I have been going over old notes for the past few months, re-reading some monsters I created back in the day, and wondering which ones might be good for the Basic Bestiary. One, in particular, jumped back out at me, the Schreckengeist, which lead down a rabbit hole of notes I had collected on the adventure B1 In Search of the Unknown.
This got me thinking about an entire campaign, or even mini-campaign, that includes B1 but also B2 Keep on the Borderlands. These two adventures are designed to work with each other. To do a campaign though I would need a slightly larger (but not much larger) sandbox/hex crawl.
A while back Eric Fabiaschi posted an idea on using Judges Guild 'Wilderlands of High Fantasy' & Gary Gygax's B2 'Keep on the Borderlands' As Old School Campaign. There are links to a discussion on the Piazza and a map for "The Borderlands" for the Wilderlands of High Fantasy. Additionally, Zenopus Archives (home to all things Holmes) talked about the Warlocks & Warriors wilderness map as a hex crawl.
These have a lot of merits, to be honest, and that along with my ideas of a "1979 Campaign" have morphed into something "new" and interesting.
Looking back over my post The Enduring Appeal of Holmes Basic & B1 I can't help but think there is something here worth exploring.
The 1979 Campaign
The idea behind this is a campaign, likely only using Holmes Basic (so levels 1 to 3), the AD&D Monster Manual, and B1 In Search of the Unknown to create a hex crawl style adventure campaign. At least that is the start. Over time the characters (strictly Holmes Basic ones) would move on and out to the Keep and the Caves of Chaos.
The idea is to be 100% old school, though I am free to grab newer materials that expand on these areas the core will be D&D circa '79.
I suppose I could be accused of trying to chase some sort of high or feeling from my youth. And that would...not be entirely wrong. But in truth, there is no way I can recapture the feeling of 1979 any easier than I can recapture the feeling of yesterday's lunch. What I can do is try to set up something that helps me recall how it all was.
This would obviously be some sort of limited-run experiment. Holmes tops out at 3rd level.
My current debate with myself is whether or not to include module T1 The Village of Hommlet.
There are plenty of good reasons to add it.
- It was released in 1979 (August 16–19, 1979 at Gen Con XII)
- It is a great introductory module for first-level characters.
- It was written by Gary so there is a certain veneer of authenticity about it.
The only reason I would not use it is because it is so deeply tied to the Temple of Elemental Evil notion. It is the starting point of the TAGDQ series for AD&D. All the other adventures I am considering are pure Basic D&D. While I am considering other adventures, they all tie into the B1/B2 areas of exploration. T1 is a little different.
The Adventures
Supplemental Adventure Material
- Expanding the Keep
- Pacesetter Adventures
- Putting the Keep into the Judges Guild Wilderlands
I could take all of this and put into my three-ring binder format. Hell. There is even enough room for Holmes basic in this!
If, and that is a big IF, it goes well I would even consider moving on and up. Either via Blueholme rules or take the B/X - OSE route. In truth though I would rather keep this one light and tight as it were. Levels 1 to 3 with the goal of exploring the local wilderness (hex crawl style) and clearing out the local caves.
I also can't help but think of my Traveller Envy and the three board games I have covered here also released in 1979; Wizard's Quest, Magic Realm, and Demons. While my original goal was to mine these for ideas for my War of the Witch Queens, there is no reason why I can't also use them here.
Wizard Quest has the players explore a wilderness area until they have collected enough treasure. In Demons the players are searching for treasure with the aid of various demons while avoiding local authorities. In Magic Realm...well I have not been able to play that one. BUT I could incorporate the background as the past for this area. A bunch of wizards had a mighty battle here and the land is full of strange creatures and even stranger treasure. All these wizards bringing in their bound creatures would also explain why the Caves are so full of them and so much magical treasure around. Maybe even Zelligar is the last of these great wizards. It would also allow me to bring in weaker demons and devils from the monster manual. Though not too strong, these are only 1st to 3rd level characters.
It certainly would get me into the mood for all things 1979. Plus what is more 1979/early 80s for me than Traveller Envy?
If I was really clever I'd collect the names of characters from people playing in 1979 and have them be some of the "named NPCs" for the background.
How about it? Were you playing in 1979? If so drop your character's name and class below!
Notes / References
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