaires in "Fury of the Celts"

My son played in "Fury of the Celts" using the relatively obscure "Classic Warfare" rules, by Gary Gygax.  Sadly, the Celts didn't stand much of a chance against Roman legionnaires.

On Friday, he also got a chance to play "Siege of Bodenburg", run by Paul Stormberg (featured in this clip), the miniatures game which so impressed Gygax at Gen Con I, back in 1968.

Tekumel:

I participated in Bill Hoyt's Empire of the Petal Throne game "Jakala, City of the Dead", which was overshadowed by the recent controversy surrounding M.A.R. Barker.

Bill did a good job sharing his vision of Barker's setting, so different from other fantasy worlds.  (Our group survived an encounter with the "Shunned Ones", and made it out alive.)

Holmes:

A group of us had a fantastic time playing Zach Howard's "Expedition to Skull Stack Crater", successfully defeating an ancient evil and retrieving the Spear of Decree!

I used Zach's Holmesian name generator to come up with a name for my 3rd level cleric, resulting in the perfectly fitting "Ithzefxor".

Call of Cthulhu:

Cover to Weird Tales vol. 22, no. 4 (October, 1933), with stories by Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith, and H. P. Lovecraft

Playing the Call of Cthulhu scenario "Save Weird Tales!" has been another highlight of the con.  (I played a lot of Call of Cthulhu, back in the day.)

I got to role-play Clark Ashton Smith and Otis Adelbert Kline, along with the Appendix N Bookclub podcast's Jeff Goad, who played H.P. Lovecraft and August Derleth!

Braunstein:

I had the pleasure of participating in David Wesely's "Braunstein I", a fascinating experience, interwoven with plenty of historical anecdotes.

Meanwhile, my son signed up for Bill Hoyt's "Medieval Braunstein", (rounding out his education into the roots of the hobby).

Blackmoor:

I'm looking forward to Griffith Morgan's "Arneson's D&D Battle in the Skies 1973" later this evening, another glimpse into the original Blackmoor campaign.*

*check out this post over at Delta's D&D Hotspot (August 17, 2020)

Knights of Camelot:

"Knights of Camelot" trophy, presented to the winner of the Sunday morning game, at Gary Con XIV

On Sunday morning, I'm signed up to play the "Knights of Camelot Fantasy Boardgame" using a gorgeous, oversized map of the board.

All in all, another fantastic trip to Lake Geneva, after three long years!

T1: The Village of Hommlet

T1 "The Village of Hommlet" by Gary Gygax was TSR's tenth "Dungeon Module" (not counting the special collector's edition of "Lost Tamoachan"), and was originally made available for sale at Gen Con XII in August, 1979, (along with S2 "White Plume Mountain").

Full-page advertisement for module T1 "The Village of Hommlet" appearing in The Dragon #s 31-32 (November-December, 1979)

Like module B1 "In Search of the Unknown" and S2 "White Plume Mountain", T1 "The Village of Hommlet" wasn't based on a previous tournament adventure.  Bob Byrne recounts its gaming origins in a post on Black Gate, in 2017:

 

Gygax’ son and a friend were starting to play, so Gary used the Hommlet campaign as a new, low level adventure for them, distinguishing it from the high level Greyhawk play. Gygax was busy developing TSR products and the Greyhawk Supplement (I) had come out for the Original Rules.

The Hommlet campaign was different than the Greyhawk dungeon delves. There was a village, with a smithy, an inn, a local elder, set in a rural environment. The party could role play in the village then move on to the dungeons of the Temple. It’s possible that Gygax ran players through some iterations of Hommlet and the Temple in late 1975 and into 1976.

from Black Gate* (January 6, 2017)

*Byrne's article provides a comprehensive overview of the original Temple of Elemental Evil campaign, and is well worth a read.  (There are also links to several other articles on Black Gate regarding the Village of Hommlet and Temple of Elemental Evil).

Gygax set aside his DMing responsibilities in 1976 in order to work on the AD&D rulebooks, in addition to penning the first seven dungeon modules (the G series, the D series, and S1), before turning to the ambitious World of Greyhawk folio.

Modules S1, B1, and S2 included references to the World of Greyhawk, which was originally planned for release in early 1979.  Gygax provided even more details in module T1, rendering it a perfect starting place for campaigns in the soon-to-be-published setting. 

Siege of Bodenburg:

The first Gen Con was held back in 1968, where Gygax played The Siege of Bodenburg, a medieval miniatures wargame.  He subsequently used Bodenburg Castle to represent the ruined upper works of Greyhawk Castle, as well as the floorplan of the moathouse in module T1.

Schematic for Bodenburg Castle (left) and the map for the ruined moathouse from module T1 "The Village of Hommlet" (right).

The destruction of the moathouse as recounted in "The Village of Hommlet" was apparently based on the Siege of Bodenburg, and has been recreated as a Chainmail scenario "The Battle for the Moathouse" by Paul Stormberg.

The Temple of Elemental Evil:

T1 was re-released in 1981 as a color version, with new front and back cover art, although the promised T2 "The Temple of Elemental Evil" wasn't forthcoming.

After finishing T1, Gygax was approached by Brian Blume to write a replacement module for the Holmes Basic Set, which became B2 "The Keep on the Borderlands".  (Had Blume not done so, I wonder if Gygax would have instead written T2 "The Temple of Elemental Evil"?)

Without T2, I've posted elsewhere that B2 works well as a sequel to T1.  One could even continue with WG4 "The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun" as a Gygaxian trilogy of sorts.

The Moathouse:

The cover to D&D accessory AC5 "Player Character Record Sheets" (1984) features an illustration by Clyde Caldwell depicting a group of adventurers approaching the ruined moathouse from T1 "The Village of Hommlet".

