A Complete Timeline of Early D&D Scenarios VIII: 1979 July-August

Since every year has double the number of scenarios compared to the previous year, progress through 1979 has slowed to a crawl. We've made it to the second half of '79 now, and two more posts after this should see us to the end. I say "we" as I could not have done it on my own - for this post I have to thank Andy Ravenscroft, Guy Fullerton, Jon Peterson, Allan Grohe, Bane McDeath, VivaVilez, and Ian (mbassoc2003) for providing photos/details of many of these scenarios, and also Andy Ravenscroft for his comments which provide a perspective on the 70's zine scene from one of its contributors.

This is the eight installment of my series covering all of the D&D scenarios published in the 1970s. The aim is to identify developments, trends and influences - at the end I will write posts covering these various aspects. 

So gird your loins and prepare for battle as we face two dozen more scenarios - including four of the most famous scenarios of all time, all released on the very same day...

(Paul Blackwell is the artist, from Trollcrusher #18)

Name: Kandroc Keep
Date: 1979.7
Author: Brian Asbury
Publisher: Games Publications
Type: Solitaire dungeon.
Notes on Date: Advertised in Trollcrusher #17 as being available at Midland Militaire July '79.
Notes: We're nearly at the end of this run and we get to the first of the only two scenarios I have no images of (other than the cover). In the case of Kandroc Keep, I have located two people who owned copies - but one has mislaid theirs, and the other had donated theirs to a museum! According to notes from Brian at OldHammer Wiki, it was published by Laurence Miller - the then editor of Trollcrusher, which had published Brian's earlier two solitaire scenarios. Brian had acknowledged the influence of Richard Bartle's The Solo Dungeon on his last solitaire adventure, and for Kandroc Keep Richard recalls that it included "mini-maps and bad-pun-deaths ideas" taken from it.

Name: The Temple of the Eye of Lusan
Date: 1979.7
Author: Merle Davenport
Publisher: The Dungeoneer #12
Type: Temple
Notes on Date: At the top of the TOC
Notes: Merle's previously wrote "Killer Kitchen" for The Dungeoneer #6 - a 'humorous' sort-of-scenario which currently isn't in my list. This temple is an atmospheric, mysterious place - the mystery enhanced by the pages being in the wrong order. It has few monsters - more traps and magic - and in some ways resembles The Tomb of Horrors (false treasure rooms, a room where the only way out is death). Not a scenario to endear you to your players.

Name: The Horrible Hole of Tim the Mad
Date: 1979.7
Author: Bill Paley
Publisher: The Dungeoneer #12
Type: Humorous dungeon
Notes on Date: See above
Notes: Old style 'humorous' dungeon, complete with such monsters as the "Wandering Uterus". It is loosely Monty Python themed, and full of anachronisms. It starts with a riddle room where an incorrect answer loses a player a random appendage (possibly their head). The maze in the dungeon just seems irritatingly pointless.

Name: The Mines of Mentorr
Date: 1979.7
Author: Martin Stollery
Publisher: The Beholder #4
Type: Competition Dungeon
Notes on Date: No dates given, assuming monthly
Notes: This is the third competition dungeon - starting with 10 characters of whom you choose 4 or 5. The dungeon is fairly standard fare, but its best aspect once again is it has points (of XP) for achieveing specific tasks. Andy Ravenscroft writes - "The Mines of Mentorr are old dwarven mines that subsequently were used as tombs and most recently have been used by an alchemist who has discovered the secret of eternal life. The adventurers are sent to clean out the ancient mines and kill the alchemist. There is some atmospheric description but it’s mainly a detailed dungeon adventure."

Name: The Keep of Quanol
Date: 1979.7
Author: Gavin Denton
Publisher: Illusionist’s Vision 3
Type: Keep and Dungeon
Notes on Date: In Demonsblood #2 in April the editor has "actually seen the masters for issue #3". The never-to-be-published #4 is due October, and July is halfway inbetween!
Notes: Andy writes - "An extensive scenario with detailed room and occupant descriptions, the Keep of Quanol is the residence of a 6th level MU who has surrounded himself with guards. In the dungeons below are Troglodytes and Bugbears, and a few assorted other monsters. There’s no backstory given, but the scenario is well written and thought out. One nice touch is the Gelatinous Cube trapped in a space below the toilets, acting as a waste disposal." The maps are very simple, but the keys are an above-average dungeon crawl.

