What is this Archive?

This archive preserves many of the posts made to the Holmes Basic D&D Community on the late G+. I created this Community in late 2012, not long after Communities were added, and it existed through April 2nd 2019, when G+ was shutdown for non-commercial users. By the end there were over 600 members. While most were not active, there was always a core group of commenters to keep things interesting.

There are over 2100 posts included, made by myself and various members of the community, each accompanied by its original comments. While a number of posts (~500?) are shares and thus duplicative of posts on the Zenopus Archives blog, these have been saved because they include different comments. The other ~1600 posts fall into two broad categories. I often used G+ for quick shares of images and links of interest to the community, material often not posted to the ZA blog. And then there are the many posts by other members of the community. A big thank you to everyone who participated!

Due to limitations of the application (Google+ Exporter) used to extract the posts from G+, every post here is labeled as "Posted by Zenopus Archives", whether or not I was the original poster. However, the identity of the original poster is preserved as one of the labels, and as time allows I have been slowly adding this information to each applicable post. All of an individual's posts can be found by clicking on the relevant name in the Label list in the right sidebar (only visible in desktop format). 

Most of the originally posted images are preserved. I went through the entire blog and manually downloaded and re-uploaded the images so they wouldn't be lost. The harvester preserved a link to each image in the relevant users Google+ "Album Archive", but Google may delete these at any time going forward. A few images seem to be missing; I don't know if the harvesting program failed to grab them or the original source had been removed. I've also noticed that a number of links are missing as well, and I will eventually re-add these.

All of the posts originally made to the Holmes Basic G+ Community are tagged with the label "Holmes Basic: Discussion".

I added a few other posts of interest that I made to other communities or to one of my G+ collections. I will try to note these here:

~50 posts from the OD&D Community. These are each labeled with "Original Dungeons Dragon (OD&D): Discussion" or "Original Dungeons Dragon (OD&D): Links & Resources" or "Original Dungeons Dragon (OD&D): Classified".

~70 posts from the OSR Community. These are each labeled with "OSR: Discussion" or "OSR: Free Stuff" or "OSR: News".

~150 Public Posts. These are labeled only with "Zenopus Archives" without a "Holmes Basic: Discussion" label.

For each of the above, click on the relevant post to bring up all posts with that label.

Great 2014 video from Aaron Day (hedgehobbit) on reconsidering your use of "Roll for Initiative".

Great 2014 video from Aaron Day (hedgehobbit) on reconsidering your use of "Roll for Initiative". Well worth watching again for tips even if you've seen it before.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zj0MGjuGADA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zj0MGjuGADA

Anybody here from Alberta?

Anybody here from Alberta? In the 1970s, Chivalry and Sorcery grew out of the original D&D scene in Edmonton, via an OD&D variant they produced called Chevalier that was influenced by the Warlock rules (from Caltech) and Empire of the Petal Throne. http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2018/02/warlock-influenced-chivalry-sorcery.html
http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2018/02/warlock-influenced-chivalry-sorcery.html

How Gary handled "supernormals" (> level 1 or 1 HD) versus "normals" (~level 1 or 1 HD):

How Gary handled "supernormals" (> level 1 or 1 HD) versus "normals" (~level 1 or 1 HD):

"A 4th level fighter versus orcs... he rolled a d4 to see how many orcs got killed.
A 6th level fighter versus orcs... he rolled a d6 to see how many orcs got killed.

Et cetera.

And a monster versus ordinary men... he used the monster's hit dice for levels, rolled a die of that number, and that's how many ordinary men got killed."

No attack roll, just a roll for number killed each round.

http://odd74.proboards.com/post/203002/thread
http://odd74.proboards.com/post/203002/thread

Now that Tales of Peril (The Complete Boinger & Zereth Stories of J.

Now that Tales of Peril (The Complete Boinger & Zereth Stories of J. Eric Holmes) has been available for a few months, I'm starting a new blog series called the "Tales of Peril Book Club". For it I will read through the entirety of Tales of Peril and make post(s) for each chapter/section. I encourage you to read along with me ... (see blog post for more)
http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2017/09/tales-of-peril-book-club.html

A draft of a dungeon map I've been working on.

Originally shared by Zenopus Archives

A draft of a dungeon map I've been working on. See the linked blog post for a larger view/more details on the features.
http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2017/01/a-dungeon-map.html

An interesting challenge from Christopher Mennell: Make this drawing ofmine into a map.

An interesting challenge from Christopher Mennell: Make this drawing of mine into a map. He did an awesome job of coloring it.