Painting by Clyde Caldwell depicting the ruined moathouse, used for the cover of AC5 "Player Character Record Sheets" (1984)

I corresponded with Caldwell back in 2010 about this illustration, at which time he kindly responded with some additional details:

The AC5 cover painting was actually the first cover I did after coming on staff at TSR.  It was done for another module called "The Moathouse".  The publication of "The Moathouse" was delayed for some reason and the cover painting was sidelined for a while.  I don't know if "The Moathouse" module was ever published, but I think not.  The painting was picked up for AC5 since it showed a variety of generic characters.  My title for the painting is still "The Moathouse".

Clyde Caldwell, 2010

According to this interview on the Random Wizard blog, Caldwell probably began working at TSR around July, 1983.  Given that it depicts a scene from T1, "The Moathouse" may have been intended for the cover of a renumbered module WG1.*

*in Dragon #71 (March, 1983) Gygax stated "Pending work which will eventually be done includes the Temple of Elemental Evil (formerly designated as module T2 but which will be released as WG 2, part 1 and 2)"

Sequels and Derivative Works:

Gygax's original manuscript for "The Temple of Elemental Evil" was ultimately completed by Frank Mentzer and published as T1-4 "The Temple of Elemental Evil" (1985), which I ran for my friends during our senior year in high school.

A novelization of the adventure "The Temple of Elemental Evil" by Thomas M. Reid was published in 2001, as part of the "Greyhawk Classics" series.

A sequel for 3e "Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil" by Monte Cook was released in 2001, set 15 years after the original adventure.

The Temple of Elemental Evil was also developed as a video game by Atari, in 2003.

Hackmaster published "The Temple of Existential Evil" by Brian Jelke in 2003.

"Return to the Moathouse" by Mike Mearls was released at the Origins Game Fair in 2008, and a 4e conversion of "The Village of Hommlet" by Andy Collins was published in 2009, and republished in Dungeon #212 (March, 2013).

Dragon #423 (May, 2013) included a "tavern profile" on the Inn of the Welcome Wench by Shawn Merwin, and Dragon #425 (July, 2013) featured articles on the history of "The Temple of Elemental Evil" by Skip Williams, and "The Anatomy of Elemental Evil" by Thomas M. Reid.

See also Jason B. Thompson's walkthrough map.

A "Dungeons & Dragons: Temple of Elemental Evil Board Game" was released by Wizards of the Coast in 2015.

Finally, a two-volume homage and 5e conversion was just released by Goodman Games as Original Adventures Reincarnated #6 (be sure to check out the recently posted unboxing video for a sneak peak at the contents).

The Deed of Paksenarrion:

It has been pointed out that "Divided Allegiance" (1988), the second book in "The Deed of Paksenarrion" by Elizabeth Moon contains many parallels to T1 "The Village of Hommlet" (as discussed in this post from The Mule Abides blog)

B2: The Borderlands

Module B2 "The Keep on the Borderlands" includes a section for "Adventures Outside the Keep" together with a map of the surrounding area (cartography is uncredited, but was by David S. LaForce (aka DSL, or "Diesel", who was also responsible for the map of the Keep).

Wilderness Map from module B2 "The Keep on the Borderlands".  Scale: one square = 100 yards.

A few observations regarding the wilderness map:

According to the module "The normal movement rate is 1 square per hour searching, 3 walking.  Walking in the fens is at the rate of 1 square per hour.  Walking is done in the forest at 2 squares per hour."  Since a "league" originally referred to the distance a person could walk in one hour, and an English league is 3 miles, one would expect a scale of one square = 1 mile.

However, since the scale on the map is given as one square = 100 yards, and there are 1760 yards in a mile, the movement rate should probably be increased to 18 squares per hour searching, 54 walking (for an unarmored, unencumbered man).  A fully armored man would be one-third slower, and a fully armored man, heavily loaded, two-thirds slower.*

*see movement outdoors, as given the AD&D 1e Players Handbook, page 102

The height of the contour lines is unclear.*  They indicate 25 foot increments on the map of the Caves of Chaos, which is drawn at a scale of one square = 10 feet.  However, since the scale for the wilderness map is drawn at a scale of one square = 100 yards, the lowest contour line on the wilderness map corresponds to the 100 foot contour line on the map of the Caves of Chaos.

*Random Wizard posted a 3D rendering of the wilderness map

Finally, (and because the question comes up), the river flows from left to right (west to east), as indicated by the smaller tributaries, joining the main flow.

Wilderness Map from module B2 "The Keep on the Borderlands", divided into six sections (each containing at least one point of interest).

The last time I ran module B2, I divided the map into six sections and only handed my players the section containing the Keep.  I then asked them if they wanted to go north into the forest, east along the road, or south across the river.  I added the appropriate section, based on their choice, and continued adding sections from there.

For those of you desiring to approach the wilderness outside the Keep as a hexcrawl, Snorri posted a Borderlands hexmap over at his blog "A Wizard in a Bottle", back in 2010.*  (Also worth checking out are his posts regarding Borderlands cultural anthropology and geography and Borderlands agriculture).

*see also this version of the wilderness map, in Hexographer

Additional Encounters:

You may also wish to expand on the other encounter areas, designing camps, lairs or lost ruins to permit more adventuring.

The Keep on the Borderlands

Dyson Logos expanded the fens to the southeast of the Keep, back in 2018.  He included a map of the interior of the Mound of the Lizard Men, as well as some new areas.

He also expanded the encounter with the Mad Hermit, back in 2014, including a map of the hollow tree, as well as some new magic items.

The module makes no mention of wandering monsters, although a table can be drawn up, based on the inhabitants of the Caves of Chaos.