Name: A Christmas Dungeon
Date: 1979.7
Author: Mike Ferguson and Brian Henstock
Publisher: Illusionist’s Vision 3
Type: Comedy dungeon
Notes on Date: See above
Notes: Andy writes - "A slightly tongue in cheek scenario featuring Rellian, an 8th level magic user who used to work for Santa Claus but took over from him in a power struggle. If the party frees Santa - who is locked in a back room - he rewards them with special presents such as magical items. Originally IV3 was going to be published in time for Xmas 1978 but it was six months late due to “the slight problem of running out of money”. In the editorial the publishers say that “I can faithfully guarantee that Issue 4 will be out by October” but it appears that it was never published, a common fate among UK fanzines. Of the scenario, the editors write “As this issue has been so late in coming out we were intending to replace this Christmas Dungeon with something else but everyone whom we mentioned the idea to strongly objected and insisted that we leave it in. So here it is.”"

Name: The Evil Base of Baragon
Date: 1979.7
Author: Paul Johnson
Publisher: The Apprentice 5
Type: Underground Temple
Notes on Date: It just says "Summer 1979"
Notes: Half this small dungeon is just room with monster + treasure, but as per all the Apprentice scenarios it includes a new Monster and a new Magical Item - and these and their art (by Dave Sweet) are far better than the core scenario.

Name: The Dungeon of the Fire Opal (Dungeon Master’s Guide)
Date: 1979.8
Author: Gary Gygax
Publisher: TSR
Type: Sample Dungeon
Notes on Date: Released GenCon XII c.f. Dragon #31 p49.
Notes: This unnamed sample dungeon is usually known as "The Dungeon of the Fire Opal" due to the rumour the players hear in the given sample of play. It is, however, clearly the original dungeon T1's moathouse dungeon. The fact that this took 33 years for someone to spot is all the more astonishing considering both were published the very same day. Only the first three rooms are described - but they are great and left everyone wanting more. Half the dungeon is hidden behind a secret door - sometimes given as an indicator of bad design, this is actually a major plus point for the dungeon. Players know there must be a secret door (as they haven't found the Fire Opal) and it is not just a "roll to find it" secret door but one with clues to its location. Deducing there must be a secret door and succesfully locating it is a great moment for the players. If instead they simply give up and move on, any DM worth their salt would have the "strange and terrible" things that lurk in the monastery start to plague the village...

Name: T1 The Village of Hommlet
Date: 1979.8
Author: Gary Gygax
Publisher: TSR
Type: Village + Castle + Dungeon
Notes on Date: Released GenCon XII c.f. Dragon #31 p49
Notes: I can't comment on this module - I'm trying not to even look at the map - as I'm supposed to be a player in it soon...

Name: S2 White Plume Mountain
Date: 1979.8
Author: Lawrence Schick
Publisher: TSR
Type: Dungeon
Notes on Date: Released GenCon XII c.f. Dragon #31 p49
Notes: In contrast to T1, this one I just finished DM'ing so I know it well. According to Schick's interview at Grognardia, this was a dungeon he put together to get a job at TSR, plundered from all the best bits of his own dungeons. As such it does feel more dated in style than the other contemporaneous TSR modules - far more adversarial in nature, non-naturalistic puzzles to challenge the player - but it is very good at it. I never quite worked out how to explain what Sir Bluto was doing there, and I had to tone down the overpowered weapons, but a great time was had by all. My youngest son read up about some of the later versions online afterwards and assures me they all had terrible changes made to it. A very good example of an older style.

Name: The Caverns of Thracia
Date: 1979.8
Author: Jennell Jaquays
Publisher: Judges Guild (JG102)
Type: Dungeon
Notes on Date: In JGJ Y they discuss selling it at GenCon XII
Notes:  Generally considered to be Jaquay's best scenario - and that's saying something. The maps are great - they have all the greatness of the 4 level dungeon from Thunderhold, but combined with a detailed key. There's an overall theme to the dungeon, a theme to each level (which extends to the wandering monster tables), there are sublevels, the keys are engaging and have the right level of detail. The only criticism I can make is that it should have been 10 levels, not 4.   

Name: The Lost Abbey of Calthonwey
Date: 1979.8
Author: R Norman Carter
Publisher: Phoenix Games
Type: Castle + Dungeon
Notes on Date: Released GenCon XII c.f. Dragon #31 p49
Notes: It was a cruel fate that led this module to be published the very same day as three other great scenarios, and it has lapsed into obscurity. This is one of those D&D modules which pretends to be generic. It is not - it is D&D. This manifests itself in amusing ways such as a scroll that "can be used to cure a victim of wounds that are serious". One innovation I have not noted before is advice on how to restock the dungeon. The dungeon has a nice theme and it is quite well keyed. It is a good solid dungeon, in keeping with the standards for this period - not quite at the level of Caverns of Thracia - but then again, what is? 

