TEXT:  
   
  
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  HAWK & MOOR — BOOK III 
  KENT DAVID KELLY 
   
  HAWK & MOOR 
   
  The unofficial history 
  Of 
  dungeons & dragons ® 
   
  Book three 
  Lands and worlds afar 
   
  By 
  KENT DAVID KELLY 
  (DARKSERAPHIM) 
   
  ® Dungeons & Dragons is a trademark of wizards of the coast, llc.  This 
  educational work is neither affiliated with nor endorsed by wizards of 
  the coast or by Hasbro, inc. 
   
   
  
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  HAWK & MOOR — BOOK III 
  KENT DAVID KELLY 
   
   
  Dedicated 
  to the Memories Of 
   
  DAVID LANCE ARNESON 
  & 
  ERNEST GARY GYGAX 
   
  WONDERLAND IMPRINTS 
  2014 – 2015 
   
   
   
   
  O s r 
   
   
  
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  Copyright © 2014-2015 Kent David Kelly. 
  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced without the written permission of the 
  copyright holder, Kent David Kelly. 
  All products and names mentioned in this book are trademarks or service marks of their respective owners.  
  DUNGEONS & DRAGONS is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro, Inc.  The mention of 
  trademarks in this work is for educational purposes only, and is not intended as a challenge. 
  HAWK & MOOR is an historical research project developed with the primary intent of broadening the 
  popular awareness of, and appreciation for, Fantasy Role-Playing Games. 
  Quotes attributed to various individuals are derived from a wide array of filmed interviews, online forum 
  posts, magazines, books, newsletters, and various game-oriented materials.  Please refer to the Footnotes and 
  Annotations section for detailed citations.  Individuals who wish to have their own quoted words alluded to, 
  rather than quoted directly, are welcome to contact the author with requests for modification, emendation or 
  deletion of specific comments. 
  The cover of this volume features a detail from The Great Red Dragon and the Beast from the Sea, by 
  William Blake, painted c. 1805-1810. 
  (Document Version 2.2) 
  For corrective and revision purposes, please note that this is document version 2.2 of this manuscript, 
  completed in October of 2015.  Versions prior to this are slightly outdated, and have been corrected as more 
  interviews, documents, corrections and feedback have come to light. 
  In the age of the Internet, a printed book can never contain the final word.  Therefore, the eBook version 
  of this volume is intended as a living document, so that interested readers can enjoy a resource which is 
  constantly revised, one which does not merely sit upon the shelf going slowly and forever out of date.  The 
  print version of this volume may well be slightly out of date, as in-depth research into the ever-shifting field 
  of Role-Playing Game history continues to grow, diversify and change. 
  Please feel welcome to contact the author at shadowed_sky@hotmail.com with comments, questions, 
  requests, recommendations and greetings.  And thank you for reading! 
   
   
  
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  DESCRIPTION 
   
  THE CREATION of the world’s preeminent Fantasy Role-Playing Game (FRPG), Dungeons & 
  Dragons, is one of the most fascinating tales to be told in all the shared histories of entertainment, 
  play and game design.  Two very different men, David Lance Arneson and Ernest Gary Gygax, 
  undertook an unprecedented collaboration which gifted us — as their shared legacy — with one of 
  the most intriguing games the world has yet experienced.  Their game did not just simulate one 
  isolate corner of reality; it dared to encompass the entirety of all realms of adventure, the consensual 
  playground of the human imagination. 
  HAWK & MOOR tells the story of Dave and Gary, and the many other people whose efforts 
  gave first life to the game we know and love today.  Arneson had spectacular ideas, but Gygax 
  knew how to refine them.  Collaboration soon turned to conflict as Arneson believed his game was 
  being taken from him, and Gygax crystallized systems where incomprehensible riddles had stood 
  before.  Both men were creative geniuses, but the game they created from Gygax’s Chainmail (1971) 
  was the end result not only of their teamwork, but also of their clashes and disagreements. 
  HAWK & MOOR Book III:  Lands and Worlds Afar spans the years 1973 through 1975, when TSR 
  surged forth to conquer the wargaming industry and to spread the hobby of fantasy role-playing 
  far and wide.  A tragedy in January 1975 forced the reformation of TSR, planting the seeds which 
  would cause E. Gary Gygax to lose control of the company in the even wilder years to come.  This 
  devastating loss was worsened by aggressive legal challenges brought forth by the estate of Edgar 
  Rice Burroughs.  Nevertheless and through it all, TSR soldiered on. 
  This book is not just a compendium of business maneuvers, however; it is a chronicle of 
  adventure.  The dread domains of the Tomb of Horrors, Castle Greyhawk, the Temple of Elemental 
  Evil, Dungeonland and the Temple of the Frog are all unveiled herein through the eyes of 
  Ayelerach, Bigby, Burne, Erac, Erac’s Cousin, Jaroo, Mordenkainen, Robilar, Rufus, Tenser, Terik, 
  Yrag and many other heroes of the Greyhawk campaign. 
  HAWK & MOOR Book Three:  Lands and Worlds Afar includes 79,500 words on over 240 pages, 
  supported by 617 footnotes and annotations.  Prepare yourself, take up torch and sword.  Come 
  along and experience an unprecedented journey into the Golden Age! 
   
   
  
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  DEDICATION 
   
  For Michelle, 
  My companion in all worlds. 
   
   
  
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  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 
   
  A BOOK like this is never written by a single person without significant contributions from many 
  other kind, insightful and respect-worthy people.  Some of these esteemed individuals contributed 
  through their own diligent volunteerism, while others aided my efforts indirectly with their 
  generous public engagement of the D&D and FRPG fan communities.  This book is the culmination 
  not only of hundreds of books, magazines, and interviews; it also comprises a living and ever-
  growing record of the thousands of scattered Internet blog entries, sub-pages and forum postings 
  which have hidden away much of the true history of Dungeons & Dragons. 
  Special thanks are due to my beta readers, including Andrew (aeakett), Axel (aia), Carl 
  (cdenham), Carl (gyg), David (faro), David (Thunderdave), John (Gnat the Beggar), Mark (Mars), 
  Matt (nesbit37), and Ron (rredmond), for their comments, support and recommendations.  
  Constructive criticisms provided by Dan Boggs, Robert Conley, Jon Peterson, Sauromatian, 
  Stratochamp, and others have also been very helpful as well. 
  I am grateful and happy to thank Jeff Berry, Mike Carr, Ernie Gygax Jr., Luke Gygax, Tim Kask, 
  Rob Kuntz, Len Lakofka, Steve Marsh, Frank Mentzer, Mike Mornard, Greg Svenson and James M. 
  Ward for their extremely helpful blog and forum posts which have helped to illuminate many of 
  the darker corners of D&D’s early days.  Their generously shared experiences, revealing much 
  about the earliest games in those years which I now term the Golden Age, were the primary 
  inspirations for this book. 
  The following individuals conducted interviews with Dave Arneson, Gary Gygax, Tim Kask, 
  and/or Rob Kuntz, which were also very helpful in creating the foundation for this work:  Barbara 
  A. Blackburn, Martin Brown, Andrew S. Bub, Alex Handy, Anne F. Jaffe, Jeremy L. C. Jones, David 
  Kushner, Robin D. Laws, Scott Lynch, Frank Mentzer, Allen Rausch, Ciro Alessandro Sacco, Sam 
  Sloan, Harvey Smith, Ben Sones, Michael O. Varhola and Allen Varney.  Please note that this is an 
  incomplete list due to some partial attributions within the available materials, and I hope to add to 
  it further in the future. 
  Further, many bloggers provided excellent resource materials through their ongoing sites which 
  were extremely helpful to me, including Joseph Bloch (of the Greyhawk Grognard blog), Dan Boggs 
  (Aldarron) (of the Hidden in Shadows blog), Allan Grohe (Grodog of Greyhawk), Chris Kutalik (of 
  
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  the Hill Cantons blog), Jon Peterson (via his Playing at the World blog), Sham aka Dave (of Sham’s 
  Grog & Blog), Zach “Zenopus” H. (of the Zenopus Archives), and Jason Zavoda (of the Hall of the 
  Mountain King Blog).  Bill Owen’s history of the Judge’s Guild, and associated forum posts, were 
  very helpful as well.  A special shout out goes to Michael Popham of the Horror Incorporated Project 
  as well for his outstanding summaries of Twin Cities “Creature Feature” movie showings in the 
  early 1970s.  The Tome of Treasures website, in addition, displays significant resources which 
  allowed me to fill many of the proverbial “blank spaces in the map” concerning the early years of 
  pre-Dungeons & Dragons history. 
  Scott “Foulfoot” of the Acaeum.com is also to be thanked for allowing my ongoing coordination 
  of beta readers and commentators for this manuscript via his website forums.  Please feel free to 
  join our discussion in the Acaeum General Forum.  Further, I am grateful to:  the administrators of 
  the Blackmoor Comeback Inn; Paul Stormberg’s esteemed Collector’s Trove; the endlessly-valuable 
  Dragonsfoot and ENWorld forums, which archive much of the fan correspondence shared by Gary 
  Gygax; the Knights & Knaves Alehouse; and the ODD74 Proboards.  These valuable resources 
  possess, via their forums, excellent archives of crucial anecdotes and historical posts pertaining to 
  the early Greyhawk and Blackmoor campaigns. 
  Without all of you and the generous availability of your works and research, this book could not 
  exist.  I sincerely thank you all for your generous sharing, memories, and contributions to the cause! 
   
   
   
  
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  BOOK Iii 
   
  Lands 
  and worlds 
  afar 
   
   
  
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  TABLE OF CONTENTS 
   
  Title 
  Description 
  Dedication 
  Acknowledgements 
  Table of Contents 
   
  
  
  Chapter 21:  Two Masters of the World 
  Footnotes and Annotations to Chapter 21 
   
  
  
  Chapter 22:  Mass Confusion 
  Footnotes and Annotations to Chapter 22 
   
  
  
  Chapter 23:  Lords of Greyhawk 
  Footnotes and Annotations to Chapter 23 
   
  
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  
  
  Chapter 24:  Warlords of Other Worlds 
  Footnotes and Annotations to Chapter 24 
   
  
  
  Chapter 25:  Death by Lucite and Legerdemain 
  Footnotes and Annotations to Chapter 25 
   
  
  
  Chapter 26:  The Curse of Success 
  Footnotes and Annotations to Chapter 26 
   
  
  
  Chapter 27:  At What Price Glory? 
  Footnotes and Annotations to Chapter 27 
   
  
  
  Chapter 28:  Counting the Dragon’s Trove 
  Footnotes and Annotations to Chapter 28 
   
  
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  
  
  Chapter 29:  Bloodlines and Legacies 
  Footnotes and Annotations to Chapter 29 
   
  
  
  Chapter 30:  Tasks for the Wizard Kask 
  Footnotes and Annotations to Chapter 30 
   
  
  
  Chapter 31:  Demonic Disenchantment 
  Footnotes and Annotations to Chapter 31 
   
  
  
  Chapter 32:  Elemental Evil 
  Footnotes and Annotations to Chapter 32 
   
  
  
  Chapter 33:  Blackmoor Dawning 
  Footnotes and Annotations to Chapter 33 
   
  
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  
  
  Appendix:  The Dungeons & Dragons Chronicle:  A Timeline for the Years 1974 and 1975 
  About the Author 
  Other Books by Kent David Kelly 
   
   
  
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  The saga 
  Continues … 
   
   
   
  
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  WELCOME!  Please note that this is Book III in a continuing saga, exploring the early history of 
  Fantasy Role-Playing Games in general, and Dungeons & Dragons in particular.  This book can be 
  read and enjoyed on its own.  However, you will find it a much richer and more rewarding 
  experience if you read the other books in addition to this one. 
  Chapters 1 through 10 of this series can be found in HAWK & MOOR, Book I:  The Dragon Rises 
  (1968-1972), and Chapters 11 through 20 (1972-1974) are found in Book II:  The Dungeons Deep.  Both 
  of these books are available from Wonderland Imprints. 
  Herein with chapter 21, we continue our tale with an overview of the state of Gary’s fantasy 
  game as it likely stood in the autumn of 1973.  Rob Kuntz’s character Sir Robilar had just withstood 
  the final challenge of Zagyg and defeated the Greyhawk dungeons, and was thereby awarded the 
  esteemed mantle of co-referee (an assistant Dungeon Master).  This meant that Rob would soon 
  “switch sides of the screen,” and that he would finally get to see how Gary Gygax kept all of the 
  game’s mad gears running in synchronicity. 
  And what did Rob and Robilar discover on their separate journeys, their destinies intertwined?  
  Step inside, my dear apprentice, mind the Abyss and step inside … 
   
   
  
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  CHAPTER 21 
   
  Two masters 
  Of the world 
   
  (autumn 1973 – 
  Autumn 1975) 
   
   
  
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  BEGINNING IN the autumn of 1973 and throughout 1974, E. Gary Gygax and Robert J. Kuntz 
  worked together to expand the horizons of the Greyhawk campaign.  In their shared world of the 
  imagination, where anything was possible, a vast and forever-unfolding canvas was required to 
  keep the many Greyhawk players busy and engaged.  As I have detailed in the book preceding this 
  work (HAWK & MOOR Book II:  The Dungeons Deep), there were two epic tales unfolding at once 
  throughout the fall and winter of 1973-74.  The first involved the imaginary journey of Robilar, 
  Tenser and Terik into the deepest delve of Zagyg’s forbidden dungeon.  A second chronicle, 
  interwoven within the first, revealed the real-world drama of the arduous race to publish and ship 
  out orders of Dungeons & Dragons before any rival offerings could make it into print.  That final goal 
  for pre-publication D&D, of course, was really just the beginning of a much greater story still 
  waiting to be told. 
  Both of these tales continue in this current volume.  But throughout the unpredictable 
  borderlands where these worlds of fantasy and reality overlap with one another, there are many 
  more revelations for us to behold.  As we mark the time beginning soon after the conquest of 
  Zagyg’s dungeon, we can discern two sequel threads emerging which complicate our telling of 
  these tales:  (1) the journey of Robilar and co. through the mythical lands of the Mysterious East, 
  and (2) the promotion of Rob Kuntz as co-Dungeon Master of the Greyhawk campaign. 
  While Gary Gygax and Don Kaye were toiling to get D&D published and Tactical Studies Rules 
  fully off the ground, Lord Robilar was struggling to return home to the City of Greyhawk and his 
  abandoned castle.  The pressing business concerns forced Gary to rely upon Rob, as Dungeon 
  Master, to help solidify the future direction of the campaign.  The Lake Geneva play group was 
  quite large by that point and getting bigger all the time.  As Gary once explained, “I enlisted Rob as 
  co-DM for my campaign … as it took two of us to manage the large player groups, and also to run 
  all the game sessions demanded by smaller parties.  Often times there were two long [play] sessions 
  a day in 1974 and 1975.  I had to write material, so Rob ran many of them.” [21-1] 
  Gary once affectionately termed this new and unruly group of regulars the “wild bunch,” and 
  they played every weekend … and then some.  This bustling play group was sizeable enough that 
  both Gary and Rob would sometimes referee their “mass expedition” sessions simultaneously, 
  supporting each other’s game mastering. [21-2]  Several of the more esoteric guidelines in the rules 
  for D&D — such as the need for a pre-designated marching order, the role of the “Caller,” dice-
  rolling systems for treasure sharing, and the common knowledge that players should never split up 
  the party — date to this era when the huge groups of players were difficult to handle.  “Of course 
  
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  most activity was dungeon crawling,” Gary wrote, “so actions were just done in order around the 
  table.  Be ready or lose your chance!” [21-3] 
  These sessions would require the manifestation of an artfully and carefully determined common 
  ground, so that Gary and Rob would not conflict while they were conducting various parties’ 
  adventures through the shared-world setting.  Fortunately, they both knew each other well and 
  were able to synergize their creations due to their familiarity.  As Rob recollected, “we were just 
  feeding off each other as far as ideas went.  If I didn’t have a clue about where to go with an idea 
  I’d just generated, he’d come up with an idea and vice versa. … I was used to the way Gary thought.  
  He was sculpting me as his student, and taking me everyplace.  So I was pretty used to his humor 
  and … sometimes his ambivalence.” [21-4] 
  Gary noted too that he and Rob “thought very much alike,” and the vague nature of the shared 
  Greyhawk Castle notes helped to ease the transition into a dual-Dungeon Master setup whenever 
  only one of the DMs could attend a dungeon session. [21-5]  “We knew each other’s style,” Gary 
  remembered, “and what the castle should ‘feel’ like.” [21-6]  Of course, the brevity of the encounter 
  entries and other scrawled notes that they were using also necessitated a lot of improvisation. 
  But the co-DM era required much more than just a transference of role.  The entire game milieu 
  needed to be re-rendered on a far grander scale.  The too-confining walls of Greyhawk were 
  beginning to become apparent to many veteran players, and cracks were forming in the foundation 
  of the dungeon’s original limitations.  Before Greyhawk could hold all of the actions of dozens of 
  players and the creations of two Dungeon Masters, it needed to grow considerably.  Therefore Gary 
  strove to widen each of the four interlocked settings which the over-eager players had been 
  straining to the limits:  the city, the ruins, the dungeons, and the world. 
  In various accounts, Gary mentioned that the expansion of the City of Greyhawk was completed 
  in the middle of 1974. [21-7]  More specifically, however, it appears that he began the work alone in 
  the autumn of 1973, while Rob was still busy playing Robilar in the deeper dungeons.  The revision 
  of the City of Greyhawk, therefore, was primarily a Gygaxian endeavor. 
  The vague city of early 1973 had proven itself useful, but the meager map was filled with notes, 
  nebulous barriers and erasures.  That “Old City” could no longer be contained by a single sheet of 
  paper.  Realizing this, Gary quadrupled the size of the map, using four pieces of graph paper to 
  create a rectangular poster-sized renovation.  It seems that the east-west axis of the map was the 
  shorter one and the north-south axis was the longer, and so the “new” city was further elongated 
  to follow the course of the winding Selintan River.  The Citadel of Greyhawk where the ruling 
  mayor dwelled still formed the heart of the Old City, and around this were situated new quarters 
  
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  for the Slums, Thieves and Merchants.  There was also a High Quarter, where the wealthier citizens 
  lived and indulged themselves in a world of gambling, decadence, and sophisticated courtesans.  
  Lord Robilar’s fabled Green Dragon Inn, by the way, was featured on both this new “quad” paper 
  map and the earlier “single” map, which implies that he procured the place at some point during 
  the first half of 1973. [21-8] 
  Rob added a lot of fresh and on-demand improvisatory material to the City of Greyhawk over 
  the early years, to the point that Gary needed “to consult with him about what he had brought into 
  the mix after he had run a city adventure.” [21-9] 
  Many of these elements reflected Gary’s recollection of the Swords & Sorcery stories involving 
  Conan, Fafhrd, the Gray Mouser and many other mercenary heroes.  New positions for temples and 
  wizards’ towers were prominently featured along the new map’s many byways.  But most of this 
  “quad” city map still consisted primarily of blocks of anonymous buildings, divided from one 
  another by meandering streets.  As Gary explained, “Crooked alleys, lanes, and angling streets were 
  mostly nameless, save by their identity.” [21-10] 
  Gary also stated that he had just finished this map when he asked Rob to become co-Dungeon 
  Master of the Greyhawk campaign, which appears to date this event to late 1973 (although mid-
  1974 has also been mentioned).  The incongruity in timelines is impossible to rectify at this time, but 
  the mid-1974 date has been favored for this chronicle for the completion of the City’s second major 
  incarnation.  It seems that at least two separate major phases of Greyhawk renovations occurred in 
  the early to mid-1970s, and it is plausible that these phases may have become one in Gary’s later 
  memory. 
  When the City had been successfully re-envisioned, Gary shifted his focus to the ruins of Castle 
  Greyhawk and the dungeons which lie beneath them.  In the minds of several players, the dungeon 
  had been “beaten” and the competitive resolve which had caused much of the risky (and fun!) 
  behavior amongst the many rival characters had quickly dissipated.  More worryingly, the dungeon 
  would still need to serve as the main area of play for any number of characters with experience 
  levels ranging between 1 and 13.  Mixed parties of any size would need to be accommodated, and 
  everyone would need to be surprised by the monsters, traps and tricks they might discover.  The 
  ambitious redesign would be required “to entertain a group numbering 20 to 30 regular 
  adventurers, the composition of the group changing every month or two.” [21-11] 
  A considerable task!  This massive overhaul would require a dungeon far beyond the original 
  version’s limited constraints.  First, Gary worked on redesigning the Upper Works of Castle 
  Greyhawk (the ruins proper).  He used two sheets of 17” x 22” graph paper to re-envision the castle 
  
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  as a huge, mostly intact ruin with a full citadel and various outbuildings.  This revision would allow 
  the upper levels of towers and other fortifications to be explored on lengthier expeditions.  Many 
  more encounters were added for the ruins, increasing in difficulty in a vertical progression 
  throughout each edifice.  Very roughly, this would mean that the ground level of the ruins would 
  be a fitting adventure setting for level 1 and 2 characters; the upper tower ruins would challenge 
  characters of levels 3 and 4, and the highest areas might only be conquered by heroes of levels 5 and 
  up. [21-12] 
  And even though the Castle was now immense, the dungeons beneath them would become 
  positively colossal.  Five separate “descent zones” were sketched into the ground level of the ruins:  
  one being central, and four more situated to the north, south, east and west respectively.  Each 
  descent area had one or more pits or stairways leading down.  Most of the descents led directly to 
  dungeon level one, but some went further down to level two, three, four, or even deeper.  This 
  multi-chambered vertical design would allow low-level adventurers to reach the “easy” levels for 
  a variety of adventures, while the veterans could bypass these non-challenging regions to quickly 
  go deeper into the most dangerous depths of all. 
  The “shallow” descents were guarded by various powers:  an enclave of profiteering elves, 
  another enclave of dwarves, and a massive ogre with a very nasty disposition.  These creatures, 
  when encountered and asked to allow the adventurers’ passage, would typically demand a cut of 
  any recovered treasure.  There was an additional descent area which was completely unprotected, 
  but this one was harder for novice players to find.  The one descent which was the most difficult to 
  detect, hidden behind secret doors, ran all the way down to dungeon level nine.  This may have 
  been the central “Endless Stair,” carried over from the earlier 13-level Castle Greyhawk design of 
  1972-73. [21-13] 
  To this “descent skeleton” framework were grafted all of the newly-amended dungeon levels 
  themselves.  Gary and Rob began developing their new mega-dungeon by merging all of their 
  existing dungeon keys into this single vast design.  Elements from both Zagyg’s labyrinth and 
  Kuntz’s own El Raja Key were modified, mashed, stretched, and forced to fit.  To this hodgepodge 
  of “known” levels, Gary added some new special side levels which no one had ever seen before.  
  Gary once said that this new version of the dungeon was about 28 levels deep, with 40 total levels 
  in all; [21-14] in another account, he said about 25 levels deep and 50 total levels. [21-15]  Either 
  way, the dungeon now consisted of 70-75 or so unique environments, with even more new areas to 
  be explored above ground!  No character, however daring or intrepid, would ever follow in Lord 
  
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  Robilar’s pioneering footsteps to find the slide of Zagyg the Mad Archmage ever again.  Through 
  sheer immensity, further conquest of Castle Greyhawk was rendered impossible. 
  To make this mega-labyrinth even more fun to play in, new dungeon levels were being added 
  by Rob and Gary all the time.  The exact timeframe for these efforts is uncertain but it appears that 
  the major design work on the dungeon began in late 1974, and continued through 1975-76.  
  Throughout this time period the dungeon gradually became Rob Kuntz’s domain, as Gary shifted 
  his attentions toward both TSR’s business dealings and his own new campaign region, featuring 
  Hommlet and the Temple of Elemental Evil. 
  The overhaul project also touched upon various aspects of Greyhawk’s larger outdoor 
  environment.  According to one player’s account (Skip Williams, later co-creator of Dungeons & 
  Dragons 3rd Edition), Gary also spent time in perhaps 1974 or 1975 — “After TSR published D&D” 
  — expanding the wilderness regions and borderlands of his campaign setting.  In doing so he 
  developed a rudimentary form of the wider World of Greyhawk we know today. [21-16] 
  Given the nature of the early wilderness adventures, and the symbolic and literal direction 
  (west) that Gary’s new and more rural campaign would soon be moving, it is likely that he worked 
  on the outdoor regions in the City of Greyhawk vicinity, and perhaps too the shores of the Nyr Dyv, 
  the Wild Coast, the Pomarj, the Gnarley Forest, Verbobonc, and the southern verge of Furyondy.  
  The most detail would be lavished upon the Village of Hommlet region, where Gary had already 
  decided to situate a new Greyhawk campaign specifically intended for new players and lower-level 
  characters.  In much the same manner that the real-world Roman Empire became too vast and 
  unwieldy and split into a Western Imperium (centered upon Rome) and an Eastern Imperium 
  (centered upon Constantinopolis / Byzantium), the Lake Geneva campaign would split into a 
  western Hommlet game mostly run by Gary, and an eastern Greyhawk game mostly run by Rob.  
  We will look at developments in both of these regions in more detail soon hereafter. 
  But before I get too far ahead of myself, I still need to share the captivating tale of Robilar’s 
  return.  When last we left Lord Robilar, Tenser and Terik, they were falling down a slide out of 
  Zagyg’s dungeon, spiraling ever downward to the core of the Oerth itself ... 
  * * * * * 
  When Robilar plummeted through the entire planet of Oerth via Zagyg’s magical slide (c. the 
  early autumn of 1973), he blacked out and later found himself lying in a strange and ornate temple.  
  The opulent architecture of this place was like nothing he had ever seen before.  He had fallen all 
  the way to the Mysterious East, into the fabled land of Cathay, or Khitai. 
  
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  Whatever wondrous place was this? 
  The very name of Cathay is evocative, because it tells us that Sir Robilar was in a mythical 
  version of northern China and Mongolia, as envisioned by Marco Polo and other Occidental 
  explorers of the Far East.  In D&D terms, this would likely be the land of the foo dogs, foo lions, 
  cynanthropes (gnolls?), Oriental gold dragons, Longma dragon horses, Huli Jing fox spirits and the 
  Fenghuang phoenix, as well as many other fabulous beasts. 
  The names Cathay and Khitai were also used by Robert E. Howard in his own fantastic fiction.  
  In first conceptualizing the adventures which he would soon throw at Lord Robilar, Gary may have 
  been recalling this passage from Howard’s A Witch Shall be Born, a Conan story first published in 
  Weird Tales (1934): 
   
  
   
  “He was a magician from far Khitai, returning to his native kingdom after a journey to Stygia.  He took 
  me with him to purple-towering Paikang, its minarets rising amid the vine-festooned jungles of bamboo ... 
  age had steeped him deep in black wisdom, not weakened his powers of evil.  Many things he taught me ...” 
   
  
   
  Lord Robilar, a stranger in a strange land if there ever was one, was baffled to find himself out 
  of the dungeon and back in the wilderness.  He quickly left the temple precinct, guided by the sun, 
  and tried to calculate the quickest route home.  If he only he knew how far away he really was!  He 
  probably had a rude surprise that first evening, when the sun went down and the stars were spread 
  in a mad and unrecognizable array. 
  Tenser the wizard emerged in the magical temple a day later, but he had no idea that Robilar 
  was near.  The wizard waited for a while, deciding what to do, and an astonished Terik appeared 
  before him.  Tenser and Terik quickly reached an accord, and so with resolve they set out together 
  in search of their lost friend. 
  
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  There may have been a road or obvious path out of the temple region, for it seems that Tenser 
  and Terik managed to journey in the exact same direction.  (Scrying and divinations assisted them 
  as well.)  They soon caught up with Robilar, relieved to find that he was still alive. [21-17]  Together 
  these companions went on a short adventure in western Cathay, but it seems that no details of this 
  mysterious venture have survived. [21-18] 
  These wilderness adventures far away from the City of Greyhawk — considering their 
  improvised nature — were likely handled with the hex-grid game board from Avalon Hill’s Outdoor 
  Survival game.  Gary once said that the map was used as a representational portrayal of whatever 
  terrain the adventurers happened to be moving through.  “We used the map,” he wrote, “moved 
  counters on it, and rolled for getting lost, so that one was never certain which direction one would 
  head on a turn.  Random encounters were used, and the ponds were castles, so there was some 
  jousting rather than regular mortal combat.” [21-19] 
  At some point, the adventurers came across a nesting group of rukhs (rocs, or giant eagles).  
  From this, and other hints, we can assume that Gary was drawing inspiration from the movie The 
  Seventh Voyage of Sinbad to improvise these unexpected adventures for his friends.  In that movie, 
  Sinbad and his companions discover a mysterious island where they save a sorcerer from a 
  marauding Cyclops.  The sorcerer uses a djinni from his magical lamp to create a protective shield, 
  and the adventurers flee the island.  Other interesting touches in the film include a serpent woman 
  (the clear inspiration — along with the statue of Kali in this movie’s sequel — for D&D’s type V 
  demon), screaming demons which cause insanity, sea monsters, a skeleton lord, and a wrathful 
  dragon.  But it is the roc itself which definitively ties Robilar’s adventures to those of Sinbad. 
  In Robilar’s own adventure, rocs were seen in the distance.  The characters crept up and spied 
  upon the rocs’ nest-crowned pillars, and saw that far below there lay an inaccessible canyon 
  studded with raw gemstones.  Robilar’s group slaughtered some mules and threw their bodies over 
  the cliff.  The rocs saw the fresh meat, and pulled the carcasses up to the nest-pillars.  Many raw 
  gems were stuck within the meat.  The rocs ate the meat, carefully picking out the gems that might 
  cause them indigestion.  That night when the rocs were asleep, the adventurers climbed up and 
  stole the gems for themselves. [21-20] 
  A clear parallel to this clever scheme can be found in Andrew Lang’s version of The Arabian 
  Nights Entertainments, in one of Gary’s favorite books from childhood: 
   
  
  
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  “‘We must sew you into this sheep-skin,’ said they, ‘and then leave you.  A fowl of monstrous size, called 
  a roc, will appear in the air, taking you to be a sheep.  He will snatch you up and carry you into the sky, but 
  be not alarmed, for he will bring you safely down and lay you on the top of a mountain.  When you are on the 
  ground cut the skin with the knife and throw it off.  As soon as the roc sees you he will fly away from fear, but 
  you must walk on till you come to a castle covered with plates of gold, studded with jewels.’” [21-21] 
   
  
   
  The tale of the thrown meat, by the way, is told with perfect clarity in The Second Voyage of Sinbad 
  the Sailor.  This too reveals that Gary was borrowing heavily from the Arabian Nights to run these 
  new Oriental adventures. 
  Having made a small and cleverly-won fortune, Robilar and his companions then took Tenser’s 
  flying carpet — a scene probably inspired by the 1924 swashbuckling classic, The Thief of Baghdad, 
  as well as similar scenes in the Harold Shea novella The Castle of Iron — and flew to a nearby city.  
  This mysterious place might well have been inspired by early medieval Baghdad, as also featured 
  in the tales of the Arabian Nights.  Rob Kuntz, more succinctly, has said it was the City of Brass itself. 
  The saga of the City of Brass is one of the most fascinating in all of the tales of the Arabian Nights, 
  because it features strong fantastical elements which almost border on early medieval science 
  fiction.  This theme would be fully explored by Dave Arneson in his own City of the Gods locale, 
  as well as by James M. Ward (in Metamorphosis Alpha) and Gary Gygax too (in Expedition to the Barrier 
  Peaks).  In the original folktale, which was clearly a favorite of Gary’s (because it is rife with D&D-
  isms, from our modern perspective), the City is home to a magical brass djinn bottle which had 
  originally been a treasure coveted by King Solomon himself.  The adventurers in the story learn of 
  the lost City of Brass and parley with Dahish, a powerful efreet.  Dahish’s guidance almost reads 
  like an adventure introduction spoken by a Dungeon Master: 
   
  
   
  
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  “Be rejoiced, O Emeer; for this is the City of Brass, and this is the appearance of it that I find described in 
  the Book of Hidden Treasures; that its wall is of black stones, and it hath two towers of brass, which the 
  beholder seeth resembling two corresponding fires; and thence it is named the City of Brass.” [21-22] 
   
  
   
  Exploring further, the companions of Dahish find it thus: 
   
  
   
  “When they had ascended that mountain, they saw a city than which eyes had not beheld any greater.  Its 
  pavilions were lofty, and its domes were shining; its rivers were running, its trees were fruitful, and its 
  gardens bore ripe produce.  It was a city with impenetrable gates, empty, still, without a voice but the owl 
  hooting in its quarters, and the raven croaking in its thoroughfare-streets, and bewailing those who had been 
  in it.” [21-23] 
   
  
   
  In the fable, the adventurers pick the magic lock on one of the city’s golden gates, and they 
  discover the fallen ruler and the crumbling skeletons of his legions.  They creep through bazaars 
  filled with accursed treasures, but they ignore these dread temptations as they seek the brazen djinn 
  vessel of Solomon.  They explore the deeper treasure vaults and pick the lock of an ivory door.  
  Inside they find a treasure tomb, where a mummified and jeweled damsel presides in death over 
  the holy treasures of eld.  On either side of the damsel are two warrior automatons, one of ivory 
  mien and one of ebony, both bearing ancient scimitars of steel. 
  Faced with these irresistible temptations, the party quarrels over treasure:  The Emir Moosa 
  commanded, “Bring the sacks, and fill them with part of these riches and these vessels and rarities 
  and jewels.”  And that was all that was to be taken, for the fallen damsel herself — in all her precious 
  
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  finery — was not to be defiled.  Yet the Vizier Talib disagreed with this decree:  “Wilt thou leave 
  these riches and these jewels, when she is dead?  What then should she do with these things, which 
  are the ornaments of the world, and the decoration of the living?”  Talib moved to steal the dead 
  maiden’s funereal trappings, and the two mechanical guardians animated and decapitated him.  
  Moosa wisely took only those treasures which were allowed by the maiden’s sanctity, and the 
  surviving adventurers departed the city with much wealth and splendor to their names. 
  There are a few more hints which tell us a little of Gary’s own conception of the City of Brass for 
  Dungeons & Dragons.  (We do not know, however, if this depiction was used in that adventure with 
  Lord Robilar.)  Some of these hints are hiding in plain sight:  for example, in the cover painting for 
  the 1979 Dungeon Masters Guide.  There we can see that the City of Brass floats over a sea of burning 
  oil, and is inhabited by great efreeti and fire lizards.  Gary also once explained that the City of Brass 
  as he envisioned it was “floating on fiery stuff of airy sort, a sort of island in a sea of flames,” [21-
  24] which hints that the City could only be reached by flying carpet or the aid of a flying efreet. 
  The most interesting allusion to be found relating to the City, to my mind, is this evocative 
  Gygaxian passage relating the cryptic history of the Codex of the Infinite Planes: 
   
  
   
  “The two strong slaves lifted it from the back of the Beast. Thereupon I commanded the Brazen Portals to 
  be brought low, and they were wrenched from their hinges and rang upon the stone.  The Efreet howled in 
  fear and fled when I caused the page to be read, and the Beast passed into the City of Brass. Now was I, Tzunk, 
  Master of the Plane of Molten Skies …” [21-25] 
   
  
   
  Dahish seems to peer forth from Gary’s words!  The tribute to Rob Kuntz (Tzunk) is obvious, 
  and we can see hints once again that the City is filled with accursed treasures from lost worlds and 
  ages, treasures which are all too ripe for some fool’s transitory taking. 
  Two more flying carpets were acquired in the City of Brass by Robilar and Terik.  It is doubtful 
  that any of the adventurers were weighted down with significant amounts of treasure, so they may 
  
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  have bartered away precious magic items to procure these extra carpets.  The three then left the 
  mysterious city, and may have experienced some more Arabian-themed adventures.  If so, monsters 
  such as djinni, dragon turtles, efreeti, ghouls, golems, ogres, giant snakes, or giant scorpions may 
  have been encountered.  Unfortunately there are very few details about this era of the Greyhawk 
  campaign; but nevertheless, the vague hints and knowledge of the inspirational source material 
  give us a fair idea of what transpired. 
  As if Gary’s job in improvising entire new realms of adventure was not difficult enough, the 
  players now had a serious disagreement about how to proceed. Ernie (Tenser) wanted to return 
  home to the City of Greyhawk as quickly as possible, because Quij’s orcs guarding the first level of 
  the dungeon were unpaid and only partially controlled.  Anything could happen while the three 
  masters were away.  And too, the three companions each had a separate stronghold in the 
  Greyhawk region that they wanted to get back to before anything bad could happen to their estates.  
  Worse, Tenser’s stronghold was not as well-protected as Lord Robilar’s was. [21-26] 
  Rob (and Robilar) wanted to explore more of these strange lands on his way home, and was 
  hungry for more treasure and power.  And Terry (Terik) somehow got the idea that his character 
  could become more powerful if he acquired voodoo dolls and powerful juju magic.  Perhaps, in 
  seeing that Gary was gleefully plundering the Arabian Nights for Greyhawk’s Oriental mythology, 
  Terry had deduced that juju would be prominent throughout Oerth’s version of the Dark Continent. 
  Unable to come to an agreement, the three adventurers went their separate ways with vague 
  promises to meet back in the ruins of Greyhawk, where together they would deign to take care of 
  the orc garrison situation.  With that accord, they all whisked off separately on their flying carpets 
  and went on their own adventures.  Poor Gary was left with a situation where he needed to run 
  unique solo adventures for each player in the sessions to come, with an Asian kingdom theme for 
  Tenser, an African wilderness theme for Terik, and an Aztec jungle theme for Robilar. 
  “I winged it,” Gary confessed.  “[I] must have done a fair to middling job, as Rob so enjoyed 
  Robilar’s adventures in the City of Brass while returning from the Mysterious East that he went on 
  and developed a detailed city of that name of his own design.” [21-27] 
  We know almost nothing about Tenser’s journey, except that Tenser encountered a dangerous 
  Oriental wizard.  He may have briefly visited Gary’s Nippon (mythical Japan), where ogre magi, 
  ki-rin, werefoxes, giant spiders and other fabulous creatures dwell. 
  Of Terik’s journey too, I sadly know very little at all.  Rob once related that Terik wandered 
  through the Dark Continent and “southern isles,” [21-28] still hoping to acquire the ability to make 
  
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  magical voodoo dolls.  Consider Gary’s sources for Aethiopian and Egyptian mythology, Terik may 
  have encountered zombies, voodoo priestesses, snake spirits, mummies, ghosts, gorgons, basilisks, 
  demons, crocodiles or poisonous serpents, but no one seems to remember.  Those tales, barring a 
  great discovery of original campaign material, may well be forever lost.  Terik finally returned to 
  the early version of the Flanaess through the isles of the Sea Barons, perhaps implying that he was 
  forced to trek through the Great Kingdom on his way back to the City of Greyhawk. [21-29] 
  Robilar went south and found himself in an Aztec realm.  This later became known as the 
  Amedio Jungle.  There, he was captured by the natives.  He tried to negotiate, yet failed to impress 
  them and was nearly sacrificed. [21-30]  The natives of the Amedio are distrustful of white men 
  from the north, you see, for slavers from the Hold of the Sea Princes are renowned for the “rare 
  woods, spices, ivory, and gold … they wrest from the jungle savages.” [21-31]  Robilar eventually 
  escaped, but in doing so he lost his enchanted +1 composite bow and accidentally taught the natives 
  the riddle of steel.  Gary noted that the natives would certainly make use of these amazing new 
  inventions in their future warfare. [21-32]  Robilar would finally wend his way north through the 
  entire Amedio Jungle, perhaps making his way back via what is now known as Fairwind Isle, near 
  to the Hold of the Sea Princes. [21-33] 
  There is much more to tell of Robilar’s and Tenser’s fantastical adventures.  (Terik, for the most 
  part, fades from our view hereafter.)  But for now, we shall return to firmer ground to consider a 
  whirlwind of the real:  the chaos caused by the too-rapid publication of Dungeons & Dragons. 
   
