A Complete Timeline of Early D&D Scenarios IV: 1978 Jan-June

As we enter 1978 the number of scenarios has increased to the point where I'm having to split the year into two posts. Over half the entries are now Fanzines - and as you'll see the quality of some of these is fantastic.

There have been some highlights leading up to 1979, but for the large parts the scenarios have not been very sophisticated. Sometimes it's the simplistic monster + treasure, sometimes the random death, sometimes the silly monsters, sometimes the adversarial "gaming" aspect of it - but you always know that you're reading an early scenario - you could not mistake it for something later.

Then starting in January 1978, the style changes dramatically in the UK...

Name: Museum of Mole Bulantir
Date: 1978.1
Author: Phil Alexander
Publisher: Underworld Oracle #4
Notes on date: From the cover
Notes: Up until now every issue of Underworld Oracle included a scenario - but in #4 in addition to another installment of The Halls of Testing (see 1977.9) this issue included a second scenario, by one of the two co-editors, Phil Alexander. It is designed to be an "add-on" to one of your own dungeons, so still an assumption being made that every DM has their own megadungeon. But the style of description is now very different - Phil has worked out how a dungeon should be written. "A domed hall of black marble with a small silver bell hanging from the centre of the roof with cord attached. Failure to ring before entering the North passage will activate an unusual insect plague curse..."
This dungeon is accompanied by a play-test write-up which is longer than the adventure! Underworld Oracle was so popular its issues were reprinted - they appear at first glance to be identical - but it has been retyped, meaning that in the second edition "Passages and rooms are all 2 ft high except where noted".

Name: The  Halls of Testing - Barbarians

Date: 1978.1 

Author: Brian Asbury

Publisher: Underworld Oracle #4

Type: Halls of Testing

Description: Andy Ravenscroft writes "Brian Asbury, who wrote a lot for Trollcrusher, Demonsblood, and other UK fanzines, guested on this Halls of Testing but the formula remains the same. It’s an entry level dungeon for Level 1 characters. This one also includes four monsters designed for the dungeon, illustrated by Brian." These Halls are for Barbarians, a new Character Class written by Brian Asbury which was published in White Dwarf #4.

Name: Referee Map Modules
Date: 1978.2
Author: Clive Bigglestone
Publisher: DunDraCon
Type: Dungeon maps (no key)
Notes on date: Copyright is 1978, reasonable to assume was for sale at Dundracon 3
Notes: Contrary to the descriptions floating around the net, these are not Geomorphs (nor does it describe itself as that). They are 10 unkeyed dungeon level maps (or, it suggests, floors of large buildings). There are four stairs on each map, two wide and two narrow, to connect the levels (update - they don't match up so how they connect is up to you - thanks Ian). Clive was a founder of DunDraCon, and of far more interest are his random encounter products. They're not listed as I don't include random encounter tables and the like, but they are also DM-aids and if you combine one of his "Underground Encounters" sets with this you would have a full scenario. People who get the Referee Map Modules seem to be invariably disappointed by it, but the Encounters series is great and has a lot of fans. 

The staircases on the maps are marked in a unique fashion: 

Name: City Modules
Date: 1978.2
Author: Terry Jackson
Publisher: DunDraCon
Type: City Geomorph
Notes on date: As per Referee Map Modules
Notes: Published in a very similar style to Referee Map Modules, presumably at the same con, this is a set of maps which could be combined together to form part of a city - so it seems like it is supposed to be a geomorph. This is the second of five map-only-DM-aids for the first half of 1978. This is a genre with a lot of entries so far and was a path that until '77 looked at the time to many people like it was what DM's wanted, and not modules - but it's about to become extinct.

Name: hotel kaliphornia
Date: 1978.3
Author: David Marbry
Publisher: The Dungeoneer #7
Type: Comedy dungeon
Notes on date: From the cover
Notes: The Dungeoneer has a new editor and publisher - no longer Jennell Jaquays but Charles Anshell. The map for this scenario definately suffers for the change, and the description is a throw-back to the style of old. "Outside, a sign reads, in chaotic 'DANGER'. Inside, the room is empty. The floor, though, is an illusion. Later in the game you can simply tell the player that he (or she) is still falling." This sort of gottcha is generally assoaciated with Gary Gygax's name whereas we can see that it's widely prevalent in the 70's. This is a sureal hotel, very odd. Andy points out what surely everyone reading it notices - "they should have made it so that you can check in any time you like but you can never leave."

