Holmes for the Holidays 2020

Back for the pandemic, it's "Holmes for the Holidays"!

For this year, I've got an extra copy of Dragon #58 (February 1982), which features the Boinger and Zereth story, "In the Bag". The condition isn't the best: while the front cover looks like fine (see above), the back cover has a tear 2/3rds of the way across (it could be taped pretty easily), and the "Spellminders" counters from the center of the magazine are missing. Buy hey, it's free!

"In the Bag" was the last of Holmes' three Boinger and Zereth stories to appear in Dragon, and also the last of his writing of any kind for the magazine. Chronologically, it is set after "The Sorcerer's Jewel", as Boinger mentions that adventure, which had appeared one year earlier in Dragon #46 (February 1981). Murray and Olaf from The Maze of Peril also return in this story, and there are also references to Amazons and Dagon from that story (which at the time of this story, had been written but not yet been published).

The story is delightfully illustrated throughout by Donna Barr, an artist I'm not otherwise familiar with, but per wikipedia she illustrated other RPG products and comics books. While the Tales of Peril compilation includes "In the Bag", it does not include Barr's illustrations, which means this issue retains some draw for the Holmes collector.

The cover of Dragon #58 is by Clyde Caldwell - his second for the magazine - and features a castle with a skull-shaped gate reminiscent of Skull Mountain or Castle Greyskull (although Caldwell's painting is dated 1981 and it says here that the first He-Man toys were released in 1982). And to me, the lizard-riding, spear-wielding dwarf also recalls the lizard rider image featured at the top of this blog. 

The issue also include an article by the late Lenard Lakofka, "Beefing up the cleric", that details a bunch of new "official" cleric spells, which were later compiled in Unearthed Arcana. The article is introduced by Gary Gygax, who writes "All readers should be aware that Len Lakofka has been of considerable aid and assistance in formulating the whole of the AD&D game system".

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For the give-away I will use the same system as before: 

If interested, leave a comment in reply to this post within the next two days, before automated moderation kicks in on this post. After two days, I will treat the list of comments as a table and roll randomly for the winner, using dice from a Holmes Basic set.

I'll cover postage (media mail) for any U.S. address. I can ship to other countries but I ask that you cover the difference (any amount over $4) in shipping by PayPal; so if you are overseas please only participate if you have a PayPal account and willing to chip in the extra. I'll estimate the exact shipping by weight and refund the difference if I overcharge.

Please note that due to the date I'm starting this that I probably won't get it in the mail until after Christmas.

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12/29 Update, including the Results:

I recruited two dice elves to make the rolls. There were less than 20 comments, so we used a Holmes white 20-sided die (numbered 0-9 twice) and an orange 6-sided die as the control die (1-3 = 1-10, 4-6 = 11-20).

After warming up the dice, we made the official roll...

...which indicates that number 7 is the winner! (the control die being a "1" means that it's "7" instead of 17). That's The Great Khan! 

Thanks to all who commented, and hopefully 2021 will be a better year for all.

Holmes for the Holidays 2018

"Holmes for the Holidays" is back for 2018!  

This year I'm giving away a paperback copy of the first issue of the new Cthulhu RPG zine Bayt El Azif, which as described previously has an article that I wrote about Holmes' role bringing the Cthulhu Mythos into D&D, with a new illustration of a Mythos creature by Chris Holmes.

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For the give-away I'm using the same system as before: if you are interested, add a comment in reply to this post within the next two days. The two days are the time limit before moderation starts on posts on this blog. After two days, I'll stop accepting entries and treat the list of comments as a table and roll randomly for the winner, using dice from a Holmes Basic set.

I'll cover postage (media mail) for any U.S. address. I can ship to other countries but I ask that you cover the difference (any amount over $4) in shipping by PayPal; so if you are overseas please only participate if you have a PayPal account and willing to chip in the extra. I'll estimate the exact shipping and refund the difference if I overcharge. Note this is intended for folks who don't yet have a copy of the magazine.

Please note that due to the date I'm starting this that I may not have time to get this in the mail prior to Christmas, and it almost certainly won't be received by then. If you'd like get a copy of this sooner you can try ordering over at DrivethruRPG (link includes my affiliate number). And if you are looking for other gifts try my recent post "Things I've Written Published Elsewhere".