   
  
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  Footnotes and Annotations 
  for Chapter 21 
   
  [21-1] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part I.  Posted September 6th, 2002. 
  [21-2] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part VI.  Posted February 10th, 2004. 
  [21-3] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part VII.  Posted February 18th, 
  2005.  Interestingly, Gary also once noted (in Dragonsfoot Gary Gygax Q&A Part III, posted July 
  13th, 2005) that the 1974-1975 Greyhawk campaign included over 100 players in all, and “there were 
  perhaps three females.” 
  [21-4] Refer to the Youtube clip ‘Rob Kuntz Conversations,’ with Martin Brown of Grognard 
  Games.  The comment appears at approximately 22:25. 
  [21-5] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part IX.  Posted August 31st, 2005. 
  [21-6] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part XI.  Posted August 7th, 2006. 
  [21-7] Refer for example to Dragon Annual #2, “Founding Greyhawk:  The Creation and 
  Development of the Greyhawk Campaign, 1972-75,” by Gary Gygax. 
  [21-8] Online web forum post:  Pied Piper Publishing forums, “The Green Dragon Inn.” 
  [21-9] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part VI.  Posted February 13th, 2004. 
  [21-10] Dragon Annual #2.  “Founding Greyhawk:  The Creation and Development of the 
  Greyhawk Campaign, 1972-75,” by Gary Gygax. 
  [21-11] Yahoo Gygax Games mailing list, posted December 4th, 2004. 
  [21-12] Many of these details come from Dragon Annual #2, which has in this narrative been 
  treated as authoritative to smooth over the difficulties caused by several dozen differing 
  recollections which Gary provided in various forum postings over the decades.  As always, I will 
  correct this account is more accurate information is revealed in the future. 
  [21-13] Dragon Annual #2.  “Founding Greyhawk:  The Creation and Development of the 
  Greyhawk Campaign, 1972-75,” by Gary Gygax. 
  [21-14] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part III. 
  
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  [21-15] Yahoo Gygax Games mailing list, posted December 4th, 2004. 
  [21-16] The Grognardia interview with Skip Williams. 
  [21-17] Online web forum post:  Pied Piper Publishing forums, “Terik.”  Posted February 5th-
  6th, 2004. 
  [21-18] Online web forum post:  Pied Piper Publishing forums, “Robilar in China.” 
  [21-19] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part XIII.  Posted December 20th, 
  2007. 
  [21-20] Online web forum post:  Pied Piper Publishing forums, “Terik.” 
  See also the thread “The Codex of the Infinite Planes.” 
  [21-21] The Arabian Nights Entertainments, edited by Andrew Lang. 
  [21-22] The Arabian Nights:  Their Best-Known Tales, edited by Kate Douglas Wiggin and Nora A. 
  Smith. 
  [21-23] The Arabian Nights:  Their Best-Known Tales, edited by Kate Douglas Wiggin and Nora A. 
  Smith. 
  [21-24] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part I.  Posted November 8th, 2002. 
  [21-25] Dungeon Masters Guide, TSR, 1979, pg. 156. 
  [21-26] On June 25th, 2014, Ernie Gygax shared a few rare details about Tenser’s stronghold in 
  a Facebook post.  Apparently, he first constructed a tower to secure his treasures and then later built 
  a castle around the tower.  The castle had about ten vertical levels, and was constructed to allow 
  Tenser to use flying and levitation effects to reach all of the chambers.  Most likely, this means that 
  the tower was built to be completely inaccessible to non-wizards, so that his treasures could not be 
  easily stolen. 
  [21-27] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part III.  Posted May 16th, 2003. 
  [21-28] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot forums, “How far did Gygax go with Greyhawk?” 
  [21-29] The Oerth Journal, issue #7.  Produced by the Council of Greyhawk, June 15th, 1998. 
  See also the Pied Piper Publishing forums, “Robilar in China.” 
  [21-30] Online web forum post:  Pied Piper Publishing forums, “Robilar defeat.” 
  [21-31] The World of Greyhawk boxed set, TSR, 1983. 
  
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  [21-32] The Oerth Journal, issue #7.  Produced by the Council of Greyhawk, June 15th, 1998. 
  See also the Pied Piper Publishing forums, “Robilar defeat.” 
  [21-33] The Oerth Journal, issue #7.  Produced by the Council of Greyhawk, June 15th, 1998. 
   
   
  
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  CHAPTER 22 
   
  mass 
  confusion 
   
  (january – 
  march 1974) 
   
   
   
   
  
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  DESPITE ALL of the onerous flak I shall receive as a blasphemer, it must be said:  in January of 
  1974, Dungeons & Dragons was a mess.  A glorious one to be sure, but still a mess regardless.  The 
  game had been published quickly for competitive and financial reasons, but it was such a radical 
  new concept in gaming that it was very difficult for many prospective players to understand.  But 
  that barely mattered:  imaginative people who came into contact with the game, its sheer potential, 
  would be forever changed. 
  As Bill Owens of the Judge’s Guild would later put it, “I still wonder if D&D’s success was 
  because it was such an unpolished gem.  It brought forth gardens of blooming ideas from every 
  group that made the game ‘theirs’ as compared to these competition-style games that have rules 
  locked down tight.” [22-1] 
  Indeed, the first iteration of Dungeons & Dragons was an amazing, terribly confusing game, filled 
  with terribly amazing ideas. 
  And as has been said many times (and only half in jest), the problem with the 1974 D&D boxed 
  set is that when you opened the box, you found booklets but no Lake Genevans.  You would read 
  the rules and soon realize there was something vital missing, someone that would have made the 
  game comprehensible:  E. Gary Gygax. 
  But despite that, every intelligent and careful reader of the rules enjoys The Moment.  The 
  Moment is when the light bulb goes off, when the awareness dawns and ignorance falls away:  the 
  game suddenly makes sense.  It is a collaborative game which defies all board game conventions, it 
  barely makes sense without any limitations, it never ends, there are no victory conditions, and that 
  is the entire point.  It is a fantasy life simulator.  The game is an improvisatorial storytelling vehicle 
  for the imagination. 
  The side effect of The Moment, however, is that each reader of the rules is forced to become an 
  interpreter.  Gary in D&D’s Afterword states it flat out:  “We urge you to refrain from writing for 
  rule interpretations or the like unless you are absolutely at a loss, for everything herein is fantastic 
  ... why have us do any more of your imagining for you?” [22-2] 
  That is the beauty of Dungeons & Dragons, but it is also the game’s curse.  The game requires an 
  immense investment from its players, and especially from its referees.  That investment results in 
  unique, equally valid, and very passionate opinions concerning every minute facet of the game. 
  From the beginning, meetings between D&D players have tended to be disruptive and baffling 
  affairs.  If you ever tried to preach “the rules” at someone who was not a regular member of your 
  
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  own play group, you would receive an hour-long retort beginning, “Well, the way we do it in my 
  campaign ...” 
  Dungeons & Dragons had no standardization in the beginning, and that too was by design.  The 
  rules could never be complete, and no two players would ever 100% agree on each other’s 
  interpretation of the particulars.  This is a wonderful thing when you think about it from a creative 
  standpoint, but from a standpoint of business and demonstration it is something of a nightmare. 
  Players and Dungeon Masters began clamoring for new rules as early as December of 1972 — 
  better rules and more rules — as soon as they began to play.  This call was eventually answered, but 
  not for quite some time.  By early February of 1974 there was already an untapped market waiting 
  for D&D supplements.  Gary, consummate businessman and game designer that he was, had been 
  prepared for this eventuality by the hundreds of calls and letters he received during the play tests 
  of 1973.  While refereeing the game he kept a goodly pile of notes and alternate systems throughout 
  1974, and these notes were used almost daily as “more and better rules” in the Greyhawk campaign. 
  [22-3] 
  But these piles were the conglomerated rules which had not been fully clarified by December of 
  1973 (when the set was finalized for print), and so they were left out of the first published edition 
  of Dungeons & Dragons proper.  Play testers across the nation were demanding refined and 
  republished versions of their now-tattered and dog-eared rule packets, and to their ranks were 
  being added the new Dungeon Masters who were exposed to the game through purchasing new 
  mail order sets from TSR.  Gary’s own notes, along with recommendations from Dave Arneson, 
  Ernie Gygax, Rob Kuntz and Mike Mornard, would grow throughout 1974 until there was a 
  sufficient thematic core to build a publishable manuscript around.  That manuscript would 
  eventually become the first draft of Supplement I:  Greyhawk, to eventually be published in March of 
  1975. 
  There were many such supplementary endeavors which began to coalesce in 1974 and 1975, 
  each prepared through the personal vision of its own primary author.  As TSR employee Steve 
  Marsh once pointed out [22-4], the D&D Supplements would represent localized and personalized 
  interpretations of Dungeons & Dragons as envisioned by several of the original players.  Supplement 
  I:  Greyhawk would be comprised of Gary’s and Rob’s campaign notes; Supplement II:  Blackmoor 
  would be Arneson’s campaign, infused with Steve Marsh’s creations and heavily edited by Tim 
  Kask; Supplement III:  Eldritch Wizardry would be Blume’s and Kask’s rules with many of Gary’s re-
  interpretations; and Supplement IV:  Gods, Demi-Gods and Heroes would be James M. Ward’s and Rob 
  Kuntz’s “super-powered” supplement for high-level play. 
  
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  Each of these separately-themed contributions would significantly add to Gygax’s and 
  Arneson’s core and disputed vision for D&D, making the game a truly collaborative endeavor, 
  forever precariously balanced upon the contributors’ clashing opinions and disagreements.  In 1974 
  however, D&D was a strongly Gygax-themed game, and Supplement I would be more of the same.  
  The difference with Supplement I however would be that Rob Kuntz, as co-DM, would add an 
  unpredictable spice to the new rules’ brewing mix.  As Gary would later elucidate, Greyhawk 
  featured “a lot of creative input from Rob, so I included him as co-author.” [22-5] 
  All of this wild creativity, interspersed with bouts of orderly clarification, would take quite a 
  while to sort itself out.  Throughout 1974, Gary would write ideas from play which would then be 
  drafted and added to “the pile.”  Gary was aware that players from afar would be deeply interested 
  in new rules and options, but he could never quite conceive why anyone might be interested in 
  adopting his imaginary world of Greyhawk and Oerth.  To his mind, all of the fun of being a DM 
  was inherent in creating a world of one’s own. 
  This “it’s more fun to make your own fun” mentality would really not depart Gary’s approach to 
  D&D marketing until the summer of 1978, when it became inescapably clear that pre-scripted 
  “Dungeon Modules” were going to be a huge hit with the masses.  His stubborn faith in the creative 
  drives of other Dungeon Masters, by the way, is the primary reason why the Greyhawk Supplement 
  has lots of rules for new classes and monsters and treasures and such, but very little information on 
  the Flanaess or the City of Greyhawk itself.  (His secondary reason was that he was private about 
  his home campaign.)  The philosophy of players has changed so much over the intervening decades 
  that I have witnessed many curiosity seekers who pick up the Greyhawk Supplement, seeking the 
  earliest secrets of the Oerth, only to frown and mutter something akin to, “Hey, where’s Greyhawk?  
  This booklet is just a rough draft for AD&D.” 
  Times and player expectations have changed over many years ... irretrievably so. 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  But that was all in the future.  Immediately after the publication of D&D, dreams of 
  supplementary material had to be set aside.  If the game and TSR were going to survive, the work 
  of getting the boxes in the hands of games needed to be performed, and quickly. 
  A considerable part of Gary’s job in February of 1974 was not just filling out and shipping these 
  orders.  He worked to convince the world that a new paradigm in gaming was worthy of not only 
  
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  national but also worldwide consideration.  That was a tall order, and he began the work one letter, 
  one conversation, one handshake at a time.  But he could not reach out to everyone, and he could 
  only rarely leave Lake Geneva.  Most people in early 1974 simply had to figure the game out for 
  themselves. 
  The RPG concepts were too revolutionary for many, however.  Some people got it, many did 
  not.  And many people who would have gotten it did not know that D&D even existed, and would 
  never come into contact with the game unless they were sought out by someone already in the 
  know.  As TSR employee Harold Johnson one explained, “In the early years, the only way you 
  learned about [D&D] was if a friend introduced it to you.” [22-6] 
  Marketing was the key, but effective marketing is exorbitantly expensive.  This problem would 
  persist for years, ameliorated by Gen Con where gamers could finally meet face to face.  (In a strange 
  kind of way, through Gen Con Gary had already created the perfect environment for D&D’s viral 
  spread in 1968, six years before the game itself existed.)  And as the game diversified, eventually 
  many people — especially college students — would come into contact with someone who already 
  knew how to play. 
  That process, however, was years in the making.  The first edition of D&D was confusing, and 
  1971-72’s Chainmail Fantasy before it had been more confusing still (simply because Chainmail was 
  even more of a pioneering effort than D&D would be). 
  Fortunately, the medieval wargaming community was very small and Gary was fairly easy to 
  find.  People wrote Gary letters, or simply showed up on his doorstep.  One Friday or Saturday 
  night in early 1974 (when the long distance phone rates went down), a player who was struggling 
  with Chainmail’s intricate details used the Long Distance Directory Assistance service so that he 
  could then make a cold-call to game author Gary Gygax. [22-7] 
  Tim wanted some help in understanding the intricacies of the rules. [22-8]  This intrepid young 
  wargamer was named Timothy James Kask, and he was a student attending classes at the Southern 
  Illinois University in Carbondale. [22-9]  As Tim later related, “My call was answered by a most 
  genial and gentlemanly fellow that was the soul of kindness and courtesy, who took no offense at 
  being called at home one evening by a stranger.  In fact, I got the idea that he admired my initiative 
  in tracking him down.” [22-10] 
  Gary clarified the problematic rules, and he and Tim got along famously from the very 
  beginning.  They chatted for over an hour.  Tim soon regarded Gary as “an older brother, very 
  bright, eccentric and eclectic.” [22-11]  Tim would continue to call from time to time to chat about 
  
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  Gary’s game, and so the friendship grew.  That friendship would become momentously important 
  later on, in the autumn of 1975.  During early February of 1974, however, Gary was still preoccupied 
  with the orders for Dungeons & Dragons.  A few individual orders to gamers were shipped, and then 
  the larger orders to hobby shops and distributors were filled.  According to Gary’s recollection, as 
  many as five or six of these companies were requesting half-dozens of Dungeons & Dragons at this 
  time.  Three larger distributors received the largest orders of all, with 12 copies to each.  As Gary 
  noted, “Interestingly, those three were all manufacturers of miniature figurines.” [22-12]  Gary’s 
  group did not play with miniature figures for dungeoneering, but it seems that many of the other 
  early players did. 
  A skeletal distribution network revealed itself in this pattern of miniatures manufacturers that 
  stocked the game.  In the near future, those same distributors would reorder D&D in batches of 
  approximately 25 to 50 copies. [22-13]  These companies would help to spread the game far beyond 
  Lake Geneva, and into places where Gary’s more personal methods could not reach.  Dungeons & 
  Dragons was catching on.  By the middle of February, perhaps 100 or more boxes had been sold. 
  [22-14] 
  A spectacular success!  And then?  Nothing.  No more major orders came. 
  Throughout the second half of February, TSR suffered along with only a tiny trickle of incoming 
  single-copy orders.  In Don and Donna Kaye’s pantry, a stock of about 900 bought-and-paid-for 
  boxes was still waiting to be sold.  Gary and Don, beginning to panic, made immediate plans to 
  advertise their game. 
  Meager and inexpensive efforts came first.  The first notice for Dungeons & Dragons appeared in 
  the periodical El Conquistador, in February.  That notice is particularly interesting because it invites 
  people to actually come right over to Gary’s house to play and learn the game!  “One may find a 
  game in progress on a Sunday afternoon at about 1:30,” it read.  “Visitors are welcome.” [22-15]  
  Beyond that notice Gary also sent the first true D&D advertisement, slated to appear in a future 
  issue of the Great Plains Game Players Newsletter. [22-16]  Additional copies of this advertisement 
  (in flyer form) were included with Gary’s letters as well, as he continued to keep in touch with 
  Dungeon Masters and former play testers throughout the country. 
  These efforts were tiny, but they perfectly targeted the game’s potential audience.  As Gary 
  noted in Liaisons Dangereuses #70, “Tactical Studies Rules was about as small as a firm can be and 
  still be considered a real company … so publicity for Dungeons & Dragons was pretty much left to 
  word of mouth.” [22-17] 
  
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  From the safely planted acorn is born the mighty oak, and all that.  But Gary and Don did not 
  have 100 years in which to serenely observe that acorn growing to its fruition.  By the end of the 
  month, the 150th copy was sold, bringing D&D’s average sales up to a few copies a day. [22-18] 
  Whether this was a result of advertising or word or mouth, or both, is open to conjecture.  But it 
  is known that D&D was widely regarded as being very expensive, and Gary believed that many 
  potentially interested buyers were either relying on their friends to already own the game, or were 
  making personal photocopies of a friend’s set for use in their separate games.  Pirates were 
  everywhere, and they couldn’t be ratted out without disenfranchising other potential customers.  
  And D&D could not be sold at a loss, because Gary and Don were sitting on a $2,000+ investment 
  which they could not yet break even on.  Bad news all around. [22-19] 
  By the way, have you ever wondered why early Dungeon Module maps were printed in light 
  blue ink?  That was to foil primitive photocopiers, but the technology eventually caught up and 
  made these efforts futile.  Blue-tinted maps are still printed to this day in many “Old School 
  Renaissance” (OSR) Dungeon Modules, as a nostalgic nod to the TSR maps of 1978-1980. 
  Considering the dark gift of piracy (the pleased mouth spreadeth the word, while the covetous 
  hand taketh away) and D&D’s lackluster and slumping sales, Gary called a meeting.  He talked to 
  Don and Brian about the future of D&D purchases and fandom.  He estimated that D&D would sell 
  between 10,000 and 15,000 copies to the wargaming community, with another 50,000-odd sales 
  waiting if the word ever got out to all of the nation’s Tolkien fans. [22-20] 
  This idealistic assessment would prove to be premature, but would eventually be vindicated.  
  More immediately, though, slower and more dire times were just around the corner. 
  At about this same time, the business owned by Gary’s old employer Don Lowry began to 
  collapse. [22-21]  Gary likely felt bad for Don, and was probably quite empathetic considering that 
  TSR had just lurched off the ground and toward Lowry’s same uncertain horizon.  But he indirectly 
  benefitted from Lowry’s downfall as well.  Gary acquired the rights to his Chainmail game [22-22] 
  — which was still generating a fair amount of interest due to D&D being dependent upon its rules, 
  by the way — and this booklet would be republished by TSR in the near future. 
  Gary also expressed an interest in Tricolor, a traditional Napoleonic wargame designed by Rick 
  Crane. Tricolor would be released by TSR toward the middle of 1974, most likely in June.  The 
  registered copyright date for the game is June 1st. [22-23]  According to an interview with Gary, 
  this simulation had originally been prepared for Guidon Games. [22-24]  Therefore it is likely that 
  Gary waited patiently until Guidon was out of the picture, and then offered to publish Tricolor 
  
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  under the banner of TSR.  Through such efficient tactics, TSR plowed its way through the mediocre 
  sales of Dungeons & Dragons and diversified its offerings. 
  Gary wrote the forward to Tricolor on April 1st, which gives us an idea of the timing of Lowry’s 
  business downfall.  Don’s endeavor would continue on in some form for a while longer, but it 
  would no longer have any major relation to Gary or TSR or D&D, and so it exits the tale of HAWK 
  & MOOR.  Mr. Lowry himself, by the way, moved to California.  He and his wife Julie continued 
  to publish wargames sporadically through 1982. 
  TSR, while primed and eager to publish these new releases, was entering ominous waters.  The 
  company had very little money.  At the beginning of March, sales continued to lag and Gary was 
  filled with doubt.  “We began to worry,” he said.  “Me especially.  Had I overestimated the new 
  game?” [22-25] 
  I estimate that D&D was down at this time to perhaps only 1 or 2 copies sold every day, since 5 
  copies daily had earlier been worthy of Gary’s celebration.  Gary decided that it was time to promote 
  D&D more aggressively.  He had a specific target in mind, too.  That target might not appreciate 
  Gary’s tone, but the time for gentle handling was done. 
  On March 5th, Gygax wrote a letter to Dave Arneson, who was back home in Minnesota.  He 
  encouraged Dave to hand out flyers promoting Dungeons & Dragons to gamers.  Gygax’s letter was 
  straight out and to the point:  “Every flyer you pass out could mean more royalty dollars.  
  Remember, every retail sale we make is $1.00 to you.  Put a flyer in all letters, right?” [22-26]  
  Historically, this is interesting because it implies that Arneson was receiving a 10% royalty on each 
  copy of D&D sold; that is, $1.00 of the $10.00 purchase price. 
  But as I have detailed in Book II, the financial aspect of D&D was not enough to motivate Dave 
  to actively promote what he may have seen as Gary’s game which paid a middling royalty.  In my 
  own opinion, Dave might even have been waiting for an apology from Mr. Gygax, perhaps for 
  turning Arneson’s Blackmoor into something it was never meant to be.  There would be none 
  coming.  To Dave, the publication of D&D was merely a curiosity which generated a few dollars’ 
  income.  To Gary, this was a pressing business concern and the success of his foundering company 
  was at stake. 
  Sales must have remained sluggish, because Gary wrote another strongly-worded letter to 
  Arneson on the 13th.  The court record reveals the tone once again:  “Seeing as how you and I each 
  make a buck on a retail sale by TSR, we have to be dreaming up ways to promote same!  Get to 
  work!” [22-27]  Ironically, these letters would later be entered as evidence in court as proof that 
  
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  Gygax was actively seeking sales of Dungeons & Dragons in Minnesota.  This, in turn, would become 
  one of the technical points in the future litigation concerning Dungeons & Dragons royalties which 
  TSR refused to fully pay to Dave in years to come. 
  All of these promotional efforts were not enough, however.  Awareness was growing, but the 
  slow pace of D&D sales would not be sufficient to keep the company moving on its intended course.  
  Something else had to be done, and soon.  Gary realized with both reluctance and enthusiasm that 
  even more games would need to be designed. 
  This dawning realization was also a moment of opportunity.  Don Kaye for example was very 
  interested in creating a Wild West game, either a role-playing game or a gunslinger combat 
  simulator of some kind. [22-28]  The problem of course was that Don was not a game designer, and 
  neither was Brian Blume (yet).  Most of the heavy lifting would need to come Gary himself. [22-29] 
  This did not prevent development of TSR’s Wild West game, but it did slow the process 
  considerably.  Don and Gary continued to “noodle” about with potential rules and scenarios for 
  publication in early 1974, but no serious work was done.  Eventually the Western game would be 
  published as Boot Hill, but not until a tragedy intervened to compel development along an 
  unpredictable course.  We will get to that sad tale a little later. 
  Despite these ongoing struggles, the game of Dungeons & Dragons was gradually taking hold.  
  The problem was still that the process was slow enough that TSR’s finances remained in danger.  
  Gary said of D&D, “Its initial acceptance was small, but those who played were highly enthusiastic 
  and dedicated to the game.” [22-30]  The core fandom was loyal, but it was tiny.  So how else could 
  that audience be expanded? 
  From Gary’s, Don’s and Brian’s perspectives, one clue to the game’s eventual grass-roots success 
  could be discerned from some of the shipping addresses of the gamers who were purchasing 
  individual copies.  “The original D&D rules set,” Harold Johnson once explained, “was written for 
  college students and quickly became popular with them.” [22-31] 
  Beyond that core audience, however, the game was simply too weird for many gamers to ever 
  embrace.  “Imagine, if you will,” Gary wrote, “attempting to find new ‘converts’ — then, as now, 
  the true enthusiast is always seeking to add fellows to the ‘ranks’ — and having to explain role-
  playing from the most basic concepts on up.  Even with … dedicated players actively out doing just 
  that ... it was daunting.” [22-32] 
  And that is the price of innovation.  It is ironic to consider that in 2014, computer games which 
  borrow too closely from D&D are regarded as generic and cliché.  But let us not forget the definition 
  
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  of a cliché:  it is something that became so popular, and so widespread, that people eventually got 
  sick of it and started making fun of the great idea’s omnipresence.  We are left to wonder how many 
  potential clichés in the world of gaming simply died before they ever gained traction, never to rise, 
  forever forgotten. 
  That was nearly the fate of Dungeons & Dragons.  Fortunately for us, however, bit by bit the game 
  found its audience and eventual immortality. 
   
   
  
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  Footnotes and Annotations 
  for Chapter 22 
   
  [22-1] Judge’s Guild’s Bob & Bill:  A Cautionary Tale, by Bill Owen.  2014 Kindle Edition.  Refer to 
  book location 64%/100%. 
  [22-2] Dungeons & Dragons, Volume 3:  The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures, TSR, 1974. 
  [22-3] The Dragon, issue #26, pg. 31. 
  [22-4] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Steve Marsh.  Posted November 17th, 
  2005. 
  [22-5] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part IX.  Refer also to Dragon Annual 
  #2, pg. 99. 
  [22-6] 30 Years of Adventure:  A Celebration of Dungeons & Dragons.  Published by Wizards of the 
  Coast, 2004. 
  [22-7] Online web form post:  Dragonsfoot.org Q&A with Tim Kask.  Posted May 8th, 2012. 
  [22-8] Refer to the Youtube clip “Gygax Magazine Interview with Tim Kask,” posted by 
  Grognard Games.  The relevant conversation begins at approximately 5:50. 
  See also the clip “Interview:  Tim Kask,” posted by Mythwits, beginning at approximately 21:35. 
  [22-9] Grognardia interview with Tim Kask, Part I. 
  [22-10] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  Posted March 5th, 2008. 
  [22-11] Refer to the Youtube clip “Interview:  Tim Kask,” posted by Mythwits, beginning at 
  approximately 23:30. 
  [22-12] The Ultimate Interview with Gary Gygax, by Ciro Alessandro Sacco. 
  [22-13] The Ultimate Interview with Gary Gygax, by Ciro Alessandro Sacco. 
  [22-14] Dragon Annual #4, pages 9-10. 
  [22-15] El Conquistador Volume 1 Number 6, as reported in Playing at the World by Jon Peterson, 
  pg. 464. 
  
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  [22-16] Playing at the World blog, “The Earliest Dungeons & Dragons Advertisements.” 
  [22-17] Issues of the Liaisons Dangereuses zine are preserved at the whiningkentpigs.com website. 
  [22-18] 40 Years of Gen Con, by Robin D. Laws, Trident, Inc. (d/b/a Atlas Games), 2007, pg. 22. 
  See also Dragon Annual #4, pg. 10. 
  [22-19] 40 Years of Gen Con, by Robin D. Laws, Trident, Inc. (d/b/a Atlas Games), 2007, pg. 22. 
  [22-20] Dragon Annual #4, pg. 10. 
  [22-21] RPG.net interview with Gary Gygax, part 1 of 3. 
  [22-22] The TSR copyright registration for Chainmail, 3rd Edition, is dated February 10th, 1975. 
  [22-23] Catalog of Copyright Entries, Library of Congress, Copyright Office. 
  [22-24] D-Infinity interview with Gary Gygax. 
  [22-25] Dragon Annual #4, pg. 10. 
  [22-26] United States District Court (Fourth Division, Minnesota) Civil Action 4-79-109, Arneson 
  v. Gygax. 
  [22-27] United States District Court (Fourth Division, Minnesota) Civil Action 4-79-109, Arneson 
  v. Gygax. 
  [22-28] Online web forum post:  The Quarterofthree/CGM interview with Gary Gygax. 
  [22-29] RPG.net interview with Gary Gygax, part 1 of 3. 
  [22-30] Little Wars, issue #1. 
  [22-31] 30 Years of Adventure:  A Celebration of Dungeons & Dragons.  Published by Wizards of the 
  Coast, 2004. 
  [22-32] 30 Years of Adventure:  A Celebration of Dungeons & Dragons.  Published by Wizards of the 
  Coast, 2004. 
   
   
   
  
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  CHAPTER 23 
   
  lords 
  of greyhawk 
   
  (january – 
  april 1974) 
   
   
  
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  SOMEHOW, AMIDST all of these promotional efforts Gary still had time to play many games of 
  Dungeons & Dragons from the perspective of a player.  His first characters were Yrag the fighting 
  man and Mordenkainen the magic-user, created in January 1973.  These two characters adventured 
  in the castle ruins of El Raja Key, and Rob Kuntz served as Gary’s Dungeon Master.  As I noted in 
  HAWK & MOOR Book II, Rob is busy writing his memoirs and will reveal much more about the 
  El Raja castle’s secrets in the future, and so it is not my place to reveal too much herein.  But I know 
  people tend to clamor for revelations concerning these original adventures, so I will here provide 
  some of the details which have already been widely disseminated to date.  I will also provide a 
  detailed account of the most famous session:  the Quest of the Terrible Iron Golem, as chronicled in 
  Wargamer’s Digest issue #7, Dragon #307, and in the 1980s Dungeon Module WG5, Mordenkainen’s 
  Fantastic Adventure. 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  By the end of 1973 or thereabouts, Gary’s favorite character Mordenkainen was approaching 
  experience level 10.  This allowed him access to powerful spells, and his lordship over Rob Kuntz’s 
  dungeons increased … as did his treasure trove. [23-1]  He was a worshipper of Boccob, and so he 
  honored the Mad Demigod Zagyg. [23-2]  But he did not tempt fate, and was not “eager to have 
  Zagyg intervene” in his destiny. [23-3]  Therefore he did not journey into the ruins of Castle 
  Greyhawk (Zagyg’s sacrosanct domain), but rather explored the dungeons of El Raja Key. 
  When he finally attained the lofty 12th level (likely around the beginning of 1974), Gary decided 
  that his wizard should “have some greater purpose” outside of dungeon crawling, and so 
  Mordenkainen became involved in intrigue and “political concerns.” [23-4] 
  Therefore, he became a champion of neutrality and “the Balance” (in Michael Moorcock terms), 
  battling the more severe powers of the Flanaess.  Because the World of Greyhawk at that time was 
  virtually overrun by the forces of evil, Mordenkainen ended up championing the cause of good in 
  his own way.  This would require a base of operations and a cadre of troops and henchmen.  Gary 
  did not intend for him “to rule more than a minor domain where he and his associates and followers 
  would be secure and properly housed and fed,” [23-5] but due to the already-growing size of his 
  forces a fairly large stronghold would be required.  The Obsidian Citadel — at least in concept and 
  wild ambition — was born. 
  