Name: The Bath-House of the Pharaoh (Treasure Chest)
Date: 1979.8
Author: Will Stephenson
Publisher: White Dwarf #14
Type: (Part of) Dungeon
Notes on Date: On the cover
Notes: This is a small set of puzzle rooms to be placed in a larger dungeon. There are some rhymes which if decoded and followed correctly allow you to retrieve some treasure, if not then it will likely be ruined. This is of an earlier style - there is little attempt at naturalism. For example there is no reason for the puzzle other than to challenge the players. It is an interesting example of this style, as the puzzle is quite different. 

Name: The Monkey God’s Curse
Date: 1979.8
Author: Jim Eckman
Publisher: Balboa Game Company
Type: Solitaire 
Notes on Date: Quick Plugs Different Worlds #4
Notes: Theoretically this is for Warlock, a D&D variant, but I can't see any mention of it, and all the stats are straight-ahead D&D. This is the sixth of seven solitaire D&D adventures in the 70's and I'm going to play through all these at the end to compare and contrast.

"The Judges Guild Journal Son Of - The World's First and Greatest Dungeon Creation Contest - Contest"
This second contest was announced in the same issue of the Journal as the first contest winners were published. The main change is that each of these must be a complete dungeon. In the announcement of the results several dungeons are disqualified because they were not complete dungeons, but note that "Please keep in mind that even the disqualified dungeons have become property of Judges Guild. You cannot submit them to another organization's contest without receiving permission first."

One of the dungeons disqualified was The Temple of Ra Accursed by Set" because it was instead published as a module in December '79. Four other prize winning dungeons were published in later journals - I'll put these all in the list when they were published - but the final one wasn't actually published until '80, but I'll include it at the end of '79. See The Acaeum for a full breakdown of winners for the competitions and which were published where.

So, let's see if the standard has risen since last year...

Name: The Treasure of Barlaum
Date: 1979.8
Author: Ned, Bert & Mollie Plants
Publisher: Judges Guild Journal Y
Type:  Mini-Dungeon (1st place mini dungeon)
Notes on Date: On cover of journal
Notes: Confusingly this is also referred to as "The Lost Splendour of Barlawn" which is a better title. It is immediately obvious that this is a step-up from last year's entries. The split-level dungeon comes with a side-elevation, and an illustration. There are nearly 4 pages of introduction before we get to the key. These are proper room descriptions, with some nice touches - the mud pit trap "Does no damage to anything but vanity". The Evil Illusionist hides in a nearly impossible to find room, but the key says how to run with it if the players find it. This is great anti-railroading advice. See Zenopus Archives for a longer discussion plus other scenarios Moillie wrote.

Name: Owlbear Cave
Date: 1979.8
Author: William Peschel
Publisher: Judges Guild Journal Y
Type: Mini-Dungeon (2nd Place Mini Dungeon)
Notes on Date: See above
Notes: This is a return to the earlier style of monster+treasure. The map is purposefully designed to frustrate mappers - Gary would approve! 

Name: Aflafla’s Dungeon

Date: 1979.8
Author: Gregg Woodock

Publisher: Judges Guild Journal Y
Type: Mini-dungeon (4th Place Mini Dungeon)
Notes on Date: See above
Notes: This is monster+treasure with a dash of random thrown in. "If artificial light is used, someone will probably (93%) notice that when the spider bleedes, that the blood is partly liquid gold. It is thick, so it can be put in a sack. It can be sold for 500GP". Personally I think that's too generous and I'd have made it a 92.5% chance.

Name: The Creeping Doom
Date: 1979.8
Author: Paul Fairbrother
Publisher: Judges Guild Journal Y
Type: Mini-dungeon (3rd Place Mini Dungeon)
Notes on Date: See above
Notes: To me, this is far better than the second placed entry. It is a Giant Ant lair, which is a well chosen theme as it has a nice variety of monster types (worker ants, flying ants, pupae, the queen etc.)

Name: The Forgotten Temple
Date: 1979.8
Author: John A Kantor
Publisher: Judges Guild Journal Y
Type: Dungeon / Underground Temple (4th Place Medium Dungeon)
Notes on Date: See above
Notes: The maps immediately endear me to this scenario. The second level has disconnected sections, and round cornered rooms which makes it catch the eye. In places it falls back on the monster+treasure but the deeper you go the better it gets, with a great pay off at the bottom level. With a little bit of work this could be turned into a half decent adventure - or mined for ideas.

