#zenopus

[zenopusarchives]

A portrait of J. Eric Holmes (editor of the 1977 D&D Basic Set) in an imagined study, by fan David Crawford. Originally posted to the Holmes Basic FB group, posted with permission to my blog today. 

[oldschoolfrp]

The sample dungeon from Holmes’ 1977 D&D basic rules, often known as Zenopus’ Dungeon -- available as a free PDF on WotC’s official D&D website.

It can be run as a simple room-by-room dungeon crawl, but there are a number of good design ideas for inspiration like one entrance leading to multiple hidden exits.  It includes many potential hooks for new adventures, which makes it a great first session to start a sandbox campaign if the party follows one or more of those leads.

Who are the NPCs who were turned to stone?  Who built the previous ancient city with some enormous dungeon rooms, and are there more hidden levels below?  Who are the pirates and what else are they up to?  The pirates have abducted at least one person from town, so I’ve had them be part of the slavers network from the A1-4 series of modules.

I also use this dungeon as a benchmark for trying new editions of the game, comparing how the rules handle different types of encounters.  The thaumaturgist can die quickly in 5th ed if he faces a party alone, but a handful of goblins might be a problem if they outnumber the party.

The PDF also starts with the archaic example of play in which a designated “caller” speaks for the party, which reflects the way some DMs handled large groups in early campaigns.

[zenopusarchives]

The ad for The Ruined Tower of Zenopus from the program for Scrum Con. The link (https://bit.ly/3bGicsr) goes to the DMs Guild page for the product. Read more about this here: https://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-scrum-con-ad-for-ruined-tower-of.html

[zenopusarchives]

Return to Gary Con: Day Two, Part One

Zenopus game. Source: Larry Hamilton of Follow Me and Die! This is a continuation of my Gary Con XI report. The previous installmen...

Another write-up of my Gary Con experiences. Day Two, Part One: first Zenopus game! 

[jakestabletop]

A little gaming for Gary Gygax’s birthday, July 27:  First level characters explore Zenopus’ dungeon from the 1977 Holmes Basic D&D rules, this time using 5th ed rules.

Room G: Gloomy.  The party turns over some broken furniture and giant rats swarm out of their hidden nest.  These vermin play a little differently in 5th ed with the “pack tactics” rule giving them advantage when other rats are near.

Room S2: The Thaumaturgist who fled a different room is cornered in the ruined tower with his caged ape.  He almost slew the first person up the stairs with his magic missile, but the rest of the party kept climbing out of the trap door and took him down quickly.  Even being 4th level, it’s not good to be outnumbered 5-1 in 5th ed.

With a little more playing time I’m getting a more intuitive feel for 5th ed.  It helps to use a familiar old adventure with a straightforward exploration goal.  Most of the monsters can be adapted on the fly using the summary stat boxes in the 5th ed Monster Manual.  I adjusted the giant constrictor snake’s stats down to make it a more reasonable threat closer to what Holmes described.  The 4th level wizard took extra time to prepare in advance, since I wanted to recreate him from scratch as an NPC.  His spell list in 5th ed is nearly the same as the Holmes version, with the addition of cantrips and one more spell slot.

[oldschoolfrp]

The sea cave below Zenopus' tower from the Holmes basic D&D rules has several ideas worth borrowing for homebrew dungeons.  There are two different encounters for possible negotiation or combat, a secret exit that lets the PCs avoid doubling back to return home, a chance to rescue a prisoner for reward and build a relationship with a family in town (not all treasure is gold), a means  to introduce plot hooks involving pirates and the world beyond the dungeon, plus the party can row away with two new boats.

[oldschoolfrp]

The sea cave is a secret exit from Zenopus' dungeon where pirates stash their loot after raiding the waters around Portown.  (Sample dungeon from Eric Holmes' D&D basic rules, TSR, 1977.)

[magictransistor]