Updated Versions:

The wilderness map was updated in AD&D 2e's "Return to the Keep on the Borderlands" (1999) by John Rateliff, with events taking place twenty years after events in the original module.

Rateliff provides several pages of new encounters, as well as wandering monster tables for the Road, Wood, and Swamp areas.  Some notable new ones include "The Bee Man" and a group of pilgrims (preaching "The Second Coming of the Great Prophet Quonzar").

Goodman Games' OAR#1 "Into the Borderlands" (2018) includes an entire chapter devoted to adventures outside the Keep, which draws upon module B2 as well as Rateliff's adventure.

Weather:

On a final note, including mention of the weather is a great way to add some realism to the wilderness.  There is a simple but serviceable table in Chainmail:

Table for determining the weather, from Chainmail (pg. 21-22).

For those desiring something more complex, see the article "Weather in the Wilderness" in The Dragon #15 (June, 1978).

B2: The Keep

The iconic, unnamed keep in module B2 "The Keep on the Borderlands" has been recreated in both Minecraft and Sketchup.  A 3D printable version is available at MyMiniFactory.  Some photographs of a scale model under construction were also shared, here.

Map of the Keep, from module B2 "The Keep on the Borderlands" (1980).  Scale: one square equals 10 feet

The Keep is overseen by the Castellan, (described as a "governor or warden of a castle or fort" in the module's glossary).  The AD&D 1e DMs Guide provides additional information concerning the role of a steward/castellan, in the "Hirelings" section, on page 34.

For those of you interested in the organizational breakdown of the garrison of the Keep, see this post from the "Project on the Borderlands" collaborative.

The Outer Bailey contains several, smaller buildings.  Frank Mentzer, storied editor of the famed BECMI boxed sets, shared his memories about contributing the chapel:

...the Keep contained multiple clerics but no chapel for their work. After considering the matter, especially the hectic schedule being kept by the Boss during this turbulent era, I took it upon myself to write up a suggested Chapel

EN World, March 30, 2005

Back in 2009, I posted links to my decades-old hand drawn maps for many of the buildings, over on Dragonsfoot.  Several years later, Al from "Mage of the Striped Tower" gave me the heads up that he'd digitized and colorized them.  The results are available, here.

Al did a phenomenal job, and went on to develop floor plans for the Common Stables and the Warehouse, as well.  As a grand finale, he digitized and colorized a three-level map of the Fortress (based on designs contributed by Drew Williams).

(Alternately, check out Floor Plans for "Keep on the Borderlands")

The Keep was revisited in AD&D 2e's "Return to the Keep on the Borderlands" (1999) by John Rateliff, in which it was named "Kendall Keep" and given a more detailed history.  An updated map of the Keep with some new features was included.

Also worth checking out, Snorri's blog "A Wizard in a Bottle" posted some interesting speculation about the Archaeology of the Keep, back in 2010.

Alternate Versions:

Alternate versions of the Keep on the Borderlands have appeared in various publications, starting with Kenzer and Company's "Little Keep on the Borderlands" (2002):

3D representation of "Frandor's Keep", from Knights of the Dinner Table #100 (February, 2005).  Reproduced as part II of the "Little Keep Web Extra", downloadable here.

Frandor's Keep was revisited in "Frandor’s Keep: An immersive setting for adventure" (2009) for the HackMaster RPG.

The next major revision of the Keep on the Borderlands was introduced in D&D 4e's "The Keep on the Chaos Scar" adventure, by Mike Mearls:

Illustration of "Restwell Keep", from "The Keep on the Chaos Scar" in Dungeon #176 (March, 2010)

Restwell Keep subsequently featured in D&D 4e's "Keep on the Borderlands: A Season of Serpents" (2010) by Chris Sims.

Finally, Dyson Logos posted his own version of the Keep, complete with some interesting tweaks, back in 2014.

Homages:

Two years before "The Keep on the Chaos Scar" was published, Wizards of the Coast released its first introductory adventure for D&D 4e "The Keep on the Shadowfell" (2008), involving a different, ruined keep, more of a dungeon location.

"The Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands" (Raging Swan Press, 2012), by Creighton Broadhurst, designed for the Pathfinder RPG, draws greater inspiration from the Moathouse in module T1 "The Village of Hommlet", and is likewise a dungeon location.

The Dungeon:

In the section on "Designing Floor Plans" in module B2, Gygax suggests "you might wish to include a secret entrance to a long-forgotten dungeon (which, of course, you must design and stock with monsters and treasure)".

Kenzer and Company released beautifully rendered maps detailing a four level dungeon as a supplement to their "Little Keep on the Borderlands", downloadable as part of a free web extra in Beneath the Little Keep (2005).

(Although the layout of "Frandor's Keep" differs in some ways from that of the original Keep, access to the dungeon is through the Fortress in the Inner Bailey, and can be used with the original module).

Fifth Edition Fantasy #14 "Beneath the Keep" by Chris Doyle, released as part of Free RPG Day in 2018.

Goodman Games subsequently released the brief adventure "Beneath the Keep" (2018) as a tie-in to OAR#1 "Into The Borderlands", involving a smaller dungeon accessed through one of the buildings in the Outer Bailey.

Siege on the Borderlands:

With such a detailed map, several groups have played out sieges using the Keep on the Borderlands (we did).  Rules for conducting sieges may be found in Chainmail (pg 22-24), or the more extensive D&D Master's Set siege machine rules (pg. 23-32).

In Other Media:

On a fun note, a castle bearing a striking familiarity to the Keep on the Borderlands is briefly visible in Merrie Melodies "Daffy Duck the Wizard" (2011).

