Recent content by Zenopus

FWIW, I read most of Del Rey's 2010 collection, "El Borak and Other Desert Adventures" a few years back and found all of the stories to be of a consistent quality. Just a joy to read his clear, action-driving prose in story after story. They did blur together in my mind after a while but each...

The 1979 draft of L3 Deep Dwarven Delve. An image of the cover and what we can learn from it ---> https://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2023/08/l3-deep-dwarven-delve-1979-draft.html

A new post on the Zenopus Archives, "The Forgotten Smugglers' Cave: Setting Up the Adventure", describes how to introduce this adventure into your campaign setting. Includes an NPC and rumors: The Forgotten Smugglers' Cave: Setting Up the Adventure

A new post on the Zenopus Archives, "The Forgotten Smugglers' Cave: Setting Up the Adventure", describes how to introduce this adventure into your campaign setting. Includes an NPC and rumors: The Forgotten Smugglers' Cave: Setting Up the Adventure

Here's a write-up of a "new" monster for Holmes Basic & OD&D, which features in the Forgotten Smugglers' Cave adventure: Were-shark

Here's a write-up of a "new" monster for Holmes Basic & OD&D, which features in the Forgotten Smugglers' Cave adventure: Were-shark With an illustration by the artist Lore Suto:

The Forgotten Smugglers' Cave is finally complete! Well, the first draft is complete. I still need to revise everything, but I've finished a first pass on every area of the dungeon, and a map. Here are links to final areas not posted above: Area 21: Meeting Room Area 22: Arch Smuggler's...

If you are in the DC area, come play in a miniatures wargame or RPG at Scrum Con on Saturday April 8th in Silver Spring, Maryland. There are two sessions of games, one starting at 10 AM and one at 3:30 PM; join us for one or both. Badges are just $15. Badges...

It's a new year, and I've got three more areas for this dungeon up on the blog since the last update: Area #18: Green Grotto Area #19: Open Pit and Area #20: Sub-Basement Find out which part of Portown connects to the dungeon! Closing in the on the end; just a few more areas to detail. I'm...

I meant to reply to this earlier. In the past I've actually thought that the Zenopus dungeon would work well for a Call of Cthulhu investigation. And I think that using the Holmes Basic rules themselves for a horror RPG would work well. Limiting all PCs/NPCs to 3 or 4 levels would keep the...

Another new area for the Forgotten Smugglers' Cave adventure on the Zenopus Archives? Yes! What will the PCs find when they search the old crates in #17: Holding Area? https://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2022/11/the-forgotten-smugglers-cave-17-holding.html

Another new area for the Forgotten Smugglers' Cave adventure on the Zenopus Archives? Yes! What will the PCs find when they search the old crates in #17: Holding Area? https://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2022/11/the-forgotten-smugglers-cave-17-holding.html

Work on my new adventure for Holmes Basic/OD&D has been sporadic, but I have written new areas since the last update I made here: Area #11: Stream Tunnel Area #12: The Bubbly Area #13: Twisty Passages And one writeup of a new monster found in Area #12: The Slurry I currently have 24...

On the Zenopus Archives, I highlight the newest episode of the long-running Fear of a Black Dragon OSR/FRPG podcast, which is dedicated to the Tower of Zenopus, the sample dungeon from the Holmes Basic D&D rulebook. Fear of a Black Dragon podcast: Tower of Zenopus

On the Zenopus Archives, I highlight the newest episode of the long-running Fear of a Black Dragon OSR/FRPG podcast, which is dedicated to the Tower of Zenopus, the sample dungeon from the Holmes Basic D&D rulebook. In the second half, they discuss what elements to include in a sample adventure...