1/7 Update, including the Results:

A happy New Year everyone. My apologies for the delay in announcing these results.

I recruited a dice elf to make the roll for me. There were 36 comments (only 31 of which were entries), so we used Percentile Dice (pink 20-sider for 10s, white 20-sider for 1s), re-rolling any score for non-entries or and any over 36. 

After a few practice rolls, we made the official roll...

...which indicates that number 21 is the winner! That's Tony Rowe, who I will contact via email.

Thanks to all who entered the contest! Hope to have a new Holmes Ref sheet out soon.

Holmes Ref 2.0

One year ago on Free RPG Day I released Holmes Ref 1.0 (see blog post here), a 10-page compilation of various Holmes Ref Sheets. 

Click here to view/download Holmes Ref 2.0

This year's offering is Holmes Ref 2.0, an expanded version with 18 pages, including:

*Title Page with Monster Face Montage art
Character Creation Worksheet
*Blank Character Sheet - new version posted separately in April
Advancement Tables (previously called Holmes + OD&D "Bridge" Sheet)
Holmesian Random Names
Backgrounds for Humans
Cleric Spells Levels 1-6
M-U Spells Levels 1-3 
*M-U Spells Levels 4-6 - new, posted separately earlier this week
Monster Reference Table - revised to use dice notation (e.g. 1d6) vs ranges for damage
*Tips for using the Monster Table - from the pdf of the Monster Table, slightly revised
*One Hit Point Monsters
Magical Item Reference Table
*Lesser Magic Items - new sheet, material published in Dungeon Crawl #3 in 2013
Pre-generated First Level Characters 
*Pre-generated Third Level Characters - new sheet, not yet posted separately
*Draw and Key Your Own Dungeon - graph paper previously posted on Holmes Ref page
*Zenopus Archives logo with Monster Face Mountain Art 

Starred items are new to the Holmes Ref compilation.

The first and last pages can be used for the player-facing side of DIY DM screens.

I won't be surprised if there are some typos/formatting errors/etc, so please let me know & I'll make note of them for future correction.

The compilation and individual sheets are available via the Holmes Ref page on the Zenopus Archives site. Holmes Ref 1.0 will remain anyone who wants a smaller version.

Also available is the Portown Rumors 3-page pdf posted last month.

Enjoy Free RPG day. I'm playing in a 1E AD&D game at a local store later today.

Update: For reference, I added more links to the original posts about the various sheets.

Free RPG Day: Holmes Ref 1.0

Before NTRPG Con, I put together a 10-page pdf of Holmes Ref sheets which I thought might be handy for a pick-up game. While I didn't get a chance to use it there, I thought I would make the compilation available today for Free RPG Day.

Holmes Ref 1.0 includes:

1. Character Generation Worksheet
2. Blank Character Sheet (new!)
3. Advancement Reference Sheet (formerly "Holmes + OD&D Bridge Table")
4. Holmesian Random Names
5. Backgrounds for Human Characters (optional)
6. Cleric Spell Reference Sheet Levels 1-6
7. Magic-User Spell Reference Sheet Levels 1-3
8. Monster Reference Sheet
9. Magic Item Reference Sheet
10. Pre-Generated 1st Level Party

The new blank character sheet matches the format of the character generation sheet for ease in transferring information.

Go the Holmes Ref page to download Holmes Ref 1.0

I'll use the comments section below to record any typos noted for future correction.

The individual sheets remain available via the Holmes Ref page. 

What's next?
A glaring deficiency is the M-U spells Levels 4-6, so I'm working on a sheet for those.

Holmes for the Holidays III - the winner is...

Welcome to the third annual 'Holmes for the Holidays' where I send a present to a randomly selected reader. This year instead of a copy of the Holmes Basic rulebook I have a brand new copy of Holmes' 1986 D&D novel The Maze of Peril to give away, pictured above. 

Same system as previously: if you are interested, add a comment in reply to this post. I'm going to run the entries for just two days this year, as that is the time limit before moderation starts on posts on the blog. After two days, I'll stop accepting entries and treat the list of comments as a table and roll randomly for the winner, using dice from a Holmes Basic set. 

I'll cover postage (media mail) for any U.S. address. I can ship to other countries but I ask that you cover the difference (any amount over $4) in shipping by PayPal; so if you are overseas please only participate if you have a PayPal account and willing to chip in the extra. I'll estimate the exact shipping and refund the difference if I overcharge at all.