Gary Con XIII

Gary Con XIII is being held this weekend.  Given the ongoing pandemic, the decision was made to hold a totally virtual ("ethereal") gathering.  There are nevertheless plenty of online events and several opportunities for old school gaming.

"Musri Warrior Battles Fire Elemental Lord" promotional art for Gary Con XIII (March 25-28, 2021).

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Chainmail rules, so it's fitting to see a number of virtual sessions on the schedule, including The Battle of Brown Hills and many others.  "Legends of Wargaming" has released a commemorative video, in honor of the event:

"Chainmail 50th Anniversary" video, by "Legends of Wargaming"

Last year, I signed up for a session of Tekumel: Fresh Off the Boat before the physical con was unfortunately canceled.  It's nice to see some Tekumel and EPT events on the schedule, including Bill Hoyt's "Quest: The Underworld of Tekumel" boardgame.

"Empire of the Petal Throne" (1975)

I decided to run two sessions of the final round of the Gen Con IX tournament originally held in 1976: Temple of Diklah and the Helm of Valasdum, designed by Bob Blake.  Although I've played online before, this is the first time I'm DMing virtually.

GenCon IX Dungeon Final Round (1976)

The first session was held on Thursday night, and it was a blast.  I had a great bunch of players, who worked really effectively as a team, and were able to defeat the lich and recover the crown!  I'm looking forward to Sunday's game.

Update (Mar 28, 2021): Was fortunate enough to catch a spot at the table for Bill Silvey's AD&D 1e Expedition to the Sunless Sea.  Our doughty party was just able to fend off an onslaught of mind flayers, together with none other than Tracy Lesch at our side.

The First Fantasy Campaign: Monsters

The final section of JG 37 "The First Fantasy Campaign" lists a number of monsters, apparently drawn from Chainmail, for which additional descriptions are provided.  My guess is that these predate OD&D, and may have been used in preparing the Guidon manuscript.

Dragons:

Table of dragon types, presumably based on those mentioned in Chainmail (note the inclusion of "purple" dragons, and the lack of gold dragons).  Percentage given is the % "in lair" when encountered.

The first edition of Chainmail describes red dragons (based on Smaug from "The Hobbit") and also lists white, black, blue, green, and purple (each of which were described previously by Gary Gygax in the "Diplomacy" fanzine Thangorodrim (see OD&D Dragons: On the Origin of Species).

The chance for any type of dragon to be found asleep in its lair is given as 80%, in which case a "free chop" is permitted.  There is also a % chance of talking and rules for encountering mated pairs, which were probably incorporated into the OD&D description.

Finally, there are rules for capturing or "subduing" a dragon, which were likewise probably incorporated into the OD&D description.  Richard Snider expanded upon these rules in his additions (see Richard Snider's Additions: The Dragons).

Orcs:

The five tribes of orcs mentioned are those appearing in Chainmail (Orcs of the Red Eye, Orcs of Mordor, Orcs of the Mountains, Orcs of the White Hand, and Isengarders).  Descriptions of their fortified villages are similar to that found in the OD&D description.

Bandits:

Bandits are not mentioned in Chainmail, and so much of Arneson's description might have been used as the basis for the entry in OD&D.

Nomads:

Nomads are not mentioned in Chainmail, and so much of Arneson's description might have been used as the basis for the entry in OD&D.

Trolls and Ogres:

Trolls and Ogres appear under the same category in Chainmail.  Some additional details are provided regarding their vulnerabilities and lairs.

Wights (and Ghouls):

Wights and Ghouls appear under the same category in Chainmail.  Some additional details are provided regarding their paralysis attack and lairs.  Energy drain is not mentioned, but appears in Richard Snider's Additions.

True Trolls:

Are differentiated from normal trolls, as in Chainmail, and certain details regarding their treasure is provided.

Rocs:

Rocs are mentioned in Chainmail, although Arneson provides additional details regarding their nests and the value of their eggs and flightless fledglings,

Tarns:

Tarns, which appear in John Norman's Gor series, are described as the same as Rocs, but larger in some cases (War Tarns, Cargo Tarns, and Racing Tarns are described).

Basilisk:

Basilisks are mentioned in Chainmail, although Arneson provides additional details regarding their treasure when encountered in lairs.

Balrog:

Balrogs are mentioned in Chainmail, although Arneson provides additional details regarding their treasure when encountered in lairs.

Giants:

Giants are mentioned in Chainmail, although Arneson mentions that they "carry their wealth with them and vary in size".

Richard Snider's Additions: The Dragons

"Richard Snider's Additions" in JG 37 "The First Fantasy Campaign" provide detailed statistics for six types of dragons, and I can't help but wonder if this might have been the source used for dragons in OD&D vol. 2 "Monsters & Treasure".

Gary Gygax had previously published descriptions of white, black, green, blue, and "mottled" dragons in the "Diplomacy" fanzine Thangorodrim (see OD&D Dragons: On the Origin of Species).  (Mottled dragons were another name for purple worms).

The entry for dragons in Chainmail includes a description of "the Great Red Dragon (Draco Conflagratio, or Draco Horribilis) which is typified in Tolkien's The Hobbit", and lists the other colored types, except for gold dragons.

Illustration of a Gold Dragon (Draco Orientalus Sino Dux) by David Sutherland, from the AD&D 1e Monster Manual (1977).  Note the lack of wings, in keeping with a Chinese dragon.

Dragons in Blackmoor were originally mentioned in the Blackmoor Gazette & Rumormonger, under "Gertie Has Kiddies":

As all in the village are now aware, thanks to the massive appetites of the little ones, the Wizard's pet Dragon, affectionately called Gertrude, has been reliably reported to have given birth (Hatched?) five offspring of various sizes, shapes, and colors.  The young Dragons have been busy learning to fly and hunt with sharp increases reported in the cattle herds of the vicinity.