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  By early 1974 (and over a year of play), Gary had five significant PCs and a host of lesser 
  henchmen.  His five major personas were Mordenkainen (a level 13 magic-user), Bigby (a level 11 
  magic-user), Yrag (a fighting man of perhaps level 10), Felnorith (another fighting man, perhaps 
  level 9), and the Bishop Raunalf (a level 6 cleric, later revealed in Dragon #307 as a byname for the 
  character Rigby).  At this time they were all collectively seeking treasure and forbidden knowledge 
  beneath Maure Castle, an incarnation of El Raja Key. 
  On one expedition, Mordenkainen and Bigby went all the way down through twelve deep 
  dungeon levels in search of information.  They discovered a seemingly magical key, and a cryptic 
  couplet written in a runic language they could not comprehend.  These seemed to be very minor 
  treasures to reward such a dangerous exploration, but the latent “incompleteness” of these finds 
  aroused Gary’s suspicions.  The mages made their way back out of the dungeon, went to their 
  Citadel, cracked open their “tomes bound in dragon hide” and got to work.  The key’s symbols and 
  the riddle proved elusive, however, and very old.  So they researched older scrolls, and even older 
  tablets, and finally conducted some expensive divinations over a cauldron and alembics.  
  Eventually, they received a few clues to the key’s and the couplet’s origins.  They had a vague idea 
  of where the key’s gate might be, and so they planned a return to Maure Castle to find the secret 
  way to that forbidden gate. 
  They returned in stealth, and their companions back in the Citadel observed them through a 
  crystal ball.  They were acting once again without companions and were garbed in dark cloaks, 
  using their spells and subterfuge to penetrate the castle’s defenses while suffering only a minimum 
  of violent opposition.  Soon, they found themselves in a room with four closed chests, a room which 
  had been visited and shunned earlier on.  This room was important, because it seemed to hold the 
  solution to the hidden gate. 
  As they entered, an iron portcullis slammed shut and trapped them inside.  This was to be 
  expected.  Also predictable was the deathly voice which whispered out from the nothingness:  
  “Choose from the four chests before you!” 
  The first chest was opened.  Enormous serpentine heads lashed out, writhing in a hissing mass.  
  A fell creature impossibly crawled out of the chest, enlarging as it came, and attacked.  A hydra of 
  five heads!  But the wizards had been prepared for the arrival of this guardian.  Mordenkainen 
  waved his staff, casting a Polymorph Other spell.  The hydra shrunk again, but this time it became 
  a snail.  Bigby promptly plucked up the snail and secured it in his pouch.  This would be a valuable 
  ally later on:  the snail could be thrown at monsters in combat, and then a Dispel Magic spell would 
  break the Polymorph enchantment, causing the monstrous hydra to grow once more in the midst 
  
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  of dismayed attackers. [23-6]  Rob liked this trick (and may have enhanced it after learning of it), 
  and would use it later to defend his own castle while playing Robilar and Otto. 
  The other chests were opened, and the disembodied voice seemed pleased.  “You are granted 
  one wish of limited power.”  Mordenkainen seized the moment, and asked to learn where the gate 
  stood which might accept the ancient key.  The ghost knew that gate well, it seems, for it urged the 
  mages to proceed into the Great Hall hidden just beyond. 
  The wizards quickly navigated a nearby labyrinth, and found themselves at the edge of the 
  Great Hall.  Waters splashed and danced in an alabaster fountain, a threat made clear by its veil of 
  serenity.  Someone wanted the wizards to be at peace here, and so they were on guard.  A tapestry-
  covered corridor led into another vast hall, its lofty ceiling held high by ivory pillars. 
  But no, already something hidden was revealed!  The pillars did not reach all the way to the 
  ceiling, they were raised pedestals with open space above them.  Mordenkainen and Bigby casted 
  their Levitation spells and rose to investigate.  Each pillar was hewn from a single piece of ivory, 
  carved from the tusks of some gargantuan behemoths which strode the Oerth long ago.  Rob here 
  may have been alluding to the tale Idle Days on the Yann by Lord Dunsany, in which we read: 
   
  
   
  “I came to a silver temple and then to a palace of onyx … I suddenly saw in it [the city wall] a huge ivory 
  gate.  For a while I paused and admired it, then I came nearer and perceived the dreadful truth.  The gate was 
  carved out of one solid piece!  I fled at once through the gateway … and even as I ran I thought that I heard 
  far off on the hills behind me the tramp of the fearful beast by whom that mass of ivory was shed …” [23-7] 
   
  
   
  Alarmed by this ominous revelation, the wizards descended.  They found and approached a 
  dais, and there — formerly hidden from view by the ivory pillars and the dark — stood three mighty 
  granite thrones, and three regal forms in iron were sat upon them.  These kings of old must have 
  been the high lords of Maure Castle.  One statue (portraying a mage-king of the lost world?) held a 
  
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  dagger, another a broad sword, and the mightiest central colossus bore a great sword clutched in 
  one hand and some kind of eldritch plume in the other. 
  As Mordenkainen and Bigby thought it best to leave this place, they shrank away.  But the gaze 
  of the ageless one fell upon them!  The center colossus woke, becoming animate, and rose from its 
  throne with a grinding of iron upon stone.  The great golem thundered down the dais and surged 
  to the attack!  The fearless wizards shared a glance, steeled themselves for battle, lifted their staves 
  of arcane power … 
  And they both ran like Hell. 
  But the strides of the golem were long, and both mages were forced to cast their second spells 
  of Levitation.  They clambered together to the top of one of the ivory pillars.  The golem slammed 
  into the pillar with its massive shoulder, and ancient ivory fragments splintered down in a cascade 
  over its iron form.  As the golem stepped away and prepared for another charge which would bring 
  the pillar crashing down, Mordenkainen dared to step to the pillar-summit’s edge.  But iron golems 
  are immune to practically all magic.  What could Mordenkainen hope to do against such a fearsome 
  foe? 
  He targeted a Transmute Rock to Mud spell on the floor between the golem’s feet.  The plan was 
  to allow the golem to sink, and then Bigby would cast Transmute Mud to Rock to seal the golem in 
  an inescapable tomb.  But the golem had arcane powers of its own!  It levitated over the mud pool, 
  then flew into pillar.  Another crash.  But the golem had lost momentum, having no foothold, and 
  the pillar only cracked instead of shattering outright. 
  This was a desperate time.  Mordenkainen brought forth the brazen urn he loathed to use, and 
  released an enslaved efreet which he kept trapped therein.  The efreet was commanded to destroy 
  the golem.  It swept down, and the iron golem breathed out an enormous incendiary cloud.  Another 
  unique power of the golem, both unforeseen and deadly! 
  Efreeti are immune to normal fires, and highly resistant to magical ones.  But the Terrible Iron 
  Golem’s attack was so fierce that the efreet was charred and horribly wounded.  Mordenkainen, 
  looking down in dismay and disbelief, told Bigby that it was time to battle the golem in melee.  
  Their only other recourse was to wait for the golem to slam into the pillar again, at which point both 
  mages would likely plummet to their deaths. 
  They floated down together, ready to die.  The golem moved to block their escape as expected, 
  and “inhaled” as it recharged its incendiary cloud.  Another exhalation brought forth a huge sheet 
  
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  of flame, but the mages’ protective items reduced this fatal onslaught to merely a wounding one.  
  Bigby recaptured the efreet, while Mordenkainen struck the iron golem with his staff. 
  There was a clang, but nothing happened.  The golem swung its venom-dripping great sword, 
  and Mordenkainen ducked to the floor to save his life.  Bigby capped the brazen urn and shouted a 
  warning as Mordenkainen recovered himself.  The golem lifted the item in its other hand.  It was 
  not a plume at all, it was a magical whip tipped by the preserved feather of a cockatrice!  The whip 
  snaked out, and touched upon Mordenkainen’s back as he struggled to rise.  The wizard did not 
  even have time to cry out before a terrible transformation began deep in his flesh.  He tensed, he 
  paled, and his skin crackled and calcified.  The great mage, never before defeated, was turned to 
  stone! 
  Bigby, looking on in horror, did the only thing he could to save his master.  He ran.  The Terrible 
  Iron Golem, guardian of the castle’s greatest treasures, did not pursue.  Bigby used a Teleport spell 
  and returned to the Citadel, where he told his shocked companions (who had been watching 
  through the crystal ball) the few unseen details concerning their master’s defeat. 
  Mordenkainen’s strongest allies thus prepared for battle.  These were Lord Yrag, Lord Felnorith, 
  Bishop Raunalf, and of course Bigby himself.  This rescue party advanced into Maure Castle, and 
  rushed headlong through the Great Hall.  They stood outside the threshold tapestry and formulated 
  a daring plan.  Bigby, ever the clever one, had realized that there were weapons which might be 
  capable of destroying the Terrible Iron Golem after all.  Yrag and Felnorith were tasked with 
  procuring them.  Shields were lifted, swords were drawn, spells and magic items of power were 
  made ready, and the curtain was pulled away. 
  There was lain the pathetic statue of Mordenkainen, his life force trapped in stasis beneath the 
  stone.  The transmuted and muddy floor had re-congealed, and only the splintered pillar gave 
  evidence of the terrible battle waged before.  The Terrible Iron Golem — with the imminent threat 
  to the Castle’s treasure, Mordenkainen himself, eliminated — had returned to sit upon its granite 
  throne.  The ageless sentinel waited as four more victims drew near. 
  The adventurers crept in, and Bigby used a Transmute Stone to Flesh spell to free Mordenkainen 
  from the terrible enchantment.  The great mage, barely alive, collapsed with a gasp upon the 
  flagstones.  He would not be able to fight in this battle.  Bigby led his companions toward the dais 
  and the fighter-lords drew their swords. 
  When the golem began to animate once more, Yrag and Felnorith charged toward the two lesser 
  iron statues to either side.  One Lord seized the iron dagger, the other the iron blade.  The golem 
  
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  turned to smite them, and Bigby was forced to do battle with this implacable juggernaut once again.  
  The whip flashed out before Bigby could dodge or complete his spell.  Another mage turned to 
  stone!  But the fighter-Lords had wrenched away the magical weapons of old, and sword and 
  dagger hacked into the golem’s limbs. 
  These eldritch blades struck true.  The sword smote off the arm that held the whip, and limb 
  and weapon both came crashing down.  But golems feel no pain and the venom-dripping sword 
  was quickly turned against Yrag as he struggled to recover from his telling blow.  Again, the golem 
  was too quick to be withstood.  The poisoned blade-tip impaled Yrag, and he died horribly, his 
  armor and body bubbling with corruption. [23-8] 
  Felnorith attacked again, and his dagger blade ran deep.  Raunalf was forced to leap aside as the 
  sundered golem tottered and crashed to the floor.  Its enchantments were finally broken, and 
  enormous pieces of armor collapsed in a thundering jumble. 
  Mordenkainen was unconscious, Bigby petrified, and poor Yrag slain.  Raunalf and Felnorith 
  searched the chamber, hoping only that some great succor could be found now that the Terrible 
  Iron Golem lay asunder. 
  The two smaller iron statues were hollow, and filled with gems.  An ornate collection of coral 
  miniatures, heretofore unseen, proved to be a miniature map of Maure Castle that would greatly 
  aid future expeditions.  But there were no healing magics of resurrection, no wishes to be had, and 
  Bishop Raunalf was not yet wise nor powerful enough to raise the dead on his own.  Mordenkainen 
  and Yrag’s body were taken back to the Citadel, while the valorous Bigby was necessarily left where 
  he had been frozen into stone. 
  The three surviving companions took the body of Yrag to the goodly Patriarch of Greyhawk, 
  and the valiant fighter was restored at a very dear cost.  Most of the gemstones were spent bringing 
  him back to life.  But it was worth it, yes?  Grimly, the cabal of Mordenkainen swore an oath:  they 
  would return to Maure Castle to recover the form of Bigby for de-petrification, or die trying. 
  And after a days’ rest, off they went.  Bigby’s body was recovered and taken back to the Citadel, 
  where Rigby used a Transmute Stone to Flesh spell to remove the accursed affliction wrought by 
  the golem.  But too much time had elapsed, and Bigby had perished while petrified!  His companion 
  Nigby then expended a rare and powerful Wish spell, and so the loyal and intrepid Bigby was 
  finally brought back to life. [23-9] 
  * * * * * 
  
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  And so it would go, the adventure never really ending.  Was Bigby ever rescued?  Of course!  
  Did Mordenkainen ever again suffer such a defeat?  No, but there were times in battle against liches 
  or entire armies when Gary was cutting it very close.  Gary once related (in Dragon magazine, issue 
  #299) that soon after the ordeal with the Terrible Iron Golem, Mordenkainen decided he needed to 
  surround himself with bodyguards, henchmen, associates and other protective individuals.  After 
  all, his faithful NPCs had saved his life.  He could expect even deadlier encounters in the future, 
  and who was to say that he would survive the next time he dared to vie with Rob Kuntz’s ominous 
  monsters and other deadly encounters? 
  It was time for more manpower, in spades.  Hiring mercenaries and paying them well, Gary 
  soon had “a score or two” (meaning 20 or 40!) of soldiering followers to Mordenkainen’s name, in 
  addition to his other PCs and NPCs.  By deduction we can estimate that Mordenkainen was around 
  level 12 or 13 at this time.  As he ascended into the teen levels, both his army and his ambitions 
  expanded.  He outgrew the plundered dungeons of El Raja Key, and decided to make an impact on 
  the wider world he lived in.  The upkeep costs for his Citadel, NPCs and soldiers quickly became 
  exorbitant and he was forced to consider the seizure of ever-greater treasures to fund his growing 
  legion.  Many of Gary’s later exploits with Mordenkainen in 1974 and 1975, therefore, involved 
  wilderness — and specifically, road and shoreline excursions — with his legion and companions.  
  And why?  Because Gary had designed the game’s treasure tables, and he knew that the most 
  common and easiest “rich” monsters to conquer were bandits, brigands and pirates. [23-10]  Bandits 
  typically found in camps, while pirates of course ply the Oerth’s rivers and seas.  It was time to 
  leave the dungeons and to go reaver hunting. 
  The more Gary considered this ploy of thieves hunting thieves, the more he liked it.  The wealthy 
  societies of the Flanaess despised robbers, brigands, highwaymen, corsairs and the like, and no one 
  would miss them if a few hundred of them went missing overnight.  Why not let the wizard and 
  his little army clear the countryside, making the Flanaess a safer place?  Gary might even be able to 
  replace the losses in his legions by offering mercy and conscripting the defeated.  With a little care, 
  this could become a self-propagating scheme. 
  And on and on it would go — if he planned correctly — with Gary carefully calculating his odds 
  of maximizing monster-carried wealth through opportune encounters based on terrain (and the 
  random tables he had originally developed, of course!)  Perhaps Gary even remembered that in one 
  of his favorite fantasy tales, The Mathematics of Magic, there is a point in a journey through the 
  monster-harried wilderness where protagonist Harold Shea complains, “Traveling through Faerie 
  [Land] is just one damned encounter after another.”  To which his companion Chalmers replies, “It 
  
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  is logical that it should be so.  The Faerie Queene indicates that this is a world wherein an endless 
  and largely planless concatenation of encounters are a part of the normal pattern of events.” [23-11] 
  Of course, despite all foreknowledge Gary could never fully control the nature of random 
  encounters in the wilderness.  But he could study the tables that Rob would use for random rolls, 
  and decide on the terrain which might yield the likeliest opportunities.  He could also frequently 
  avoid dragons, giants, and other deadly mega-monsters that might wipe out his legion in a brutal 
  confrontation.  Gary therefore proceeded to “cherry pick” the region around the Nyr Dyv, scouring 
  its shores.  Perhaps he also went down the Selintan and prowled the Wild Coast.  He certainly 
  followed roads between cities, knowing that bandits prey on merchants, and caravans follow the 
  quickest routes for travel. 
  His very first ploy, however, was even more calculated.  Gary decided to have Mordenkainen’s 
  minions simulate a wagon train so that his army could pose as a vulnerable caravan ripe for 
  plundering.  Covered wagons were selected instead of carts because Gary wanted to hide his well-
  armed soldiers away from the view of any prospective thieves.  A particularly large wagon was 
  even built to hide a subdued red dragon for extra firepower. 
  When the ruse was fully developed, Mordenkainen the Merchant’s Merry Traveling Show set 
  out for a tour of Oerth’s dangerous roads.  A little time passed, and bandits eventually attacked.  
  Imagine their surprise and horror when the robed merchant proved to a wizard, the porters were 
  archers, the “goods-laden” wagons were troop carriers, and a vicious dragon was set loose into the 
  skies! 
  The hunters became the hunted, and the bandits were wiped out.  Mordenkainen and his band 
  gained a lot of treasure.  Rob, seeing Gary’s tactics in play, was faced with a serious quandary.  He 
  could modify the encounter tables to “cheat” Gary, but Gary was playing fair and the fudge factor 
  implied by a complete overhaul of the tables seemed too severe a reaction for such skillful play.  
  Instead, Rob decided on a more realistic solution to the problem:  so many bandits, brigands, thieves 
  and pirates were wiped out that the countryside became safe, and the word got out that a vengeful 
  masquerading mage was on the prowl.  Mordenkainen and his crew gained several experience 
  levels before the gold rush petered out, but eventually the gravy train faded away.  Mordenkainen 
  and Bigby thus became both wealthy and renowned, which attracted even more troops to the 
  mages’ banner.  Soon they would field an army capable of besieging strongholds and even walled 
  towns … but these are later details which appear to more properly date to Books IV and V of HAWK 
  & MOOR (1976-1977). 
  
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  * * * * * 
   
  Many of those further adventures are only whispers without detail, and so now it is time for us 
  to stop reminiscing about Gary’s characters for a while.  There were other adventures to be 
  experienced by Greyhawk’s other champions, Robilar and Tenser. 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  Such inglorious defeats and losses were not foreign to Greyhawk’s other players.  In early 1974, 
  while Tenser was still aloft on his flying carpet and trying to return from his journey through the 
  Oerth, there was treachery afoot in the Old City.  The good and evil gods of Greyhawk each had 
  their own minions, the sacred and the infernal.  One of the powerful priests of light was Serten, a 
  cleric of the “Powerhouse Church of the Presumptuous Assumption of the Blinding Light” played 
  by Ernie Gygax. [23-12] 
  One of the greatest priests of darkness was a mysterious lord of the unholy, played by Tom 
  Champeny.  Apparently, Champeny’s character was never named (or at least the name was not 
  shared by Tom), but Rob Kuntz has referred to him as TC or “Tecee.” [23-13]  Serten was about 7th 
  or 8th level, and the evil one was more powerful than he. [23-14]  The good Patriarch of Greyhawk 
  may have been busied with the resurrection of Yrag or another fallen champion of light at this time, 
  and unable to protect Serten or his ilk. 
  Some of the more circumspect lords in the City of Greyhawk believed that the three lost 
  adventurers were undertaking a slow return (presumably from the depths of Greyhawk’s 
  dungeons), but most of the city’s denizens believed that all three of these champions had been slain.  
  With Tenser presumed dead, his wealthy accomplice Serten was therefore at wide risk (and not just 
  by Champeny’s EHP).  Serten possessed many powerful items from his adventures shared with 
  Tenser in the Greyhawk dungeons.  However, it seems that he was not well-known for his 
  venturesome spirit.  Serten was Ernie Gygax’s secondary character, which he played when Tenser 
  would be too overpowering. [23-15] 
  
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  While Tenser was being played, Serten was “dormant” in the City of Greyhawk and he rarely 
  did anything on his own.  As such, he was vulnerable to others’ evil acts.  Two players — identified 
  as Tom Champeny and Bob Dale [23-16] — conspired to take Serten’s treasures for themselves.  It 
  seems that Champeny’s character, the Evil High Priest, coveted Serten’s regalia. [23-17]  These two 
  villains murdered the poor cleric in cold blood, and stole his +3 plate mail, a magic shield, and a 
  staff of the serpent. 
  The other players were dismayed by this atrocious act.  Some of the other player characters 
  pooled their gold together and had Serten raised from the dead.  These good Samaritans swore that 
  they would exact vengeance and hunt down the murderers.  The two murderers fled the City of 
  Greyhawk, and took sanctuary with another Evil High Priest far to the south of the city.  Murlynd 
  (played by Don Kaye) tried to hunt them down, but when he realized that they were being sheltered 
  in a stronghold of evil he was forced to give up his quest.  Serten never did recover his treasures, 
  either! [23-18] 
  A nasty precedent had been set in the game:  it was possible for the players to snipe at one 
  another’s henchmen, and to murder and steal.  Things were about to get very ugly as the play 
  group’s ethical ground rules began to crumble. 
  Ernie was not the only player having these kinds of problems, however.  While Sir Robilar was 
  still away in Cathay, he was also presumed dead.  An advantage-seeking distant cousin — an NPC 
  played by Gary Gygax — took an avaricious interest Robilar’s castle. [23-19] 
  This nameless NPC had managed to find an immense gem in a magical “gem tree” region of the 
  Greyhawk dungeons, and so had progressed from the 1st to 7th level (of experience) in a relatively 
  short period of time.  This was before Gary created the rule that a character could gain no more than 
  a single experience level during a single adventure, and may well have been the impetus for that 
  ruling in the name of game balance.  Through such fortune (and Dungeon Master fiat, of course), 
  this anonymous cousin quickly rose to power and managed to lay an undisputed claim to Robilar’s 
  castle. 
  When Robilar finally returned, he and his upstart cousin were very unhappy to see one another.  
  An aggressive spat took place, and Robilar kicked his cousin out of the castle. [23-20] 
  Robilar took over his stronghold once more, and made certain his imperious claim would not 
  again be disputed by anyone.  We can roughly estimate that Robilar took back his castle in early 
  1974.  Tenser and Terik enjoyed their own homecomings at about this time as well.  These three 
  would soon turn their collective attentions back toward the dungeons beneath Greyhawk Castle. 
  
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  And what happened there?  No one seems to remember.  To my mind, it seems that Robilar, 
  Tenser and Terik would have quickly returned to the “orc level” (dungeon level one) to reestablish 
  their control.  There is a note relating to this time which tells us that Quij was commanding some 
  orcs for Robilar, and it seems logical that he was there; but beyond that there is very little that I can 
  say about this mystery.  It seems likeliest that the first level of the Greyhawk dungeon was revisited 
  soon after Robilar’s return, but there is no evidence.  There may have also been more adventures in 
  the deeper dungeon levels at this time, but if so they are lost to history. 
  Besides these misadventures, the players may have been busy with some of the special new side 
  levels hidden within Castle Greyhawk’s dungeons as well.  Gary would later publish an inspired 
  and twisted D&D version of Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland, entitled Dungeonland (published as 
  Dungeon Module EX1 in 1983).  In the Afterword to this module, Gary said that Dungeonland was 
  reached through the Castle Greyhawk dungeons, and that “the adventurers came upon [the magical 
  gateway into Dungeonland] quite by accident after about a year of play.”  Since we know that the 
  Greyhawk campaign began in approximately December of 1972 and January of 1973, this would 
  place the first Dungeonland adventures in perhaps January of 1974. 
  These Carrollian realms were probably first explored by Robilar, Tenser, Terik and several 
  others.  Gary once cryptically hinted, “Terik had some hilarious run-ins in the Land Beyond the 
  Magic Mirror with the Walrus and Carpenter, but they were more of the ‘you had to be there’ sort.” 
  [23-21] 
  There are many excellent set pieces in the published versions of these inspired “Alice” settings, 
  which collectively exude the same quirky and fearful charm as did the rest of Zagyg’s dungeon.  
  Particularly fine examples of Gygaxian wit therein include:  a grotto of random and wild potion 
  waters; Charldos, or rather “CHARLes DOdgSon,” the senile archmage (who bears a striking 
  resemblance, in powers and behavior, to a certain Mad Archmage of the Greyhawk dungeons); a 
  menagerie of dangerous fungi, perfect for Drowic underworld settings; a fantastical Mad Hatter; 
  the monster-puzzle of the Chessboard Fields; the nonesuch Jabberwock, with eyes of flame; Jub-Jub 
  birds and Bandersnatches; and an iron golem riding atop an iron steed.  Perhaps the most touching 
  piece found in the published version is an extended exploration of Murlynd’s (Don Kaye’s) home, 
  where the man’s playful personality is made abundantly clear but the man is not to be found.  Due 
  to this heartfelt tribute it seems likely that the Murlynd sub-environment featured in Dungeon 
  Module EX2, The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror, was designed soon after Don Kaye’s passing in early 
  1975. 
  
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  The Alice dungeon-realms are quite underrated in my opinion.  We hardcore fans tend through 
  jaded eyes to think of the legendary Greyhawk campaign as something almost sacrosanct, 
  untouchably serious and important.  However, it is all too easy to become lost in such grim thoughts 
  and to lose sight of the whimsy:  it’s a game.  Gary and the players were having a blast.  Epic tales 
  of heroic sacrifice had their place, but so did silly puns, pranks and obvious nods to pulp fiction 
  tropes, timeless stories, and trashy movies.  I strongly recommend these pure Gygaxian adventures 
  to anyone truly interested in the early spirit of the game.  You never know how deep the rabbit hole 
  really goes, until you dare to explore it for yourself. 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  In a similarly winsome spirit, Gary also developed new monstrous challenges for his players by 
  using completely unpredictable sources of inspiration.  Beyond movies, fairytales and classic 
  fiction, he also derived ideas for Dungeons & Dragons from plastic toys. 
  These introductions of “Japanese” monsters to the game are impossible to date effectively 
  (besides the rust monster dating to early 1973), [23-22] but it is known that some of them premiered 
  in Gary’s game in 1974 and 1975, and so I will speak of them collectively here.  Many of these iconic 
  beasties seem to have come from the same source:  bags of cheap plastic monster toys from the local 
  five and dime store. [23-23] 
  These “Prehistoric Animals” were received from various manufacturers in Hong Kong, and 
  many were actually rip-offs of copyrighted Japanese movie monsters.  Their evocative and 
  sometimes humorous appearances tempted a great deal of speculation about their strengths, 
  weaknesses and special abilities.  Gary noted that “various persons involved [in the Chainmail 
  Fantasy play tests and later game sessions] suggested what they might be.  Eventually, we created 
  names and stats for all, and so the resemblance [to classic monsters featured in the Monster Manual] 
  is no coincidence at all.” [23-24] 
  For those who find such trivia interesting, I will provide some details on the various new 
  monsters here: 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  
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  The Bulette:  In Greyhawk, the bulette was originally called “the Bullet,” due to its rounded 
  back shell and pointed snout.  The toy concept was originally inspired by the creature Gabora, as 
  featured in episode 9 (“Operation:  Uranium”) of the 1966-1967 Japanese Tokusatsu series, 
  Ultraman. [23-25]  The Gabora creature apparently travels by burrowing underground. [23-26]  In 
  its first appearances in the Greyhawk campaign c. late 1975, Tim Kask noted that the creature had 
  been encountered a couple of times but had only “run down a crowded hall and made people fall 
  down.  That’s all it had done, so there really wasn’t anything [to its game stats] yet.” [23-27]  Its 
  abilities were powerful in Gary’s game, but rather vague.  The toy was later called “the Landshark” 
  by the Lake Geneva gamers, based on a Saturday Night Live skit which aired on November 8th, 1975. 
  One day Gary asked Tim Kask to give it a more detailed write-up, and this would appear in The 
  Dragon #1 in June of 1976.  This would be the first monster Tim ever invented. [23-28]  Amusingly, 
  at the time Tim was very annoyed by The Lord of the Rings, and also by Tolkien-adoring players who 
  demanded to play hobbits at every turn.  He found the people who cited Bill the Pony as an 
  exemplar of epic hobbit-pony abilities to be particularly irksome.  Therefore, he would specifically 
  note that the bulette preferred to eat halflings and ponies whenever it could. [23-29] 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  The Owlbear:  The owlbear was based on a strange-looking toy which is believed to (badly!) 
  represent the bowl-headed kappa of Japanese mythology.  This figure by the way is now rare, and 
  worth a small fortune.  Snap it up if you ever find one! 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  The Rust Monster:  This is perhaps the most famous of the toy figures, with its appearance 
  borrowed with complete faithfulness for the illustration found in the 1977 Monster Manual.  It is 
  believed that Gary himself came up with the monster’s fearsome powers, perhaps after noticing 
  that the creature had a propeller tail and long antennae, but no really vicious appendages to speak 
  of.  The lack of any obvious attack form — and, probably, the toy’s badly-speckled paint job — 
  forced him to get creative. 
   
  
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  * * * * * 
   
  The Troglodyte:  The troglodyte is based on a reptilian / amphibian figure with a saurian snout, 
  but unfortunately I have not yet identified the original inspiration which caused the toy to be made.  
  Ultraman is a possible source, and perhaps specifically the monster Telesudon. [23-30] 
  The troglodyte monster beyond the toy is actually from Greek lore and a novel by Abraham 
  Merritt, which I detail in HAWK & MOOR Book IV. 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  The Umber Hulk:  Unlike the “green Hulk” of Marvel fame, this creature’s figure was based on 
  the Japanese Toho Kaiju named “Antlar” (or sometimes “Antler”).  Gary came up with the stats and 
  powers after marveling at its girth, mandibles and confusing eyes.  [23-31] 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  Various other figures found in these “Prehistoric Animal” packs look suspiciously like 
  cockatrices, dragons, rocs and wyverns.  It seems likely that Gary picked up the packs for these 
  recognizable figures, and then got tired of looking at the unused ones, and decided that they needed 
  to become monsters too.  And why not?  Dungeons & Dragons, as any experienced Dungeon Master 
  knows, is the great cosmic vacuum cleaner:  anything that looks like a suspiciously good idea gets 
  sucked up and assimilated with the rest of the jumble, whatever it might be.  The only limits to such 
  integration are an individual gamer’s self-imposed limits upon the imagination. 
  And why have limits at all, when you can have more fun? 
   
   
  
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  Footnotes and Annotations 
  for Chapter 23 
   
  [23-1] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Gary Gygax Q&A, Part IV.  Posted August 19th, 
  2005. 
  [23-2] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part V.  Posted January 29th, 2004. 
  [23-3] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part V.  Posted January 29th, 2004. 
  [23-4] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part X.  Posted June 13th, 2006. 
  [23-5] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part X.  Posted June 13th, 2006. 
  [23-6] Gary talked about this tactic several times, for example at ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A 
  Part X, posted June 27th, 2006.  “Hydra snails are the specialty of Mordenkainen,” he wrote, “many 
  attacks in one, as it were.” 
  See also Dragonsfoot.org, “Lake Geneva Campaign,” posted February 12th, 2003. 
  [23-7] Gary would also later note that these tusked behemoths were to be found through a 
  magical portal within the castle ruins, which led to “a world where everything was super-sized.”  
  Wisely, the mages explored this world only briefly, and in haste.  Refer to ENWorld Gary Gygax 
  Q&A Part II, posted March 27th, 2003. 
  [23-8] According to Gary’s recollection, Yrag perished “several times,” and so we have a very 
  clear example of the deadliness of old school Dungeons & Dragons.  Even the master’s cherished 
  characters got slaughtered at an alarming rate! 
  [23-9] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part III.  Posted May 4th, 2003.  
  Magic items which contained Wish spells were “highly prized,” said Gary, “and generally reserved 
  for bringing back a beloved character.”  He also noted that “after a few hilarious times where the 
  incautious PCs misused them, all such were saved for desperate situations.”  In other words, Wishes 
  became Resurrection spells by default simply because they were too dangerous to use for more 
  frivolous or greedy concerns … perhaps because Gary was a stickler about the wording of self-
  serving Wishes in the name of game balance. 
  
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  [23-10] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part I.  Posted December 22nd, 
  2002. 
  [23-11] The Mathematics of Magic, by L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt.  In my Baen edition 
  of The Complete Compleat Enchanter, this quote occurs on pg. 173. 
  [23-12] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot forums, “What original Greyhawk material is 
  available?”  Posted December 29th, 2010. 
  [23-13] Online web forum post:  Pied Piper Publishing forums, “City of Greyhawk.” 
  [23-14] Online web forum post:  Pied Piper Publishing forums, “How come Serten was a cleric, 
  but has a MU spell?” 
  See also the thread “Serten.” 
  [23-15] Online web forum post:  Doomsday Games forums, “Serten.” 
  [23-16] Online web forum post:  Doomsday Games forums, “Serten.” 
  [23-17] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot forums, “Evil PCs in Greyhawk?” 
  See also “Greyhawk?  Don’t really care about it” at the Paizo.com forums. 
  [23-18] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot forums, “Murlynd.” 
  See also the Pied Piper Publishing forums, “Robilar and evil races.” 
  [23-19] Online web forum post:  Pied Piper Publishing forums, “Robilar’s tower.” 
  [23-20] Online web forum post:  Pied Piper Publishing forums, “Robilar’s tower.” 
  [23-21] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part I.  Posted September 29th, 
  2002. 
  [23-22] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Gary Gygax, Part XI. 
  [23-23] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A threads.  Posted February 14th, 
  2007. 
  [23-24] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part I.  Posted September 19th, 
  2002. 
  [23-25, 23-26] Refer to the blog The Mule Abides, post “Origins of the Displacer Beast and Rust 
  Monster,” posted January 10th, 2011, and including the comments section.  The Youtube clip 
  “Ultraman Scene Gabora” is also of interest. 
  
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  [23-27] Refer to the Youtube clip “Gygax Magazine Interview with Tim Kask,” posted by 
  Grognard Games.  The relevant conversation begins at approximately 41:30. 
  [23-28] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot forums, “New game company forming?” 
  [23-29] Refer to the Youtube clip “Gygax Magazine Interview with Tim Kask,” posted by 
  Grognard Games.  The relevant conversation begins at approximately 41:30. 
  [23-30] See for example the helpful toy listings with detailed pictures at ClubTokyo.org. 
  [23-31] For more on these creatures and the collectors who covet them, please refer to the 
  Acaeum thread “Bulette & rust monster plastic toys.” 
   
   
  
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  CHAPTER 24 
   
  warlords 
  of other worlds 
   
  (april – 
  august 1974) 
   
   
  
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  BACK IN reality, Dungeons & Dragons sales finally began to rise again throughout the spring and 
  early summer of 1974.  Promotional efforts continued unabated.  Notices and advertisements 
  appeared in various publications (such as El Conquistador and the Great Plains Game Players 
  Newsletter), and the college campuses began to buzz as more new fantasy gamers were welcomed 
  into the fold. 
  The Greyhawk game sessions continued unabated, typically twice a week with games on 
  Wednesday and Sunday afternoon.  Gary reported, “The semi-weekly meetings for the campaign 
  in Lake Geneva have seen an increase from an original half-dozen to as many as 16 eager players, 
  crowded close to hear the moderation by the referees, and loving (almost) every second of it!  Those 
  who can be only occasional visitors have all expressed a desire to begin their own local campaigns.” 
  [24-1] 
  Various pulp novels and the recommendations of the players would continue to inspire new 
  monsters, spells and treasures in the game.  Sometimes television and cinema played their 
  inspirational parts as well. 
  On April 5th for example, a movie which had already been seen in the United Kingdom 
  premiered for the first time in the United States.  This was The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, a remarkable 
  sequel to The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad.  This movie like its predecessor featured the amazing stop-
  motion effects work of Ray Harryhausen, and would go on to win the first Saturn Award for Best 
  Fantasy Film.  We cannot be sure when Gary first saw this movie, but we know that he loved it 
  because its effects would inspire his conception of the Energy Drain effect, and would inform his 
  interpretations of the centaurs and griffons found in Greek mythology.  This movie was also the 
  primary source of inspiration for the homunculus, the stone golem, and indirectly the Type V 
  demon. 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  The Greyhawk and Blackmoor campaigns were not the only incubators of these many new 
  ideas.  Soon, fantasy role-playing would embrace another creative luminary, a man whom Gary 
  and Dave only first became aware of indirectly. 
  As mentioned in Book II of HAWK & MOOR, Professor M. A. R. Barker had been introduced 
  to Dungeons & Dragons by Mike Mornard (the former Lake Geneva player whose characters Gronan 
  and Lessnard had been played in the Greyhawk campaign).  It seems that Professor Barker’s 
  
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  introduction to the game of D&D occurred in late 1973, when Mike was game mastering for a play 
  group at the University of Minnesota.  Later, perhaps in January of 1974, Mike showed the Professor 
  his new D&D boxed set, and the Professor was very interested to see the entirety of Gary and Dave’s 
  open-ended rules system. 
  Apparently, Professor Barker (while observing the D&D game being DMed by Mike) objected 
  to something which transpired during play:  the adventurers had encountered an angel, and 
  defeated it in battle.  The Professor said that the angel was semi-divine, and should have been 
  unconquerable by mere presumptuous mortals (or something similar).  After all, Mike explained, 
  the angel had specific game stats and the PCs had won in accordance with the rules.  The Professor 
  then asked, with calculated perception:  “Then how many hit points does Jesus Christ have?” [24-
  2]  Mike, being a charming soul from time to time, replied that if Professor Barker didn’t like the 
  rules, perhaps he should go design his own.  Little did he know that the Professor would soon do 
  precisely that! [24-3] 
  With his curiosity sparked, the good Professor sent a purchase request to TSR.  We know from 
  the booklet inscriptions in Barker’s personal copy that he acquired his personal D&D boxed set on 
  February 19th, 1974. [24-4]  According to Mike, Barker then “disappeared for about six weeks” with 
  D&D’s concepts well in mind, [24-5] and then returned to the game table in the spring with unique 
  rules for adventures in his own fantasy world of Tékumel.  Incredibly, it seems that in addition to 
  the D&D-derived rules for play in Tékumel, the tireless Professor Barker had also devised his initial 
  Petal Throne play test setting — the underworld city of Jakalla — during those six weeks, complete 
  with over 1,000 pre-generated NPCs. [24-6]  Later, Barker’s rule set would be play tested and self-
  published (in August of 1974), [24-7] and then elaborated upon and republished by TSR as Empire 
  of the Petal Throne in the summer of 1975. [24-8]  (The publication date for Petal Throne is listed as 
  August 1st.) [24-9] 
  Also during that fateful time (around the month of April), the Professor wrote some 
  commentary which would later appear in an issue of Wargamer’s Newsletter (dated August 1974).  
  Besides providing a few details about the Mornard games (Mike apparently liked to kill 
  adventurers with orcs and Balrogs), this notice was important because it provided an unsolicited 
  appreciation of Dungeons & Dragons from a respected source outside of Gary’s own play circle. [24-
  10] 
  This correspondence was probably one of the ways in which the creation of Tékumel and its 
  associated role-playing rules came to Gary’s attention.  Gary was concerned about protecting his 
  Intellectual Property inherent in Dungeons & Dragons, and he talked to Phil to urge that the game 
  
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  not be published with so much D&D material under its banner.  Gary was “rather upset about how 
  much of the [Tékumel RPG] system came from D&D.” [24-11]  He once wrote, “[Professor Barker] 
  lifted large sections of the D&D game and was planning on publishing, but I heard about it and put 
  the brakes onto that.  I informed him that if TSR was the publisher, fine; otherwise, he had better 
  devise new rules.” [24-12]  The Professor agreed to these terms, and the future publication of Empire 
  of the Petal Throne was thus assured under the auspices of TSR. 
  Tékumel would add an exotic flavor to Dungeons & Dragons, offering a world of unparalleled 
  richness and cultural ambiguity which Barker had derived from inspirations quite beyond Gygax’s 
  and Arneson’s pulp fantasy.  The game was quickly growing beyond its original confines, with 
  lands and worlds afar unfolding along the borderlands of the imagination.  As more imaginations 
  came into contact with the game, D&D proved itself to be virtually limitless in creative potential.  
  And with the purchase of D&D sets throughout the world and new Dungeon Masters creating their 
  own campaigns outside of Gary’s purview, many more surprising worlds of wonder would soon 
  come into being. 
  The enchanting background Professor Barker’s unique imaginary world would later be adeptly 
  described by Dr. John Eric Holmes, thusly:  “Tékumel has been colonized, in the distant past, by 
  humans and other races from far parts of the galaxy, suppressing the original inhabitants.  The 
  world then suffered some cosmic catastrophe, was dislocated in space and time, and is now isolated 
  completely from the rest of the universe, alone with its sun and two moons in a continuum where 
  the ordinary rules of physics no longer hold.  Here magic is possible and demons from other 
  dimensions can enter Tékumel and influence the course of human events.  The catastrophe 
  destroyed the human civilization and most of its technology and now, after 25,000 years or more, 
  mankind has risen again to something one step ahead of barbarism.” [24-13] 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  At about this same time (perhaps early in the spring of 1974), Gary and Brian Blume were 
  devising and play testing Warriors of Mars, a game designed to emulate the exotic Barsoom setting 
  as portrayed in the John Carter novels written by renowned pulp author Edgar Rice Burroughs.  A 
  reader may well wonder:  was Gary inspired to develop his own “alien world exploration game” 
  as a result of reading hints of Barker’s work?  No, it does not seem that this is possible.  The 
  Foreword to Warriors of Mars hints at a more mundane trigger, one which is still quite interesting.  
  