Name: The House of Herman Boring
Date: 1978.3
Author: Graham Cole
Publisher: Trollcrusher #8
Type: Comedy dungeon
Notes on date:  The last date for submissions was Feb 78
Notes: Trollcrusher published a dozen scenarios in the 70s, but it took until issue 8 before they started (shortly after David Row took over as editor). This is a comedy dungeon, but in spite of this it shows attention to detail lacking from earlier years - for example a room of female Gnomes - "with them are three male Gnomes looking in a chest of personal belongings evidently for some dice". Andy writes "The House of Herman Boring is a strange little dungeon with some modern technology (e.g., a laser pistol) mixed in with orcs and gnomes and suchlike. The map is in the centre pages of Trollcrusher, allowing it to be pulled out, but annoyingly the zine is side stapled rather than saddle stitched which means you have to remove the staples or tear the middle of the dungeon."

Name: The Halls of Testing - Assassins and Thieves

Date: 1978.3 

Author: Uncredited but very probably Phil Alexander

Publisher: Underworld Oracle #5

Type: Halls of Testing / Inn

Description: This is the fourth Halls of Testing, which was proving very popular. Andy writes "This Hall of Testing is uncredited in the magazine, but precedent and the writing style make it highly probable it’s by Phil Alexander. This scenario is extensive, featuring three floors of an inn located in an unnamed City State. The quality of the writing and the scenario is good, but the production quality of the magazine is poor. Underworld Oracle suffered from very variable print quality during its seven issue run and portions of the magazine could be difficult to read due to missing text, faint text, or bleedthrough from the other side of the page."

Name: Village Book I
Date: 1978.4
Author: Bill Davis & Mark Summerlott
Publisher: Judges Guild (JG59)
Notes on date: Instalment R.
Notes: Judges Guild had already produced several unkeyed dungeons, but they now produced the first three of a series of unkeyed outdoor hex maps. The Wilderlands series was very popular, but none of the castles, villages, or islands had a map - so I jumped at the chance to get these products and thought I could use these products whenever I needed one. Unfortunately finding a map that fitted was nearly impossible, and large number of the maps are very underdeveloped, so although I have a nostalgic fondness for these maps, I have almost never used them, and just dream of what they might have been.

Name: Castles Book I
Date: 1978.4
Author: Bob Bledsaw, Bill Davis & Mark Holmer
Publisher: Judges Guild (JG60)
Notes on date: Not listed in Journal R, but according to The Acaeum these are in the back of Village Book I
Notes: The one of this series I bought back in the early eighties was actually Castle Book II (singular - no 's') but I found the real Welsh Castles I visited on holiday far more exciting, and preferred the real maps found in the backs of the guidebooks - I have a large collection of them! 

Name: Island Book I
Date: 1978.4
Author: Bill Davis & Bob Bledsaw
Publisher: Judges Guild (JG61)
Notes on date: As per Castle Book I
Notes: These were not the end of this series - another Village Book appears in 1979.10, and in 1980 a second Castle Book (there is also an unloved Temple Book) - but not another Island Book. This is a shame as the Island book is probably the most useful as it could be dropped on to any map easily enough, and the maps could have inspired an adventure.

Name: Chronicles of Keldorn, Part the first
Date: 1978.4
Author: Paul Blackwell
Publisher: Trollcrusher #9
Notes on date: Last date for submissions given in #8 was March 78.
Notes: The Chronicles of Koldorn ran over several issues. This first by itself is not really a separate scenario, but the later entries all are, so I've split them out. Andy writes "Paul Blackwell’s Chronicles of Keldorn marks a significant step up in the quality of self-published scenarios in UK fanzines. Paul brought a longer range vision to his scenarios that placed them in the context of a world, and installments of his Chronicles appear in the next six or seven issues of Trollcrusher. His city and dungeon maps are better drawn than anything previously published in the zine, and he’s also a good artist with a distinctive style. Although this first installment doesn’t have a lot of content, it sets the scene for the following scenarios that have much greater depth."