Dave Arneson, BG&R #1

The final section of JG 37 "The First Fantasy Campaign" provides additional details for many monsters, including dragons.  The five colored types previously described by Gygax (including purple) as well as red dragons (from Chainmail) are listed.

In "Differences in Creatures from Blackmoor Game", Snider describes three types of dragons; green (which cannot breathe fire), brown (which can breathe fire), and gold (which can breathe fire, and are described as the "Lords of Dragondom").

Snider appears to have incorporated five of the six dragons used by Arneson (leaving out purple dragons), equating brown with red dragons, and adding gold dragons as the most powerful type, in the table, below:

Table for calculating the amount of damage a Dragon can sustain, as well as the number of die rolled for a breath attack, by a Dragon's color type and level.  From JG 37 "The First Fantasy Campaign".

Snider's table for dragons presents "levels" for color type, which correspond to the Hit Dice range as given in OD&D vol. 2, where the amount of damage a Dragon can sustain is likewise related to its age.  It's possible that Snider's table came first.

Damage from a dragon's breath weapon in Snider's system is variable (d6 per "age level" in the left-hand column or more, depending on color type), as opposed to fixed as in OD&D (equal to a dragon's hit points, linked to its age).

Snider describes an alternate method for determining the damage from a dragon's breath weapon (% of a dragon's maximum hit points, increasing by 5% for each level above 2nd, and an additional 10% for each level above 7th).

The rules for subdual are reversed, with dragons having the ability to subdue humans, rather than the other way around, and the likelihood of a dragon having spell-casting ability is discussed, similar to what appears in OD&D.

The First Fantasy Campaign: Richard Snider's Additions

JG 37 "The First Fantasy Campaign" includes notes by Richard Snider, who "evolved an entirely separate campaign and mythos" as well as "an exceptional set of rules for Dragons" (to be covered in more detail, tomorrow).

Snider's campaign notes likely relate to a set of rules based on Dave Arneson's Blackmoor campaign, described as the "Richard Snider Variant" by Daniel Boggs in his post Almost Forgotten: A Published RPG Ruleset older than D&D

Illustration of a wraith, by Gary Gygax's wife's half-sister Keenan Powell, from OD&D vol. 2 "Monsters & Treasure".  Did the idea for level-draining undead in OD&D derive from the Richard Snider Variant?

What's interesting about the RSV is that the last couple of pages include the following sections from "Richard Snider's Additions" to JG 37 "The First Fantasy Campaign":

Differences in Creatures from Blackmoor Game:

Specifies that wraiths do not paralyze with their Touch (as per Chainmail) but rather drain one Life Energy point per hit - inspiration for the draining of "life energy levels" in OD&D vol. 2?

Defines three types of Dragons - Gold, Brown, and Green. Golden Dragons breathe Fire, are very intelligent, and "are the Lords of Dragondom" - see tomorrow's post, for more details.

Population of Known Area:

Lists a number of "Known Baronies" with exotic names (Patursia, Kusan, Koda, Rizzo, Chulan, Kankiang, Monkai, Relaco) described further in the fan-made Empire of Thonia: The Eastern Marshes

Wizardry Apprenticeship:

Rules for gaining Magic Power ability and using Artifacts of Wizardry.

The Languages:

Alludes to alignment languages.

Odds of Creature Friendship:

Based on speaking a creature's language, and modified by alignment.

 

I'm not sure if parts of the remaining sections appear in the Richard Snider Variant:

Hero and Superhero Flunkies:

Describes the risks involved in retaining powerful characters.

Vampires:

Lists methods to destroy a true Vampire, as well as rules for creating a Flunky-Vampire (involving the "Mass of the Undead").

An Explanation of Creature Psychology:

Describes three major motivational factors - Hate, Greed, and Egotism.

To learn more about the RSV, see RSV Character Creation: The Hero over at Hidden in Shadows.  An examination of the Wizard class and magic system is also forthcoming.

For more on Richard Snider and his contributions to RPGs in general, see this post over at Havard's Blackmoor Blog.

The First Fantasy Campaign: The Original Blackmoor Magic System

Dave Arneson included a brief section in JG 37 "The First Fantasy Campaign" outlining how magic worked in the original Blackmoor campaign, an approach differing in many respects from the Vancian "fire and forget" system used in OD&D.

A magic-user blasts a section of a castle wall using a lightning bolt.  Illustration by Ken Simpson, based on the original by Dave Arneson.

The first magic-user spells were probably drawn from those listed in the 1st edition of Chainmail (phantasmal forces, darkness, wizard light, detection, concealment, and conjuration of an elemental), in addition to fireball and lightning bolt, depicted above.

The latter two were also used in David Megarry's Dungeon! board game, in addition to "transference", (a spell inspired by Star Trek's transporters, the origin of "teleport").  Megarry leveraged the Blackmoor mechanic for casting spells, using cards.

Arneson later described "A system of magic based on ANIMAL-Type, VEGETABLE-Type, or MINERAL-Type with a hodge-podge of spells." in discussing the original Blackmoor campaign in Different Worlds #3 (June/July 1979).

In Blackmoor, magic followed the "Formula" pattern for most magic. The reasoning behind limiting the number of spells that a Magic User could take down into the Dungeon was simply that many of the ingredients had to be prepared ahead of time, and of course, once used were then powerless. Special adventures could then be organized by the parties to gain some special ingredients that could only be found in some dangerous place.

Dave Arneson, The First Fantasy Campaign

Spell preparation or "manufacture" is mentioned in the character profiles for the Egg of Coot, the Ran of Ah Fooh, and the Gin of Salik, and echoed in the Holmes rules for scroll creation, as discussed here.  The concept of adventuring for special components also emerged in AD&D.