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  A game company which had been creating Martian-themed miniatures requested that Gary design 
  such rules; this likely means that any general similarity to Tékumel is entirely coincidental.  This 
  company by the way was Hinchliffe, whose stateside manufacturing partner was Heritage Models.  
  Heritage would later release a game entitled John Carter, Warlord of Mars in 1978. 
  These two parallel “alien world” games by Barker and Gygax/Blume would end up being 
  completely different from one another, but Gary would later come to appreciate Empire of the Petal 
  Throne as a true and worthy successor to Dungeons & Dragons.  The Professor’s game was also 
  admired by Dr. Holmes.  He hailed Petal Throne as a “minor masterpiece” which details “one of 
  the most exotic planets in all of imaginary literature.” [24-14] 
  Professor Barker’s game was the one to most decisively prove that the concept of fantasy role-
  playing could be lifted out of one genre (pulp Swords & Sorcery) and moved into another (alien 
  science fantasy), creating a new world-game governed by similar rules shared with its ancestor … 
  a revolutionary idea at the time. 
  Gary and Brian moved quickly ahead with their own game design, both eager to add Barsoom 
  to the realms of playable fantasy.  As the dimly-envisioned TSR Wild West game (likely first 
  conceived in early 1974) was still understood to be Don Kaye’s pet project, Gary did not force a 
  timeline upon that separate system.  Instead, he and Brian decided on a narrower scope for Warriors 
  of Mars which would allow them to publish a new game fairly quickly.  It would be a multi-
  situational combat scenario system, primarily, with a few exploration systems but only token nods 
  to role-playing or character motivation.  This is somewhat surprising, considering that the 
  introduction to D&D noted that those rules were written to be enjoyed by sci fi readers who loved 
  “Burroughs’s Martian adventures where John Carter is groping through black pits.” [24-15] 
  Indeed, John Carter is signified in the rules as a 13th-level fighting man … the same as Sir Robilar 
  in the Greyhawk campaign.  But Warriors of Mars, perhaps in the interests of development time and 
  cost, would actually be quite restricted in its potential.  There would be no new TSR RPG at this 
  time.  “Campaigns requiring a referee and several participants,” Gary explained in the booklet’s 
  Foreword, “are generally left to the imaginations of those concerned.”  And in another section of 
  the rules, more tellingly:  “These aspects [of a wider game design] would affect only the ‘personal 
  adventure’ area of the rules, and in the interest of space they were omitted.”  Any poor players who 
  were interested in a Barsoom RPG were summarily directed to “pick up a copy of Dungeons & 
  Dragons” to fill the gaping holes left in the framework for Warriors of Mars. [24-16] 
  
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  Ah well!  And now, it seems — due to labyrinthine legalities, limited profit potential caused by 
  the failed Disney film, and a fading fan base — that a more modern and definitive E. R. Burroughs 
  RPG will never be made. 
  The rules to Warriors of Mars were completed in the late spring of 1974, perhaps in late June.  
  Gary’s Foreword, typically the last section to be written, is dated July 1st.  Gary noted that the game 
  was an equal and collaborative effort between Brian and himself.  Brian created the combat system 
  (which Gary later admired for its ability to “facilitate unarmored protagonists fighting and 
  surviving hordes of opponents)”, [24-17] Gary devised the monsters, and the rest of the work was 
  shared. [24-18] 
  The game would be finalized and printed in time for Gen Con, and there it would sell fairly 
  well.  The problem it would face, however, was a legal one:  although the earliest Barsoom novels 
  were already in the public domain, the E. R. Burroughs estate would raise a legal challenge on the 
  grounds that TSR was selling a game based on a trademarked property without permission.  
  Therefore Warriors of Mars would only stay in print for about a year.  Gary once estimated (to his 
  hazy recollection) that perhaps between (less likely) 3,000 and (more likely) 5,000 copies had been 
  printed, and no more would ever be printed again. [24-19] 
  The game was still being advertised in The Strategic Review early in 1975, but mysteriously 
  vanished by the time the autumn issue was released.  Barsoom would still appear in Gary’s private 
  Greyhawk campaign, however.  We will consider those “secret” adventures, as played out by 
  Ernie’s new character Erac’s Cousin, a bit further on. 
  Meanwhile, Gary and Don and Brian continued to fret over D&D sales.  By April 30th, only 300 
  boxed sets had been sold (leaving about 700 still in inventory). 
  Fortunately, TSR’s promotional efforts began to pay off in May when several publications 
  released D&D articles and notices in rapid succession.  The initial orders which had been received 
  and disseminated by several of the shops and distributors were running out, and they placed new 
  orders with TSR.  Word of mouth continued to generate further sales as well. [24-20]  A review of 
  the game appeared in El Conquistador; Gary’s interpretation of the proposed thief class appeared in 
  the Great Plains Game Players Newsletter; [24-21] and Wargamer’s Digest published the tale of 
  Mordenkainen and the Terrible Iron Golem. 
  And yes, it is true that Gary Gygax did not originate the thief class.  He listened to some details 
  provided by Mr. Switzer over the phone, and then “made” the class based on the systems which 
  Mr. Switzer’s group had already used in D&D play. 
  
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  More specifically, the development of the thief class originally went like this: 
  The Aero Hobbies shop gaming group in Santa Monica, California, had a regular Dungeons & 
  Dragons campaign.  While DM D. Daniel Wagner was refereeing, a player tried to have his dwarf 
  PC pick a lock with a dagger.  From this, Daniel developed a Burglar character class (likely inspired 
  by Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit, among other things).  The class was designed mostly for henchmen 
  (NPCs), so that adventuring groups could have a designated risk-taker to perform the dangerous 
  safecracker-type tasks that folkloric thieves were famous for. [24-22] 
  The group liked the idea, but they decided to rename the class as “the Thief.”  Hugh Singh and 
  Gary Switzer contributed additional ideas and helped to refine the class. [24-23]  The thief as 
  originally designed had a 100% chance to perform class-based activities (such as picking locks, 
  disarming traps, and so forth).  Additional abilities were gained at each new experience level. [24-
  24] 
  Mr. Switzer, the owner of the Aero Hobbies shop where the play group convened, [24-25] called 
  Gary Gygax and told him about the new class idea.  We know that Gary loved it, because he snagged 
  the idea and published a version of this concept by himself! 
  Gary was the one who added the percentages for thief skill success, which added an element of 
  danger to the class. [24-26] 
  Gary’s refinement of the class was based on the character Cugel the Clever, as featured in Jack 
  Vance’s Dying Earth novel The Eyes of the Overworld.  To this he added a few elements from the 
  character Shadowjack from Roger Zelazny’s Jack of Shadows. [24-27]  Gary also once noted the 
  influence of Thief of Llarn by Gardner F. Fox and Conan’s tales of thievery too. [24-28] 
  Tim Kask once noted that the Gray Mouser (from Fritz Leiber’s Lankhmar tales) was a major 
  influence on Gary’s conception of the class as well. [24-29]  Gary, however, said that the Gray 
  Mouser “was too good a swordsman to serve as the pure model” for the archetypal thief. [24-30]  
  And of course, the influence of Bilbo Baggins from The Hobbit (which Gygax characteristically 
  downplayed) cannot be ignored either!  But these were simply examples of the thief in pre-existing 
  fantasy fiction; the D&D class’s particulars were created and play tested outside of Greyhawk itself. 
  This was not an uncommon situation.  Many readers who play AD&D, or who are not familiar 
  with D&D’s 1974-1975 incarnations, are surprised to learn that Gary did not create most of the 
  game’s character classes by himself.  For anyone who would like to consider all of the particulars 
  in one place, I offer here a summary of the major D&D classes (published from 1974 to 1978) and 
  their actual originators: 
  
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  * * * * * 
   
  [1st] The Fighter:  This class exemplifies the “warrior” of Swords & Sorcery fiction.  Created as 
  the fighting man by Gary Gygax in 1972, following after his earlier work in Chainmail (1970-1971).  
  Ernie Gygax was the first player to roll a fighter. 
  [2nd] The Magic-User:  The “wizard” of Swords & Sorcery fiction.  Created by Gary Gygax in 
  1972, following after Chainmail.  Either Ernie or Don Kaye played the first magic-user in D&D. 
  [3rd] The Cleric:  Developed from the Village Priest concept precedent set forth by Dave 
  Arneson in 1972, and then refined by Gary Gygax in 1973.  Mike Carr played the first Village Priest. 
  [4th] The Paladin:  Most likely created by Gary Gygax, circa mid-1974, and published in the 
  Greyhawk Supplement in March of 1975.  The first paladin was played by Terry Kuntz. 
  [5th?] The Assassin:  Created by Dave Arneson (according to the recollections of James Ward 
  and Tim Kask), [24-31] circa 1974-1975; refined by Tim Kask for publication in the Blackmoor 
  Supplement in late 1975.  The first player of an assassin is unknown, but it may have been Dave 
  Arneson (using an NPC).  Gary once noted that he created the class, but without any significant 
  details this is open to debate and seems very unlikely. [24-32] 
  [6th?] The Ranger:  Created by Joe Fischer in 1975, closely modeled after the portrayal of Strider 
  / Aragorn in J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.  The player of the first ranger, if not Mr. Fischer 
  himself, is unknown to me. 
  [7th?] The Thief:  Apparently developed by Daniel Wagner and his area’s play group, then 
  refined for play testing by Gary Gygax in 1975; play tested at Gen Con. 
  [8th?] The Druid:  Developed by Dennis Sustare and his play group in 1975, following their 
  review of the Druid NPC template released in the Greyhawk Supplement (March 1975), which was 
  developed by Gary Gygax and Rob Kuntz. 
  [9th?] The Monk:  Created by Dave Arneson’s play group, and possibly Brian Blume, circa 1974-
  1975.  Edited heavily by Tim Kask and Gary Gygax for the Blackmoor Supplement released in late 
  1975.  The first Blackmoor player of a monk is not known, but Terry Kuntz appears to have been 
  the first Greyhawk player to embrace the class for long-term play. 
  
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  [10th] The Illusionist:  Created by Peter Aronson and published in The Strategic Review in late 
  1975. 
  [11th] The Bard:  Created by Doug Schwegman and publicized in The Strategic Review in early 
  1976. 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  As this list of detailed attributions demonstrates, Gary was always in his natural element not as 
  the “great originator,” but rather as the “great refiner.”  He did not always come up with the 
  original ideas, but he — greatly assisted by the editorial efforts of Tim Kask, beginning in the fall of 
  1975 — did come up with the published and workable versions of each class.  Of these 11 most 
  famous character classes, only 3 were conceived by Gary.  When we crack open the Advanced 
  Dungeons & Dragons Players Handbook (1978) where all of these classes were gathered together for 
  the first time, we find that all of these people were credited (non-specifically) for their work, except 
  that poor Mr. Switzer and Mr. Wagner were not credited at all.  This oddity in turn was a result of 
  Gary’s intense re-codification of (A)D&D from 1976 to 1979, where he would take the lion’s share 
  of the credit (to his later legal detriment).  The reason for this, simply, is because he did most of the 
  work from 1976 on.  In the early 1970s Mr. Gygax was much more collaborative, and much more 
  willing to honor the contributions of others to his game designs. 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  While Gary was working on Warriors of Mars and the thief class draft, he continued to promote 
  D&D and Chainmail, and fielded calls and letters.  Chainmail player Tim Kask (who had earlier in 
  the year impressed Gary by tracking down his phone number) called Gary once a month or so to 
  talk about the game. [24-33]  Discussion of Chainmail Fantasy led to Gary talking about his new 
  game, Dungeons & Dragons (which sounded pretty strange to Tim).  Tim got hung up on the idea 
  that there was no board or sand table, no miniatures, and that the game referee described 
  everything.  How was it possible to play? 
  “When Gary first tried to explain the game methodology in one of our phone chats,” Tim 
  explained, “I had to stretch a bit to imagine [it] ... I told him that I was having a bit of difficulty 
  
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  grasping the concept. He laughed ... I think this may have been the first time I had heard or used 
  the term ‘willing suspension of disbelief’ as applied to gaming.” [24-34]  When Tim continued to 
  have trouble grasping the concept, Tim said that Gary “invited me to come to Lake Geneva and 
  Gen Con in the summer of ‘74 and see for myself.” [24-35]  This was likely in late May or early June. 
  [24-36] 
  Fortunately for TSR (and for D&D fans worldwide!), Tim would soon take Gary up on his offer.  
  It was, as they say, the beginning of a beautiful friendship. 
  Sales of D&D continued to pick up throughout this period.  On June 2nd, Gary wrote a letter to 
  David Megarry — yes, the designer of The Dungeons of Pasha Cada, who was still waiting patiently 
  for his own game to be published — and reported, “Sales are really quite good ... the company is 
  worth about $6,000 or so.” [24-37] 
  This gives us a fair idea of the number of games sold by the middle of the year.  As Gary once 
  related, “By the summer of 1974 we had sold some 500 copies.  Amazing!  Counting all of the illicit 
  photocopies that were floating around, and the players who didn’t own their own set, it is a safe 
  bet that no fewer than 10,000 persons then knew of and were enthralled by the D&D game.” [24-38]  
  Sales were just over 100 copies a month, and from this point forward would only continue to grow 
  by leaps and bounds for the next ten years. [24-39] 
  Gary once noted of this time that the competition was moving away from mockery, and 
  beginning to get envious of this surprise success.  As he explained, “We [TSR, producing Chainmail 
  and ’74 D&D] became the strange fellows who thought fantasy was more fun than wargames.  And 
  then, we became the ‘lucky’ nobodies, riding a fluke which would soon burn out.” [24-40] 
  Ah, but the popularity surge of Dungeons & Dragons was only just beginning.  TSR’s wild star 
  would burn gloriously for quite some time yet to come.  Life was busy, life was good. 
  In play, Gary added the untested new thief class to the Greyhawk campaign.  He introduced the 
  class by playing thief NPCs, and then later allowed his players to experiment with it. [24-41]  
  However, he was still uncertain about the class because it was so different from the two major play 
  style paradigms of “warrior” and “wizard.”  After all, a cleric in its simplest form is simply a mythic 
  Knight Hospitaller, a warrior-wizard hybrid with religious overtones.  The thief however was 
  something totally new.  It changed problem solving and the very way the game was played.  The 
  thief would be play tested further at Gen Con, and was probably not made available to Greyhawk 
  players until the fall. 
  
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  New experimental worlds were being added to Greyhawk as well.  At some point during the 
  year 1974, Gary added some unusual twists to the Greyhawk dungeons by creating special gates to 
  other worlds.  As he once explained, “To spice up my own D&D campaign back in 1974 I added a 
  number of special ‘dimensional portals’ so that players might enjoy adventures in strange places 
  that were different from the ‘everyday’ realms of fantasy.” [24-42]  Gary once noted that there were 
  “a half-dozen or so” such regions “accessed by transporter.” [24-43] 
  Unfortunately, there is limited information available detailing when these areas were created.  
  This phenomenon is very difficult to date more specifically, because there were numerous such 
  portals and the adventures therein have never been very well explained.  The five events which 
  offer us the best clues as to when Gary might have placed these portals are as follows:  (1) his 
  mention of Dungeonland being explored after about a year of play;  (2) James M. Ward learning 
  D&D and playing in the King Kong island adventure; (3) the writing of Warriors of Mars, and the 
  creation of systems for exploration and combat on Barsoom; (4) the adventures of Erac’s Cousin on 
  Barsoom; and (5) the overall group’s earliest explorations in Alice’s Dungeonland.  The 
  approximate dates for these events are (1) January 1974; (2) summer 1974, before Gen Con; (3) before 
  July 1, 1974; (4) perhaps the end of 1975; and (5) c. January and February 1974. 
  From these hints, I shakily estimate that the Barsoom and Skull Island portals were created in 
  the early summer, and the Dungeonland portals early in the year.  This is an open research item, 
  and I will try to be more specific in the future. 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  Throughout all of these expansions to the Greyhawk game, there were also opportunities for 
  Gary to expand his play circle as well.  In the early summer of 1974, a young substitute teacher from 
  Elkhorn named James M. Ward had the good fortune to be shopping for books at the Lake Geneva 
  News Agency. [24-44]  It was weekly “new book” day (when the new shipments are received, and 
  the savvy customers were well aware that this was the best time to pick up batches of new material.  
  James bumped into an older man, causing both men to realize that they picked up the exact same 
  seven titles.  Clearly, this was a fateful encounter between men with similar interests! [24-45] 
  It seems that James had come to appreciate Swords & Sorcery by way of earlier exposure to 
  science fiction.  He once related in an interview [24-46] that his family (along with the Wisconsin 
  National Guard) was transferred to Washington State during the Cuban Missile Crisis.  James, as a 
  
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  lonely 5th-grader far away from his friends, purchased some Tom Swift books for entertainment and 
  fell in love in with the ideas of starships and ray guns and all the rest. 
  During their bookstore encounter, James and Gary got to talking about history and fantasy, and 
  Gary described his new game.  “He told me he had a game where I could play Conan the barbarian 
  and fight the forces of Set,” James wrote, “and I was hooked.” [24-47] 
  That weekend Gary invited James over to his home, and so one day “a couple of weekends later” 
  [24-48] in June Mr. Ward showed up to learn how to play.  Gary and Brian sat James down on the 
  porch and taught him how to play Dungeons & Dragons. [24-49]  “As a complete stranger, I was 
  warmly welcomed,” James remembered.  “I sat on his side porch and Brian Blume … taught me 
  how to roll up a character.  I rolled a good Intelligence and Dexterity and made my first, magical 
  character [a magic-user].  We sat and played … I simply can’t describe how much fun I had, and 
  continued to have, as the weeks and months went by.” [24-50] 
  James noted that they played an adventure where the party “went to King Kong island,” [24-51] 
  which indicates that Gary’s “Monkeying Around” special Greyhawk portal — later to form the 
  basis of Dungeon Module WG6, Isle of the Ape — was already in play in the campaign.  I believe, as 
  I related in HAWK & MOOR Book II, that the original adventure on the Isle took place in 
  approximately September of 1973. 
  In James’s case, his teensy weensy new magic-user foolishly cast a Light spell into a hut full of 
  hostile natives … with less than stellar yet truly illuminating results.  (Ernie, playing Tenser, wasted 
  a Wish spell saving this reckless apprentice’s life.) [24-52] 
  After the game was done, James said that Gary should write a new and more technically inspired 
  version of D&D.  “I made the suggestion that he should do a science fiction version of the game,” 
  James remembered, “and he was nice enough to say, ‘Jim I’m too busy right now, why don’t you 
  give it a try?’” [24-53]  James indeed took the offer seriously and started writing. [24-54] 
  James’s goal was simple:  he wanted to make “a game that was basically D&D in a spaceship in 
  outer space.” [24-55]  He realized that the easiest way to convert the idea of endless dungeons to 
  science fiction would be to envision a vast colonization ship which filled with mutants, and he ran 
  with that concept until he had roughed out a starship-environed dungeon crawl. [24-56] 
  Dungeons & Dragons had obsessed him, and he possessed considerable talents and imagination 
  of his own.  Over that summer he would quickly develop a few pages of outline material, 
  summarizing character types, technology, gadgets, and sci fi “monsters,” along with many other 
  ideas. [24-57] 
  
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  Considering how important James M. Ward’s science fiction creations (particularly 
  Metamorphosis Alpha and Gamma World) would become to TSR’s legacy and the history of D&D, 
  it is worthwhile for us to take a little time to explore some of James’s favorite science fiction.  As 
  mentioned earlier, James explained that he first dug into the genre with Tom Swift. [24-58]  His 
  favorite author was Roger Zelazny, and he also appreciates Bill Baldwin, Bernard Cornwell, Philip 
  José Farmer, Simon R. Green, Robert Heinlein (his second favorite), [24-59] Elizabeth Moon, Andre 
  Norton (but not the D&D novel, Quag Keep) and Jack Vance.  He also liked the movie Forbidden 
  Planet, as well as the classic TV series The Outer Limits and The Twilight Zone. 
  When the outline for “science fiction D&D” was done, Gary was impressed and liked it enough 
  that he wanted to see a rules draft. [24-60] 
  And yes, Mr. Ward kept writing.  James’s ambitious game design would later prove to have 
  significant potential.  There would never be a sci fi version of D&D, however.  Well … not exactly.  
  But eventually, James’s draft would lead to the science fiction role-playing game Metamorphosis 
  Alpha, and then on to the associated milieu of Gamma World. 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  And by this time another summer was flying by, and it was conference season once again!  This 
  would be the first RPG con since the publication of Dungeons & Dragons.  Gary was dedicated 
  toward making his game as successful as possible, and ensuring that D&D would be the #1 game 
  in its field.  Gen Con was the arena where that dominance would be displayed. 
   
   
  
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  Footnotes and Annotations 
  for Chapter 24 
   
  [24-1] Wargamer’s Digest, issue #7, page 24. 
  [24-2] Online web forum post:  the Comeback Inn forums, “Q&A with Jeff Berry.” 
  [24-3] Online web forum post:  the Comeback Inn forums, “Q&A with Jeff Berry.” 
  [24-4] TékumelFoundation.org blog.  Thanks go to Tim Kask for pointing this out on the Acaeum 
  forums as well. 
  [24-5] Online web forum post:  RPG.net forums, “Why I hate modules.” 
  [24-6] The Comeback Inn forums, “Q&A with Jeff Berry.” 
  See also the Hill Cantons blog, “Exploring the Jakallan Underworld, Playing with Arneson, and 
  More: Jeff Berry Interview.” 
  [24-7] The Comeback Inn forums, “Q&A with Jeff Berry.” 
  See also the Hill Cantons blog, “Exploring the Jakallan Underworld, Playing with Arneson, and 
  More: Jeff Berry Interview” and “Empire of the Petal Throne, the ‘Gamist’ Early Years.” 
  [24-8] TékumelFoundation.org blog, “Another 40th anniversary.” 
  [24-9] Catalog of Copyright Entries, Library of Congress, Copyright Office. 
  [24-10] Playing at the World by Jon Peterson, pg. 473. 
  [24-11] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Gary Gygax Q&A, Part I.  Posted March 16th, 2005. 
  [24-12] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part V.  Posted January 25th, 2004. 
  [24-13] Fantasy Role-Playing Games, by John Eric Holmes, 1981. 
  [24-14] Fantasy Role-Playing Games, by John Eric Holmes, 1981. 
  [24-15] Dungeons & Dragons, Volume 1:  Men & Magic, TSR, 1974. 
  [24-16] Warriors of Mars. 
  See also the Grognardia retrospective for same. 
  
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  [24-17] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part IX.  Posted July 4th, 2005. 
  [24-18] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part XIII.  Posted October 22nd, 
  2007. 
  [24-19] Online web forum post:  Refer to the thread “True ‘Jumped the Shark’ Bidding.” 
  [24-20] Dragon Annual #4, pg. 10. 
  [24-21] Playing at the World blog, “Gygax’s Thief Addition.” 
  [24-22] Online web forum post:  ODD74 Proboards, “Manual of Aurania.” 
  [24-23] Online web forum post:  ODD74 Proboards, “Manual of Aurania.” 
  [24-24] Online web forum post:  ODD74 Proboards, “Manual of Aurania.” 
  [24-25] See the Zenopus Archives blog, “The Manual of Aurania (1977),” posted September 26th, 
  2013. 
  [24-26] Online web forum post:  ODD74 Proboards, “Manual of Aurania.” 
  In regards to the use of rudimentary PC skills before the advent of the thief skill percentage 
  system, Tim Kask once noted, “Before thieves, most DMs used a roll against Dex[terity] to open 
  doors, locks, and chests.” 
  [24-27] “Jack Vance & the D&D Game,” an article by Gary Gygax which originally appeared in 
  The Excellent Prismatic Spray #2, 2001. 
  [24-28] Online web forum post:  Refer to the thread “Thieves’ World, Lankhmar, Why Do You 
  Like Them?” 
  [24-29] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  Posted April 3rd, 2011. 
  [24-30] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part V.  Posted January 25th, 2004. 
  [24-31] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  Posted October 16th, 2009. 
  [24-32] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part XIII.  Posted September 15th, 
  2007. 
  [24-33] Grognardia interview with Tim Kask, Part I. 
  [24-34] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  Posted January 20th, 2009. 
  [24-35] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  Posted October 18th, 2011. 
  [24-36] Grognardia interview with Tim Kask, Part I. 
  
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  [24-37] Letter to David Megarry, as quoted in Of Dice and Men:  The Story of D&D and the People 
  Who Play It, by David M. Ewalt, pg. 92. 
  [24-38] 30 Years of Adventure:  A Celebration of Dungeons & Dragons.  Published by Wizards of the 
  Coast, 2004. 
  [24-39] RPG.net interview with Gary Gygax, part 1 of 3. 
  [24-40] Dragon magazine, issue #65, pg. 6. 
  [24-41] For background and comments see the ENWorld.org forums, Q&A with Gary Gygax, 
  Part I, posted September 18th, 2002. 
  [24-42] “Jack Vance and the D&D Game,” by Gary Gygax. 
  [24-43] Yahoo Gygax Games mailing list, posted October 22nd, 2004. 
  [24-44] Polyhedron, issue #3, pg. 6. 
  See also MetamorphosisAlpha.net, “Ask Jim Ward / 900 Words,” originally written for 
  September 20th, 2002. 
  [24-45] Boardgamegeek.com, “Game Designer James M. Ward.” 
  Refer also to the Dragonsfoot James M. Ward interview. 
  [24-46] Polyhedron, issue #3, pg. 6. 
  [24-47] Sword and Sanity blog, interview with James M. Ward. 
  Refer also to the Dragonsfoot James M. Ward interview. 
  [24-48] Polyhedron, issue #3, pg. 6. 
  [24-49] Sword and Sanity blog, interview with James M. Ward. 
  Refer also to the Jim Ward bio at EldritchEnt.com, and the Dragonsfoot interview. 
  [24-50] DnD Shall Never Die blog, “Looking back at D&D miniatures.” 
  See also The Crusader Journal, issue #8. 
  [24-51] The Dragonsfoot James M. Ward interview. 
  [24-52] MetamorphosisAlpha.net, “Ask Jim Ward / 900 Words,” originally written for September 
  20th, 2002. 
  
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  [24-53] The Jim Ward bio at EldritchEnt.com.  Refer also to the Wizards of the Coast James M. 
  Ward interview, and the Dragonsfoot thread “Metamorphosis Alpha --> AD&D.” 
  [24-54] Boardgamegeek.com, “Game Designer James M. Ward.” 
  [24-55] MetamorphosisAlpha.net, “Ask Jim Ward / 900 Words,” originally written for October 
  4th, 2002. 
  [24-56] Polyhedron, issue #3, pg. 6. 
  [24-57] Online web forum post:  Metamorphosis Alpha forums, “Rough notes, proto-MA.”  
  James Ward later clarified (in a Facebook post) that this first game took place in the month of June. 
  [24-58] Polyhedron, issue #3, pg. 6. 
  [24-59] MetamorphosisAlpha.net, “Ask Jim Ward / 900 Words,” originally written for December 
  30th, 2002. 
  [24-60] Online web forum post:  Metamorphosis Alpha forums, “Rough notes, proto-MA.” 
   
   
  
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  CHAPTER 25 
   
  death 
  by Lucite 
  and legerdemain 
   
  (summer 1974) 
   
   
  
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  THE ARENA was prepared.  Tactical Studies Rules was now poised to become the first and 
  dominant power in the nascent community of fantasy wargaming.  The very newness of the 
  concept, however, was causing difficulties for TSR as it attempted to build an audience.  Fantasy 
  devotees and wargaming simulationists did not always see eye to eye.  With the popular sharing of 
  D&D at Gen Con and the game’s later proliferation, the uneasy amalgamation of younger fantasy 
  gamers and experienced wargamers was about to become a divide within the fan base. 
  Gen Con VII was held from Friday through Sunday, August 23rd-25th, 1974.  The ever-growing 
  con was held not only in the Horticultural Hall, but also in the nearby Guild Hall and the Legion 
  Hall as well.  This would be the first time that the con spanned over three days, and Lake Geneva’s 
  already-busy restaurants and accommodations were filled with enthusiastic gamers from across the 
  nation. [25-1]  There was a good turnout of several hundred people.  One of the people who 
  purchased a set of Dungeons & Dragons at the con that year was Bill Owen, future founder of Judge’s 
  Guild. [25-2] 
  As D&D sold like crazy, Gary realized that the new audience included many people who had 
  no experience with (nor interest in!) historical wargaming. [25-3] 
  Miniature figures were displayed by several companies, and sold very well.  The enthusiasm 
  shared by the vendors of these new startups was infectious:  “Many of the early companies fit right 
  into [the gamers’] camaraderie,” Tim Kask once explained.  “They were gamers too, indulging their 
  passions in small companies that as often as not broke even or even made a very few dollars.” [25-
  4] 
  TSR showcased their new release, Warriors of Mars.  Mimeographed packets featuring the new 
  thief class were also made available at the TSR booth.  Dungeons & Dragons was played non-stop 
  everywhere on Saturday, and ended up being the hit game of the con. [25-5]  Dave Arneson ran 
  Blackmoor-inspired dungeon crawls, Rob Kuntz did the same for Greyhawk, and anyone who 
  couldn’t get in a formal game simply sat down and started playing with strangers.  Fighter 
  characters were beefed up by the new exceptional strength rules, and an informal play test of the 
  thief class took place as many players rolled them up at the con to try out the new mode of play. 
  Several future TSR employees were at Gen Con for the first time as well.  Ralph “Skip” Williams 
  was there, and played in some interesting games (but apparently not yet Dungeons & Dragons). [25-
  6]  He would go back to school in the fall, interested in the gamer phenomenon.  One of his 
  classmates was Ernie Gygax, so Skip would soon learn about the various games played in the Gygax 
  household, including Warriors of Mars and D&D. [25-7] 
  
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  James M. Ward was a first-time attendee as well.  He had loved learning to play the D&D game 
  at Gary’s house over the summer, and was happy to see just how many other devotees were already 
  present in the burgeoning Dungeons & Dragons community. [25-8] 
  Tim Kask was also in attendance, having been invited by Gary over the phone earlier that spring.  
  Tim has to date provided the most detailed descriptions of Gen Con VII, and so we will see much 
  of the con through his eyes.  I am indebted to his generous open contributions to the Dragonsfoot 
  forums over the years for much of the following information. 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  The Horticultural Hall was where the action was at.  It was hot, cramped, loud, glorious … and 
  stinky.  Yes, gamer stink has a long tradition too, but I will leave it to another intrepid soul to write 
  a full book about the phenomenon! [25-9] 
  But despite that, Tim felt like he was coming home.  He had never guessed that so many gamers 
  could gather in a single place, let alone play games with one another and welcome strangers into 
  their midst.  As he once recalled, “This was the Elysian Fields.  So many games!  (Probably 12.)  So 
  many fellow gamers!  (Probably 60.)  So many [miniature] figures in one place!  (Hundreds, perhaps 
  some few thousands, more than I had ever thought of at one time).   Being in the same place with 
  dozens or even hundreds of people that share your, what was then, very peculiar fascination is to 
  be immersed in an energy field of light and force and shared power.  Amazing, astonishing, awe-
  inspiring; these are but a few words to describe the first con experience.  Back then, we were so 
  few.” [25-10]  And “We were members of a fellowship,” he explained, “a brotherhood.” [25-11] 
  Tim got to meet and speak with Gary for a while, and Gary encouraged Tim to check out some 
  wargaming.  Games were being played everywhere, on boards, behind screens, on makeshift 
  battlefields and crowded tables.  Tim played a few wargames in the afternoon, and then later in the 
  evening he decided that he would try out Dungeons & Dragons.  After all, he was on a one-day trip 
  (Lake Geneva had “no vacancies for miles and miles around”), and this was his one chance to try 
  Gary’s weird game with someone there to teach him the basics.  Poor Tim had never played D&D 
  before, but he later noted “I had the rudiments in my head” as a result of the earlier phone calls 
  with Gary. [25-12] 
  A big eighteen-year-old guy, by the name of Rob Kuntz, was walking down the aisles and asking 
  for more players.  Rob walked up to Tim, and asked if he would like to try an adventure game.  Tim 
  
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  readily agreed.  He had no idea that he was about to be subjected to an early version of “The 
  Machine Level” … one of Rob’s unique and more diabolical designs from the dungeons of 
  Greyhawk. [25-13] 
  Beginning our long and honorable tradition of welcoming newbies to learn D&D at game cons 
  and then slaughtering their characters outright in the most amusing ways conceivable, Rob had Tim 
  sit down in the back of three noisy rows of chairs. 
  Tim had volunteered to play along with half a dozen other players, and as a novice he was given 
  the role of a fighter.  Tim didn’t really know what he was doing, so when the other players told him 
  to “guard the rear” while they trooped along he followed and did exactly that.  One time, while 
  Tim was looking away to the back, a trap was sprung by someone in the front rank. [25-14] 
  There were many battles against terrible monsters, which ultimately ended in Tim’s dwarf (and 
  all the other adventurers) being captured.  The prisoners were brought before their captors’ god:  a 
  massive machine from another world (which looked suspiciously like UNIVAC).  This thing, 
  covered in dials and blinking lights, bore the ominous name of Deus Ex Machina.  Unable to escape, 
  the hapless adventurers were encased in transparent Lucite.  This futuristic substance was gas-
  permeable; the prisoners could breathe, but they were frozen in place. [25-15] 
  The immobilized prisoners were then mercilessly “cubed” apart by a laser beam.  Some of the 
  players might have been outraged, but this was a one-shot learning scenario just for fun.  Hey, death 
  is one of the best ways to enforce a time limit on a con scenario! 
  Naturally, Tim was utterly befuddled.  Even more naturally, he wanted to play some more.  For 
  his next D&D session, Tim was given a dwarf fighter equipped with chain mail, a shield and a battle 
  axe.  He also made sure his character was up in the front rank, so that he would have a clue as to 
  what was going on!  There was much hacking and slashing over the next two hours.  At some point 
  toward the end, Tim’s promising character performed a rescue and was “adopted by a dwarf-king 
  and made his heir.” [25-16]  Tim was playing the only dwarf, so he somberly received the dwarf 
  lord’s reward:  a medallion of office which bestowed upon him the authority to take over a castle 
  occupied by a hundred loyal dwarven warriors.  Tim was thrilled, feeling he had basically won the 
  game. [25-17] 
  Impressed, Tim then went to the TSR booth and bought a boxed set, along with a bag of 
  polyhedral dice.  He then went and said farewell to Gary (while holding the box of trophies he had 
  won wargaming that day), [25-18] and promised to keep in touch while he tried out the game.  Gary 
  respected Tim for going so far out of his way to attend Gen Con.  He shared some of his future plans 
  
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  for TSR, and mentioned that once Tim finished college there might well be a future editorial position 
  waiting for him in Lake Geneva. [25-19] 
  Gary by then was thinking about the possibility of a big-time periodical which would spread 
  the influence of Dungeons & Dragons specifically, and Swords & Sorcery in general.  As Gary later 
  explained of his plans for Tim’s potential future:  “When I decided that The Strategic Review was not 
  the right vehicle [for broader marketing and awareness], [I] hired Tim Kask as a magazine editor for 
  Tactical Studies Rules, and named the new publication he was to produce The Dragon.” [25-20] 
  But we are getting a bit ahead of ourselves … 
  Tim left later that night, concocting schemes to get his college gaming club — the Strategic Game 
  Society at the Southern Illinois University of Carbondale — to try out Dungeons & Dragons. [25-21]  
  During that autumn after Gen Con, he would teach his friends how to play … and because he 
  possessed the only set of rules, he became the Dungeon Master by default. [25-22] 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  When Gen Con ended, the fervent players who wished it would never end carried their 
  enthusiasm (and their purchased games) back to their friends and families in many different places.  
  And 1974, of course, was the first year that anyone brought home Dungeons & Dragons.  Tim Kask 
  once noted [25-23] that the spread of the game was viral.  It passed into susceptible populations at 
  universities and in various game clubs, brought in by a “carrier” who was dead-set on infecting 
  everyone in sight.  In this manner — like a zombie plague, One of us, One of us — D&D spread to 
  Boulder, Detroit, and many other previously “uninfected” cities.  TSR had a very poor distribution 
  network in those early days, but word of mouth carried from Gen Con and worked brilliantly where 
  distribution or paid advertising might well have failed.  And even more important, word of mouth 
  was free! 
  One of the most enthusiastic carriers, as one might guess, was Tim Kask himself.  But he had a 
  heck of a time educating his fellow wargamers about this bizarre new game that didn’t have any 
  board, play pieces, or victory conditions. [25-24]  It was tough going, but Tim had the distinct 
  advantage of having been introduced to the game by Gary and refereed by Rob.  He played the 
  game before he ever had to attempt reading the rules, which gave him a uniquely powerful 
  perspective on the more unusual aspects of the game.  Dungeons & Dragons haltingly took over 
  Tim’s gaming group, and soon he would have an entire campaign going.  Then, of course, he would 
  
