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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...

To this excellent answer, I'll just add that 10 second rounds were also in the Warlock Supplement (1975) that Holmes started with, and also TSR's own Metamorphosis Alpha, which was published in 1976, the year before Holmes Basic, and Holmes likely encountered when it was released, since he was...

Today on the Zenopus Archives, I've got d12 random encounters for The Forgotten Smugglers' Cave, my old school D&D dungeon-in-progress. With another fantastic illustration by Lore Suto (https://twitter.com/loresuto)...

AsenRG, The short answer is that there wasn't an edition of "D&D" per se with 3d6 attribute checks as a standard mechanic - it was something used in The Fantasy Trip. However, there were some ad hoc 3d6-roll under attribute checks in OD&D and AD&D in 1970s, and a reference to a house rule...

Over on the Zenopus Archives, I share Jim Ward's story about why later printings of the Holmes Basic set included chits instead of dice: https://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2021/11/jim-ward-on-why-of-chits.html

Over on the Zenopus Archives, I share Jim Ward's story about why later printings of the Holmes Basic set included chits instead of dice: https://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2021/11/jim-ward-on-why-of-chits.html

My copy arrived today as well:

As promised earlier, a closer look at Sutherland's painting for the Holmes Basic set box cover: https://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2021/10/sutherland-dragon-details.html