Progression reflected the increasing ability of the Magic User to mix spells of greater and greater complexity. Study and practice were the main important factors involved. A Magic User did not progress unless he used Spells, either in the Dungeon or in practice (there was no difference) sessions. Since there was always the chance of failure in spells (unless they were practiced) and materials for some spells were limited (determined simply by a die roll) the Magic User did not just go around practicing all the time. The Magic User could practice low level spells all the time, cheaply and safely, but his Constitution determined how often he could practice without rest. Thus, the adventurers might want a Magic User to come with them only to find him lying exhausted.

Dave Arneson, The First Fantasy Campaign

Update (Dec 3, 2020): The role of Constitution in determining how often spells could be practiced suggests that Arneson may have been at least partly influenced by the concept of "endurance points" in Midgard (see Spellcasting before D&D in Midgard over at Playing at the World).

The method by which magic-users gained experience in Blackmoor was further developed in Arneson & Snider's "Adventure in Fantasy" (1979).  Daniel Boggs has examined Spell Failure in Blackmoor in depth.  Note the role of constitution in a magic-user's advancement.

So to progress to a new level, one first learned the spells, and then got to use that spell. There was no automatic progression, rather it was a slow step by step, spell by spell progression.

Dave Arneson, The First Fantasy Campaign

For more on the original Blackmoor magic system, with comments from some of the original players, see threads on The Other Magic System for D&D and Blackmoor Wizard's Duel over at OD&D Discussion.

The First Fantasy Campaign: Magic Swords & Matrix

There are two sections on magic swords in JG 37 "The First Fantasy Campaign" by Dave Arneson, the first of which describes "an entire family of Magical Swords", created for use in the original Blackmoor campaign.

Daniel Boggs posted a lengthy analysis of this section in The First Magic Swords back in October, 2016, which I highly recommend.  The second section was written by Arneson at a later date, and will be discussed in more detail, tomorrow.

 

 

Magical swords are described in Chainmail:

Because these weapons are almost entities in themselves, they accrue real advantage to the figure so armed.  In normal combat they merely add an extra die.  It is in fantastic combat the Magical Swords are most potent.  Besides allowing Elves to combat certain fantastic figures, they give a plus 1 to the dice score when employing the Fantasy Combat Table, and Magical Swords shed a light of their own over a circle 12" in diameter, which dispels darkness - but does not equal full light.  Excalibur and other "Super Swords" would give a plus two or three!

Chainmail, 3rd ed.

 

 

From this paragraph and other parts of Chainmail (see "Magic Swords" in this post), Arneson developed the "Magic Swords Personality Matrix".

 

18 swords were designated by the letters A-R, six of which were stocked in the Blackmoor dungeons.  Another 11 swords were designated by color.  "Blue" was the Blue Rider's sword, while "Maroon" was the Great Svenny's.

For those interested in using these venerable weapons in your own campaign, check out Converting the FFC swords to OD&D.

 

DA1 "Adventures in Blackmoor" (1985) describes the famous "White Sword":

This powerful lawful sword +2, +3 vs. goblins, orcs, undead, and dragons has an intelligence of 12 and an ego of 12.  It was forged at the command of a previous bishop to be the sword of champions and "the defense of the Church and the people" against evil.  It has the powers to detect evil, detect magic, and see invisible.  It can also read magic and has the extraordinary powers extra damage, telepathy, and healing.  It speaks Gnoll, Gnome, Goblin, Hobgoblin, Kobold, Ogre, Orc, and Pixie.  Unsheathed, the sword raises the morale of all friendly troops within a mile of the wielder by 1.

DA1 "Adventures in Blackmoor"

 

Back in the day, I was inspired by this weapon to create a companion blade, complete with backstory, which I named Arbus, the White Avenger.  Arbus was obtained by one of my players, developing a prominence in the campaign rivaling that of most NPCs.

Swords & Spells

"Swords & Spells" was a set of miniatures wargame rules for use with D&D, written by Gary Gygax, with credit for development shared by Dave Arneson and Robert Kuntz.  Illustrations were by David Sutherland, with editing and a foreword by Tim Kask.

Swords & Spells (August, 1976) by Gary Gygax, with Dave Arneson and Rob Kuntz.  Cover illustration by David Sutherland.

I used Swords & Spells back in 2014 to run a battle for my group's PCs, leading a contingent of troops from the Keep on the Borderlands against a large force of bandits.  You can read about our experience, complete with maps, here.

We didn't even use miniatures.  Once the composition of the various units was determined, troop movements were sketched out on a piece of paper.  The PCs engaged in hand-to-hand combat, and the outcome of the wider battle was influenced by their actions.

Swords & Spells was notable for its diceless combat resolution, although not rolling dice removes an element of chance, and is less fun.  A similar, abbreviated system was incorporated by Merle Rasmussen in XSOLO Lathan's Gold (1984).

The D&D Companion Set, edited by Frank Mentzer, introduced the "War Machine", rules for large-scale, strategic warfare, developed by Douglas Niles and Garry Spiegel, in which resolution was abstract, and miniatures were not required.

The next iteration of miniatures rules for use with D&D was Battlesystem (1985), which I used for running parts of X10 "Red Arrow, Black Shield" back in 1994.  We didn't have an 8' x 4' table, so taped off a section of the floor in the basement, instead.

The OD&D Game World: Fictional Mythos

The writings of H.P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, and Michael Moorcock contributed significantly to the concept of an OD&D game world.  Fritz Leiber's "World of Newhon", while equally influential, wasn't detailed until AD&D's "Deities & Demigods" (1980).