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  have lots of new questions for Gary on the subject of refereeing.  This in turn caused him to keep in 
  touch until he graduated from college, and the rest is history. 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  During the summer of Gen Con VII, the Greyhawk games became more divided than ever 
  before.  The campaign was healthy, but Robilar, Tenser and Terik were so far beyond the other 
  players that there were really two different modes of play:  high-level epic quest, and low-level 
  basic dungeon crawl.  The only “mid-” level participants which are fairly well documented for this 
  time are Don Kaye’s Murlynd and Tom Champeny’s EHP.  After the returns of the “three 
  champions” from China and the resurrection of Serten, Gary was facing quite a conundrum in 
  entertaining his veteran players further.  They had conquered the entire Greyhawk dungeon, and 
  had even returned from three different trips around the world.  What else could challenge such 
  mighty heroes? 
  Hearkening back to the Swords & Sorcery stories which had originally inspired the game, Gary 
  considered the powerful unique items which were prevalent in many tales and myths.  Nonesuch 
  treasures such as Mjolnir (the Hammer of Thor), the Golden Fleece, the One Ring, Excalibur and 
  Stormbringer established a useful precedent for a high-level adventure campaign.  In tales these 
  singular items glorified kings and laid demigods low, but they also tended to be cursed.  Some of 
  them even twisted fate and led to the bearer’s downfall.  In Dungeons & Dragons, these magic items 
  of ultimate danger and power would come to be known as “artifacts.”  Artifacts would soon be 
  used as major adventure hooks, goals, and even obstacles in epic-level play. 
  We do not know exactly when these items began entering the game, but it seems that the first 
  ones were discovered in the summer of 1974.  And because they were not featured in the Greyhawk 
  Supplement (which was finalized at the beginning of February), it is doubtful that the first artifacts 
  could have been fully developed until the spring.  The concept was therefore likely still in 
  development when summer rolled around, but we do know a little bit about what was on Gary’s 
  mind at the time.  The artifacts the veteran adventurers first learned about would later be known 
  as the Crowns, Orbs and Sceptres of Might. [25-25] 
  Together, Dungeons & Dragons Supplement III:  Eldritch Wizardry and the Dungeon Masters Guide 
  explain how these items are to be introduced into play for high-level characters.  First, the items 
  would be chosen and carefully hidden in the game world.  Rumors would be heard that magnificent 
  
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  one-of-a-kind treasures crafted by the ancients were still in existence.  Then, interested characters 
  would need to use Legend Lore spells, sages, and obscure texts to learn more about the last known 
  resting place of any specific item.  Gary would later stress that “those artifacts and relics which you 
  bring into play should be so carefully guarded by location and warding devices and monsters that 
  recovery of any one is an undertaking of such magnitude that only very powerful characters, in 
  concert, and after lengthy attempts have any chance whatsoever of attaining one.” [25-26] 
  These checks and balances, however, were not in place in 1974 when he was experimenting with 
  the concept, and the sheer greed manifested in the characters (and players!) desperate to possess 
  these items would soon disrupt the entire campaign. 
  It seems that Gary first placed at least two such items in his game world, the Crown of Good 
  and the Orb of Evil.  In all, there were nine such items:  a Crown, an Orb and a Sceptre comprising 
  a set, and different sets for Evil, Good and Neutrality.  The Crowns were for magic-users, the Orbs 
  were for clerics, and the Sceptres were probably for fighting men. 
  The Rod of Lordly Might item appears to be a scaled-down version of what these Sceptres were 
  capable of.  (Or perhaps, instead, the Rod served as a template for later artifacts of greater power.)  
  The Rod is capable of changing form, becoming a mace, axe, spear or flaming sword as the wielder 
  desires.  It is also capable of causing terror, inducing paralysis, or even draining a victim’s life force. 
  [25-27] 
  Given the classes of the three veteran adventurers, it seems that the Crown of Good was 
  intended for Tenser, and the Orb of Evil for either Robilar or Terik.  However, since all three 
  characters were neutral, it appears that Gary was carefully testing the waters by making these items 
  both attainable and impossible to use.  Would Tenser turn to good?  Would Robilar or Terik turn to 
  evil, or offer the Orb to an allied cleric?  With the precedent of “no limits” being set by the murder 
  of Serten, the players were wondering:  Would Gary set any restrictions on future developments in 
  the campaign?  Would raw and merciless force rule the day?  Just how far would the characters 
  allow their greed to go in the name of power? 
  Pretty damn far, it seems. 
  The hints of these three artifact trinities may have begun percolating in the City of Greyhawk in 
  the spring or early summer of 1974, and Tenser and Robilar both became obsessed with these 
  taunting dreams of ultimate treasures.  Before any of the artifacts were ever discovered, it appears 
  that Tenser was pursuing the three Crowns, and Robilar was probably seeking the three Sceptres. 
  [25-28] 
  
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  The game was changing, and the players’ mindsets were changing as well.  Gary was innovating 
  and shaking things up, but it was still very possible for his players to surprise him.  One of the most 
  surprising developments occurred early in the summer, when Rob Kuntz decided that Robilar was 
  no longer of neutral alignment.  Instead, he became lawful evil. [25-29] 
  This may have been because he had received hints that one of the evil artifacts was hidden 
  nearby, but it seems more likely that he was just satisfying his own curiosity and making an in-
  game decision that would offer more interesting play opportunities.  In Rob’s own words, “I wanted 
  to test the way of darkness within the game; and boredom.  I had tested the limits of neutrality.  It 
  was a player’s choice, nothing more or less.” [25-30]  Gary once had Tenser, portrayed as an NPC 
  in Dungeon Module WG6, state that his former companion Lord Robilar had turned and walked 
  away with his “feet … on a path unspeakable.” [25-31]  In my opinion, this decision bears a quite 
  remarkable resemblance to the fall of grace exhibited by Elric (in Michael Moorcock’s fiction), and 
  his being branded as an eternal outsider with his own curious and unassailable personal code of 
  corrupted honor. 
  It is notable that Robilar rarely committed thoroughly evil acts after this sudden turn of 
  alignment, and was always considered honorable by his former companions.  Gary had no idea 
  why this occurred, and seems to have been disappointed in Rob’s arbitrary choice.  But Gary would 
  later stress that in Dungeons & Dragons, the player should always be able to make such a choice as 
  a matter of free will. 
  The in-game change, however, was abrupt in its effect.  Robilar stealthily killed some of his own 
  elven hirelings.  But one of the elves escaped, using a potion of polymorph to turn into a bird.  The 
  elf flew away to alert Robilar’s companions (and the authorities in the City of Greyhawk, no doubt) 
  that Robilar had inexplicably turned to evil. [25-32] 
  The forces of good were thus aware of Sir Robilar’s evil nature.  What had happened?  Was Lord 
  Robilar possessed?  Was Rob still in control?  It seems that Tenser was most especially alarmed, and 
  alerted the City’s powers.  The Green Dragon Inn property was immediately confiscated. [25-33] 
  Tenser meanwhile was growing fearful because of Robilar’s turn to evil.  The good mage was 
  urgently pursuing his own research and divinations, which he believed would soon lead to the 
  discovery of one of the nine artifacts of power.  On a long outdoor solo adventure, Tenser finally 
  managed to discover the first artifact ever revealed in Gary’s game:  the legendary Crown of Good. 
  [25-34] 
  
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  Because Tenser was neutral in alignment, he could not use the fabled Crown.  Therefore, he 
  underwent a long “repentance” process which resulted in him having a metagame-inspired change 
  of heart.  He got rid of money (perhaps giving it away to charities or temples of good), freed his 
  subdued evil dragons, did penance, and thus was by painful degrees was converted to good 
  alignment.  This all took place in a single game session, with Gary grudgingly allowing the change 
  because the player really wanted to perform it.  Rob was thoroughly annoyed by all of this, because 
  Ernie was not making the change for reasons of sincerity; he was transparently making an in-game 
  shift so that he could use the Crown of Good to make his character stronger.  Rob said dismissively 
  that this ploy by Ernie was “the ultimate favorite fudge with swirl on top, and it outraged all of the 
  other participants in Greyhawk.” [25-35] 
  The desire of Tenser to equip the Crown was obviously the result of a shameless lusting after 
  power.  The crown increased his experience level by one, and bestowed 10% magic resistance.  Even 
  better, it allowed him to cast Teleport Without Error spells at a whim, and he could cast Geas on 
  any good magic-users and force them to go onto world-spanning quests!  Clearly, these powers 
  would become game-breaking if a single character was allowed to possess an artifact while 
  everyone else had to make do with mere magical armor and vorpal weapons. [25-36] 
  This imbalance of power could not be allowed to stand! 
  Throughout the months to come — and now in absolute rivalry with all of Ernie’s characters — 
  Lord Robilar would engage in a daring spree of one-upmanship.  He would beat Tenser through 
  the Tomb of Horrors.  He would compete with Erac’s cousin in attempting to reach Barsoom, and 
  would even plunder the Temple of Elemental Evil before Berne could reach the dungeon’s bottom 
  level.  In 1976, Robilar would find the second artifact in the campaign (the Orb of Evil), and he 
  would take this fell relic of power to the Temple of Zuggtmoy — the Demon Queen of Fungi [25-
  37] — in a quest for greater allegiance to evil.  Many of these adventures (in 1974-1975) are featured 
  later in this work, while the Orb and the journey to mythical Lyhnn is chronicled in Book IV of 
  HAWK & MOOR. 
  Echoing such behavior, the other players also stepped up their own efforts and engaged in 
  personal rivalries.  As greed and power and divided loyalties spread throughout the Greyhawk 
  campaign, the other players decided that Tenser was now fair game.  Some players felt that Ernie 
  had “cheated,” making Tenser change alignment simply so that he could use the Crown of Good.  
  Such opinions were not without merit.  And yes, the campaign’s original Dungeon Master just 
  happened to be Ernie’s dad.  Was this a blatant case of favoritism, or simply a manifestation of envy 
  in the less daring and accomplished players?  Perhaps it was a matter of both. 
  
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  We may recall the Evil High Priest played by Tom Champeny, who had already slain Ernie’s 
  character Serten and stolen his magical treasures.  Thus emboldened and made more powerful, 
  Champeny’s cleric decided to strike again while Tenser was still learning to use his powerful new 
  Crown.  The play details are very hazy, but it seems that the EHP asked Tenser to sell him a 
  powerful magic item.  (Was it the Crown?  The staff of the magi?  Something else?  No one can quite 
  remember.)  Tenser refused, and so the EHP later snuck up on Tenser in the wilderness, uttered a 
  Finger of Death spell, killed the mage from ambush, and took the item for his own.  After all, 
  Champeny’s EHP was the epitome of evil and Ernie had made himself a champion of good, no?  
  Ernie reportedly joked:  “Oh well, I guess I should have given it to you.” [25-38] 
  Tenser’s loyal cleric-companion Serten, having died to this same EHP a little earlier in the 
  campaign, grimly managed to get poor Tenser resurrected.  But another negative precedent had 
  been set:  now, it was not only “acceptable” for players to kill each other’s lesser characters; it was 
  okay for them to kill each other’s main characters too.  Anyone who wanted something another 
  character possessed could simply attempt murder, and if the dice allowed a lucky ambush then 
  Gary would run the battles according to the players’ wishes.  Everyone was suddenly fair game. 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  The tales of Robilar and Tenser here begin to fade.  In my interpretation, this was when Rob 
  became too busy DMing to play Robilar very much.  And due to the actions of the players becoming 
  more spiteful and aggressive by the day, it seems that Gary too was losing interest in the original 
  campaign.  This was perhaps in the late summer of 1974.  There were now a champion of good 
  (Tenser), a champion of evil (Robilar), Tenser’s understandable wariness toward all evil PCs, an 
  unrepentant murderer (Champeny’s EHP), one artifact of great power discovered and more on the 
  way and a City ready to wage war against one of its former champions.  Greyhawk was getting 
  ugly.  How could the teamwork and camaraderie exhibited by the players through all the early 
  games of 1973 ever be reclaimed? 
  Worse, Gary had a situation where his own son and one of his best young friends were playing 
  the two major antagonists.  Whatever happened next in the game, it could only end in tears.  This 
  situation may have been one of the things that inspired Gary to begin his new Greyhawk campaign 
  in the Hommlet region for the lower-level players, while encouraging Rob to run the City of 
  Greyhawk campaign for the veterans on his own.  This would have been a clever way to defuse the 
  
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  rising tensions, taking Robilar out of the picture (except for the occasional special adventure, of 
  course).  In this way the original Greyhawk campaign quietly ended, even while it continued in a 
  new and divided form. 
  Fun, it seems, was no longer the only reason to play Dungeons & Dragons.  Some, having their 
  fun at others’ expense, coveted power over all.  Perhaps it is for the best that Gary began to swing 
  the pendulum the other way. 
   
   
  
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  Footnotes and Annotations 
  for Chapter 25 
   
  [25-1] 40 Years of Gen Con, by Robin D. Laws, Trident, Inc. (d/b/a Atlas Games), 2007, pg. 23.  
  Refer also to Dragon magazine #65. 
  [25-2] Judge’s Guild’s Bob & Bill:  A Cautionary Tale, by Bill Owen.  2014 Kindle Edition.  Refer to 
  book location 12%/100%. 
  [25-3] Polyhedron #1.  Also known as RPGA News, Volume I, Number 1, Summer 1981.  “Special:  
  Interview with E. Gary Gygax,” perhaps conducted by Frank Mentzer. 
  [25-4] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  Posted July 2nd, 2008. 
  [25-5] 40 Years of Gen Con, by Robin D. Laws, Trident, Inc. (d/b/a Atlas Games), 2007, pg. 22. 
  [25-6] 40 Years of Gen Con, by Robin D. Laws, Trident, Inc. (d/b/a Atlas Games), 2007, pg. 20. 
  See also the Grognardia interview with Skip Williams. 
  [25-7] Grognardia interview with Skip Williams. 
  [25-8] 40 Years of Gen Con, by Robin D. Laws, Trident, Inc. (d/b/a Atlas Games), 2007, pg. 20. 
  [25-9] You can begin your research, should you dare, at the Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask, 
  posted May 16th, 2007! 
  [25-10] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  Posted May 4th, 2008. 
  [25-11] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  Posted July 2nd, 2008. 
  [25-12] Refer to the Youtube clip “Gygax Magazine Interview with Tim Kask,” posted by 
  Grognard Games.  The relevant conversation begins at approximately 18:00. 
  [25-13] Gary once wrote that the Machine Level appeared in Rob Kuntz’s dungeon, which likely 
  means that it premiered in El Raja Key instead of in the Castle Greyhawk dungeons.  Refer to 
  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A Part IX, posted September 8th, 2005. 
  [25-14] Refer to the Youtube clip “Gygax Magazine Interview with Tim Kask,” posted by 
  Grognard Games.  The relevant conversation begins at approximately 18:00. 
  
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  See also the clip “Interview:  Tim Kask,” posted by Mythwits, beginning at approximately 24:20. 
  [25-15] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  Refer also to the Youtube 
  clip “Gygax Magazine Interview with Tim Kask,” posted by Grognard Games.  The relevant 
  conversation begins at approximately 18:00. 
  The story is also told briefly in the Youtube clip “Tim Kask part 1 interview 1,” posted for 
  rpgbomb.com, at approximately 5:45. 
  [25-16] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask. 
  [25-17] Refer to the Youtube clip “Gygax Magazine Interview with Tim Kask,” posted by 
  Grognard Games.  The relevant conversation begins at approximately 18:00. 
  This story is also told in the Youtube clip “Tim Kask part 1 interview 1,” posted for 
  rpgbomb.com, at approximately 7:00. 
  See also the clip “Interview:  Tim Kask,” posted by Mythwits, beginning at approximately 25:00. 
  [25-18] Refer to the Youtube clip “Interview:  Tim Kask,” posted by Mythwits, beginning at 
  approximately 26:45. 
  [25-19] Grognardia interview with Tim Kask, Part I. 
  [25-20] Dragon magazine, issue #248. 
  [25-21] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask. 
  See also 40 Years of Gen Con, pg. 22. 
  [25-22] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask. 
  [25-23] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  Posted May 19th, 2010. 
  [25-24] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask. 
  [25-25] Refer to Eldritch Wizardry and the Dungeon Masters Guide. 
  [25-26] Dungeon Masters Guide, TSR, 1979. 
  [25-27] Dungeon Masters Guide, TSR, 1979, pg. 133. 
  [25-28] The Oerth Journal, issue #14. 
  [25-29] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part XIII.  Posted May 23rd, 2007. 
  [25-30] Online web forum post:  Pied Piper Publishing forums, “What turned Robilar evil?” 
  
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  [25-31] Dungeon Module WG6, Isle of the Ape, pg. 6. 
  [25-32] Online web forum post:  Pied Piper Publishing forums, “What turned Robilar evil?” 
  [25-33] Online web forum post:  Pied Piper Publishing forums, “The Green Dragon Inn.” 
  [25-34] Online web forum post:  Pied Piper Publishing forums, “Robilar and the cleric orb.” 
  See also the Dragonsfoot forums, “How far did Gygax go with Greyhawk?” 
  [25-35] Online web forum post:  Pied Piper Publishing forums, “Straining Robilar’s memory.” 
  [25-36] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot.org, “Huge Favor Request for Rogues Gallery 
  Owners.”  Posted October 27th, 2003. 
  [25-37] Zuggtmoy was very likely inspired by “the House,” a super-intelligent radioactive 
  fungal creature featured in the novel Hiero’s Journey.  The House controlled a brood of slimes and 
  lesser fungi, was psionic and sentient, and hated human life. 
  [25-38] A comment made on ENWorld.  Regrettably I have lost the exact citation. 
   
   
  
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  CHAPTER 26 
   
  The curse 
  Of success 
   
  (september – 
  december 1974) 
   
   
  
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  IN MANY ways, the summer of 1974 had been the season of the antihero.  The thief was in 
  experimental play, Robilar turned evil, Tenser was slain from ambush, and the assassin class was 
  being developed by Dave Arneson and his Twin Cities play group.  Considering all of these 
  thematically similar events, it should come as no surprise that Gary also decided to try out an evil 
  player character at this time.  Around the late summer or early fall, he rolled a neutral evil half-orc 
  cleric/assassin.  We can shakily attribute Gary’s half-orc creation to the autumn of 1974 or 
  thereabouts. 
  It is frustrating that we have so few clues about this nameless character, because the play test 
  must have been fascinating.  The character was developed a campaign being refereed by Brian 
  Blume. [26-1]  The half-orc only made it to about 3rd/3rd level before dying. [26-2]  As Gary noted, 
  this character was created as “a member of an evil adventuring party.  He was soon killed, and of 
  course none of the others in the group cared to do more than loot his body.” [26-3] 
  The (calculated?) effect of the experiment was simple:  many of the players (but by no means all) 
  realized that evil characters would be poor choices for a long-term party-based campaign, and so 
  they would become unpopular in future play.  The option would certainly exist, but in a game 
  where teamwork and companionship are crucial to survival — Robilar sometimes being the glaring 
  and notable exception, of course! — the very nature of evil was detrimental to team play, to party 
  success, and ultimately to character progression. 
  At some point in 1974, the “knight in shining armor” paladin class was tested as well.  It is 
  tempting to date this event to the autumn as well, as a reaction to the other “evil events” which 
  were darkening the Greyhawk campaign.  The paladin class was not only lawful and good, it 
  demanded adherence to a strict code of honor.  The class is enormously powerful, but that power 
  is difficult to hold onto.  The first player to seriously play test the paladin would be Terry Kuntz. 
  [26-4]  Gary would occasionally play a paladin as well. 
  The class was partly inspired by Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson, [26-5] Durandal 
  by Harold Lamb, perhaps the movie Ivanhoe, and of course the tales of King Arthur and the Knights 
  of the Round Table.  Most specifically, however, Gary said that the class was developed in 
  consideration of Roland and the historical Paladins of Charlemagne. [26-6] 
  No one quite recalls who created the paladin class with absolute certainty, but Gary said that he 
  did and Tim Kask is strongly convinced that it was indeed Gary himself, because it is “so rigid a PC 
  class; that smacks of Gary’s fiendish wit.  Make a character truly extraordinary and make it really 
  tough to play in terms of always having to do the ‘right’ thing, always.” [26-7] 
  
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  Also in the autumn, new players would soon be coming into Gary’s games (a predictable after-
  effect of Gen Con.)  After school came back into session, Ernie invited Skip Williams to come over 
  and try out Warriors of Mars. [26-8]  This was Skip’s introduction to the Gygax household; the 
  playing of D&D would come soon after.  Gary liked Skip, and they spoke a lot about game design 
  while Gary watched football.  Gary would later invite him to play in the new low-level Greyhawk 
  campaign as well. 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  While all of this was going on, new D&D play groups were sprouting up everywhere.  Two of 
  these groups would be especially significant to the early development of post-publication Dungeons 
  & Dragons:  the Erebor campaign group of Bill Owen and Robert Bledsaw (soon to be partners 
  running the Judge’s Guild), and the Kwalishar campaign group of Tim Kask. 
  Bill’s group probably began play in late August or early September.  His friend Marc Summerlott 
  designed an experimental dungeon; [26-9] and then Bill, Bob, and their friend David were the 
  players, and everyone struggled as they tried to figure out the rules. [26-10] 
  Despite this laborious and rather rudimentary success, Bob Bledsaw was impressed enough that 
  he asked to borrow the rules.  Just like that, Bledsaw’s imagination was up and running and he 
  would develop an incredible campaign which would culminate in the publication of one of the 
  great early D&D supplements, the City-State of the Invincible Overlord (as we shall see in Book IV). 
  Bledsaw first designed a setting based on Tolkien’s Erebor, as featured in The Hobbit.  Bill played 
  the wizard Llangewellen the Blue, and heroically created a barony to surround the Lonely 
  Mountain. [26-11] 
  Even the werebear Beorn made an appearance.  And of course, the deepest level of the Lonely 
  Mountain dungeon featured the tomb of Thorin Oakenshield, lain to rest with the magical elven 
  blade Orcrist, the Goblin Cleaver.  The dungeon also featured barrow wights, the “Home of the 
  Cloud Giant,” and a nest of pegasi.  From these early inspirations, a flying pegasus would soon 
  become the suitable and meritorious symbol of the Judge’s Guild. [26-12] 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  
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  Meanwhile, down in Carbondale Tim Kask was devising his own dungeon and rereading the 
  rules to D&D.  Despite his Gen Con experience Tim was struggling with the nearly-incoherent rules, 
  having “a miserable time” trying to figure out the game enough to play.  It took him several weeks 
  to figure everything out. [26-13] 
  He told his play group that on one particular Saturday, he would teach them the weird new 
  game he learned how to play in Lake Geneva.  Tim created what he later termed a “funhouse / 
  Monty Haul dungeon,” [26-14] meaning that there was no quasi-realistic dungeon ecology.  Every 
  room was occupied and featured a different monster, and the action when the entered the dungeon 
  would be fast and furious.  That first game lasted for nine hours, and everyone loved it. [26-15] 
  However, Tim had spent a huge amount of time preparing the dungeon, and it had been plowed 
  through very quickly.  He therefore quickly changed his mode of game mastering:  “I went that day 
  from puzzle-creator and roadblock builder,” he explained, “to master writer letting the story write 
  itself within the outline(s) I had scripted.” [26-16]  In modern gamer parlance, Tim was already 
  moving away from a “railroad,” DM-driven mentality and toward a more “sandbox,” player-driven 
  mode of play. 
  Despite these advances, Tim was still confused by many of the rules.  He noted in an interview 
  [26-17] that he was calling Gary frequently for translations of difficult passages in the text.  His 
  constructive criticism of the messier sentences printed in D&D (beginning with “God, who wrote 
  those rules?” asked of Gary!) [26-18] would plant the seeds in Gary’s mind that would eventually 
  lead to Tim being hired as TSR’s copy editor. 
  Within a few weeks, Tim was turning his group’s Dungeons & Dragons games into a full-fledged 
  dungeon crawl campaign during September and October of 1974. [26-19]  This campaign, which 
  was later restarted at the beginning of 1975 (as Tim came to understand more of the game’s rules 
  and subtleties through play and his own editing of D&D Supplement II:  Blackmoor), [26-20] has been 
  referred to as Ruins of Kwalishar. [26-21]  Longtime players of AD&D may recognize that name 
  due to either the Apparatus of Kwalish (a magical contraption of great power), or perhaps by Tim’s 
  occasional pen name in The Dragon, Omar Kwalish. 
  Tim began the dungeon games with about a dozen players, and soon a “hardcore” group of 
  about eight people emerged, and these gamers wanted to play twice a week.  One of the more 
  infrequent players was Tom Wham, future designer of such charming and idiosyncratic games as 
  Snit’s Revenge and The Awful Green Things from Outer Space.  (Tom Wham by the way had also 
  originally mentioned to Tim that he had met Gary Gygax once, which then resulted in Tim’s first 
  call to Gary.) [26-22] 
  
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  Tim would call Gary from time to time to let him know how the campaign was going. [26-23]  
  During one call, Tim defined his interpretation of Dungeon Mastering with a metaphor:  “I had 
  become a storyteller with characters that wrote their own parts within the framework of the outlines 
  of my story ideas.”  Gary felt that this was an excellent description of D&D’s methodology, and 
  would later define the game for new players in much the same way. [26-24] 
  The efforts of Tim and other Dungeon Masters served to create much of D&D’s grass roots 
  popularity at various university campuses.  Gen Con too had done very good things for TSR’s 
  reputation, and a milestone was celebrated toward the end of the year:  the first printing of Dungeons 
  & Dragons finally sold out. [26-25] 
  This was both good news and bad news.  Gary, Don and Brian had taken a “wait and see” 
  approach despite the increase in sales, so there was a gap in late 1974 where there were no saleable 
  copies of D&D … and still a fair number of orders waiting to be filled. [26-26]  Soon it would be 
  time to make another D&D print order, and it would be a big one.  Gary ordered a second print run 
  from Graphic Printing Company which would total either 1,000 (more likely) or 2,000 (less likely) 
  copies, depending on which recollection you choose to believe. [26-27] 
  Considering the rising costs of paper and ink, this order may have required an expenditure of 
  either $2,500 or $5,000.  It would take approximately 5 months for those new copies to sell out, 
  implying that by the end of 1974 TSR was selling about 200 or 400 copies a month — even at the 
  lower estimated rate, that figure was double the pre-Gen Con sale rate! [26-28]  “There was no doubt 
  anywhere now,” Gary would later fondly remember.  “The game was a success.  Little did we know 
  how great a success it was to be.” [26-29] 
  The gap in availability, however, encouraged more piracy.  Gary would pointedly speak against 
  this practice from time to time in the early years, but in a much later interview stated that the 
  practice was actually quite helpful for its indirect marketing effects:  “In all, though, the ‘pirate’ 
  material was more helpful than not.  Many new fans were made by DMs who were using such 
  copies to run their games.” [26-30] 
  Piracy was not the only problem at this time, as Avalon Hill was busy fighting back (via their 
  magazine the General, and other routes) as the popularity of Dungeons & Dragons in wargaming 
  circles was becoming ever more apparent.  Avalon Hill decided to sponsor its first-ever gaming 
  convention, an event which would be known as “Origins.”  Throughout the 1970s, a rivalry would 
  develop between Origins and Gen Con.  But it must be noted that Gary took these early competitive 
  developments in stride.  When first discussing the AH con, Gary would helpfully encourage gamers 
  to focus not on one faction or the other, but on gaming as a whole:  “You should make a point,” he 
  
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  urged his readers, “of attending either or both of these events, for they are an experience unique to 
  wargaming.” [26-31] 
  Relations were not diplomatic everywhere, however.  A veteran wargamer and game designer 
  named Arnold Hendrick reviewed Dungeons & Dragons in The Courier magazine in an issue (Vol. 6, 
  No. 6) which appeared in late 1974. [26-32] 
  Mr. Hendrick was very impressed with the game’s revolutionary ideas, saying that “the concept 
  and imagination involved [are] stunning.”  However, like many others he was confused when he 
  tried to conceptualize how the game could actually work.  His play test was awkward and faulty.  
  The newness of the genre and the widespread lack of knowledgeable players concerned him as 
  well.  He even went so far as to suggest that play in person was “usually impossible,” and that “play 
  by phone” (!) might be a workable solution.  In addition to this he had valid criticisms concerning 
  the game’s high price, the vague rules, and what he saw as the game’s too-ambitious scope.  Most 
  problematically, from Gary’s perspective, he ended his review by stating “I do not suggest these 
  [rules] to the average wargamer.”  And since Hendrick was quite respected and influential in his 
  field, this could pose a serious problem to TSR’s future sales. 
  Despite the temptation for Gary to reply to such complaints, his rebuttal would not appear until 
  the publication of TSR’s The Strategic Review #3, released in the autumn of 1975.  Gary fairly regarded 
  Arnold Hendrick as a potential rival, because Mr. Hendrick was busy creating his own medieval 
  gaming rules, and Hendrick had also earlier spoken of Chainmail in a fairly critical manner.  
  Therefore Gary felt quite justified in declaring Hendrick a biased reviewer with a decided conflict 
  of interest brewing in his background.  “The axe that Mr. Hendrick has been grinding so loudly and 
  long,” Gary stated, “has been exposed.”  And so, Gary inquired of his readers:  “Could one expect 
  honest and fair reviews from a source directly connected with a competitor of the product being 
  reviewed?” [26-33] 
  This would not be the last negative review that Dungeons & Dragons would receive by any 
  means. But it was one of the most potentially damaging ones, considering that it may have swayed 
  the opinion of those wargamers “still on the fence” who were already leaning toward a negative 
  opinion.  Fortunately, this tempest in a teapot boiled off rather quickly without further conflict 
  being sought by either party. 
  Although Gary had no way of knowing it, another influential person began hearing rumors 
  about Dungeons & Dragons around December of 1974. [26-34]  This would be a game devotee named 
  Ken St. Andre, who read someone’s copy of the D&D rules for a few hours and decided that he 
  liked the concepts but didn’t understand precisely how to play.  Instead of just giving up, however, 
  
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  remarkably he designed his own game that was more comprehensible.  He didn’t even own the 
  game he was emulating!  As he once explained in an interview, “When I created T&T [Tunnels & 
  Trolls], I just wanted this kind of game that I could play with my friends.  None of us owned D&D 
  or had any idea of where to get it.  None of us had the miniatures, the multi-sided dice — heck, we 
  had never even seen dice that didn’t have 6 sides.” [26-35] 
  (The author must here confess that he did something quite similar, in elementary school, 
  creating my own “D&D” game while I busily saved up allowance money to buy the expensive 
  books and modules.  The wait was agonizing. ~K) 
  St. Andre was not a foreigner to the realm of D&D-related properties, however:  he was familiar 
  with Avalon Hill, loved Burroughs, Howard, Leiber, Moorcock, and Tolkien, and he created 
  ambitious Diplomacy variants which included Hyboria, the Young Kingdoms, and Barsoom. [26-36] 
  But the key inspiration for Tunnels & Trolls was confusion.  As St. Andre explained, “If first 
  edition D&D rules had made any sense to me, there probably never would have been a Tunnels & 
  Trolls.” [26-37] 
  St. Andre had a knack for quick and immersive game design, and he would “get” the core 
  concepts of role-playing much more than wargamer Arnold Hendrick did.  St. Andre best described 
  his own game, calling it “The Lord of The Rings as it would have been done by Marvel Comics in 
  1974 with Conan, Elric, the Gray Mouser and a host of bad guys thrown in.” [26-38] 
  He happily created his competing FRPG (T&T) which from the very beginning featured cleaner 
  rules, easier mechanics and — perhaps most importantly of all — an affordable format. 
  St. Andre lived in Phoenix at the time (a city still largely untouched by the viral post-Gen Con 
  spread of D&D, it seems), and would not be able to acquire his own set of this rumored “dungeon 
  game” until the spring of 1975.  It seems that he took D&D apart and rebuilt it to his own specs in 
  April of 1975, resulting in an exceedingly humble first edition of T&T. [26-39]  His play group 
  fortunately convinced him that his preferred title, Tunnels & Troglodytes, was a poor one and so he 
  ended up instead with a catchy and marketable name for his soon-to-be-viral RPG. [26-40] 
  Tunnels & Trolls would never pose a serious threat to TSR, but it did set a significant precedent:  
  it was possible to makes games very much like D&D, with a personal custom twist, and get away 
  with it … sometimes. 
  A displeased Gary would later sniff that T&T “apes a well-known, earlier work,” and would let 
  St. Andre casually damn himself in Gary’s eyes by admitting in an interview that the first edition 
  of T&T was basically “a pale shadow of Dungeons & Dragons.” [26-41] 
  
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  As a curious aside, I note that Gary never bothered to play Tunnels & Trolls.  In fact, he never 
  played any competitors’ other fantasy RPGs at all!  As he once stated in an interview conducted in 
  1984 and published in 1985, “I’ve never played another fantasy role-playing game.  …  I have 
  enough ideas, and don’t want to be influenced.” [26-42] 
  T&T certainly evolved into something much more, but Gary never seemed to note any 
  appreciation for such niceties in the future! 
  TSR further exhibited a bit of nastiness after direct comparisons to Dungeons & Dragons were 
  used in advertisements for Tunnels & Trolls, sending cease and desist letters to Metagaming 
  Concepts and Flying Buffalo (two companies responsible for magazine and game publication 
  respectively).  Mr. Rick Loomis of Flying Buffalo was acquiescent to TSR’s demands, but a chilly 
  rivalry in gaming was about to begin … and TSR was not particularly bent on making a lot of friends 
  during the clashes to come. 
  As can be seen, TSR — as the forerunner in the new field of role-playing games — was very 
  successful in the arena which it created.  But that was both a blessing and a curse.  The curse of 
  success of course is that the more successful you become, the longer your coattails become as well, 
  and there is never a shortage of potential riders waiting in the wings. 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  In his “spare” time in late 1974, Gary was busy writing the copy for a new publication which 
  would be entitled (for obvious reasons) The Strategic Review.  Perhaps noting how effective 
  magazines like the Avalon Hill General were proving to be during the winter when the summer-
  positioned Gen Con was but a memory (and with its next annual incarnation far away in the future), 
  Gary decided that he should have at least a winter newsletter in the works to support TSR’s games.  
  He may have fully decided on this endeavor after talking to Tim Kask about publications and 
  potential editorship, but this is speculation on my part. 
  The Strategic Review started off very small, but it would prove to be quite effective and influential.  
  More significantly its modest success would lead directly to the future publication of The Dragon 
  magazine.  I believe Gary may have written the text of the first issue of TSR in December 1974 (as 
  he mentioned in his “longbio” file that he considered himself the creator of that publication in 1974, 
  not in 1975), but the first issue would be published later with a vague cover “date” of Spring 1975.  
  Therefore, the exact timing of Gary’s writing issue #1 is still unknown. 
  
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  Meanwhile the D&D game continued to expand, drawing in ideas from hundreds of diverse 
  sources.  One of the noteworthy minor events in D&D history that we can definitively date is quite 
  entertaining.  Gary enjoyed a television series called Kolchak:  The Night Stalker, a short-lived but 
  influential show which featured a Chicago reporter who investigated unlikely happenings.  The 
  causes of various crimes were frequently of supernatural origin.  The show has been credited as a 
  direct inspiration for The X-Files, and may soon be rebooted in a major production starring Johnny 
  Depp. 
  The original Episode #11, “Horror in the Heights,” aired on December 20th, 1974.  In that show, 
  a demonic Hindu creature called a rakshasa plagues a Jewish neighborhood and Kolchak is forced 
  to kill the thing — while it looks like a dear little old lady no less! — by shooting a blessed and 
  sacred crossbow bolt into its belly.  Gary quite enjoyed the show, and this particular episode’s 
  antagonist struck him as being worthy for inclusion in the game.  Thus, this episode would later 
  inspire a line in the Monster Manual (1977):  “Rakshasas cannot be harmed by non-magical weapons, 
  magical weapons below +3 do one-half damage, but hits by crossbow bolts blessed by a cleric kill 
  them.” [26-43] 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  By the end of 1974, D&D had spread to many major cities.  TSR at that time had generated about 
  $12,000 in sales.  Dungeons & Dragons was the #1 bestseller, and Warriors of Mars was quite successful 
  as well. [26-44] 
  Gary was thrilled, Don and Brian were very happy.  Just as the company was finally gaining 
  traction, however, everything came crashing down in a disastrous manner that no one could have 
  ever expected. 
   
   
  
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  Footnotes and Annotations 
  for Chapter 26 
   
  [26-1] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part V.  Posted February 5th, 2004. 
  [26-2] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part VII.  Posted February 13th, 
  2005. 
  [26-3] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part II.  Posted March 26th, 2003. 
  See also Part VI, posted March 7th, 2004; and Part XII, posted September 8th, 2006. 
  [26-4] Pied Piper Publishing forums, “Terik.” 
  [26-5] Gary sometimes liked to say that Ogier the Dane was not an inspiration for the paladin 
  class at all; but there are so many similarities in form and function (for example, the paladin’s 
  warhorse, the circle of holy protection, the wavering of vows causing loss of power, etc., etc.) that I 
  am inclined to disagree. 
  [26-6] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part XIII.  Posted October 17th, 
  2007. 
  See also Part I, posted September 25th, 2002. 
  [26-7] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  Posted October 16th, 2009. 
  [26-8] Grognardia interview with Skip Williams. 
  [26-9] Judge’s Guild’s Bob & Bill:  A Cautionary Tale, by Bill Owen.  2014 Kindle Edition.  Refer to 
  book location 56%/100%. 
  [26-10] Judge’s Guild’s Bob & Bill:  A Cautionary Tale, by Bill Owen.  2014 Kindle Edition.  Refer to 
  book location 14%/100%. 
  [26-11] Judge’s Guild’s Bob & Bill:  A Cautionary Tale, by Bill Owen.  2014 Kindle Edition.  Refer to 
  book location 14%/100%. 
  [26-12] You can catch a tantalizing glimpse of the early side-view dungeon map in Judge’s Guild 
  Bob & Bill:  A Cautionary Tale, at book location 16%. 
  