This is intended for folks who don't have a copy of the novel, so please don't post if you already have a copy. 

Update #1: It's been two days - 41 entries. A winner will be selected soon.

Update #2: We made the official dice roll using the original TSR 'Percentile Dice' - a white d20 for tens, and a pink d20 for ones. We simply rerolled any number over 41. After three practice rolls, my dice chucker rolled '20' for the official result, so the winner is...

Alfons Holzli! I'll be contacting him privately now.

By the way, if you are still hankering for The Maze of Peril, there are two places it is currently available (I am not affiliated in any way with either of these companies):
(1) Noble Knight has 8 copies in stock for $9.95 + shipping. This is where I got it for this contest. They take Paypal or credit cards, and you can order on-line.
(2) Space & Time, the original publisher, still has the original book in stock for $6.96 + $1.50 shipping. But they require check or money order, and you have to mail the order to them, so less convenient. I'm guessing that Noble Knight has been ordering from them.


Happy Holidays!

Random Freebie of the Month (Jan)

      Last month I gave away a Holmes Basic set to a random poster. I am going to try to make this a monthly feature where I give away extras or other items I don't need. This month it's a map that I have an extra copy of (photo above). It's titled "City State Campaign Map One" and was actually Judges Guild #18, first printed in 1977 - the same year Holmes Basic debuted. That's right - this map by itself was the entire product #18. It's a DM's Map so it shows all of the relevant features (#19 was the corresponding Player's Map and is mostly blank except for coastlines). The picture above shows 1/4 of the poster-sized map (it's twice folded).  As you might guess from the title this is the first map of the City State / Wilderlands series and shows the region where The City State of the Invicible Overlord is located (on a part of the map not shown above). Tegel, where the famous Tegel Manor is located, is also shown (I highlighted it above on the photo of the map).

     As before, post here if you are interested in this. In a few days I'll pick someone randomly by dice roll from the posts. Free U.S. Shipping, outside the U.S. you'll need to have PayPal to cover the shipping difference.

Update: We just made the official dice roll on one of our low-impact d12s from a Holmes Basic Set. The winner is #4! Scottsz, please send your mailing address to zenopus archives (one word) at gmail dot com.

Holmes for the Holidays (the winner is...)

See Update #3 below.

Anybody want this Holmes Basic Set for Christmas?

A few months ago I bought this set on Ebay solely to get an obscure TSR catalog that was included (more on TSR catalogs in the future). I don't need the rest of the set so I thought I'd give it away to a reader of this blog. 

It's fairly worn but is complete (except for dice) and usable/readable. The box is sturdy but there's one split in the top edge. When I got the set the rulebook (2nd edition, 3rd printing - no prices on the back cover) had the upper right corner of the cover torn off, and the first page was also torn. I repaired these with packing tape. The interior pages have yellowed with age, except for a few in the middle which are mysteriously still bright white. The B1 has a missing upper left corner and some gouges near the spine.  As a warning, the box had some loose lead miniatures (not included here) in it when I bought it but I wiped it clean.

If you are interested, just post a comment here. I'll randomly pick (dice roll) one commenter to receive the set. I'll cover postage (media mail) for any U.S. address. 

Update: Since there's interest - shipping to other countries/overseas is fine, too, but I just ask that you cover the difference in shipping by PayPal.

I need to give credit to Theodric the Obscure at Mythopoeic Rambling - I appropriated the title of one of his posts for this one.

Update #2:The responses to this have slowed down. 33 right now (2 comments are mine). I'm going to cap the number at 36, and roll a 1-36 according to the method in the back of the Blue Book (d6 + d12):

d6 1-2 = 0 + d12 = 1-12
d6 3-4 = 12 + d12 = 13-24
d6 5-6 = 24 + d12 = 25-36 


Update #3:

We inched up to 36 entries today, so we rolled for the winner tonight. Following a few practice rolls, I called the official roll and my assistant rolled the dice: a 6 & 11. This translates as 35, so the winner is Tigerbunny. (Tigerbunny, I'm going to send you an email through the address on your blog)

Thanks to all for participating & Merry Christmas. I have some other extras around here so I hope to give away some more stuff during the year next year. Stay tuned.