D&D on Barsoom art by Chris Holmes

Dungeons & Dragons on Barsoom, artwork by Chris Holmes, 1980

This fantastic artwork by Chris Holmes shows John Carter battling a Thark, perhaps Tars Tharkas. Chris told me that the sheet was used a player recruitment sheet at a long ago Gen Con and it seems most likely this was 1980 (the art is signed "Chris Holmes 80"). 

The text reads: "Dungeons and Dragons on Barsoom. A Fantasy Role Playing Game on Edgar Rice Burroughs world of Mars. For 8 players Exp. Level 3. Free Event. No Prize. Meet at 10:00 AM SUNDAY Morning and we will try to find a place to play. Sign up below. Chris Holmes", with an update: "We are just to the left of this note".

J. Eric Holmes and Chris had run this same game at Gen Con 78 and 79 as listed in the program books for those conventions. The 1979 program book has the following brief description: "Ever wondered what happened when your character got teleported to Mars? Find out in this small tourney. One session." 

There are no games listed for the Holmes in the 1980 booklet, so I didn't know they had also run this scenario there too until I saw the above.

If you'd like to see more art work by Chris, the gallery on his website was updated recently. Plus there's artwork of his throughout the new Tales of Peril book. 

Gen Con 50 is this week. I won't be there, but if you are there is a museum where there will be a typed draft of original D&D.

Zenopus Dungeon Factions

Some thoughts on using the encounters in the Sample Dungeon as "factions" vying for control of the dungeon:

Thaumaturgist (Rooms F and S) - This evil magic-user's goal is "to take over the dungeon level". Allies include a charmed smuggler (2nd level fighter) and a pet giant snake. Other resources include his tower (home base), a wand of petrification and a captured ape in a cage.

Per Holmes' advice, I've generally had him react to intruders by fleeing and ordering his lackey to attack, but in the Portown Rumors I positioned him as a potential employer in town. Why not have him play the same role if first encountered in the dungeon? He might parlay with the PCs to get them to aid in taking over the dungeon. An easy first mission would be cleaning out the giant rats in nearby Room G. Other targets might be the goblins in Room A, the giant spider in Room J, the giant crab in Room L,  the pirates/smugglers in Room M, the ghouls in Room P, or any wandering monsters he's encountered.

Following Zenopus' demise, "[o]ther magic-users have moved into town", which I've taken to mean the thaumaturgist, but it also implies at least one other. Perhaps there is a rival M-U also searching for ancient treasures in the dungeon.

Another option is to have the thaumaturgist as a former apprentice of Zenopus who turned his master to stone and used him as the rotating statue in Room F. In this type of scenario there's the potential for restoring Zenopus with the scroll of stone to flesh. Another twist would be to place on the thaumaturgist on the town council, or perhaps as an advisor to one of the lords on the council.

Goblins (Room A) - this group lives in this huge room (120 x 120 feet, the largest in the dungeon) as evidenced by the beds (one for each goblin), tables and benches. Their total number is not defined as Holmes suggests adjusting it on the number of PCs. If goblins are encountered as wandering monsters on this level they could also be part of this group. If more goblins sneak into the area and join the group they may try to expand their area of control.

The only other clue that Holmes gives for goblins' motivations is survival - they will flee or surrender if half the number is killed, and will bargain duplicitously in order to escape. They have knowledge of "the dangerous trap rooms" although it is not clear what this refers to. The ambushing giant spider in nearby Room J is a possibility although it was much weaker in Holmes' original draft (only 1 HD), so I'm not sure if that is what Holmes was referring to. 

The goblins' room is very close to the entrance to the dungeon, with no other encounters between, and they could easily slip to the surface to steal food from the town; in Portown Rumors this activity is responsible for one of the rumors.

They have a good deal of coin (1000 SP, 2000 CP), which means they might be working for someone, perhaps the thaumaturgist. If the PCs offer more money, the goblins would probably provide information or cooperation for the time.

One of their chests is trapped with a sleeping gas. In my version I've added that they know how to make this gas and store in it breakable vials, for use as "sleep bombs" (ala the Green Goblin) to help them escape.

Pirates (Room M) - Another group of indeterminate number; there at least four but with a 1 in 4 chance every turn of 2-5 more arriving with no limit indicated. This group is mainly concerned with maintaining their sea cave hideout in the sea cave. They have a dangerous "guard dog" in the form of the hungry octopus they feed as they row in to keep from attacking them. They are also described as smugglers but are probably not currently moving the goods into town through the dungeon due to the various dangerous monsters in the way. But having them use the dungeon for transport could be a motivation for having them vie for control of the dungeon. Alternately, if their lair is threatened they may go seeking revenge on the offending party. 