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  [26-13] Refer to the Youtube clip “Gygax Magazine Interview with Tim Kask,” posted by 
  Grognard Games.  The relevant conversation begins at approximately 23:00. 
  See also the clip “Interview:  Tim Kask,” posted by Mythwits, beginning at approximately 25:45. 
  [26-14] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  Posted April 26th, 2008. 
  [26-15] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask. 
  [26-16] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  Posted April 26th, 2008. 
  [26-17] Refer to the Youtube clip “Gygax Magazine Interview with Tim Kask,” posted by 
  Grognard Games.  The relevant conversation begins at approximately 24:00. 
  [26-18] Refer to the Youtube clip “Interview:  Tim Kask,” posted by Mythwits, beginning at 
  approximately 26:00. 
  [26-19] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  Posted March 16th, 2008. 
  [26-20] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  Posted May 17th, 2007. 
  [26-21] Grognardia interview with Tim Kask, Part I. 
  [26-22] Refer to the Youtube clip “Tim Kask Part 1 Interview 1,” produced by rpgbomb.com.  
  The comment appears at approximately 1:05. 
  [26-23] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask. 
  [26-24] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  Posted April 27th, 2008. 
  [26-25] The Ultimate Interview with Gary Gygax, by Ciro Alessandro Sacco. 
  See also the Quarterofthree/CGM interview and The Dragon, issue #11. 
  [26-26] Dragon Annual #4, pg. 10. 
  [26-27] Dragon Annual #4, pg. 10. 
  [26-28] Little Wars #1.  Refer to the Acaeum thread “Interesting articles” and Dragon #103. 
  [26-29] 30 Years of Adventure:  A Celebration of Dungeons & Dragons. 
  [26-30] The Ultimate Interview with Gary Gygax, by Ciro Alessandro Sacco. 
  [26-31] The Strategic Review, issue #2. 
  [26-32] Tome of Treasures forums, “First mention of D&D actually being in print?” 
  [26-33] The Strategic Review, issue #3. 
  
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  [26-34] Tunnels & Trolls.com, “The origins of Tunnels and Trolls.” 
  [26-35] Online interview:  “Days of High Adventure:  A Visit to Trollhalla:  An Interview with 
  Ken St. Andre,” at escapistmagazine.com, by James Maliszewski.  Posted September 17th, 2009. 
  [26-36] Online interview:  Grognardia, “An Interview with Ken St. Andre.”  Posted May 14th, 
  2012. 
  [26-37] Online interview:  Grognardia, “An Interview with Ken St. Andre.”  Posted May 14th, 
  2012. 
  [26-38] Online interview:  Grognardia, “An Interview with Ken St. Andre.”  Posted May 14th, 
  2012. 
  [26-39] Take That You Fiend fanzine, the John Harrington interview with Ken St. Andre. 
  [26-40] Online interview:  Grognardia, “An Interview with Ken St. Andre.”  Posted May 14th, 
  2012. 
  [26-41] The Dragon, issue #22, pg. 17. 
  [26-42] From “Maximize the Fun:  An Interview with E. Gary Gygax,” published in the April 
  1985 issue of Game News. 
  [26-43] 
  Online 
  web 
  forum 
  post: 
   
  the 
  ENWorld 
  forums, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  JohnKennethMuir.wordpress.com, “Cult TV Flashback #78.” 
  [26-44] Of Dice and Men:  The Story of D&D and the People Who Play It, by David M. Ewalt, pg. 93. 
   
   
   
  
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  CHAPTER 27 
   
  At what 
  Price glory? 
   
  (January 1 – 
  june 1975) 
   
   
  
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  THE FATEFUL year 1975 began as a very busy one for Gary Gygax.  He crafted a random dungeon 
  generation system, based on another Dungeon Master’s correspondence, which appears to have 
  become the basis for his first rough conception of what would later be known as the Temple of 
  Elemental Evil. 
  When alluding to his original design of the Temple (as opposed to the published version), he 
  once wrote, “I used some random dungeon generation methods as a test of the systems when I put 
  the design together.” [27-1]  This appears to be a reference to a system submitted to Gary by a man 
  named George A. Lord.  Gary liked Mr. Lord’s innovative system, and so he play tested it with Rob 
  and Ernie, refined it, and then published a variation of it in The Strategic Review #1 in February of 
  1975.  The system would be updated further later on and would enjoy a permanent place in the 
  Advanced Dungeons & Dragons system as Appendix A of the Dungeon Masters Guide (1979). 
  The system is worth looking at in more-than-cursory detail, because it gives us some hints 
  toward the secret contents of Gary’s unpublished version of the Temple which was actually used 
  in his campaign.  The system generates many diagonal passages and oddly-shaped rooms:  
  triangular, trapezoidal, hexagonal and octagonal.  For those who have a copy of Super Module T1-
  4 (the published version of the Temple), you will note diagonal passages are prominent on every 
  level.  There are also the following rooms of note:  triangular chambers 140, 217, 328, 421, 422 and 
  430; trapezoidal chambers 119, 314, 402 and 409; hexagonal chambers 132, 301, 315 and 316; and 
  octagonal chambers 210, 236 and 309.  Although it is known that Gary crafted part of each level 
  carefully and then filled out the design with random generation, many of these geometric features 
  are almost certainly the result of the random dungeon generation system. 
  The monsters in the 1985 version of the Temple (T1-4) are primarily based on Volume III of 
  original Dungeons & Dragons (1974), with a few added beasties thrown in from the soon-to-be-
  published Greyhawk Supplement notes as well.  A few unpublished campaign classics (such as the 
  brutal juggernaut) appear, as do a few later special monsters (such as the su-monster and the umber 
  hulk).  The vast majority of monsters however are found in the 1974-1975 D&D sources, which leads 
  me to believe that Frank Mentzer — when he was tasked with refining Gary’s Temple dungeons 
  for publication, circa 1984-1985 — was actually working from Gary’s terse line-description keys of 
  the original dungeon that was played in 1975.  The additional “Elemental Node” dungeon levels 
  featured in T1-4 were designed by Mentzer, and used to supplement Gary’s earlier work.  The 
  essence of the published dungeon in T1-4 therefore appears to be quite “Gygaxian” at its core (from 
  c. 1975), with a Mentzer chaser and fuller elaboration which lent the dungeon its own evocative 
  charm. 
  
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  It appears that the randomly-generated dungeons were not played too extensively in early 1975, 
  however.  The business of finalizing the imminent Greyhawk Supplement necessarily superseded play 
  of the game as that project’s release date (March 1975) came closer.  Gary was busy typing up the 
  pieces of campaign material that were going to be included in this new booklet, and setting the 
  more questionable bits aside.  There was not a uniform consensus on what should go in and what 
  should be left out, however.  Rob Kuntz was still providing input on which features should be 
  included in the manuscript, and which should be cut.  Dungeon Masters Rob and Mike Mornard 
  both advocated for the inclusion of rules delineating variable damage by weapon type, and so Gary 
  included this DM-favored system in the manuscript. [27-2] 
  Another one of Mike Mornard’s favorite bits that went into the Greyhawk manuscript was the 
  giant slug.  This monster was inspired by Robert E. Howard’s story fragment The Hall of the Dead, 
  which had been later expanded for publication by L. Sprague de Camp. [27-3]  Rob Kuntz noted 
  that many of the new magic offerings (for example, the spell Maze, created by Rob) had scarcely 
  been play tested before Greyhawk’s publication.  These spells included the Bigby’s Hand spells and 
  Otto’s Irresistible Dance. [27-4]  Rob by the way may have also been responsible for a rare and early 
  D&D mention of Cthulhu, in the description provided for the Gate spell. 
  And while Gary was still writing, the RPG audience was growing ever more quickly.  Gary once 
  estimated the gamer population of January 1975 as follows:  “A year after its initial release there 
  were perhaps 5,000 or so players, seemingly insignificant when one considers that at the same time 
  there were perhaps 150,000 wargame hobbyists playing board games and about 25,000 or so 
  devoted to miniatures.” [27-5]  But nevertheless, 5,000 was a huge number to be proud of. 
  Soon, the second printing of Dungeons & Dragons (with a listed print date of January 1975) [27-
  6] had been received from Graphic Printing. [27-7]  The work involved in getting these D&D boxed 
  sets ready for sale was the same as before:  wetting the labels, adhering them to the boxes, collating 
  the sheets and booklets, sorting the booklets and sheets into proper order, closing the box, and 
  setting each on the shelf.  Quite a trivial affair, unless of course you need to repeat your actions 
  1,000 or 2,000 times. [27-8] 
  This was probably when Rob and Terry Kuntz started working informally for TSR (but not yet 
  as employees), helping to make the boxes and fulfilling the shipping of the ever-mounting orders. 
  [27-9]  “The basement was very cramped, “ Rob would recall.  “We worked in a round-robin style 
  assembling the OD&D games … and [Gary] had not quite gotten rid of the shoe repair equipment 
  by then.” [27-10] 
  Terry by the way would not officially become an employee until October 1, 1975. [27-11] 
  
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  Once the boxes for the second printing were prepared, the shipping began.  The larger orders 
  were filled after the late single copy requests were taken care of. [27-12]  The pace of those big orders 
  was increasing, too.  Distributors were ordering more as demand grew more intense, and many 
  game shops were beginning to order multiple copies directly.  Gary estimated that TSR by this time 
  was shipping out 10 orders a day. [27-13] 
  Gary had a conversation with Don Kaye at this time, in which Don expressed happiness about 
  TSR’s success.  Don still wanted to create his Wild West game, devoting time to his own beloved 
  genre as Gary had managed to do with Swords & Sorcery.  Don was also looking forward to leaving 
  his uncle’s metal spinning business, and in becoming the first full-time employee of TSR. [27-14] 
  The time was not quite right for such a move, but it is likely that Gary was both proud and 
  happy to see that his once-doubtful business partner had grown so fully invested in TSR’s future 
  success. 
  There was much activity elsewhere as well.  Other companies had taken note of TSR, and new 
  players were moving into the field.  In the UK, Games Workshop (“GW,” not to be confused with 
  Game Designer’s Workshop, “GDW”) was founded in early 1975, and began publishing a 
  newsletter entitled The Owl & Weasel in February. [27-15] 
  A complimentary copy would reach Brian Blume at TSR, who would praise the effort warmly.  
  (This by the way would later result in Games Workshop becoming the UK distributor for Dungeons 
  & Dragons.)  Issue #6 (July 1975) was dedicated to D&D, and the December issue would celebrate 
  the UK’s own Games Day convention (featuring a well-received full-day exhibition of D&D) as well. 
  [27-16] 
  Owl & Weasel in turn would later be replaced by White Dwarf magazine, which greatly enhanced 
  the visibility of Dungeons & Dragons “across the pond.”  Games Workshop would acquire the UK 
  distribution rights for TSR products in the autumn of 1975.  This allied endeavor would greatly 
  widen TSR’s reputation, and Dungeons & Dragons would soon begin to spread throughout Europe 
  and then beyond.  TSR, soon to enjoy a truly international presence, was on the verge of a great 
  success. 
  Tragedy struck however on Friday, January 31st when Don Kaye suffered a massive heart 
  attack. [27-17] 
  He died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.  He was only 36. [27-18]  Don had known 
  about his grave medical condition and had been scheduled for heart surgery, but he had not shared 
  that secret with Gary or Brian. [27-19]  Therefore the sudden loss of Don was a heartbreaking shock 
  
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  from out of nowhere.  The partnership drawn up between Gygax and Kaye had no clear provision 
  for the transfer of ownership if one of the partners should pass away.  “Let this be an object lesson 
  to the young,” Gary wrote in lament in later years, “that they are indeed mortal, that life might end 
  at any moment, and therefore to proceed with prudent steps to protect themselves and their heirs.” 
  [27-20] 
  This terrible situation created an immediate legal void, which Gary and Brian Blume would be 
  forced to fill. [27-21]  As such, Kaye’s equal share of the partnership would pass on to his wife and 
  heir, Donna.  Donna of course had no interest in running a game company while her life was 
  collapsing around her shoulders.  As Gary put the situation (with great reservation), “Don’s widow 
  was not interested in continuing in the company.” [27-22] 
  She apparently cleared out TSR’s “stockroom” (her pantry) soon after Don had passed away.  
  Stolidly, she would assist Gary and Brian with various internal TSR affairs (such as accounting) 
  throughout the early months of 1975 and into the summer, but she wanted to get out of the 
  partnership as quickly as possible. 
  In many ways, this was a living nightmare for Brian and Gary.  Both men moved in a daze to 
  keep the company moving, and the orders kept pouring in.  They worked to clear a small room in 
  the Gygax household basement, creating a new TSR storeroom and (by default) moving TSR’s 
  operations (but not its official headquarters) to Gary’s house.  Gary’s leather-working table was 
  converted to a shipping and packing area.  He and Brian hauled all of the unsold games down to 
  the new storeroom.  Donna Kaye dropped off the TSR accounting ledger and petty cash without 
  saying a word.  It was clear to Gary that a partnership with her was out of the question, and so he 
  and Brian had an emergency meeting to figure out how to proceed. [27-23] 
  The heartbroken Gary was left to fend for himself in determining the future direction of TSR.  
  “There is no question in my mind,” he once said, “that had Don Kaye lived, the whole course of 
  later events at TSR would have been altered radically.  Don was not only a very intelligent guy, a 
  gamer, but he was also one who was not given to allowing the prospect of greater profits to cloud 
  his judgment in regards the long-term viability of the enterprise he co-founded, was so proud of.” 
  [27-24] 
  Later in life, he would lament this moment as changing the entire course of not only Dungeons 
  & Dragons, but also the TSR corporation and his entire life.  To quote at length, as this was such a 
  profound time for Gary: 
  
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  “Very frankly, what I feel caused the downfall of the corporate approach I had hoped to see in 
  TSR was the untimely demise of my original partner, Don Kaye.  …  Because at that point, he owned 
  a third of the corporation, I owned a third and our other partner, Brian Blume, owned the remaining 
  third.  With Don’s death, things were throw in the air …” 
  And if Don had not died?  “Many of my actions and decisions,” Gary lamented, “would have 
  been different.  I would have been less of a team player and less starry eyed.  I’d have been a lot 
  harder about defending my own rights as an author and creator.” [27-25] 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  In the meantime, a temporary and amended partnership agreement was drafted up on February 
  1st, with Gary, Brian and Donna as equal partners. [27-26]  Realizing that the situation was 
  untenable, Gary and Brian were forced to consider buying out Donna’s unwanted share of the 
  partnership.  They conferred with Brian’s father, the successful and respected businessman Melvin 
  Blume.  Melvin (President of Wisconsin Tool and Stamping Company) advised that a corporate 
  structure, as opposed to a mere informal partnership, would be crucial in moving forward. [27-27] 
  Amazingly, something else took place on February 1:  Gary wrote the Foreword to Dungeons & 
  Dragons Supplement I:  Greyhawk.  Perhaps he had written it that evening sitting up in his study at 
  his Royal typewriter, after an exhausting and bewildering day of trying to come to terms with the 
  death of his childhood friend.  The text of the Foreword is positive, enthusiastic and inspiring, 
  noting that Greyhawk offers a wealth of options to D&D players.  Gary also promised that more 
  material would soon be forthcoming in the form of Supplement II:  Blackmoor:  “Dave Arneson, co-
  author of the original work, is currently in the catacombs beneath his tower preparing the second 
  supplement.” 
  There was no mention of Don’s passing; the tragedy was too vast to be framed in simple words.  
  But the fact that Gary wrote this capstone to the supplement on the 1st, finalizing the Greyhawk 
  manuscript for printing and publication, makes it very clear:  he knew that the show must always 
  go on, even when life’s great players fade away into the waiting shadows beyond the stage. 
  The harsh realities of business continued to demand Gary’s immediate attention.  He and Brian, 
  assessing their resources, realized that neither one of them had sufficient money to safely buy out 
  Donna’s share on their own.  Brian urged Gary to allow his father Melvin to loan Brian the money 
  
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  to buy out Donna Kaye’s share of Tactical Studies Rules.  Seeing no other way to keep the company 
  going, Gary would reluctantly agree. [27-28] 
  This innocuous emergency arrangement, made under duress and with the immediate survival 
  of TSR at stake, would plant the seeds of future conflict which would eventually cause E. Gary 
  Gygax to leave TSR on December 31st, 1985, rendered nearly powerless in the corporation that he 
  had created.  But that grim end to his involvement with TSR was still far in the distant future on 
  that chilly day in 1975.  It has been said that late in his life, Gary would reflect on this agreement as 
  the worst decision he ever made. 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  Brian and Gary discussed other projects that might be completed and sold to keep the company 
  going through this disastrous time.  To Gary, the answer was obvious:  he could not forget that last 
  haunting conversation with Don, when Don had been talking about his happiness and his hopes 
  for the future.  Gary would write the Wild West game in his friend’s honor, remembering the 
  Cowboys and Indians games they had played as children in the 1940s.  Brian earnestly agreed to 
  assist with this endeavor.  The game would be released by TSR in the near future, supplemented by 
  numerous articles and expansions throughout the years to come.  The game dedicated to Kaye 
  would be called Boot Hill. 
  Such arrangements were not enough, however.  TSR needed immediate promotion of its 
  already-existing games, and Gary knew how to perform it.  He had likely been working on the text 
  of The Strategic Review #1 before Don’s passing, and it appears that the first issue was quickly printed 
  (either before or after Don’s passing, it is difficult to say with certainty) and released before the end 
  of February.  The issue was dated simply as “Spring 1975,” perhaps because Gary had had no idea 
  when it was going to be released. 
  The print run was perhaps 500 copies, or even less.  A notice of Don Kaye’s death would head 
  issue #2, but there was no mention in #1, and Don’s Sage Street address was still listed for TSR 
  headquarters.  All of these facts taken together make a January printing and a February release of 
  the issue the likeliest scenario.  Per Gygax, “The first issue of TSR was a giveaway, with orders for 
  a copy at $.50 each.” [27-29]  From a D&D history perspective, there are two major elements featured 
  therein for the very first time:  the first being the mind flayer, a new monster which was inspired 
  
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  by the cover of a Brian Lumley book entitled The Burrowers Beneath, which had been published on 
  February 19th, 1974. [27-30] 
  The cover of Lumley’s book features writhing tentacles and an ominous proclamation (which 
  Gary likely saw):  “The earth’s original rulers are waking!”  Gary apparently did not read this book, 
  but the cover and its text were enough to inspire him to create an insidious, brilliant and ancient 
  race which was clearly modeled on Gary’s own conception of H. P. Lovecraft’s Star Spawn of 
  Cthulhu.  In thinking about these Cthulhu-esque fiends in a Dungeons & Dragons context, Gary later 
  decided that mind flayers were “never native to any human planet.”  They were from another plane 
  of existence, and found their way to Oerth … likely as a result of a crashed and marooned starship. 
  [27-31] 
  The preliminary version of the mind flayer was published before the existence of the convoluted 
  “psionics” rules for D&D, and as such is in many ways more playable than the version which would 
  later appear in the Monster Manual (1977).  Gary wrote that these monsters appeared in the early 
  Greyhawk campaign, so they were probably first encountered in 1974. [27-32]  And the players, he 
  noted, hated them!  Always the sign of a good monster. [27-33] 
  The second major piece in TSR #1 was the remarkable solitaire dungeon exploration system, 
  which set the fundamentals of D&D into a program-like state that offered practically infinite 
  potential for self-directed play.  It is also my personal belief that this concrete demonstration of an 
  if/then-based D&D system encouraged later programmers who would go on to create games such 
  as Colossal Cave Adventure, Temple of Apshai, Zork, Telengard and the like.  Gary was careful to credit 
  inspiration for this system to George A. Lord for his lasting contribution to the game. 
  TSR also published Chainmail once again, now with the TSR logo and the now-famous silver 
  cover.  This edition was apparently produced in February or March of 1975. [27-34]  
  Understandably, Gary was at this time viewing all of his new releases with considerable scrutiny.  
  He probably realized that with the audience for D&D shifting away from wargamers and toward 
  SCA-minded college students, Chainmail was not a good gateway product into Dungeons & Dragons.  
  Further and increasing sales of D&D would be crucial in keeping TSR afloat following Don’s 
  absence.  Some kind of introductory set would be needed to promote Dungeons & Dragons to novice 
  players.  “We knew initially,” Gary once explained, “probably in early 1975, that we had to do a 
  more clearly done introductory piece.” [27-35] 
  Gary may have developed the solitaire dungeon system with this idea of an introductory 
  approach already lingering in his mind, but he would soon want to create an elaborate Basic Set 
  featuring a full array of introductory materials.  He would end up being sidetracked frequently, 
  
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  however, and the first D&D Basic Set would not emerge until the summer of 1977.  It eventually 
  came to be through the efforts of one Dr. John Eric Holmes.  That is an intriguing tale all its own, 
  and is told in detail in Books IV and V of HAWK & MOOR (covering 1976 and 1977). [27-36] 
  Also in March, some 1,000 copies of the Greyhawk Supplement came off the printing press and 
  immediately began moving off the storeroom shelves. [27-37]  The supplement’s price was very 
  high at $5, the equivalent of about $22 in 2014 funds.  But that was apparently not a deterrent to 
  D&D’s rabid fan base.  Gary once noted that the Greyhawk Supplement was designed to “fill the gaps 
  in the initial booklets,” [27-38] and as such it featured more of everything.  As Tim explained, “Gary 
  told me [Supplement I] was all the rest of the stuff he would have liked to put in the first three books.  
  That is essentially what it is; not a bunch of new concepts but more on the order of ‘extra stuff’ and 
  just a couple of corrections.  More spells, more artifacts, more monsters.” [27-39] 
  One of the problems with this approach, however, is that the rules began to exhibit power creep.  
  Rules were provided for 22nd level wizards and 20th level patriarchs, with clear notes indicating 
  that the coolest spells did not even become available until levels 18 and 17 respectively.  Gary and 
  Rob probably felt that they were defining the uppermost limit of player character potential, but 
  Dungeon Masters far and wide would interpret the rules in another way:  the game’s full features 
  did not even become available until your characters hit level 18.  There would be major problems 
  ahead, as conflicting interpretations of D&D’s heroic scope would soon come to the forefront in 
  early 1976. 
  It also seems that Dave Arneson may have taken the promise that more Blackmoor material 
  would soon be in print (from the Greyhawk Supplement’s Foreword) to heart, because he informed 
  Gary (at some point during or before early March) that he was “finalizing” the draft for D&D 
  Supplement II. [27-40]  Readers of this series, however, may be cringing at my italicization of that 
  word “finalizing”!  As we have seen, Dave’s idea of “final” and Gary’s idea of “final” were not just 
  entirely different concepts, they were entirely different universes.  Gary would feel confident in 
  promising Blackmoor to D&D’s fans frequently throughout 1975, only to be confounded at every 
  turn.  The supplement would finally, through the heroic efforts of Tim Kask and others, be 
  published at the very end of the year. 
  Meanwhile, the Greyhawk Supplement was already selling very well.  The rules for variable 
  weapon and monster damage were being enthusiastically adopted by many play groups, and the 
  new character classes, monsters and treasures were seeing extensive play.  Several of the new 
  contributions featured in Greyhawk — in particular, beholders, good dragons, owlbears, umber 
  hulks, slimes, and many of the high-level spells and magic items — would later be regarded as 
  
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  essential and classic elements of the game.  Gary would note in his own campaign that the thief 
  class remained relatively rare despite being available to all:  “Relatively few thieves were played 
  because of their guaranteed short life span if caught stealing from a party with a major PC in it.” 
  [27-41] 
  However, thieves became popular in the Greyhawk campaign as the encounters became more 
  complex, and the traps deadlier, and the treasures more enticing.  “Just being able to have a member 
  go ahead, see what was awaiting,” Gary wrote, “and return to warn the other PCs was often the 
  difference between success and failure.” [27-42]  It is inferred, but not stated, that most of the thieves 
  in Gary’s and Rob’s campaign were actually henchmen as opposed to famous PCs.  Consider also 
  that famous thieves of Greyhawk, despite the existence of the novel-based and fictional Gord, are 
  few and far between! 
  In later years and with the advent of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons system (1977-1979), the 
  thief would become a popular multi-classing option for demi-human characters because it allowed 
  demi-humans to progress in unlimited fashion alongside their human companions.  Today, the thief 
  class is looked upon by many as a mistake, because many of its abilities — opening locks, finding 
  traps, and moving silently, for instance — are given explicit percentage scores based on a character’s 
  level and dexterity.  Many Dungeon Masters (excluding this author, by the way) interpret this 
  system as indicating that non-thieves are incapable of performing any of these vital actions at all! 
  This seems rather silly when we consider the existing body of Swords & Sorcery tales, in which 
  heroes of all stripes, shapes and sizes tend to pick locks, find traps, and sneak around at leisure (in 
  accordance, of course, with the immediate needs of the plot).  But in Dungeons & Dragons, can only 
  thieves open locks?  Can only thieves move silently?  It depends on who you ask.  There is a 
  potential solution, in allowing all characters to act at least as 1st level thieves, but this is by no means 
  a perfect answer because it weakens the already-weak thief class by making many of the class’s 
  privileges non-exclusive.  The game design approach exemplified by the thief, stressing abstract 
  (percentage-based) solutions over descriptive (player skill-based) solutions, is at the heart of a 
  debate that continues to this day.  As noted prior, it is clear that the thief is only partially a Gygaxian 
  creation, having been lifted from others’ work; and therefore it is never quite fully at ease within 
  the over-arching game system.  This debate of “arbitrary percentages vs. specified character 
  actions” would begin for many play groups as soon as the Greyhawk Supplement was adopted. 
  Despite such flaws and significant changes to the game, the overall supplement was highly 
  regarded and widely used.  In many ways the Greyhawk Supplement was the progenitor for the 
  
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  thousands of game-modifying additions which would appear in the years to come, produced by 
  TSR and hundreds of other companies. 
  One person named Dennis Sustare particularly liked the thief class, because it represented a 
  significant addition to the game which promised an entirely new mode of play.  Using that model 
  as inspiration, Dennis applied the same design methodology to one of his own historical interests, 
  and came up with the druid class.  He applied this design method to an entry in the Greyhawk 
  Supplement, where druids were listed briefly as NPCs.  “I was familiar with druids from literature 
  about early England,” Dennis explained, “especially during Roman times.” 
  The most immediate inspiration, of course, was their mention as a monster in Greyhawk (but not 
  as a character class).  Initially, I was trying to make them related totally to plants and animals, but 
  felt they needed a little more firepower (literally).” [27-43]  Dennis therefore added spells involving 
  lightning and fire to the druid class as well. 
  Later in 1975 (at Gen Con, in August), a mimeographed version of the class would be passed on 
  to Tim Kask.  Tim liked Dennis’s work, and passed it on to Gary.  The fully-redeveloped class would 
  soon make its way into Gygax’s, Blume’s and Kask’s Dungeons & Dragons Supplement III:  Eldritch 
  Wizardry. 
  By the spring however, Greyhawk was still the only D&D Supplement in existence.  TSR’s next 
  major release was a science fiction game entitled Star Probe:  The Game of Adventure, Conflict and 
  Exploration in Space.  This Star Trek-inspired board game (the “five-year mission” becomes the time 
  limit in Star Probe) was designed by John M. Snider, one of the veteran players in Arneson’s 
  Blackmoor campaign. 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  Star Probe is worthy of some consideration in the history of Dungeons & Dragons, primarily 
  because it tells us about the science fiction direction of the 1973-1975 Blackmoor campaign.  John 
  began the “Star Empires” campaign in 1973 [27-44] as a parallel to Blackmoor, but Dave Arneson 
  would later bridge the two worlds more closely together via the City of the Gods and the Temple 
  of the Frog.  The world of Blackmoor actually existed in the Star Empires galaxy, and was 
  “quarantined by the local galactic government.” [27-45] 
  
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  In this sci fi campaign, each player controlled an alien race’s empire.  Fred Funk for example 
  played an amoeboid race, while Greg Svenson played the bear-humanoids of the Ursoid Republic. 
  [27-46]  “Magic” items such as phasers, shields and tricorders appeared in Blackmoor from time to 
  time, indicating that the fantasy world had been explored by aliens at various times in the past.  The 
  “clockwork” horse and powered armor used by William of the Heath, the Blue Rider, were Star 
  Empire technologies as well. [27-47]  Perhaps inspired by such artifacts, the long-lived elves in 
  Arneson’s game world had actually discovered the secret of gunpowder on their own.  Keeping 
  with the campaign’s Swords & Sorcery tradition, however, these primitive muskets and 
  blunderbusses were colloquially termed “magic bang sticks.” [27-48] 
  Advanced concepts in the published Star Probe rules included a portrayal of three-dimensional 
  space, a Federation-inspired “Board of Review” which scored captains on the quality of planets 
  explored and colonized, and random planet and alien delineations.  Gary wrote the Foreword to 
  Star Probe on September 1st, 1974, which hints that its design was probably finalized over the 
  summer.  The game was probably printed and released very late in 1974 or at the beginning of 1975, 
  likely being shipped and received by early adopters in January. [27-49] 
  Star Probe was the first volume in a promised trilogy, and was followed by the innovative Star 
  Empires supplement in 1977.  However, the success later enjoyed by Traveller — a competing Game 
  Designer’s Workshop release — would render Star Empires a relative failure despite its quality, and 
  the release of a new movie called Star Wars would solidify the popular vision of science fiction for 
  many years thereafter.  TSR would abandon Snider’s franchise before the third volume could be 
  published, and would instead focus on the innovative post-apocalyptic game by James M. Ward, 
  Metamorphosis Alpha (which eventually led to Gamma World). 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  While all of this was going on, Gary was probably also creating a rough “over-world” 
  framework where he could situate his Temple of Elemental Evil dungeons for future play.  He 
  wanted to do something simpler than the vast City of Greyhawk, designing an urban setting that 
  would give new player characters all of the basic essentials — an inn, an equipment dealer, a healer, 
  a mentor, hidden villains, and mercenaries for hire — in a much more quaint and rural setting. 
  The very smallness of this “Village of Hommlet” would encourage new players to prepare 
  quickly and to set out for the nearby dungeon.  For those who are interested in the exact location of 
  
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  Hommlet (which was moved for the 1985 super module T1-4), Gary once wrote that if Greyhawk 
  was equivalent to Chicago and Dyvers was equivalent to Milwaukee, then Hommlet was in the 
  approximate position of New Glarus village, Wisconsin.  In other words, it was northwest of 
  Greyhawk and southwest of Dyvers.  The Temple of Elemental Evil was in roughly the same 
  location as Madison. [27-50] 
  The Moathouse Ruin to be featured in this setting was designed as a tribute to “Castle 
  Bodenstedt” (of The Siege of Bodenburg fame), and a farther village known as Nulb was designed to 
  serve as a more dangerous base for parties ready to explore the Temple dungeons proper. 
  I have very little information about the design phases which led to the creation of this over-
  world setting, but due to the creation of the random dungeon frameworks in early 1975 and the 
  play of Hommlet later in the year, it seems likely that the first developmental sketches of these now-
  classic areas began in the spring of 1975. 
  Another now-classic D&D adventure was created in early 1975 as well.  Apparently, a Dungeon 
  Master named Alan Lucien had provided Gary with some interesting design notes involving a 
  “killer” dungeon which would serve to test even the strongest and most capable of adventurers.  
  Lucien’s original dungeon featured the crypt of a powerful lich.  Since liches were introduced in the 
  Greyhawk Supplement (released in March), it seems that Lucien must have created this dungeon in 
  April or so, and then submitted it to Gary for consideration in May or early June.  Otherwise, it is 
  difficult to justify a later timeframe without bumping into the adventure’s official public debut at 
  Origins I in late July. 
  This trap-filled dungeon, designed to kill “immortal” high-level characters, comprised about 12 
  pages of maps and keys.  A then-current 2004 notice indicates that Mr. Lucien was still in the 
  possession of this original version of the tomb. [27-51]  However, to my own partial knowledge, the 
  Lucien version has never been published. 
  Gary designed his own Lucien-inspired tomb before late July (when it would debut in play at 
  the Origins game conference).  The name he chose for the dungeon was one for the ages:  the Tomb 
  of Horrors. [27-52]  The goal of this dungeon was simple:  “The place was designed to test the mettle 
  of the best players, stretch their ability to the maximum.” [27-53]  It was to be the ultimate killer 
  dungeon.  As Gary would later confess of its preparation, “I admit to chuckling evilly as I did so.” 
  [27-54] 
  Mr. Lucien’s preliminary design may have perhaps featured a pyramid or ziggurat, but Gary’s 
  version would occupy a single elaborate dungeon level within a barrow mound.  The Tomb of 
  
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  Horrors has a strong Egyptian theme to it, with some Sumerian and Babylonian overtones.  Perhaps 
  Gary (or Alan?) was inspired by the history of the heretic pharaoh Akhenaten, or even the curse of 
  the tomb of Tutankhamun, or Boris Karloff’s 1932 portrayal of Imhotep in the classic film The 
  Mummy.  I personally believe that in conceiving Acererak for his own Tomb of Horrors, Gary was 
  inspired by the Boris Karloff film.  Lucien’s dungeon featured a corporeal lich, while Gary’s 
  dungeon featured a skull and a blasted pile of ash; and The Mummy (1932) ends with Ankh-es-en-
  amon praying to Isis, Isis becoming animate, and Imhotep getting blasted.  I also note with curiosity 
  that later mummy movies would feature Lon Chaney, Jr. or Christopher Lee as the mummy 
  “Kharis,” which — when spelled backwards (becoming a “Sirahk”) — is somewhat close to 
  Acererak. 
  The secret of Acererak seems to have been that he simply that he wished to restore himself to 
  fully corporeal lichdom, so that he could continue his evil ways in the greater World of Greyhawk.  
  And to do that, he needed to devour a lot of souls!  “As far as I am concerned,” Gary wrote, 
  “Acererak needed some great source of magical negative energy to return to regular lich state, be 
  able to manage such a return to his former ‘glory.’” [27-55]  And what better way to lure mortals 
  into your tomb than to have the place filled with treasures beyond compare? 
  Once Gary had designed what he believed was the nastiest problem-solving and trap-filled 
  dungeon he had ever concocted, he invited his three best veteran players to test it. 
  There were good times looming up ahead, to be sure! 
   
   
  
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  Footnotes and Annotations 
  for Chapter 27 
   
  [27-1] The Dragon, issue #37. 
  [27-2] The Collector’s Trove Presents:  The Michael Mornard Collection. 
  [27-3] The Collector’s Trove Presents:  The Michael Mornard Collection. 
  [27-4] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Rob Kuntz.  Posted June 11th, 2009. 
  [27-5] Little Wars, issue #1. 
  [27-6] Acaeum.com, Original D&D Set. 
  [27-7] Dragon Annual #4, pg. 10. 
  [27-8] The Ultimate Interview with Gary Gygax, by Ciro Alessandro Sacco. 
  [27-9] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask. 
  [27-10] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  Posted January 10th, 2010. 
  [27-11] The Strategic Review, issue #5. 
  [27-12] Dragon Annual, issue #4. 
  [27-13] Playing at the World by Jon Peterson, pg. 494. 
  [27-14] Dragon Annual #4, pg. 10. 
  [27-15] Playing at the World blog, “Fortieth Anniversary of Games Workshop,” posted February 
  28th, 2015. 
  [27-16] For details on Owl & Weasel #5 and #6, see 2WarpsToNeptune, “Dungeons & Dragons in 
  Games Workshop’s Owl and Weasel (1975),” posted November 17th, 2014. 
  [27-17] See The Strategic Review, issue #2, pg. 1 
  [27-18] The Crusader Journal, issue #13. 
  See also The Strategic Review, issue #2 and Dragon Annual #4, as well as The Ultimate Interview 
  with Gary Gygax, by Ciro Alessandro Sacco. 
  
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  [27-19] Inc.com magazine, “TSR Hobbies Mixes Fact And Fantasy.” 
  [27-20] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part IV.  Posted July 22nd, 2003. 
  [27-21] Dragon Annual #4, The Crusader Journal #13. 
  [27-22] Dragon Annual #4. 
  [27-23] The Crusader Journal, issue #13. 
  [27-24] The Ultimate Interview with Gary Gygax, by Ciro Alessandro Sacco. 
  [27-25] Shadis Interviews:  E. Gary Gygax, by Barbara A. Blackburn.  Shadis Magazine, c. 1990. 
  [27-26] United States District Court (Fourth Division, Minnesota) Civil Action 4-79-109, Arneson 
  v. Gygax. 
  [27-27] The Crusader Journal, issue #13. 
  [27-28] The Crusader Journal, issue #13. 
  [27-29] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  Posted May 21st, 2007. 
  [27-30] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part VII. 
  See also The Burrowers Beneath at Goodreads.com. 
  [27-31] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part XIII.  Posted September 15th, 
  2007. 
  [27-32] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part XIII.  Posted December 6th, 
  2007. 
  [27-33] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part XIII.  Posted September 15th, 
  2007. 
  [27-34] Acaeum.com, Chainmail. 
  [27-35] Grognardia, “More from Gygax interview,” and the Gryphon fanzine interview with 
  Gary Gygax. 
  [27-36] Grognardia, “More from Gygax interview.” 
  [27-37] Acaeum.com, D&D Supplements.  The registered copyright date for the Greyhawk 
  Supplement is January 15th, 1975. 
  [27-38] The Dragon, issue #11. 
  