The Lovecraftian Mythos:

See Zenopus Archives for a comprehensive survey of "The Cthulhu Mythos in D&D in the 1970s".

In their original "Known World" setting, Lawrence Schick and Tom Moldvay imagined that "in every land there would be hidden cults that worshiped Lovecraftian Elder Gods."

The Hyborian Age:

The Hyborian Age, Marvel Comics version.

Howard's Conan stories were set during a pre-cataclysmic Hyborian Age, circa 10,000 BC.  These were later adapted by Marvel Comics, becoming part of the Marvel Universe.

The OD&D game world might have likewise had a Hyborian Age.  Players desiring to adventure in Howard's fictional setting would need to travel into the distant past.

The Melniboné Story Line:

The initial treatment of "Law" and "Chaos" was inspired by Michael Moorcock’s treatment of good and evil in his "Elric" and other fantasy books written prior to 1970.

Gary Gygax, interview

The Elric stories were originally conceived by Moorcock to have taken place on an alternate earth, in an even more distant past.

Gary Gygax referred to the setting for the Battle of Brown Hills as "a mythical continent", predating that of the Great Kingdom.  I like to consider this scenario part of OD&D prehistory.

As the cosmic conflict between Law and Chaos faded in significance, so too might the conflict have represented a primordial one in the OD&D game world.

OD&D Magic-Users

Magic-Users in Chainmail have five levels of proficiency: Seers (added in the 3rd edition), Magicians, Warlocks, Sorcerers, and Wizards (corresponding to the 2nd, 6th, 8th, 9th, and 11th levels of experience in OD&D).  The greater their proficiency, the more spells they can use.

Spells in Chainmail have six levels of complexity, similar to Men & Magic.  Magic-users in Chainmail can attempt to cast spells of any complexity, regardless of their level, but with mixed chances of success (determined by a roll of 2d6).

It is also possible for magic-users to cast counter-spells, in order to negate each others magic.  Chainmail further states that "In order to cast and maintain any spell, a Wizard must be both stationary and undisturbed by attack upon his person".

"Wizards Fighting", from Men & Magic (1974)

In The Battle of Brown Hills (1971), the Lawful Magician of the Cairn could use lightning bolts, wizard light, and circle of protection, while the Chaotic Warlock Huldor ap Skree could use fire balls, phantasmal forces, spell of darkness, and conjuration of elementals.

In Dave Arneson's Blackmoor campaign, Pete Gaylord played the first magic-user, "The Wizard of the Wood", as documented in The Worlds First Wizard (2016).  Arneson used an alchemical-based magic system, as described in The First Fantasy Campaign (1977).

The sample character "Xylarthen" (Str 8, Int 11, Wis 13, Con 12, Dex 9, Cha 8)* in Men & Magic was the first "published" OD&D magic-user.  Gary Gygax favored a Vancian magic system, in which spells were "memorized" daily, and forgotten once cast.

*Rob Kuntz described "The Four Stones of Xylarthen" in his article "The Three Artifacts of the Demon Senders" published in Wargaming #2 (1977)


It's interesting to note which spells from Men & Magic derive from Chainmail (representing spells useful in large scale combat):

1st Level Spells:
1. Detect Magic - from "Detection" (II), Chainmail 1e
2. Hold Portal
3. Read Magic
4. Read Languages
5. Protection/Evil - from "Protection from Evil" (III), Chainmail 2e
6. Light - from "Wizard Light" (I), Chainmail 1e
7. Charm Person
8. Sleep

2nd Level Spells:
1. Detect Invisible - from "Detection" (II), Chainmail 1e
2. Levitate - "Levitate" (II), Chainmail 3e
3. Phantasmal Forces - from "Phantasmal Forces" (II), Chainmail 1e
4. Locate Object
5. Invisibility - a special ability of Wizards, from Chainmail
6. Wizard Lock
7. Detect Evil - from "Detection" (II), Chainmail 1e
8. ESP
9. Continual Light - from "Wizard Light" (I), Chainmail 1e
10. Knock

3rd Level Spells:
1. Fly
2. Hold Person
3. Dispell Magic - from the ability to cast a counter-spell, in Chainmail
4. Clairvoyance
5. Clairaudience
6. Fire Ball - missile equivalent to a large catapult, from Chainmail 1e
7. Lightning Bolt - missile equivalent to a heavy field gun, from Chainmail 1e
8. Protection/Evil, 10' r. - from "Protection from Evil" (III), Chainmail 2e
9. Invisibility, 10' r.
10. Infravision - a special ability of Wizards, from Chainmail
11. Slow Spell - "Slowness" (III), Chainmail 3e
12. Haste Spell - "Haste" (III), Chainmail 3e
13. Protection/Normal Missiles - a special ability of Wizards, from Chainmail
14. Water Breathing

4th Level Spells:
1. Polymorph Self - "Polymorph" (IV), Chainmail 3e
2. Polymorph Others
3. Remove Curse
4. Wall of Fire
5. Wall of Ice
6. Confusion - "Confusion" (IV), Chainmail 3e
7. Charm Monster
8. Growth/Plant
9. Dimension Door
10. Wizard Eye
11. Massmorph - from "Concealment" (III), Chainmail 1e
12. Hallucinatory Terrain - "Hallucinatory Terrain" (IV), Chainmail 3e

5th Level Spells:
1. Teleport - possibly inspired by the "Transference" spell, from Dungeon!
2. Hold Monster
3. Conjure Elemental - from "Conjuration of an Elemental" (V), Chainmail 1e
4. Telekinesis
5. Transmute Rock-Mud
6. Wall of Stone
7. Wall of Iron
8. Animate Dead
9. Magic Jar
10. Contact Higher Plane
11. Pass-Wall
12. Cloudkill - "Cloudkill" (V), Chainmail 3e
13. Feeblemind
14. Growth/Animal

