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Zenopus Archives: Holmes Basic website & blog - updates
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Zenopus
Verbose Collector

Posts: 1702
Joined: Sep 03, 2003
Last Visit: Mar 31, 2024
Location: Portown

Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2017 4:29 pm

Harpy axe! Thanks, brute.

Upcoming projects include

-a blog series read-through of Tales of Peril, hopefully starting next week
-a "Return to the Tower of Zenopus" adventure set 40 years after the original. For running at conventions.
-another new short Holmes Basic adventure I've been working on. I've designed the map/encounters and run the game once so far, and am working on writing it up.

Zenopus Archives website & blog: Exploring the Underworld of Holmes Basic D&D. Holmes Ref: Reference Sheets for Holmes Basic Referees, also compatible with OD&D plus the Greyhawk supplement

Zenopus
Verbose Collector

Posts: 1702
Joined: Sep 03, 2003
Last Visit: Mar 31, 2024
Location: Portown

Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2017 12:10 am

The Tales of Peril book club has commenced with the following posts:

Tales of Peril book club - intro/index
Tales of Peril - Cover Art
Tales of Peril - Dust Jacket Flaps - content on the dust jacket flaps, including a larger scan of the author photo

Zenopus Archives website & blog: Exploring the Underworld of Holmes Basic D&D. Holmes Ref: Reference Sheets for Holmes Basic Referees, also compatible with OD&D plus the Greyhawk supplement

Zenopus
Verbose Collector

Posts: 1702
Joined: Sep 03, 2003
Last Visit: Mar 31, 2024
Location: Portown

Posted: Tue Oct 03, 2017 3:28 pm

Delving into the actual book, here I cover the 'Front Matter' - title page, table of contents, credits, acknowledgements, introduction by grodog, etc:

Tales of Peril - Front Matter

Zenopus Archives website & blog: Exploring the Underworld of Holmes Basic D&D. Holmes Ref: Reference Sheets for Holmes Basic Referees, also compatible with OD&D plus the Greyhawk supplement

Zenopus
Verbose Collector

Posts: 1702
Joined: Sep 03, 2003
Last Visit: Mar 31, 2024
Location: Portown

Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2017 9:56 am

Here's the first Book Club post covering the actual stories. Warning: contains spoilers.

The Maze of Peril - Chapter 1: ENTRANCES - first scene:

"The Green Dragon Tavern was Crowded, Dark, Noisy"

Zenopus Archives website & blog: Exploring the Underworld of Holmes Basic D&D. Holmes Ref: Reference Sheets for Holmes Basic Referees, also compatible with OD&D plus the Greyhawk supplement

Zenopus
Verbose Collector

Posts: 1702
Joined: Sep 03, 2003
Last Visit: Mar 31, 2024
Location: Portown

Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2017 11:37 am

For the holidays, I'm giving away a copy of Holmes' 1980 authorized Buck Rogers sequel, MORDRED

If you don't have a copy and are interested in entering, leave a comment on the blog post

Holmes for the Holidays 2017

Zenopus Archives website & blog: Exploring the Underworld of Holmes Basic D&D. Holmes Ref: Reference Sheets for Holmes Basic Referees, also compatible with OD&D plus the Greyhawk supplement

Zenopus
Verbose Collector

Posts: 1702
Joined: Sep 03, 2003
Last Visit: Mar 31, 2024
Location: Portown

Posted: Tue Jan 16, 2018 10:18 pm

Here are the latest posts in the Tales of Peril Book Club:

Scene 2: "Rumors of the Fabulous Treasures of the Underworld"

Scene 3: "Murray the Mage, It Is"

Scene 4: "Tromping Through the Wilderness"

Zenopus Archives website & blog: Exploring the Underworld of Holmes Basic D&D. Holmes Ref: Reference Sheets for Holmes Basic Referees, also compatible with OD&D plus the Greyhawk supplement

brute
Prolific Collector
Acaeum Donor

Posts: 491
Joined: Nov 25, 2006
Last Visit: Apr 09, 2024

Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2018 2:00 pm

Z, the ancient builder story sounds great. Love that idea. Look forward to reading more about it!

Zenopus
Verbose Collector

Posts: 1702
Joined: Sep 03, 2003
Last Visit: Mar 31, 2024
Location: Portown

Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2018 3:14 pm

*bump*

Last week I announced a new part of the Zenopus Archives site, an annotated Holmes Photo Gallery ---

J. Eric Holmes Photo Gallery

And new this week is the oldest photo for the Gallery so far, from Holmes' HS senior year yearbook ---

J. Eric Holmes Yearbook Entry

Zenopus Archives website & blog: Exploring the Underworld of Holmes Basic D&D. Holmes Ref: Reference Sheets for Holmes Basic Referees, also compatible with OD&D plus the Greyhawk supplement

SimperingToad
Verbose Collector

Posts: 1372
Joined: Nov 03, 2008
Last Visit: Jul 01, 2020
Location: My Pad

Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2018 6:26 pm

If you should start coming up with candid shots from his childhood, I'm going to start worrying about you. PDT_Armataz_01_13

Art of dragons doing what dragons do. Site of a friend. Dragonstuff

Zenopus
Verbose Collector

Posts: 1702
Joined: Sep 03, 2003
Last Visit: Mar 31, 2024
Location: Portown

Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2018 5:05 pm

Well, I am in touch with Chris Holmes, so that wouldn't be too out there.