Name: Chronicles of Keldorn, part the second, The Port of Fhalfar
Date: 1978.5
Author: Paul Blackwell
Publisher: Trollcrusher #10
Type: Town
Description: Any writes "The port town of Fhalfar in Paul Blackwell’s Keldorn series is a great example of how the quality of scenarios in fanzines, and in general, was elevated during 1978. Fhalfar runs to 12 pages and includes a nicely drawn map of the town (a pull out centre section), a list of NPC’s with characteristics and back stories, and a bespoke encounter table. There are some nice new touches not previously seen in fanzine scenarios such as rumours that players can pick up at different locations which might lead them to treasure or a situation. This is a scenario that, with some additional artwork and expansion, could easily have been published as a professional supplement."

Name: A Somewhat Unusual Quest
Date: 1978.5
Author: Bill Seligman
Publisher: The Dungeoneer #8
Type: Sci-Fi adventure
Notes on date:
Notes: From Andy - "This dungeon is set up as a quest for something called The Device, and breaks with convention by being overtly scifi. It’s set on Sky Harbor, the giant alien spaceship at the end of the film Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The scenario has strange gravity effects, space alien monsters and robots, and references Starship Troopers and Fantastic Voyage. The Dungeoneer was comfortable publishing this sort of cross-over material whereas most fanzine D&D scenarios were set in medieval type fantasy worlds. The author, Bill Seligman, was a regular contributor to Alarums & Excursions and became something of a legend for his article in The Dragon #5 "Gandalf was only a Fifth Level Magic-User"."

Name: Yurupari Wilderness / The Forests of the Yurupari
Date: 1978.5
Author: Tom Keenes
Publisher: Underworld Oracle #6
Type: Wilderness
Notes on date: From the cover
Notes: This short wilderness with minimal key isn't particularly exciting in itself - but it does contain locations for the next two entries below from the same issue and also The Pyramid of Qualpatal (UO #1) - and the map is designed to be a pull-out. This shows how Underworld Oracle was trying to up-its-game as it got near to the end of its 7 issue run.

Name: The Crypt of Cacama
Date: 1978.5
Author: Tom Keenes
Publisher: Underworld Oracle #6
Type: Mini-dungeon
Notes: A return to the ever popular topic for mini-dungeons - a tomb! The same author as the Yurpari, but this is a lot better. Some effort has been made to make an interesting map, with sections hidden behind rockfalls or secret doors, and multiple ways between levels. The key has some interest "The floor of this corridor is covered with mud. There is a smell of dead fish in the air, and a dripping noise can be heard but not located" and the theme is consistent. Yet another adventure playable without any apology necessary for its age.

Name: El Pretor
Date: 1978.5
Author: Clifford Haley
Publisher: Underworld Oracle #6
Type: Mini-dungeon
Notes: Presented as part of the Yurpari, I've split this out as I believe the three parts still feel like three independant entities - and in particular this has a different author. Andy commented on the variable quality of Underworld Oracle's printing, and the map suffers greatly here, being difficult to read. This mini-dungeon is a mad wizards menagerie, but it is rather low on engaging detail "Cage 12 3 Gt Rats, HD 1, A/C 7 8,7,1 HTK".

Name: Horlock's Hangout
Date: 1978.5
Author: Gavin Denton
Publisher: Illusionist’s Vision #1
Notes on date: On cover
Notes: Another higher quality scenario, clearly influenced by the change in style in UK fanzines. Andy noted "Illusionist’s Vision was a short lived fanzine that started up in the Midlands to help promote dungeoneering in that region. The editors, Mike Ferguson and Gavin Denton (who wrote this scenario) acknowledge in their editorial the influence of other zines by saying “thank you to Underworld Oracle, The Dungeoneer, White Dwarf and many other D&D related magazines”. The format of the dungeon follows a fairly traditional path, but is notable for the greater detail in the key describing the contents of each room, the clarity of the map, and the backstory that players are told before they start." 