6th Level Spells:
1. Stone-Flesh
2. Reincarnation
3. Invisible Stalker
4. Lower Water
5. Part Water
6. Projected Image
7. Anti-Magic Shell - "Anti-Magic Shell" (VI), Chainmail 3e
8. Death Spell
9. Geas
10. Disintegrate
11. Move Earth - from "Moving Terrain" (VI), Chainmail 2e
12. Control Weather

*Chainmail 1e (Guidon Games, 1971), 2e (Guidon Games, 1972), 3e (TSR, 1975 - after the publication of OD&D)


The final section in Men & Magic is "Books of Spells":

Characters who employ spells are assumed to acquire books containing the spells they can use, one book for each level.

The Holmes rulebook actually lists spells under "Book of First Level Spells", etc.  OD&D magic-users therefore possess a set of magical encyclopedias, which they use to study their spells, not a single customized spell book.

I prefer this system, starting PC magic-users with a single Book of First Level Spells.  Higher level Books of Spells can be found while adventuring, such as those used by enemy magic-users.  In fact, the thaumaturgist from the sample adventure in Holmes possesses two such books.

The Battle of Brown Hills

With the publication of Chainmail in March, 1971 the Lake Geneva Tactical Studies Association (LGTSA) began using Gygax and Perren's rules to run fantasy scenarios.  One such was The Battle of Brown Hills, which Gygax submitted as a battle report to Wargamer's Newsletter.

The article was published in issue #116 (November, 1971), eliciting scorn from traditional wargamers.  Nevertheless, the popularity of the Chainmail fantasy supplement grew, adopted by gamers like Dave Arneson in the Twin Cities.

Gygax opens his report with "Having run across an old map I had drawn of a mythical continent, complete with many fantastic inhabitants, I decided to use it as the basis for a game."  Apart from a familiar place name or two, the setting appears distinct, predating that of the Great Kingdom.

The forces of Chaos hail from the peninsula of Lands End, north of the Giant Mountains.  They covet the fertile Meadowlands, under the protection of the remnants of the Old Kingdom, ruled from its capital at Great Keep.  The forces of Law are aided by horsemen from the east.

At Gary Con XI, this past March, my son was able to take part in "The Battle of Brown Hills", on the sand table in the Legends of Wargaming room.  It ended up being his favorite experience of the Con.  I've posted a few pictures, below:

The Horde of Chaos and the army of Law collide!

Verdurmir, the Giant King, leads the Ogres of Iuz into battle.

The Count Aerll surveys the engagement from above.

Gygax submitted a follow-up article entitled "Fantasy Battles" to Wargamer's Newsletter.  It was published in issue #127 (October, 1972) and described how he modified dimestore plastic figures to create fantasy miniatures (a few of which ended up in the 1e Monster Manual):

Trolls and ogres are 54mm. I located some inexpensive plastic Indians in this scale, and a bit of conversion has produced sufficient numbers of black, grey, green and purple creatures of this ilk.

There are two dragons in our force of fantasy figures. One I made stegosaurus: First, the head was enlarged with auto body putty, a wire was inserted into the tail and puttied to make it longer – and barbed, the spikes of the tail were clipped off and added as horns to the head end, cardboard bat wings were puttied into place, and finally the entire affair was given many coats of paint, gilding and glitter (as sparkling gems on its belly).

Quotes taken from "Fantasy Battles" by Gary Gygax, published in Wargarmer's Newsletter #127 (October, 1972).  Illustrations by David Sutherland, from the AD&D 1e Monster Manual.  Special thanks to the venerable Kevin Maurice for enlightening me!

The Castle and Crusade Society

ONCE UPON A TIME, long, long ago there was a little group known as the Castle and Crusade Society.  Their fantasy rules were published, and to this writer's knowledge, brought about much of the current interest in fantasy wargaming.

So begins the forward to Men & Magic, volume 1 of the original Dungeons & Dragons rules, published in 1974.  The fantasy rules referenced are the Chainmail rules for medieval miniatures, by Gary Gygax and Jeff Perren.  The writer in question was of course, Gary Gygax.

The Castle and Crusade Society was a medieval period interest group within the International Federation of Wargamers (IFW).  The IFW hosted the first Gen Con back in 1968, where Gygax played The Siege of Bodenburg, a medieval miniatures wargame.

Inspired by the setting, Gygax, together with Rob Kuntz, founded the Castle and Crusade Society, starting a newsletter called the Domesday Book in 1970.  The covers and summaries of the contents for each issue are available over at The Acaeum.

Much information about the Castle and Crusade Society and its newsletter has come to light in recent years, thanks in large part to Jon Peterson's history of role-playing games Playing at the World (2012).  Peterson blogged about Domesday Book #1, here.

Gygax met Dave Arneson, the future co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, at Gen Con II.  Arneson became a member of the Castle and Crusade Society in time to receive issue #3 of the Domesday Book.  An early version of the Chainmail rules appear in issue #5.

Artwork from Domesday Book #5 based on an earlier illustration by Jack Coggins from his book The Fighting Man (1966).

Domesday Book #6 describes a mythical "Great Kingdom" as the setting for a strategic game of feudal warfare.  A map of the continent was published in issue #9, eventually serving as the basis for the first D&D campaign "world", (discussed in a subsequent post, here).

Domesday Book issues #10-14 feature cover illustrations that were likely "swiped" from other sources.  Issue #12 (above) was instantly recognizable to me, but I'm not sure about the others.  Have a look for yourself, (here), and let me know what you think.