Name: Legend of Leshy
Date: 1979.8
Author: Mike Stoner and Guy Duke
Publisher: The Beholder #5
Type: Wilderness Area featuring farmhouse and cave
Notes on Date: Date given in the editorial
Notes: Instead of another competition dungeon, this is back to the “popular style of The Villa of Menopolis" - a "stage-by-stage" mini-scenario". It proudly proclaims itself to be "an exciting scenario". Andy writes: "It’s based on the rural Slavonic deity Leshy, an old man with a long green beard and a bald crown. The players are on a quest to capture the Leshachikha Bond, a golden acorn that will release from subservience Leshachikha, the mortal wife of Leshy. There are a variety of rural deities that players will encounter, but the scenario is more about solving problems and following clues than combat."

Name: The Ultimate Mini-Dungeon
Date: 1979.8
Author: Paul Blackwell
Publisher: Trollcrusher #18
Type: Comedy dungeon
Notes on Date: None given, but in the editorial the DMG has been published, and September is talked of as being in the future.
Notes: Andy writes - "Paul Blackwell in comedy mode here, with a very short dungeon that mocks “over-rich dungeons with easy pickings”. In the US they called this the Monty Hall problem after a popular game show host but in essence they were dungeons that were far too generous to players. Blackwell sends this up with a dungeon that features for example: '10 x 10 cavern containing 10 skeletons. On walls, just out of the reach of the skeletons, are 10 Vorpal Blades, 40 gallons of Potion of Super Healing & a 10,000 GP’s rug. For parties of under 30 characters use only half of the number of skeletons.'"

Name: The Labyrinth of the Red Warlock
Date: 1979.8
Author: Jeremy Goodwin
Publisher: Trollcrusher #18
Type: Mini-dungeon
Notes on Date: See above
Notes: Jeremy introduces his scenario with "it seems to me that Mini-Dungeons are the best way to see the varying style of DMs around the country." I couldn't agree more! This is another fairly straightforward dungeon crawl with a well presented dungeon map, and some thought to the key. Andy writes "A nicely produced short dungeon running to three pages but with a backstory and good descriptive key. Goodwin, like Blackwell, is a good artist and his dungeon plan and border illustrations are professional looking and well presented."

Name: The Hidehole
Date: 1979.8
Author: Simon Burley and Barry Goble
Publisher: Trollcrusher #18
Type: Comedy dungeon
Notes on Date: See above
Notes: This is a throw away comedy dungeon, but I'm quite partial to the map, with the stonework between the rooms sporting a torch. Andy writes - "A dungeon with its tongue firmly in its cheek, but with a decently drawn map and some cartoonish illustrations. According to the backstory, The Hidehole scenario 'resides on the impossible border between reality and surreality'. It’s clear that some thought went into creating this scenario, but it’s hard to imagine anyone actually using it. It features creatures such as the Awful Din Creature, and the Dada, as well as a man 'totally enclosed in a suit made out of the Birmingham Evening Mail'. It might raise a few chuckles but it’s really a comedy effort and not intended as a serious dungeon. As Simon Burley notes 'I know a lot of people are going to think that this little place is a little too weird but you have to admit that it is original.'"

Name: The Temple of Manitoba
Date: 1979.8
Author: Unknown
Publisher: Spectre #1
Type: Temple and Maze
Notes on Date: It must be before 31st August as that's the date for the next issue
Notes: I like what I've seen of this adventure - not sure how much fun the maze would be to map though! The scenario is nicely themed and the key detailed and varied. Amusingly it is an early example of one of my pet peeves - it describes the entrance to the tunnel to the Temple, then goes into great details about the long tunnel, only for it then at the end to say "in front of the entrance there are..." - many a time I've missing crucial detail which should be upfront but is hidden at the end. But this is an amateur publiction from 1979 - how come people are still making this mistake today?

The prize for best scenario July-August 1979 goes to...

...once again to Jennell Jaquays, this time for Caverns of Thracia. Not only is this a truly great adventure, it is for first level characters - so it is a useful template for how you should write your own dungeon. This will be reprinted soon, along with last week's winner Dark Tower, in the Judges Guild - Deluxe Collector's Edition Volume 2, along with quite a few other scenarios in this list.

I know Gary Gygax's introductory adventure The Village of Hommlet is held in high regard by many, especially for the village as a base of operations, but although I have forgotten most of the details (fortunately, as I am about to play in it) I remember being far more impressed by The Dungeon of The Fire Opal, not realising it was it's alter-ego - further the fact that Gary's T2 never arrived (instead getting Frank Mentzer's T2-4) meant I never DM'ed it. So, for me, it should have been better. Possibly I'll change my mind after I've played it!

As a final note for today, I'll give a little teaser - I'm in talks with two authors of scenarios in this list: with the first to get their scenario back into print (well, pdf) with contemporaneous additional material, and with the second to release a sequel to their scenario that was about to be published in the late 70s ... only for their publisher to go bust.

Link to Part VII