Name: The Halls of the Leprechaun King
Date: 1978.5
Author: David Berman
Publisher: The Apprentice #1
Notes on date: From the cover
Notes: We've seen a distinct style in the UK scenarios this year, moving towards a more developed style, but we're back in the states for The Leprechaun King, and they've clearly not read the memo. Every issue of The Apprentice has a dungeon, often with an unusual side-elevation map, and they are usually rather silly. "This 10' x 10' room is empty, save for the leprechaun on the shelf above the west door".

Name: Citadel of Fire
Date: 1978.6
Author: Bob Bledsaw, Mark Summerlott
Publisher: Judges Guild (JG63)
Notes on date: Instalment S.
Notes: This was printed with page 3 missing - it is included as p12 in the Judges Guild Journal T two months later. This continued major lapse in production standards contrasts sharply to what the amateur press were striving to produce. Citadel of Fire has a lot of fans, but it's really just Fortress Badabaskor part 2 and shows the company treading water.  

Name: Fantastic Wilderlands Beyonde
Date: 1978.6
Author: Bob Bledsaw, Mark Holmer
Publisher: Judges Guild (JG67)
Notes on date: Is listed in JGJ S.
Notes: In the case of FWB, however, what we want is more of the same but better. Everyone wanted more of the Wilderness, and the style is improving. Map #1 had no Ruins & Relics, #2 and #3 had Ruins & Relics but it was clearly from a random table "Partially covered with ashes offal - 1 umber hulk", #4 turns these into proper keys "The collapsed wreckage of a large sailed warship lies far beneath the surface. Upside down, the hull forms a cave which is inhabited by a giant squid". In FWB the style has turned into the style everyone remembers - "Within a cave filled with thousands of bats hanging upside down from the rough hewn ceiling is a forty-two foot skeleton of a giant. Cut deeply into the wall is the name 'Nemainikham'. If pronounced aloud, the skeleton will jerk. Hige beams support the walls." Judges Guild was improving here - the problem is that I bought WOHF in about '83 after I'd bought FWB and was dreadfully disappointed. If only they had revised their earlier products to the later style and produced them with higher production values...

Name: Temple of Gorbash
Date: 1978.6
Author: John Baillie
Publisher: Trollcrusher #11
Notes on date: From dates in mag must be June or before
Notes: Underworld Oracle was mostly written by its editors so was consistent - whereas Trollcrusher relied upon contributions. It was a semi-APA - contributors wrote sections of the magazine with their own name. Unlike a true APA there was some quality control - but there is a lot of variability. This dungeon featured in a column called "This Column has No Title" and is a rather average simple dungeon + simple key which was meant to be in Trollcrusher #10 - the editorial notes that they had few contributions for issue #11 and a lot was material left over from previous issues.

Name: The Magnificent 7
Date: 1978.6
Author: Howard Mahler
Publisher: Quick Quincy Gazette #11
Type: Tournament (Michicon VII)
Notes on Date: There is no date on the cover nor the image I have of the dungeon, but there is sale on Worthpoint that stated it was from June 78 which is when Michicon was held.
Notes: This is a single player tournament adventure. It appears to just be a series of rooms, in each of which patiently waits a monster.

Name: The Tomb of Lord Advandey
Date: Spring 1978
Author: Randall S Stukey
Publisher: The Grimoire #1

Type: Minidungeon, Tomb
Notes on Date: It says Spring 1978 on the cover
Notes: It is very short and has a minimal monster+trap+treasure key apart from an introductory legend / rhyme to hook the players. It shows its influences from Tomb of Horrors quite explict by having a sex-change ray. Uniquely the doors are ovals! The most interesting thing about this adventure is that the Grimoire was a school fanzine, almost entirely written by Randall S Stukey - better known as the author of the RPG Microlite74. It is infact it had a very small print run and was only sold at school so is probably only known because of Randall's continuing as an RPG developer - see Retro Roleplaying- so it indicates that there are likely other low-print run private publications which are unheard of. To me it shows the sheer level of enthusiasm at this point in time that many had for D&D. 

So the prize for the first half of '78? Clearly it has to go to the UK fanzines, and in particular Phil Alexander for The Museum of Mole Bulantir and Paul Blackwell for The Chronicles of Keldorn. . 

 

Thanks to Andy Ravenscroft, Jon Peterson, Guy Fullerton, Randall Stukey and dbartman for help obtaining images for many of these scenarios.

Link to Part III