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  [27-39] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  Posted May 20th, 2008. 
  [27-40] Playing at the World by Jon Peterson, pg. 536. 
  [27-41] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part V.  Posted February 5th, 2004. 
  [27-42] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part VI.  Posted February 16th, 
  2004. 
  [27-43] Grognardia interview featuring Dennis Sustare. 
  [27-44] Havard’s Blackmoor Blog, “There’s a Spaceship in My Fantasy?”  Posted February 15th, 
  2010. 
  [27-45] Online web forum post:  the Comeback Inn forums, “Blackmoor dungeon history.” 
  [27-46] Online web forum post:  the Comeback Inn forums, “Memories of Fred Funk.” 
  There is also an interesting article in Different Worlds magazine #5. 
  [27-47] Havard’s Blackmoor Blog, “There’s a Spaceship in My Fantasy?”  Posted February 15th, 
  2010. 
  [27-48] Online web forum post:  the Comeback Inn forums, “Q&A with Jeff Berry.” 
  [27-49] Online web forum post:  Acaeum forums, “Warriors of Mars development?” 
  [27-50] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Gary Gygax Q&A, Part III.  Posted August 7th, 
  2005. 
  [27-51] Avalanche Press, “Back to the Table.” 
  [27-52] Alarums & Excursions #15; ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part X. 
  [27-53] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part X.  Posted June 4th, 2006. 
  [27-54] Dragon magazine, issue #248. 
  [27-55] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part XIII.  Posted June 28th, 2007. 
   
   
  
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  CHAPTER 28 
   
  Counting 
  the 
  Dragon’s trove 
   
  (april 1 – 
  july 1975) 
   
   
  
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  PLAY, HOWEVER, consistently gave way to pressing financial realities.  April was a busy month 
  for business at TSR.  From April 1st to the 14th, Gary and Dave made legal entries for a revised 
  royalty agreement concerning D&D.  Per the court materials, “The contract assigned TSR Hobbies, 
  Inc., the right to publish, sell, and distribute ‘Dungeons and Dragons’ in exchange for a royalty of 
  10% of the cover price of each set sold, payable to the authors, Gygax and plaintiff [Arneson].”  In 
  other words, they accepted a 5% royalty each, as opposed to the 10% royalty each indicated by 
  Gary’s letters from March of 1974. [28-1] 
  In the later opinion of a U.S. District Court judge, this was a fairly straightforward rights 
  transference agreement:  “It seems that [Arneson] authored and designed a game … and sold the 
  rights to [TSR] in exchange for a … royalty on each game sold.” [28-2] 
  But the terse agreement would prove to be too simple, and with too few legal explications.  The 
  foremost danger of a quick-and-dirty legal agreement is that there is no room for strategic 
  contingency planning, which makes a mess if (when) any other circumstance should unexpectedly 
  change.  And that wrinkle would mean very bad news for Gary and TSR in the years to come, as 
  we shall see … 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  In the midst of these negotiations, issue #2 of The Strategic Review was reaching subscribers 
  (having been newly published, either on or before April 1st).  Only a few hundred copies made it 
  into to print, each headed by a stark and formal announcement of Don Kaye’s passing. 
  TSR #2 is also important because it is the first time that Gary specified that “a magic-user can 
  use a given spell but once during any given day, even if he is carrying his [spell] books with him.” 
  [28-3]  This rule may have seemed obvious to Gary, but until this point in time, many play groups 
  were allowing magic-users to serve as arcane artillery pieces with unlimited ammunition!  Even in 
  a Gen Con report from August 1976, players from California in particular would still be surprised 
  to hear of this peculiar little rule hidden away in a low-print newsletter (with some 300-odd 
  subscribers). 
  The entire article however (entitled “Questions Most Frequently Asked About Dungeons & 
  Dragons Rules”) makes it clear that combat was the thing that confused people the most.  In addition 
  to explaining melee and weapon damage, Gary also provided some quick rules for unarmed 
  combat.  (It seems that orcs, when they know they are hopelessly outclassed, love to grapple their 
  
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  targets and try to drag them to the floor in a boisterous team tackle.)  He later confessed — in 1982, 
  three years after the Dungeon Masters Guide had been put into print — that the DMG unarmed 
  combat system was far too complex, and he was still using the handy grappling system he 
  developed for TSR #2 in ’75! [28-4] 
  Clearly, sometimes the simple way is best. 
  This memorial issue is also interesting because it features two now-classic additions to the game 
  of Dungeons & Dragons.  The first is the ranger class, a clever “borrowing” of Aragorn as featured in 
  The Lord of the Rings, developed for use in D&D by Joe Fischer.  Joe was a regular player in Gary’s 
  group, [28-5] although I regrettably have very few details about his characters or contributions. 
  Mr. Fischer would even draw a blatantly literal allusion to Aragorn’s use of the Palantir, noting 
  that “Ranger Lords are able to employ all devices which deal with clairvoyance, clairaudience, ESP 
  [and] telepathy.”  The exactitude displayed in translating Tolkien’s character to D&D is impressive, 
  and also rather shameless.  These old school Striders even have a fair chance of attracting “two 
  Hobbits” to their service at the moment they attain the level of Ranger Knight!  (Feel free to look it 
  up ... page 5.  I’ll wait here.) 
  The second and even more entertaining addition to the game is the roper monster, inspired by 
  Gary’s (or Dave’s) interpretation of an alien space creature featured in a nearly forgotten 1959 
  movie, Battle Beyond the Sun. [28-6]  Humorously, this Soviet sci fi epic was Westernized in the early 
  1960s by a young film school student named Francis Ford Coppola (!).  The mischievous Coppola 
  wanted to add in a scene where a penis-like and a vagina-like monster were duking it out in a 
  violent confrontation, while an innocent astronaut backed away from the fleshy melee in horror 
  and disbelief.  (Sometimes, you just can’t make this stuff up). [28-7] 
  Coppola’s fanged vagina monster would be innocently reconceived by Gary as the roper, “a 
  mass of foul, festering corruption,” capable of ensnaring and causing weakness in its prey.  And 
  now you will never look at its fanged orifice, gracing the cover of the Monster Manual, in a normal 
  way ever again.  The penis monster would in turn inspire the otyugh, with its ... shall we say ... 
  protuberant and thrusting eye-stalk.  Another young film maker, by the name of George Lucas, 
  would later take Coppola’s monster as inspiration for his own “Dianoga” trash compactor beastie, 
  to be featured in a little movie entitled Star Wars.  Accidentally adding to this humorous sub-context, 
  Gary would sagely comment on the phallic otyugh in the Monster Manual:  “These weird monsters 
  are omnivorous scavengers, not at all hesitant about adding a bit of fresh meat to their diet.”  
  See?  It’s just like in college. 
  
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  And now that I have scarred the reader and salaciously ruined the reputations of two beloved 
  monsters for all eternity, we shall continue. 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  The Strategic Review #2 also gave the public its first vague hint of a new release by Professor M. 
  A. R. Barker in the form of a pre-publication offer of the new mage duel game, War of Wizards 
  (publication date July 1st, 1975). [28-8]  This obscure TSR offering, initially self-produced by Barker, 
  provides intricate rules for battles between magic-users. 
  We find that in War of Wizards, there is a world — ostensibly set in the world of Tékumel, but 
  easily abstracted to just about anywhere — where mages duke it out in honor duels to the death.  
  The arena is a nicely-illustrated push-and-shove grid, with profuse illustrations of sorcerers, 
  cultists, warrior priests, and various Bosch-inspired beasties.  Players must choose the appropriate 
  offensive and defensive spells from a repertoire of 71 visible and invisible effects, hoping to blast 
  the enemy into the disgrace of arcane oblivion.  (Yes, this was decades before Harry Potter, to say 
  nothing of Magic:  The Gathering.) 
  The advertisement in TSR #2 cryptically states that “This game is enjoyable as a separate contest, 
  and it can be adapted for integration with such similar games as Dungeons & Dragons, Chainmail, 
  and the upcoming fantasy game Petal Throne.” [28-9]  Gary referred to it as “a somewhat complex 
  but entertaining two-player game of spell combat on a board similar to a football field,” and noted 
  that TSR eventually sold several thousand copies. [28-10] 
  As mentioned earlier, Gary had made contact with the Professor and reached an agreement to 
  publish Tékumel material through the auspices of TSR.  Gary once noted in an interview that “M. 
  A. R. Barker sent us the manuscript for his Empire of the Petal Throne RPG, the rules inspired by those 
  for D&D, of course. It was a most compelling environment.” [28-11]  Petal Throne, due to some 
  delays caused by the set’s innovative poster maps and very high print quality, would not be 
  published until later in the summer.  The manuscript Professor Barker sent in, however, was 
  according to Gary “near perfect” and virtually ready for printing. [28-12]  Gary never refereed the 
  Tékumel setting internally, but he did play the game as refereed by then-future D&D artist David 
  C. Sutherland III. [28-13]  Later (1976?), he and other TSR employees would travel to the Twin Cities 
  to play in Barker’s own campaign, and that was even more enjoyable. [28-14] 
  
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  Tékumel truly is a setting that either thrives or dies based on the game master’s familiarity with 
  the imagined environment and all of its baroque idiosyncrasies.  “With a knowledgeable GM the 
  game was an exotic blast,” Gary wrote.  “When GMed by someone less than expert, it was a tongue-
  twisting bore.” [28-15]  Gary enjoyed the game but sometimes felt that it was too difficult and 
  frustrating for a novice referee to learn without significant help.  (This may partly explain why The 
  Dragon magazine would be obsessed with publishing Tékumel articles during the earliest years of 
  its run.) 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  The gap in the widespread availability of Dungeons & Dragons had been addressed by the time 
  of TSR #2 as well.  The reported time periods for the following events are confused by many and 
  various tellings, but I will here prefer the Acaeum’s print run histories which state that the third 
  printing of D&D dates to April 1975. [28-16] 
  While veteran players and Dungeon Masters were buying Greyhawk, many new gamers were 
  buying the original Dungeons & Dragons set.  Gary and Brian were watching the escalating sales 
  trend, and soon decided that it was time to arrange for a third printing of the game. 
  With Don no longer there, however, there were serious logistical barriers to overcome.  Gary’s 
  basement storeroom was small and by no means ideal, and a single flood or mishap could 
  potentially wipe out the company’s assets.  This threat could not be solved at the time, and Gary 
  and Brian had to think about the labor involved in collating the next print run’s booklets and boxes.  
  With the increasing orders, the need to design new games, a staff reduction forced by Don’s passing, 
  and a projected need for 2,000 new copies of the game, this was a very grim problem indeed.  Gary 
  simply threw up his hands and said, “Whoa, this is just way too much work.” [28-17] 
  Apparently, Heritage Models of Dallas, Texas had made an offer to print the third run of D&D 
  for TSR. [28-18]  Gary and Brian jumped at this proposed deal, because it allowed TSR’s cash flow 
  to remain uninterrupted. [28-19]  As Gary explained it:  “Heritage Models said that they had a new 
  printing operation, and they said they’d print up 3,000 [more likely 2,000] copies, and keep 300 of 
  them to cover their printing expenses.  Hey!  What a deal, right?  So we did that.” [28-20] 
  It was a win-win situation for all involved.  2,000 of the printed copies were for TSR to sell, and 
  the several hundred overrun copies were Heritage’s payment for offering the printing service.  
  Heritage would sell these copies directly to hobby stores for their own profit.  Considering the costs 
  
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  and delays involved in dealing with Graphic Printing (who were now gouging TSR with the 
  spiraling costs for paper and ink), this was a tremendous deal. 
  Several thousand copies of the game would sell out in just a few months’ time, [28-21] equating 
  to D&D selling as much as 1,000 copies a month in the middle of the year. [28-22] 
  During this time, Gary began to realize just how popular D&D was going to be outside of the 
  insular wargaming community.  “I had envisioned the D&D game as quite popular,” he noted, 
  “likely to appeal to many wargamers and also to the science fiction and fantasy book audience.  I 
  was not aware of just how vastly popular it would be, though, until we were selling the third print 
  run of the product.  At that time I realized it had appeal far beyond the bounds I had foreseen.” [28-
  23] 
  The money saved by the Heritage Models printing allowed TSR to move forward in many ways.  
  In May, Tactical Studies Rules (the original partnership entity) was bought out by the newly-formed 
  TSR Hobbies, Incorporated (the new corporation).  This corporation then bought out Donna Kaye 
  so that she could leave the business. [28-24] 
  Gary and Brian then calculated their quarterly sales figures, and reconsidered D&D’s newly 
  emerging demographics. [28-25]  By any measure the predictions were very favorable.  Therefore 
  in June, Gary became the first full-time employee of TSR. [28-26]  As a result of these added hours 
  and responsibilities, Gary would report that “My gaming time … dropped to an average of about 
  12 hours a week.” [28-27]  And when he got to game, he usually had to be the Dungeon Master too!  
  That pattern would hold for many decades. 
  As he later recalled, “Around 1975 I increasingly served as G[ame] M[aster].  That holds true 
  today, when I seldom get to participate in another role.  Thus I now prefer having a player’s role to 
  that of a GM …  but to be a good GM one must sometimes be on the other side of the proverbial 
  screen.” [28-28] 
  His salary during this laborious time has been stated as a mere $100 a week, plus royalties. [28-
  29]  “It was not until the middle of 1975,” he once said, “that income from game-related work was 
  sufficient to provide my entire income, that money needed to support myself and my family.” [28-
  30] 
  This was probably a sobering and even haunting milestone, considering that Don Kaye had been 
  fondly hoping to become TSR’s first employee just a few months earlier. 
  Gary was not the only one influenced by D&D’s widening success, either.  James M. Ward, who 
  as mentioned had learned the game from Gary in the summer of 1974, was then working as a teacher 
  
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  at a rural high school nearby.  Every time there was a holiday, and especially over the summer 
  vacation, he would drive his family to Elkhorn (his home town) for some hard-won time at play.  
  James himself would then drive over to Lake Geneva to play D&D with Gary.  This would 
  eventually lead to Mr. Ward writing Dungeons & Dragons Supplement IV:  Gods, Demi-Gods and Heroes 
  (co-authored with Rob Kuntz), and his later hiring by TSR in June of 1980. [28-31] 
  James also shared a new draft manuscript (40 pages in length) [28-32] with Gary in the summer 
  of 1975:  his finished version of the long-planned science fiction variant to Dungeons & Dragons.  This 
  draft was largely inspired by the Brian Aldiss novel Starship, and featured James’s personal 
  invention of the colony starship Warden. [28-33] 
  James noted that Gary, in reading and welcoming the manuscript, had “lots of suggestions” for 
  its improvement. [28-34]  Apparently Gary said, “Well, this is good, but I need twice as much copy.” 
  Thus encouraged, and with much more work to be done, James would begin rewriting the 
  materials which would soon become the Metamorphosis Alpha game. 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  Gary was busily designing games as well.  Boot Hill was published in the summer, in Don Kaye’s 
  honor.  (The publication date is listed as July 1st.) [28-35]  Gary realized that the Wild West game 
  was rather limited, and acutely aware of its limitations.  “The premise was good, I believe,” he later 
  reflected, “and some of the mechanics as well.  What the game lacked was sufficient RPG elements 
  — various other skills and PC development for certain.” [28-36] 
  Boot Hill would receive significant (and yet sporadic) support in the years to come, greatly 
  embellishing its original conception.  Today it is remembered as a trailblazing model which would 
  inspire later Wild West RPGs such as Aces & Eights and Deadlands. 
  Ken St. Andre, meanwhile, had quickly written the Tunnels & Trolls game to compete with 
  Dungeons & Dragons.  Sales of this inexpensive game would begin in early July, and then continue 
  via Origins I beginning on July 25th. [28-37]  June 1975 also marks the debut of Lee Gold’s long-
  running and esteemed fanzine, Alarums & Excursions. [28-38] 
  To those who are unfamiliar, Lee Gold was certainly one of the most influential women in the 
  burgeoning mid-70s role-playing scene.  She first learned about Dungeons & Dragons from her 
  
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  friends Owen and Hilda Hannifen, and she and her husband were able to garner a photocopied set 
  of the rules. [28-39] 
  Lee promptly wrote a check and sent it off to TSR (to get a D&D brown box as quickly as 
  possible), and the Golds set about playing and tinkering with their curious new contraption right 
  away.  Alarums & Excursions would be the imagination engine through which the Golds, and many 
  other West Coast D&D players, learned about shared this baffling new game and its limitless 
  potential. 
  Some of the promise of this new fanzine was realized right away.  A&E issue #1 included 
  thoughtful articles such as “Thoughts on Keeping Magic-Users Within Bounds,” balanced by more 
  light-hearted fare like “Music to Loot Dungeons By.”  Fandom was erupting everywhere.  D&D 
  was growing beyond all of its earlier imagined boundaries, but it was also growing far beyond 
  Gary’s own ability to control. 
  There were legal problems brewing as well.  The estate of Edgar Rice Burroughs objected to the 
  sale of Warriors of Mars, and TSR was forced to quietly let the game die.  Gary once wrote that the 
  game was not pulled from publication; rather, it was simply allowed to lapse out of print. [28-40]  
  This unannounced and permanent sell-out probably occurred in the middle or late summer of 1974, 
  with the estate complaint perhaps being received in June or thereabouts. [28-41] 
  But even while losing Warriors of Mars, TSR was surging forward with sales of D&D material 
  and miniatures.  As noted later by Tim Kask, the Greyhawk Supplement “was a big success.” [28-42] 
  The exact number of print copies for Greyhawk is unknown, but it certainly sold very well 
  throughout March-December 1975.  In fact, Rob Kuntz has mentioned that the long-term sell-
  through of Greyhawk was approximately 90% of the number of D&D boxed sales!  Since there were 
  thousands of boxed D&D copies printed by this time, it is likely that the first printing was over 1,000 
  copies.  Strong demand continued, and forced the second printing soon after.  The second printing 
  would be released in July. [28-43] 
  The huge sales surge caused by the third printing catapulted TSR into an entirely new realm of 
  financial success.  As Gary once reported, “When we finished our first fiscal year back in 1975, we 
  … [had] gross sales of … about $50,000.” [28-44]  Gary once defined TSR’s fiscal year as running 
  “through June,” [28-45] which we can hopefully interpret as meaning from July 1st of one year and 
  on through June 30th of the year following.  $50,000 (if accurate) is indeed a truly remarkable figure, 
  especially considering that on June 2nd, 1974 Gary had estimated the worth of TSR at a mere $6,000.  
  There was still a dark cloud at the core of this silver lining, since TSR as of mid-July still owed the 
  
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  printers about $6,000. [28-46]  But nevertheless, the company was now growing by leaps and 
  bounds. 
  The game would become even more popular when Gary and crew promoted their wares at the 
  first Origins Game Fair later that summer.  Gary planned for a D&D tournament dungeon to be run 
  by his son Ernie, and was creating his scenario for that express purpose.  To prepare the dungeon 
  for external play, however, he would need to test it.  He used his Tomb of Horrors dungeon, the 
  one originally inspired by Alan Lucien, and asked his son Ernie and Rob’s brother Terry to test the 
  dungeon with their most powerful characters.  These initial play tests were brief affairs, however.  
  “Tenser retreated from the perilous place,” Gary reported, “as did Terik.” [28-47] 
  Apparently Tenser braved the tomb for a short while looking for treasure, but when “Tenser 
  saw the nature of the tomb he simply retired from it, not caring to risk life and limb for whatever 
  treasure it might hold.” [28-48] 
  Gary next turned to his most audacious player.  He needed to get the new dungeon perfected 
  before Origins, and there was of course only one character left who might prove his mettle in the 
  deadly Tomb:  Lord Robilar.  When Gary told Rob that he wanted to test out a lethal new dungeon 
  level, Rob was understandably wary. [28-49] 
  Rob agreed to test the dungeon, but in so doing he decided that Lord Robilar would take a small 
  group of companions with him.  Rob remembered that he had taken a mere five orcish flunkies 
  along, but in a contemporary letter Gary stated that it was more along the lines of 14 orcs and an 
  additional couple of low-level henchmen. [28-50] 
  For the purposes of HAWK & MOOR’s ongoing efforts at establishing a firmer chronology for 
  events in the Greyhawk campaign, it is also worth noting that at this time, Lord Robilar was an evil 
  13th level fighter. [28-51]  Therefore, and considering Rob’s recollections that Robilar turned evil in 
  the middle of 1974, I estimate that the Tomb of Horrors play test occurred in either late June or early 
  July.  At this time, Robilar was very well equipped with a bag of holding, a flying carpet, a girdle 
  of storm giant strength, +3 plate mail, a ring of invisibility, elven boots, a ring of spell turning, a +3 
  shield, and his trusty +3 sword. [28-52] 
  At the beginning of the play test for the Tomb, Robilar mustered his orcs.  Per Gary:  “Those orcs 
  were Robilar’s servitors, his guards in a manner of speaking. Although he forced them into service, 
  they were paid and so generally were wiling troops.  Of course in the Tomb of Horrors they were 
  less than willing, and Robilar prodded them at sword point along the entry corridor.” [28-53] 
  
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  Robilar was particularly suspicious at one point, and ordered an orc to advance further along 
  the corridor.  The orc refused.  Robilar immediately killed him, and the other orcs then realized that 
  they could not defy their Lord’s orders without facing a similarly thankless end. [28-54]  One by 
  one, Robilar’s distraught companions were ordered to walk ahead of the group, and each fell to a 
  grisly death. [28-55]  None of these poor souls survived the entry passage into the demi-lich’s tomb. 
  [28-56] 
  Their lives ran out just as Robilar reached the end of the beginning, it seems:  “I knew Rob’s 
  thinking so well ... Robilar bodily tossed the last of his orcish force through the demon mouth at the 
  end of the corridor, drew the correct conclusion about that little device, and went on alone from 
  there to find the tomb chamber.” [28-57]  From that point forward, the evil Lord Robilar was on his 
  own. 
  After many trials, Robilar managed to find the true tomb of the demi-lich.  But the demi-lich 
  encounter was designed in such a way that it demanded provocation.  Any adventurer with a death 
  wish could confront the ancient fiend, but any brilliant (and greedy) dungeon delver could simply 
  dash in and steal the undead thing’s treasure before the spirit had a chance to coalesce.  Even the 
  published version of the Tomb of Horrors carries a hint of this in its text:  “If the treasure in the 
  crypt is touched, the dust swirls into the air and forms a man-like shape.  If this shape is ignored, it 
  will dissipate in 3 rounds, for it can only advance and threaten, not harm.” [28-58] 
  Robilar, however, had already learned his lesson about touching ultra-powerful dormant 
  godlings when he had encountered the Nine in the dungeons below Castle Greyhawk.  (Refer to 
  Book II of HAWK & MOOR for that tale.)  So this time, he had an entirely different tactic in mind.  
  As soon as he got there, Robilar grabbed all of the magical treasure that he could, stuffed it into his 
  bag of holding, and fled.  A confrontation with the demi-lich was strictly avoided and he left with 
  all haste using magical boots of speed. [28-59] 
  Gary was confounded and foiled.  He noted later with admiration, “Rob Kuntz, in his game 
  persona as a 13th level (evil) lord went through the entire tomb in four hours actual time.” [28-60]  
  It may have been a cheesy victory, but a player who fairly outsmarts the Dungeon Master deserves 
  a great reward! 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  
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  At about this same time, in early July of 1975, The Strategic Review #3 was published with a cover 
  date of “Autumn 1975.”  This issue has become known in some collector circles as the “Monster 
  Issue,” because it includes the first appearances of many now-classic monsters:  the yeti, ghost, 
  shambling mound, leprechaun, naga, wind walker, shrieker, piercer, and lurker above. 
  Some of these monsters are D&D-specific interpretations of folkloric precedents, while others 
  are unique to Gary’s dungeons.  The ghost is a surprisingly late edition to the game, considering 
  that more obscure creatures such as the ghoul were already in play.  Leprechauns were chosen to 
  go along with pixies, sprites and other faerie folk, probably as a tribute to Gary’s fond recollection 
  of the Teenie Weenies from childhood.  The yeti may have been on Gary’s mind because of the bigfoot 
  sighting tales which were in the media that summer; for example, on July 5th and 6th, articles were 
  printed noting that the US Army Engineer Corps had acknowledged the potential existence of 
  Sasquatch in Washington State. [28-61] 
  The other monsters in TSR #3 are more esoteric.  The naga may have been designed for the 
  Cathay adventures.  Perhaps Tenser encountered them, or Terik, but this is speculation.  Gary’s 
  conception of the naga may have been drawn from Fabulous Beasts and Demons by Heinz Mode, a 
  bestiary within the collection of the Lake Geneva library.  The wind walker was perhaps inspired 
  by Boreas and the lesser wind spirits in Greek mythology (Zephyrus, Notus, Eurus, and so forth).  
  To this day it is one of the most obscure monsters in the classic game; even Gary once admitted that 
  later in life he encountered a wind walker in a dungeon, and despite being the monster’s creator he 
  could not remember the creature’s weaknesses, and so his character was forced to flee. [28-62] 
  The lurker above is a meta-game monster designed to annoy players like Terry Kuntz, who 
  hated to be ambushed.  Terry started using the words “I look up, down, and all around” whenever 
  Terik would enter a new room, and Gary would surely have loved to torture him with a 
  camouflaged ceiling monster.  “The thought of placing a trapper on the floor with a lurker above 
  overhead made me laugh a good deal,” Gary once recalled, “and of course I did just that in my own 
  dungeon levels.” [28-63] 
  The piercer was probably developed along the same lines as the lurker above, but it was 
  perfectly designed for cave environments.  The shrieker monster is difficult to place, but perhaps 
  Gary created it to force wandering monster rolls in rooms even when players were moving their 
  characters quickly and efficiently.  Perhaps they were present in Alice’s Dungeonland, and may 
  have been partly inspired by the giant mushroom forest scenes in Journey to the Center of the Earth, 
  by Jules Verne.  But the real source of inspiration for the shrieker was the Lanier novel, Hiero’s 
  Journey. 
  
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  The shambling mound is one of the more mysterious monsters found in the early game.  Gary 
  noted that the monster was derived “Strictly from ‘The Heap’ in Airboy Comics, of which I was a 
  great fan.” [28-64]  Confusion would arise in 1977 over the monster’s origin, as the illustration in 
  the Monster Manual is clearly influenced by the Man-Thing from an entirely different line of comics.  
  Rob Kuntz later noted that the “shambler” was first encountered by Robilar during the Journey to 
  the City of the Gods adventure, as Dungeon Mastered by Dave Arneson. 
  In addition to The Strategic Review and the Tomb, TSR was also busy developing M. A. R. Barker’s 
  Empire of the Petal Throne RPG for its Origins debut.  Gary noted in TSR #3, “By the time you are 
  reading this Professor M. A. R. Barker’s incomparable fantasy campaign game EMPIRE OF THE 
  PETAL THRONE will be nearing completion.  It should be released around mid-July or perhaps a 
  bit later, and it will be the ultimate in fantasy gaming.”  The print run of this ambitious release 
  would total 2,000 copies. [28-65] 
  This issue also noted that character sheets were now available, with a TSR version of such play 
  aids soon to follow: “John Van de Graaf has developed an efficient system which allows referees 
  and players to keep track of their character data.  TSR is at work along somewhat similar lines with 
  an aim towards making such forms available for purchase.”  Other outsider products offered 
  include in TSR #3 include The Siege of Minas Tirith (by Fact and Fantasy Games of Maryland Heights, 
  Missouri), The Battle of Five Armies and The Battle of Helm’s Deep.  Promotions for these minor 
  Tolkien-inspired wargames would prove to be short-lived, however, due to another legal challenge 
  TSR would face in late 1977. 
  The preparations for Origins continued throughout June and July.  “We are getting ready to run 
  some D&D tournament games at Origins I,” Gary noted, “and from what A[valon] H[ill] says 
  [concerning preregistrations] the games will be filled to capacity.” [28-66] 
  Immediately before Origins (on July 19th), TSR officially incorporated in the state of Wisconsin. 
  [28-67] 
  This new company would be known as TSR Hobbies, Inc.  The corporation assumed the Gygax-
  Kaye-Blume partnership’s former business rights, responsibilities and liabilities, which would 
  fatefully include the Gygax-Arneson royalty agreement for sales of Dungeons & Dragons. [28-68] 
  A new division under the direction of Brian Blume, TSR Hobbies proper, was formed as well.  
  Gary announced that the division “will soon have a catalog with no less than 150 different 
  miniatures for fantasy gaming — as well as other goodies.” [28-69] 
  
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  During this time, Gary needed to decide upon a new logo for the company.  Sadly the G-K logo, 
  following Don Kaye’s passing, no longer bore relevance to the passing eyes of most outside 
  observers.  Therefore, an evocative piece of artwork would be chosen as TSR’s logo for new releases.  
  The piece eventually selected was a lizard man illustrated by Greg Bell, which had appeared in the 
  Greyhawk Supplement.  Tim Kask once speculated that David C. Sutherland III may have been 
  responsible for redoing the artwork in cleaner fashion, so that it could be cleanly reproduced in a 
  smaller scale. [28-70]  The Acaeum indicates that the lizard man logo was created in July of 1975.  
  However, the logo would not see widespread use until September. [28-71] 
  In the interim, Gary and Ernie and others traveled to Avalon Hill’s enormous con.  The Origins 
  I gaming convention was held at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.  “Now, for the 
  first time ever,” the advertisements boasted (pointedly ignoring the precedent of Gen Con), “this 
  hobby gets it all together in one BIG package by way of the largest, most lavish, most exciting 
  convention ever seen.”  Even more pointedly, Origins would be “professionally planned and 
  executed.” [28-72] 
  And as Tim Kask would later note — if the reader has not already noted the obvious — “Origins 
  was formed by the board gamers as a counter to Gen Con.” [28-73]  The location for Origins was 
  not appreciated by everyone who traveled there.  As one attendee noted, “Baltimore, outside Johns 
  Hopkins, is a slum.”  The available sleeping rooms apparently consisted of “un-air-conditioned 
  ‘coffin singles.’” [28-74]  Many gamers suffered in the summer heat. 
  TSR offered two significant new products at Origins I:  the Dungeon! game (yes, David Megarry’s 
  Pasha Cada finally made it into print, with David receiving a 5% royalty), and M. A. R. Barker’s 
  Empire of the Petal Throne.  The initial print run for Dungeon! was 3,000 copies. [28-75] 
  Petal Throne’s advertising would proudly proclaim, “J. R. R. Tolkien would be envious!” [28-76]  
  Petal Throne sold particularly well, despite being offered for the exorbitant sum of $25 (the 
  equivalent of about $110 in 2014).  Gygax and Barker would later have a falling out, because the 
  Professor realized that TSR would never promote Petal Throne as extensively as it did Dungeons & 
  Dragons.  But for a time (particularly from 1975 to 1977), Barker’s beautiful game was considered to 
  be the state of the art in fantasy role-playing game design. [28-77] 
  Gary’s Tomb of Horrors was, as noted, used for the official Dungeons & Dragons tournament. [28-
  78]  The original player introduction to the tournament version of the manuscript reads as follows: 
  “Somewhere under a lost and lonely hill of grim aspect lies a labyrinthine crypt.  It is filled with 
  terrible traps and not a few strange and awful monsters.  It is filled with treasures both precious 
  
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  and magical.  Besides the aforementioned guards there is a lich himself who guards his final haunt, 
  and it is said that his powers make him nearly undefeatable.  It is doubtful that any party will 
  succeed in penetrating to his chamber, however, for the way is fraught with terrible traps, poison 
  gases of various bad effects, traps [sic] and magical protections.  Only large and very well-prepared 
  parties should even consider attempting the location of this horrid place, and they must be 
  powerful, varied in nature of class, have many magical protections, and equip themselves with 
  every safety device imaginable.” [28-79] 
  The tournament version is also interesting because while the published 1978 version of the Tomb 
  suggests that the crypt is hidden in the lands of the Flanaess, the tournament version hints that the 
  crypt might be in Blackmoor, either on “an island lying 100 miles east of Blackmoor” or deep within 
  “the highest hill in the Egg of Coot.” [28-80]  Clearly, in 1975 Gary was still infatuated with Dave 
  Arneson’s campaign! 
  Both Gary and his son Ernie Dungeon Mastered the parties for the fifteen-person tournament 
  sessions.  Most of the Origins attendees did not fit into the official tournament, due to its flawed 
  and restricted access, but it was reported that many other impromptu sessions of D&D were played 
  at various tables throughout the University’s Levering Hall. 
  Gary would later praise Avalon Hill for the success of Origins:  “For a first-time event,” he wrote, 
  “it seemed nearly perfect.”  However, due to AH’s competitive nature in promoting the event he 
  also wrote, “We will allow no other event to steal Gen Con’s glory.” [28-81] 
  He was also annoyed to find that “Gen Con, with a history of eight solid years of service to 
  hobbyists from all over the North American continent, was passed off as a ‘miniatures’ gathering 
  of a ‘regional’ nature.  Origins, the gaming public was told, was a national convention featuring 
  board games.” [28-82] 
  A little while after the con, Gary would broadcast (and not without reason) his belief that 
  “Fantasy gaming is being ignored and concealed by the folks at AH and SPI (and that isn’t too 
  surprising, for who wishes to plug a competitive game which is sweeping through the hobby?).” 
  [28-83] 
  The rivalry would grow much worse in the future, but for that moment in late July of 1975, 
  Avalon Hill and TSR stood warily eye to eye with the field of wargaming conventions shared 
  between them. 
   
   
  
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  Footnotes and Annotations 
  for Chapter 28 
   
  [28-1] United States District Court (Fourth Division, Minnesota) Civil Action 4-79-109, Arneson 
  v. Gygax. 
  [28-2] United States District Court (Fourth Division, Minnesota) Civil Action 4-79-109, Arneson 
  v. Gygax. 
  [28-3] The Strategic Review, issue #2, pg. 4. 
  [28-4] Dragon magazine, issue #67, pg. 66. 
  See also Blog of Holding, “The First Grapple Rules,” posted March 28th, 2013. 
  [28-5] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part III.  Posted May 2nd, 2003. 
  See also Part V, Posted January 25th, 2004. 
  [28-6] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot forums, “The origins of the roper, xorn and otyugh.” 
  [28-7] For all of the sordid details, please refer to “Battle Beyond the Sun” at Wikipedia.org, 
  “Francis Ford Coppola early works” at directorsseries.tumblr.com, and the Battle Beyond the Sun 
  video at trailersfromhell.com. 
  [28-8] Catalog of Copyright Entries, Library of Congress, Copyright Office. 
  [28-9] The Strategic Review, issue #2, pg. 8. 
  See also War of Wizards at boardgamegeek.com. 
  [28-10] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part XIII.  Posted May 20th, 2007. 
  [28-11] RPG.net interview with Gary Gygax, part 1 of 3. 
  [28-12] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part V.  Posted January 25th, 2004. 
  [28-13] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part XIII.  Posted May 18th, 2007. 
  [28-14] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part XIII.  Posted May 18th, 2007. 
  [28-15] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part XIII.  Posted May 20th, 2007. 
  
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  [28-16] Acaeum.com, Original D&D Set. 
  [28-17] Online web forum post:  the Quarterofthree/CGM interview with Gary Gygax. 
  [28-18] The publisher is sometimes mentioned as Hinchliffe, but the confusion can be cleared up 
  by referring to an advertisement featured in The Dragon #4:  Hinchliffe was the English company 
  that manufactured miniatures.  Meanwhile, Heritage Models, Inc. of Dallas, Texas was the 
  American manufacturer of their products.  Perhaps the costs of metals and/or figurine production 
  were such that it was cheaper for Hinchliffe to license their business to Heritage for sales in the 
  United States, instead of exporting figures from the UK. 
  [28-19] Dragon Annual #4, pg. 10. 
  [28-20] Online web forum post:  the Quarterofthree/CGM interview with Gary Gygax, Dragon 
  Annual #4 pg. 10, The Dragon #22 pg. 29, and Illinois Entertainer, August 1983. 
  [28-21] RPGConsortium.com. 
  [28-22] Dragon Annual #4, pg. 10. 
  [28-23] RPGConsortium.com. 
  [28-24] Dragon Annual #4, pg. 10. 
  [28-25] Dragon Annual #4, pp. 10-11. 
  [28-26] Dragon Annual #4, pg. 10. 
  [28-27] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part I.  Posted September 20th, 
  2002. 
  [28-28] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, posted May 25th, 2006. 
  [28-29] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  Posted April 27th, 2007. 
  [28-30] The Ultimate Interview with Gary Gygax, by Ciro Alessandro Sacco. 
  [28-31] The Dragonsfoot interview with James M. Ward. 
  See also Polyhedron, issue #3, pg. 7. 
  [28-32] Polyhedron, issue #3, pg. 7. 
  [28-33] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with James M. Ward. 
  [28-34] Metamorphosisalpha.net, “Rough notes, proto-MA.” 
  See also Polyhedron, issue #3, pg. 7. 
  