Originally shared by Christopher Mennell

OKAY GOOGLE HIVEMIND:

Here is a drawing by Zach H that I asked if I could take it and turn it into a map. Zach agreed, and then I turned the image over to Christian Kessler to break up the picture into colored regions.

Now I'd like to fill each area in, like a hex crawl.

And then I thought, "Why not have people on Google do it?"

So Google: pick a numbered/colored region, pick one of the images, and describe what it represents.

Note: The castle at the center is underwater.

Have fun!

Random table of 20 rumors for the Portown setting from the Sample Dungeon in the Holmes Basic rulebook.

Random table of 20 rumors for the Portown setting from the Sample Dungeon in the Holmes Basic rulebook. There are all extrapolated from various items in the Background and dungeon encounters. A number of them will lead to encounters outside the dungeon proper, turning the town into more of a mini-campaign area. #holmesref
http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2016/05/portown-rumors.html

Simian Conquest

Review on DF by extildepo of a 1978 RPG that I'd never heard of before:

SIMIAN CONQUEST
http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=73069

If you missed it, I posted this look at a 1970s OD&D spell point system yesterday.

If you missed it, I posted this look at a 1970s OD&D spell point system yesterday. Includes discussion of potential OSR usage at the end.

Originally shared by Zenopus Archives

In 1975 a group of Caltech students published Warlock, one of the first supplements for OD&D. Holmes used this system for his personal OD&D games prior to editing the Basic Set. He was a fan of the Warlock spell point system and mentioned in Dragon #52 that he tried to get Gary to include a spell point system in the Basic Set. I've written up a summary of these rules if you are interested in trying them out, either in your OD&D game (particularly now the pdfs are publicly available) or in your OSR game.
http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-warlock-od-spell-point-system.html

Monster Face Mountain awaits!

Monster Face Mountain awaits!
http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2015/11/monster-face-mountain.html

This is like something out of Alien or The Thing.

This is like something out of Alien or The Thing.
#rollforinitiative
http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2015/11/04/454066109/a-man-in-colombia-got-cancer-and-it-came-from-a-tapeworm

A shorthand for monster leaders.

A shorthand for monster leaders.
http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2015/10/goblin-1.html

"Ye Olde Lande of Badmap" from the Mythcreants blog athttp://mythcreants.com/blog/crafting-plausible-maps/

"Ye Olde Lande of Badmap" from the Mythcreants blog at http://mythcreants.com/blog/crafting-plausible-maps/
This actually looks like more fun than his example of a realistic map.
Thanks to Russell Flowers for linking this on DF.

Check out this amazing home-made game room on the Ultanya blog.

Dungeon Mapping Sheets (1982)

Oubliette has tracked down an interesting variation on graph paper, used by Games Workshop in their 1982 "Dungeon Mapping Sheets". It has double lines to use for walls. Read more at the linked blog post.

http://oubliettemagazine.blogspot.com/2015/02/games-workshop-dungeon-mapping-paper.html

I've been reading a bit about the concept of 'Five Room Dungeons' recently: http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Five_Room_Dungeon

I've been reading a bit about the concept of 'Five Room Dungeons' recently: http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Five_Room_Dungeon
It seems a useful concept for brainstorming one-off sessions, particularly if running an impromptu game. The general outline is:
1. Guardian
2. Puzzle or other challenge
3. Trick or Setback
4. Big Showdown
5. Reward, Revelation
http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Five_Room_Dungeon

If you are interested in the history of D&D, see my blog series going through J.

If you are interested in the history of D&D, see my blog series going through J. Eric Holmes' manuscript for the first D&D Basic Set rulebook, and comparing it to the published version, the original OD&D text from which it was drawn and later rules influenced by it, particularly the Moldvay Basic rulebook of B/X. The series is up to 42 parts, indexed at the link below. I'm currently in the section on DM guidance.
http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2013/11/at-long-last.html

Here's a system neutral random magic item creator.

Here's a system neutral random magic item creator. Each time the page is loaded it will create a new list with items such as "Crumbling hellish coin that gives the user spider climbing and summons uncontrollable rats"
http://slyflourish.com/random_mundane_magic_item_generator.html

Micro-dungeon made on the fly using Lego Heroica pieces, explored successfully single fighter of 4th level using...

Micro-dungeon made on the fly using Lego Heroica pieces, explored successfully single fighter of 4th level using Holmes Basic rules.
 #holmesref
http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2014/01/mini-dungeon-monster-mountain-1.html