The force in Room M are all described as normal men, but they had at least one former member who was a 2nd level fighter (now charmed by the thaumaturgist). This raises the possibility of stronger leaders that are currently elsewhere. If they feel threatened by the town they might assemble a larger force and stage a raid. In this way the current force in Room M could be used as advance force similar to the bandits watching the Keep in the wilderness in B2. 

They have Lemunda the Lovely prisoner. Did they kidnap her with the goal of ransoming her? Or did they catch her spying on them and are now debating what to do?

Ghouls (Room P) - These undead are tied to the cemetery in an ambiguous manner. The room contains some smashed coffins (their own or someone else's?) and the east door "leads to a short dirt tunnel which ends blindly under the cemetery". The coda to the adventure indicates something is going on there: "What inhuman rites are being practiced deep in the ghoul haunted passages beneath the graveyard?" This implies cult activities, which could be another faction. Perhaps the cultists are animating dead bodies - skeletons, zombies, ghouls. The cult would have a leader, possibly an evil curate (5th level Cleric) and many lower level acolytes (Level 1). Perhaps they carry a "sigil" that keeps their undead minions from attacking them. To increase the presence of this faction in the Sample Dungeon, we could add a roving band of cultists to a Wandering Monster table for the level.

Rats (Rooms G, N and RT) - These are not intelligent, but there are many ("there is no end to the rats"). Add a controlling were-rat or two (or even a vampire!) with a base somewhere in the rat tunnels and there's another faction vying for control of the dungeon.

Townsfolk - While the citizens of Portown are not ordinarily encountered in the dungeon, they've got a stake in it since it is under their town and the denizens may pose a threat. Per the coda of the adventure, the townspeople may not take kindly to trouble stirred up from below ("tampering with Things Better Left Alone"). This brings the possibility of invoking the "Angry Villager Rule" - "Anyone who has viewed a horror movie is aware of how dangerous angry villagers are"  (see OD&D, Vol 3, page 24).

However, if the PCs gain some prominence - such as by rescuing Lemunda - the town leaders would probably support any efforts to defeat any and all of the above factions. The form of government is not specified, but Lemunda's father (who I've named Leomund) is described as "a powerful lord in the city above". This implies more than one "lord" to the city, and the intro refers to "the authorities", so perhaps there is a ruling council of lords. Gygax's guidance regarding the Castellan in B2 (see page 7) could be useful for role-playing a town leader such as Leomund and his reaction to the party's exploits.

Portown Adventuring Eras

This is a brief outline of the history of Portown, including adventures that could be set in each time period. The dates are set in YBB (Years Before Basic) or YAB (Years After Basic). Some are from the Holmes Sample Dungeon, the rest are extrapolations:

Prehistory: A "pre-human city" of "doubtful history" exists in the future site of Portown. A vast layered underworld is constructed by the Ancient Builders.

~500 YBB: Portown is founded to link "caravan routes from the south to the merchant ships" traveling the Northern Sea. Catacombs beneath the town are constructed, where the former Lords and Ladies of Portown are buried in sarcophagi (see Room N).

100 YBB: Zenopus arrives, builds a tower on the hill over the sea cliffs to the west of town and near the graveyard. Green Dragon Inn established.

~75 YBB: Zenopus excavates beneath his tower in search of ancient treasures.

Adventure of the era: Zenopus hires PCs to investigate pre-human tunnels under his tower.

50 YBB: Zenopus vanishes when his tower in engulfed in green flame. "Several of his human servants" escape and relate that he was destroyed by "a powerful force he unleashed in the depths of the tower".

Adventure of the era: Investigate disappearance of Zenopus

~45 YBB: Town demolishes 'haunted' tower.

Adventure of the era: Investigate haunted tower prior to demolition

~5 YBB: Thaumaturgist arrives, builds or moves into a short tower (Room S) not far from the Zenopus ruins.

0 YBB/YAB: Present day. Lord Leomund (Level 10 Fighter) is the ruler of Portown. His daughter Lemunda has just gone missing. The Green Dragon Inn is a popular gathering place for adventurous types. Pirates and smugglers are very active on the Northern Sea. Bodies are going missing from the graveyard, possibly being transformed into ghouls (as in Room P) by cultists. 

Adventures of the era: Sample Dungeon as written, including rescue Lemunda. 
Investigate cult activities; possibly adapt a Call of Cthulhu scenario?

5-35 YAB: Quiet years. Old dungeon entrance sealed by Lord Leomund.

40 YAB: Lady Lemunda (now a L10+ Fighter) now ruler.

Adventure of the era: Return to the Tower of Zenopus, deal with new threat(s) in the old dungeon. Pirate & cultists have merged/transmogrified into Dagonites.

(Revised from a post on G+, thanks to Andy C for suggesting I add the "pre-history" era)

See also: Portown Rumors (which are all in relation to the "Present Day" time period)