I was drawn to the yearbook entry more the bio than the pic, since it shows he was already interested in writing for the pulps. He really was a life-long superfan, into so many genres --- weird/horror fiction, swords & sorcery, sci-fi, comics (both superhero and underground), role-playing games, miniatures, Japanese toys.

Zenopus Archives website & blog: Exploring the Underworld of Holmes Basic D&D. Holmes Ref: Reference Sheets for Holmes Basic Referees, also compatible with OD&D plus the Greyhawk supplement

sauromatian
Sage Collector

Posts: 2554
Joined: Jul 25, 2007
Last Visit: Jan 06, 2024
Location: Far Harad, Texas

Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2018 12:39 am

SimperingToad wrote in Zenopus Archives: Holmes Basic website & blog - updates:If you should start coming up with candid shots from his childhood, I'm going to start worrying about you.

What we mostly need now are accounts of miracles & virtuous deeds. This will establish a path for beautification & eventual sainthood. I think that "making sense out of the mess that was OD&D" should fulfill the miracle part, & this forum has been a great help in tracking down relics. The photos you mentioned will come in handy down the line when we start selling good-luck charms with the blessed likeness.

red_bus
Sage Collector
JG Valuation Board

Posts: 2820
Joined: Feb 10, 2003
Last Visit: Apr 20, 2024
Location: Olde London Towne

Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2018 1:34 pm

sauromatian wrote in Zenopus Archives: Holmes Basic website & blog - updates:... will establish a path for beautification & eventual sainthood.

Ahhh that errant 'U' creeping in makes it more of a make-over than a path to virtue. Of course I always hoped D&D would make me prettier...

Let's go fly a kite
Up to the highest height!

sauromatian
Sage Collector

Posts: 2554
Joined: Jul 25, 2007
Last Visit: Jan 06, 2024
Location: Far Harad, Texas

Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2018 2:11 pm

red_bus wrote in Zenopus Archives: Holmes Basic website & blog - updates:
sauromatian wrote in Zenopus Archives: Holmes Basic website & blog - updates:... will establish a path for beautification & eventual sainthood.

Ahhh that errant 'U' creeping in makes it more of a make-over than a path to virtue. Of course I always hoped D&D would make me prettier...

"Beatification" is the correct one?!! I thought that had something to do with becoming more like the Beatles.

red_bus
Sage Collector
JG Valuation Board

Posts: 2820
Joined: Feb 10, 2003
Last Visit: Apr 20, 2024
Location: Olde London Towne

Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2018 2:37 pm

Good looking AND saintlike

... don't get me wrong, I am totally up for selling Holmes (and Gygax) good luck charms. I reckon we'll be rich by Xmas!

Let's go fly a kite
Up to the highest height!

SimperingToad
Verbose Collector

Posts: 1372
Joined: Nov 03, 2008
Last Visit: Jul 01, 2020
Location: My Pad

Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2018 6:46 pm

Well, being virtuous does make one more beautiful.

At least, that's how it works in my mind. :wink:

But, some question my mind, so there it is. :mrgreen:

When my mind starts to answer, we're in for big problem city.

Art of dragons doing what dragons do. Site of a friend. Dragonstuff

Zenopus
Verbose Collector

Posts: 1702
Joined: Sep 03, 2003
Last Visit: Mar 31, 2024
Location: Portown

Posted: Mon Nov 26, 2018 11:19 am

The Tales of Peril Book Club has returned. Here are the most recent posts, the third of which was posted today.

Scene 5: "The Ancients Worked on a Grand Scale"

Scene 6: "A Map of the Dungeons Explored So Far"

Scene 7: "The Grisly Business of Swallowing the Corpses"

The posts for Scenes 6 and 7 show portions of Holmes' original dungeon maps that correspond to parts of the story!

Here is one of them:

Zenopus Archives website & blog: Exploring the Underworld of Holmes Basic D&D. Holmes Ref: Reference Sheets for Holmes Basic Referees, also compatible with OD&D plus the Greyhawk supplement

Zenopus
Verbose Collector

Posts: 1702
Joined: Sep 03, 2003
Last Visit: Mar 31, 2024
Location: Portown

Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 4:02 pm

I've created a second blog that archives the posts made to the Holmes Basic G+ Community from 2012-2019.

Fomal Announcement on the Zenopus Archive blog: What is this Archive?

Direct link to the new Holmes Basic G+ Community Archive blog

Zenopus Archives website & blog: Exploring the Underworld of Holmes Basic D&D. Holmes Ref: Reference Sheets for Holmes Basic Referees, also compatible with OD&D plus the Greyhawk supplement

Zenopus
Verbose Collector

Posts: 1702
Joined: Sep 03, 2003
Last Visit: Mar 31, 2024
Location: Portown

Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2019 12:32 am

Here are d12 wandering hauntings that might be encountered in your Zenopus Dungeon:

ZENOPUS ARCHIVES: d12 Hauntings in the Dungeon of Zenopus

Zenopus Archives website & blog: Exploring the Underworld of Holmes Basic D&D. Holmes Ref: Reference Sheets for Holmes Basic Referees, also compatible with OD&D plus the Greyhawk supplement

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