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  [28-35] Catalog of Copyright Entries, Library of Congress, Copyright Office. 
  [28-36] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  Posted June 13th, 2007. 
  [28-37] Tunnels & Trolls.com, “The origins of Tunnels and Trolls.” 
  [28-38] Grognardia interview with Lee Gold. 
  [28-39] Online interview:  Grognardia, “An Interview with Lee Gold.”  Posted April 18th, 2009. 
  [28-40] Online web forum post:  Refer to the thread “True ‘Jumped the Shark’ Bidding.” 
  [28-41] Playing at the World by Jon Peterson, pg. 478. 
  [28-42] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  Posted October 7th, 2010. 
  [28-43] Acaeum.com, D&D Supplements. 
  [28-44] The Dragon, issue #35, pg. 12. 
  [28-45] The Dragon, issue #69, pg. 23. 
  [28-46] Online web forum post:  The Acaeum.com, “Was Greyhawk Printed in Feb. ’75?” 
  [28-47] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part X.  Posted June 4th, 2006. 
  [28-48] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part XIII.  Posted June 28th, 2007. 
  [28-49] RPG.stackexchange.com, “How did Robilar plunder the Tomb of Horrors?” 
  [28-50] Alarums & Excursions, issue #15, and the Dragonsfoot forum thread “Prisoners.” 
  [28-51] Alarums & Excursions, issue #15. 
  [28-52] Rogues Gallery, and the Dragonsfoot forum thread “Prisoners.” 
  [28-53] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot forums, “Lake Geneva campaign.” 
  [28-54] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot forums, “Lake Geneva campaign.” 
  [28-55] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part X. 
  See also the Pied Piper Publishing forums, “Tomb of Horrors.” 
  [28-56] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part X. 
  [28-57] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot forums, “Lake Geneva campaign.” 
  [28-58] Dungeon Module S1, Tomb of Horrors. 
  
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  [28-59] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot forums, “Famous survivors of the Tomb of 
  Horrors” and “Lake Geneva campaign.” 
  See also ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A Part IX, posted August 31st, 2005; and Part XIII, posted 
  June 28th, 2007. 
  [28-60] Alarums & Excursions, issue #15. 
  [28-61] Bigfootbuzz.net, “Army Corp of Engineers officially recognized Bigfoot.” 
  [28-62] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part V.  Posted February 8th, 2004. 
  [28-63] Online web forum post:  ENWorld forums, “Gygaxian monsters.” 
  [28-64] Online web forum post:  ENWorld forums, “Gygaxian monsters.” 
  [28-65] Online web forum post:  The Acaeum.com, “Was Greyhawk Printed Feb. ’75?” 
  [28-66] The Strategic Review #3. 
  [28-67] United States District Court (Fourth Division, Minnesota) Civil Action 4-79-109, Arneson 
  v. Gygax. 
  [28-68] United States District Court (Fourth Division, Minnesota) Civil Action 4-79-109, Arneson 
  v. Gygax. 
  [28-69] The Strategic Review, issue #3 and White Dwarf, issue #14. 
  [28-70] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask. 
  [28-71] Acaeum.com, D&D Supplements. 
  [28-72] The Strategic Review, issue #2. 
  [28-73] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  Posted May 23rd, 2007. 
  [28-74] Alarums & Excursions, issue #4. 
  [28-75] Online web forum post:  The Acaeum.com, “Was Greyhawk Printed Feb. ’75?” 
  [28-76] The Strategic Review, issue #4. 
  [28-77] Readers who are interested in Barker’s setting beyond its influence on D&D are 
  encouraged to visit the excellent Tékumel Foundation website. 
  [28-78] The Dragon #21, and the cover of Dungeon Module S1, Tomb of Horrors. 
  
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  [28-79] Havard’s Blackmoor Blog, “Blackmoor References in the Tomb of Horror Prime.”  Posted 
  November 3rd, 2010. 
  [28-80] Havard’s Blackmoor Blog, “Blackmoor References in the Tomb of Horror Prime.”  Posted 
  November 3rd, 2010. 
  [28-81] The Strategic Review, issue #5. 
  [28-82] Dragon, issue #65. 
  [28-83] The Strategic Review, issue #7. 
   
   
  
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  CHAPTER 29 
   
  bloodlines 
  and legacies 
   
  (august 1975) 
   
   
  
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  OTHER GRISLY battles, however, were waged at the con itself.  After participating in Gary’s Tomb 
  of Horrors tournament, one of the players there (Mark Swanson) wrote an entertaining article for 
  Alarums & Excursions which would be published in issue #4.  For the reader’s entertainment, I will 
  provide a full summary here: 
  There were fifteen players at the table, but only four of the ones in Swanson’s group had past 
  D&D experience.  The dungeon was designed by Gary as an ultra-difficult death trap.  Swanson’s 
  session was run by Ernie as referee.  Ernie handed out the characters to the assembled players, 
  alphabetically by player name (so that players could not aggressively cherry pick the strongest 
  characters for themselves).  These included:  two clerics (levels 6 and 10, a Patriarch); six fighters 
  (levels 4, 5, 6, 7, 7 and 7 (dwarf), with the level 4 fighter having a strength of 18/80); two magic-users 
  (levels 6 and 12); one paladin (level 8); and two thieves (level 5 Hobbit, and level 9 human).  There 
  were also two multi-classed elves, a fighter 4 / magic-user 6, and a cleric 4 / fighter 4 / magic-user 4 
  which was apparently very surprising to Mr. Swanson (as elves were not supposed to be clerics, to 
  his mind).  Each character had one or two magic items; Mark’s magic-user had boots of levitation. 
  Mark, as one of the most experienced players, took the caller’s spot.  For such a large group, a 
  caller would be necessary to declare the other players’ actions to the referee.  This would speed 
  play, and time is always at a critical shortage in a gaming con situation.  Another experienced player 
  named Paul Bean selected spells for all of the magic-users in the group (including the one to be 
  played by Mark), while Mark explained that basic concepts of D&D to the novice players.  I have 
  difficulty imagining what those 11 nubile souls went through, playing through the Tomb of Horrors 
  as their very first game … the term “lambs to the slaughter” comes immediately to mind, but with 
  a grin of more of bemusement than of empathy! 
  The adventurers found themselves in front of a creepy barrow set into a misty hill in the middle 
  of a swamp, and so they lit their torches and went inside.  A few false entrances were plodded 
  through before the group found the real way into the depths of the tomb.  Observing the murals 
  and bas reliefs, Mark assumed that the tomb was of Egyptian origin and theme (which might be a 
  clue to the monsters encountered therein).  The elves searched for secret doors and traps, but found 
  none.  Declaring the way safe, the party marched forward and the two fighters in the front plunged 
  into a pit filled with poisonous spikes and died most horribly. 
  Welcome, new friends, to the wonderful world of Dungeons & Dragons! 
  The bodies were dragged out and the party argued about whether the sacred Patriarch should 
  raise the dead with twelve other companions still alive.  Wizard Swanson, being a pragmatic and 
  goodly fellow, declared that the bodies should be shoved back into the pit (Double impale!  Fatality!  
  
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  Fatality!) for later recovery.  “Neither the Paladin nor the Patriarch protested,” he duly wrote in his 
  report.  Being more than mostly dead, it is likely that neither of the fighting men protested either.  
  A Locate Traps spell was finally used, and more pits were revealed under the resulting arcane 
  haloes of ghostly light.  The group avoided these most carefully, and soon discovered the ominous 
  devil mouth at the corridor’s end. 
  The mouth was quite a quandary.  “Things shoved in it,” Mark sagely noted, “did not return.”  
  There was also a strange archway to one side, filled with coils of sapphire mist.  Paul’s level 7 human 
  fighter volunteered to journey through the mist, and Dungeon Master Ernie politely escorted Paul 
  outside.  Mark had by now decided that Paul was the only other player at the table worth a … 
  copper piece, and so seizing an advantage over the gullible he ordered the entire party to march 
  through the misty arch. 
  The Patriarch and the level 7 dwarf fighter refused this order, and so Ernie escorted those players 
  out of the game room and brought Paul back in.  The remaining adventurers found themselves in 
  a small room with three levers set into the wall.  Wizard Swanson did not like this, not at all.  
  Suspecting another pit trap, he had the adventurers hammer iron spikes into the walls and stand 
  upon them (so that if the floor fell out, no one would fall … at least, not right away).  Various levers 
  were then pulled, in many confounding combinations.  Sure enough, when all three levers were 
  yanked into the down position, the floor collapsed and a 100’-deep pit was revealed.  The group 
  promptly pushed all three levers into the up position, which opened a crawlspace in the ceiling.  
  The adventurers carefully clambered up the spikes and walls, and safely escaped the chamber of 
  the pit.  Presumably, loincloths were then changed. 
  Ernie then went to confer with the players of the Patriarch and the dwarf.  These two were sat 
  back down.  They immediately decided that they should follow after their fellows, and so they 
  traipsed through the sapphire mist and into open air, where — perhaps with shared and 
  momentary look of “Oh sh##” and matching a pair of Wylie E. Coyote frowns — plummeted a 
  hundred feet into the abyss. 
  There were, as we state in polite accounts, sadly no survivors of this inexplicable tragedy.  On 
  with the body count! 
  Meanwhile, the survivors had crawled up into a higher passageway.  They discovered a new 
  room in which there were three promising-looking treasure chests:  one of wood, one of silver, and 
  one of gold.  All were opened.  One contained a monstrous animated skeleton, which was quickly 
  overwhelmed and slain.  Another contained pit vipers, which were stomped and hacked to bits.  
  The third contained a magic ring “with white dust inside” its inner rim.  The Hobbit thief, being a 
  
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  Hobbit thief, took the ring and refused to blow out the powder.  And so the Hobbit put on the 
  ominous ring (Bad literary precedent?  Why, dear reader, whatever do you mean?), gasped, and 
  died. 
  Contact poison is a bitch.  Body count?  Five and counting. 
  The ten survivors, perhaps lamenting never asking the Hobbit companion for second breakfast, 
  left the room.  The elves searched for secret doors again, but still found nothing, and so the group 
  found themselves back in a spiked pit in which the doubly-impaled bodies of two poor fighters 
  were displayed.  The Wizard Swanson gave a mighty sigh and declared that the party should leave 
  this accursed place, forever.  He was ignored. 
  The rest of the fellowship searched some more, and found a new pit.  Paul’s fighter, taking 
  control of the situation, plummeted and measured the density of the pit’s floor with his helmeted 
  head.  Fortunately, the helm’s contents were thicker than the stone floor, and so he survived “with 
  only bruises.” 
  One of the wittier players decided that the group should chisel some of the plaster reliefs off of 
  the walls, and so a hidden door was found.  Preparing for glory, the delvers marched down a new 
  corridor and encountered two giant gargoyles.  These nasty fiends were dispatched with violence 
  and “difficulty,” because in all of the excitement none of the players could remember what magic 
  items and spells their characters had.  Charm Person proved ineffective against one gargoyle (not 
  the Personable sort, apparently), but another fell in a flash of brilliance (and stroke of genius) when 
  a javelin of lightning was hurled into its stony flesh.  The mighty victors thus acquired two precious 
  collars, each worth a whopping 500 gold pieces. 
  The triumphant treasure seekers galumphed further into the tomb, and discovered a maze of 
  “10’ square rooms with walls that pivoted vertically, horizontally, slip up, down, and sideways.”  
  This was entirely too much for the players to comprehend, and the fighter with 18/80 strength was 
  finally called upon to smash a hole in the wall.  The hole led into another corridor, another 
  crawlspace, and finally an eerie chapel.  The chapel featured an altar which the Paladin declared a 
  vile and unholy thing.  Wisely, none of the other adventurers dared to touch it. 
  Nearby was another sinister archway, this one filled with a whirling ochre mist.  The level 6 
  cleric (now the only cleric, his companion having become a Patriarchal pancake some time ago) 
  walked straight through the mists, and out came his Antimatter Universe opposite:  a level 6 female 
  Anti-Cleric, perhaps sporting Spock’s beard and a Satanic unholy symbol.  The Anti-Cleric saw her 
  arch-nemesis — the Paladin — and hurled a curse at him.  The Paladin was not amused, and so he 
  
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  chivalrously upended the Anti-Cleric and hurled her back through the mist.  Out popped the good 
  cleric once again, dazed, bruised, and thoroughly confused. 
  Meanwhile, back in Origins and the real world, the players were given a five-minute warning.  
  The game was about to end!  The group tried to run through the unexplored regions of the labyrinth, 
  but Gary called out that the game was over.  Many of the great Wizard Swanson’s companions, it 
  seems, were not considered worthy of ascension into the final round. 
  Oh, well. 
  Finishing up his report, Mark offered his own opinion on Gygaxian play:  “Play a Gygax game 
  if you like pits, secret doors and dungeon roulette.  Play a game such as in Alarums & Excursions if 
  you prefer monsters, talking … and a more exciting game.  … Gary can defend himself.  I felt no 
  real desire for a second, similar game.” [29-1] 
  Which is truly unfortunate, because I find Mr. Swanson’s play report to be hilarious. 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  Amusing play continued in Gary’s own Greyhawk campaign as well.  It seems likely that Gary 
  and Ernie resumed serious play after Origins, with Ernie’s Tenser character being mostly retired.  
  To replace Tenser and to continue his wily legacy, Ernie rolled up Erac, a lawful good human magic-
  user born of another bloodline.  Erac first adventured in the ruins of Greyhawk Castle, and 
  eventually made his was down into the gigantic “new” dungeons which had been developed by 
  Gary and Rob. [29-2] 
  Erac is believed to have attained at least the 8th experience level, because he is mentioned as an 
  Enchanter in the tale of the Expedition to the Black Reservoir.  His favorite treasures were a silver 
  horn of Valhalla, and a wand of fear. 
  The tale of Erac’s trials upon the shadowed waters is told here … 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  One ominous morning, Erac set out to the ruins of Castle Greyhawk with three companions:  
  Londlar (a cleric, specifically a level 7 lama), his henchman Nulfyke (dwarf fighting man, level 3 
  
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  swordsman) and Ugubb of the Lake of Crystals (Londlar’s acolyte, a level 1 cleric with questionable 
  survival instincts).  They passed through the west gate and into the ruins, found the eastern stairs 
  down, descended, and came to a cave filled with phosphorescent lichen.  Here, more than twenty 
  elves were on guard.  The redesigned Castle Greyhawk had descents that were protected by small 
  bodies of troops, which prevented most of the subterranean monsters from crawling out to the 
  surface.  For this service, they frequently charged adventurers going down an arm and a leg. 
  Erac struck a deal for his group:  He would pay nothing to get by, but if he returned, he would 
  pay the elves in coin and give them a magic item.  The deal was struck, and the adventurers 
  descended further.  They found a secret way down to an unexplored side level off of dungeon level 
  four, [29-3] where moisture was dripping from the walls.  The humidity and darkness grew as 
  together they descended another staircase and then looked out in wonder through a black expanse, 
  a void of swirling mists. 
  Exploring carefully, they realized that they were standing upon a precarious ledge overlooking 
  a vast underground lake.  Gary had designed this area with Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the 
  Earth in mind.  The adventurers discovered a moored raft.  Erac wanted to use it, but Londlar wisely 
  said that they should explore further to make certain that there were no monsters or other perilous 
  foes nearby. 
  They went west and further down the shore, through the vast cavern, traversing over 200 feet.  
  They discovered a spiral staircase which led slickly upward through the murk.  A strange clattering 
  sound echoed through the cavern.  They raised their lanterns, and to their horror espied a giant crab 
  scuttling down.  They fled, but the thing did not follow.  It was the guardian of the stairs.  But 
  suddenly, considering the beast incredible size and claws, the raft seemed like a much safer means 
  of travel. 
  So they boarded the raft carefully, and poled out onto the eerie black water of unknown depths.  
  The umbral vapors swirled about their faces.  The poles did not reach the bottom, and a slow current 
  took up the raft and pulled it deeper into the lake.  The adventurers saw a blocky silhouette rising 
  out of the mists, and found that it was the top of a granite pillar sticking high out of the waters’ 
  surface.  The pillar’s top, presumably holding up the great cavern’s ceiling, could not be seen 
  through the vapors overhead.  They used the pillar and their poles to push off in a new direction, 
  and came thence to another pillar, and then another.  They kept pushing away from these, plotting 
  a haphazard course as they tried to determine just how big this enormous Black Reservoir might 
  be. 
  
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  Eventually they came to a stranger place:  there was an oval-shaped barrier, made up of many 
  adjacent pillars, which prevented passage into a central elliptical expanse of water.  They could not 
  see anything inside this barrier zone, but the pillars were too close for them to move the raft into 
  the middle.  They moved around the perimeter of the place, poling carefully, and studied the pillars’ 
  granite sides.  Nulfyke’s skill in stone-craft paid off:  he saw a rusty lever hidden on one of the 
  pillar’s flanks.  The level was pulled, but it was so immense and so soundly stuck that it took the 
  combined strength of Nulfyke, Erac and Ugubb to finally move it. 
  There was a bubbling and hissing sound, as the lever-pillar descended rapidly.  Its summit, once 
  touching the cavern’s roof, descended past the explorers’ eye level and sunk beneath the water’s 
  surface.  The pillar sank so quickly that a little whirlpool formed on the water’s surface, and for a 
  few alarming moments the raft bobbed and swirled along in a burbling pool.  Then there was the 
  sound of bubbles rising, and something slimy rising up out of the depths.  An enormous 
  netherworld serpent lifted its head, freed from its underwater prison!  Nulfyke, Ugubb and Londlar 
  frantically pushed away on the other pillars, but it was slow going.  Erac began to chant a spell.  The 
  raft slowly drifted away, and the giant serpent surged in to snap at these four tasty morsels adrift 
  in its domain. 
  But Erac had been clever.  He had not cast a mere attack spell on the humongous beast, he had 
  granted arcane Haste to his companions!  Their rowing speed intensified, and they gradually pulled 
  away from the hungry monster.  A few precious seconds had been gained, and Erac prepared 
  another spell.  He launched a Fireball straight toward the beast’s open mouth.  The Fireball hit the 
  thing at the base of its neck, and blossomed there in a blinding explosion.  It gave a roar of agony, 
  then plunged its long neck toward Erac.  Vicious fangs closed on the enchanter’s robes, bloodying 
  him badly before he could twist away. 
  The raft had reached the western wall of the great cavern, and the hastened adventurers were 
  able to pole a little faster as they pushed off the slick surface.  Erac pulled out his last hope:  a rod 
  which had been taken “from a quasi-human in another dimension.”  To be more precise, Gary 
  revealed that this was a Dirdir laser pistol, which Erac had recovered while exploring a magical 
  gate in the dungeons which led to the Planet of Adventure. [29-4] 
  Erac triggered the pommel button on this technological wonder of Carabas, and a blue heat ray 
  arced out and boiled the water around the lake monster’s body.  The thing roared more savagely, 
  but it slowed, instinctively moving out of the boiling water.  Erac fired again as his companions 
  desperately poled their way back to shore.  The thing finally retreated underwater.  The relieved 
  adventurers leapt off the raft and back to the shore-ledge.  They were saved! 
  
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  Not quite.  The commotion had stirred awake five pteranodons, which dove down from their 
  hidden aerie to attack.  At the same moment the enraged lake monster lifted its head.  Escape was 
  cut off, and the adventurers arrayed themselves in a battle line along the narrow and slippery ledge. 
  A pteranodon dove at Ugubb, another lunged for Nulfyke.  Londlar fended them off with wild 
  swings of his enchanted mace.  Erac fired the heat ray at the same moment that the lake monster 
  lunged at him with open maw, and the thing’s head boiled and exploded in a sickening spool of 
  unwinding gore. 
  But there were still too many pteranodons to fend off!  Londlar was pummeling one, but two 
  others dragged Ugubb and Nulfyke up off the ledge.  Erac carefully fired the heat ray twice, and 
  blasted the struggling pteranodons off of his companions.  Their fried and twisted wings coiled and 
  hissed, and they plopped messily down into the water. 
  Londlar smashed one of the vile things to pieces, and the crunch of its fragile bones convinced 
  its brethren that this prey was too difficult to tarry with.  The remaining pteranodons swooped 
  away, circling high up into the shrouding vapors once again. 
  Londlar fastened his mace onto his belt.  He laid his palms on each of his wounded comrades in 
  turn, magically healing their wounds with sacred prayers.  The adventurers looked for the raft but 
  it was nowhere to be found.  Perhaps the death throes of the lake monster had dragged it beneath 
  the surface.  Fully mindful of the giant crab, the adventurers changed direction and explored the 
  last expanse of the shoreline ledge.  At its other terminus they found a punt moored in the darkest 
  waters.  They climbed in, and carefully made their way across the unknown deeps once again. 
  In the utmost distance, they discerned the Gothic silhouette of a stony island with a spindly 
  tower set precariously upon its height.  The adventurers made their way to the slimy shore there, 
  carefully moored the punt, and crept out toward the tower’s single entrance.  The door was 
  immense, and Wizard Locked.  Erac cast a Knock spell to open it.  He knew then that the caster of 
  the Wizard Lock was a mage of great power, because his counter-spell barely opened the vast 
  portal.  A few mere inches of space were opened by Erac’s spell.  One by one, the adventurers held 
  their breath and squeezed their way through the opening and into the tower’s ultimate darkness. 
  The single room at the tower’s base held only a few musty and meager furnishings, but the wall 
  revealed a narrow and rising stair.  The group marched up the stairs with weapons drawn.  A 
  trapdoor loomed overhead, and this too was Wizard Locked.  Erac used his last Knock spell to slam 
  this open. 
  
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  Inside was a flabbergasted wizard garbed all in black, shaking his head as he strove to release 
  himself from some infernal meditation.  A censer emitting hot whorls of smoky incense stood before 
  him.  Before he could ready a spell to meet these brash intruders, he was overcome.  Nulfyke and 
  Londlar tied the wizard’s wrists and ankles, and he was gagged so that he could not cast a single 
  spell.  Erac then dragged him back down the stairs and into the punt.  The adventurers searched his 
  person, as well as his chambers, and found a treasure chest overflowing with jewels and ancient 
  gold. 
  The chest was loaded onto the punt, but it soon became clear that the load was far too heavy to 
  safely move across the vaporous waters of the Black Reservoir.  Nulfyke searched the rest of the 
  tiny island, and discovered the wizard’s private boat.  This boat was lashed to the punt with rope, 
  and the seething wizard was tossed bodily into his own appropriated craft.  The group then set out 
  once again.  They should have made their way toward the surface-heading corridor once again, but 
  they were filled with gold-lust and easy victory had made them brash.  Instead, then, they made 
  their way back to the central prison of the lake monster. 
  The punt and the boat were carefully maneuvered into the center of the pillar-surrounded water.  
  Ugubb, the strongest swimmer (with the highest constitution) was told to strip off his armor and to 
  dive in search of treasure.  The acolyte reluctantly agreed.  Another long rope was lashed to the 
  punt and thrown overboard, so that the acolyte could quickly descend and ascend once again on a 
  single breath.  Ugubb strapped a sack of iron spikes to his back for weight, took in a humongous 
  breath, clutched the rope and jumped over the side. 
  Londlar played out the rope, feeling Ugubb’s rapid exertions through the shifts in pressure and 
  tension.  Then there was a tug.  He waited in suspense, and almost cried out when Ugubb rose back 
  out of the water with a gasp.  When he could breathe again, Ugubb reported that he had reached 
  the end of the rope without seeing anything or reaching the bottom.  The adventurers realized that 
  they had already asked much of their most vulnerable companion, and there was nothing more to 
  be done.  It was time to return to the surface with their treasure and their captive.  Perhaps the evil 
  wizard would be forced to teach Erac his spells before he would be released? 
  Ugubb replaced his armor and regained his strength, while Nulfyke and Londlar poled the 
  heavy punt toward the shore.  Erac moved to check on his captive, but was shocked to find that 
  while Ugubb had been diving, the evil wizard had craftily loosened the hasty knots around his 
  wrists.  The wizard threw off his bonds and dove into the depths! 
  
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  The adventurers were too startled to prevent this daring escape.  Minutes later, a Magic Mouth 
  boomed out an imperious warning to the brazen treasure-hunters:  “I am the Sorcerer of the Black 
  Reservoir, and I shall be avenged for the theft of my treasure!” 
  The four dungeon delvers did not tempt fate any further.  They made their way back to the 
  surface world, probably paying a tithe to the elves (who must have been rather surprised to see 
  these short-lived fools returning alive).  All of the adventurers greatly benefitted from the 
  adventure, and Erac grew even stronger than he had been before.  Surely such was reward enough 
  for daring so much?  Perhaps it was time to retire in comfort, to only dream of glory … 
  But the call of the dungeons deep is a compelling one, and late one night Erac heard the siren 
  song of adventure once again.  He left the City of Greyhawk alone, and returned to the dungeons 
  beneath the ruin, and went thus to his doom … 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  All in all, it is quite a remarkable tale (and likely my own favorite out of all of Gary’s related 
  chronicles of the Greyhawk campaign).  I must note that the overall conception of the Black 
  Reservoir bears some broad yet significant similarities with the underworld portrayed in Michael 
  Moorcock’s Elric tale, While the Gods Laugh.  There, Elric and his companions discover a long sloping 
  tunnel which deposits them on the crystalline shores of an underground lake beneath a monster-
  haunted wilderness.  Seeking to cross the water, they find a boat and are then attacked by flying 
  monsters.  The adventurers eventually make their way across to a forbidden citadel enclosing an 
  ancient sanctuary, where they find that a powerful arcane treasure is guarded by a mighty and 
  magic-wielding guardian. 
  How much of this is coincidence, and how much Gary’s borrowing of a tale he is known to have 
  admired? 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  It seems that a little after the incredible adventure in the Black Reservoir, Erac suffered a terrible 
  setback.  During this later excursion he was exploring dungeon level six, and discovered a secret 
  tunnel which led into a well-hidden side area.  Here, he found a chamber filled with small pools.  
  
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  The pools glowed with images of stars, reflected from painted stars upon the ceiling.  Curious, Erac 
  entered the chamber alone.  The wall slid shut behind him, and he became trapped.  Gary had 
  created a puzzle room, hoping that Ernie would manage to solve the mystery.  But unfortunately, 
  Ernie could not fathom what the solution was, and Erac slowly died of starvation.  What an 
  ignominious fate! [29-5] 
  (Circumstantially, it appears that Erac’s demise occurred in the summer of 1975.  This notation 
  will help us in dating many of the later adventures experienced by a more fortunate adventurer, 
  soon to be known as Erac’s Cousin.) 
  Amusingly, however, Gary wrote in 2005 that Erac’s earthly remains were discovered by one of 
  the newer adventuring groups which was exploring the classic Greyhawk Dungeons.  Gary even 
  invited his son back to play the resurrected Erac once again, although I do not know if Ernie ever 
  took his father up on the kindly offering. [29-6] 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  In addition to these entertaining games, it was still conference season as well.  Between Origins 
  and Gen Con, Gary and others attended the more historically obscure CITEX-75 / DIPCON 
  convention at the Midland Hotel in Chicago. [29-7]  This was the foremost con for fans of the proto-
  RPG Diplomacy (a longtime favorite of Gary’s and of many other people).  The con took place from 
  August 15th-17th.  Gary reported that it was “Lots of fun too — especially to see how D&D is 
  making inroads among Dippy buffs.” [29-8] 
  Just a few days later, it was time once again for Gen Con (August 22nd-24th, 1975). [29-9]  This 
  would be a huge event, as D&D had grown enormously in the twelve months since its dominance 
  enjoyed at Gen Con VII in 1974.  This year, TSR was not only in a position to dominate the miniature 
  wargaming industry; it was also authoritative enough to presume (rightly) the ability to bestow 
  awards upon fellow game designers as well.  The First Annual Strategists Club Awards Banquet 
  was held at the fittingly-chosen Gargoyle Restaurant in Lake Geneva on the evening of Friday, 
  August 22nd. [29-10] 
  Gary would report that the banquet “was great fun, and we managed to squeeze in 58 people!”  
  To no one’s surprise, Dungeons & Dragons had been voted the best game of 1974, and Gary and Dave 
  Arneson shared an award for outstanding designer.  Several other wargaming-specific awards were 
  also given for entities not associated with TSR. [29-11] 
  
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  Tim Kask, for one, greatly enjoyed this con (especially in retrospect) because it was the last time 
  that he got to sit at Gen Con as a participant, kicking back and gaming instead of working the event. 
  [29-12] 
  Attendance was extremely high, with Gary giving a figure of “nearly 1,600 gamers,” and later 
  even “a whopping 1,800.” [29-13] 
  However by this time the rivalry with Origins was in full swing, and both sides were taking 
  creative liberties with their con attendance reporting!  In the midst of what Tim Kask once frankly 
  referred to as “a big pissing contest,” [29-14] these oft-refuted figures were eventually reined in, as 
  Gary noted that “only about 900 of those we reported as attending were actually paid.” [29-15] 
  Regardless, the event was a smash hit which dwarfed all previous Gen Cons.  Avalon Hill’s 
  contention, basically, was that (correctly) Origins had a lot more people present at Johns Hopkins.  
  But when the fans’ blood is fired up, why should the truth get in the way of a sensational story?  
  The battle for the title of “number one wargaming convention” was already raging on many fronts. 
  Such political theatrics made little difference to most of the casual gamers themselves, however.  
  One of the first-time attendees this year was a Canadian gentleman named Ed Greenwood. 
  Ed would become a devoted D&D player and game master, [29-16] and is today of course known 
  as the father of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.  The Forgotten Realms would soon come to 
  the attention of other D&D players through evocative articles Mr. Greenwood published in The 
  Dragon. [29-17] 
  Another first-time attendee was future TSR employee Jeff Grubb, who had just recently been 
  introduced to the game in classic fashion:  “I first saw D&D being played in the corner of a war-
  gaming club.  These people were sitting in the corner rolling dice and screaming, but there wasn’t 
  any board.  I went over to ask someone what was going on, but one of the guys yelled, ‘We need a 
  cleric!’, handed me 3d6, and it was all downhill from there.’” [29-18] 
  Tim Kask was also present, this time to talk with Gary, to meet with Brian Blume and to arrange 
  for his imminent employment by Tactical Studies Rules. [29-19]  As Tim later recalled, “It was 
  decided that at the end of the summer they were going to hire me.” [29-20] 
  A Dungeon! tournament was conducted, and many other games were played. [29-21]  The now-
  legendary miniatures company Ral Partha (founded in 1975) brought forth their new offerings, and 
  due to their extremely fine quality they immediately (per Tim) “set the gaming industry on its ear.” 
  [29-22]  And of course, in the realm of imaginary games (alongside Dungeon!) Dungeons & Dragons 
  reigned supreme. 
  
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  Gary (and Ernie?) ran the Tomb of Horrors again, although sadly I possess no play reports for 
  these Gen Con games. [29-23]  We can hope that the sessions were intense, comedic and blood-
  filled, rivaling the entertaining Origins occurrence.  The most impressive play group (DMed by 
  Russ Stambaugh, but I do not know precisely where or when) apparently came up with the 
  ingenious solution which Gary had not expected:  “The best group managing the adventure that I 
  know of,” he wrote, “was the tournament team that used the crown atop the demi-lich’s skull, [and] 
  a touch of the wrong end of the scepter to utterly destroy it.” [29-24]  This arcane trick of 
  legerdemain immediately vaporized the mighty Acererak’s skull and spirit into dust.  When Russ 
  told Gary what the group had done, Gary “awarded them first place hands down.” [29-25] 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  In addition to the Tomb games, Rob Kuntz also ran a two-day D&D tournament entitled “The 
  Sunken City.” [29-26]  From a glimpse at his surviving game materials, [29-27] we can see that this 
  scenario involved a partially-flooded ruin with the tops of many buildings rising above the waves.  
  Likely, these buildings were filled with air-breathing monsters in their accessible summits, and then 
  aquatic monsters and difficult-to-garner treasures below.  This scenario may have been inspired by 
  Fritz Leiber’s tale The Sunken Land. 
  The enthusiasm of many of the new D&D players was remarkable, if in some cases misguided.  
  Dave Arneson once reported that people were bringing Xeroxed (i.e., pirated) copies of D&D to 
  him, asking for his signature. [29-28] 
  This was also the con where Gary began to realize just how devoted the more experienced 
  players were as well.  Creative endeavors were shared, and in great proliferation.  Following the 
  vague yet inspiring nature of the 1974 Dungeons & Dragons rules, many Dungeon Masters and 
  players created their own variants while they were experimenting with the game.  Limitations in 
  the rules were explored and quickly surpassed.  New treasures, monsters, variant systems and 
  character classes proliferated, although many were regional in nature and only rarely disseminated 
  beyond a select circle.  Many of the best designs however reached Gary’s attention, either through 
  the mail or via Gen Con. 
  One of the early examples of this process is the druid PC class, as proposed by numerous 
  gamers.  Environmental awareness was proliferating in the early 1970s with the popularization of 
  Earth Day and similar movements.  Also, interest in un-Roman and pagan cultures was increased 
  
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  not only by D&D, but by The Lord of the Rings and the SCA as well.  The druid was regarded as a 
  cleric-like class that could excel in a wilderness environment, much like the ranger class had 
  complimented the more dungeon-oriented fighter.  Several druid variants were in existence by the 
  summer of 1975, but the one which Gary was most impressed with was one created by Dennis 
  Sustare. 
  Dennis’s play group had mimeographed their homebrew druid rules, and these were shared 
  with Tim and Gary (most likely at Gen Con 1975).  The Sustare rules elaborated on the mention of 
  druids in the Greyhawk Supplement, where they were featured as NPCs but not as a playable class.  
  The PC class would later be further developed by Tim and Gary, and would appear in D&D 
  Supplement III:  Eldritch Wizardry in early 1976.  The spell honoring Dennis and alluding to him as 
  the “Great Druid,” Chariot of Sustar[r]e, was designed by Tim. [29-29] 
  The druid however was only a minor takeaway in light of TSR’s wider accomplishments at Gen 
  Con VIII.  In all, this convention (to my mind) set TSR and D&D on an unshakeable path toward 
  hobby gaming dominance … a reign which would last for many years. 
  When Gen Con VIII was over, the promotional conference season largely came to an end.  At 
  some point, Gary received Dave Arneson’s draft for the upcoming Supplement II:  Blackmoor.  
  Perhaps Dave even passed the papers to Gary by hand during or after the con, or provided these 
  papers to Gary even earlier.  (It is interesting to note that the copyright registration date for 
  Blackmoor is August 15th, which implies that Gary and Dave were already seriously considering the 
  supplement’s publication by the time of Gen Con.) [29-30] 
  When Gary had a chance to look over these papers, he must have experienced a wave of déjà 
  vu:  Dave’s new material was brilliant, eccentric, disparately influenced … and messy.  Very messy.  
  There would be a lot of editing to do in the near future. 
  At first, it seems, Gary passed these notes to Brian Blume to see if Brian could make enough 
  sense of the material to generate a new accessory. [29-31] 
  But due to the disorder and complexity of the material, Brian would quickly realize that such 
  interpretive editing was above his head. 
  Who might be able to make sense of it all?  Funny that you should ask … 
   
   
  
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  Footnotes and Annotations 
  for Chapter 29 
   
  [29-1] Alarums & Excursions, issue #4. 
  [29-2] Online web forum post:  Garycon.com forums, “Erac and Erac’s Cousin.” 
  [29-3] Online web forum post:  Doomsday Games forums, “Black Reservoir.” 
  [29-4] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part IX.  Posted May 2nd, 2005. 
  See also Part IV, posted November 5th, 2003. 
  [29-5] Rob Kuntz post on the paizo.com forums, dated September 7th, 2006. 
  See also Garycon.com forums, “Erac and Erac’s Cousin.” 
  [29-6] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part IX.  Posted August 23rd, 2005. 
  [29-7] The Strategic Review, issue #3. 
  [29-8] The Strategic Review, issue #4. 
  [29-9] The Strategic Review, issue #2. 
  [29-10] The Strategic Review, issue #2. 
  [29-11] The Strategic Review, issue #4. 
  [29-12] The Dragon, issue #15, pg. 2. 
  [29-13] The Strategic Review, issues #4, #5. 
  [29-14] 40 Years of Gen Con, pg. 53. 
  [29-15] The Strategic Review, issue #7. 
  [29-16] Mr. Greenwood would date the beginning of his D&D obsession to 1975; see for example 
  Dragon magazine, issue #244. 
  [29-17] Dragon #244 and the Grognardia interview with Ed Greenwood. 
  [29-18] Dragon magazine, issue #111, pg. 64. 
  [29-19] Grognardia interview with Tim Kask, Part I. 
  
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  See also 40 Years of Gen Con, pg. 27. 
  [29-20] 40 Years of Gen Con, pg. 27. 
  [29-21] The Strategic Review, issue #4. 
  [29-22] 40 Years of Gen Con, pg. 31. 
  [29-23] Alarums & Excursions, issue #4. 
  [29-24] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part XIII.  Posted May 15th, 2007. 
  [29-25] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part VI.  Posted February 29th, 
  2004. 
  See also ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A Part IX, posted August 31st, 2005. 
  [29-26] 40 Years of Gen Con, pg. 29. 
  [29-27] The Collector’s Trove Presents:  The Robert J. Kuntz Collection. 
  [29-28] 40 Years of Gen Con, pg. 22. 
  [29-29] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot forums, “Dennis Sustare on the origins of the D&D 
  druid class”; the Grognardia interview with Dennis Sustare. 
  [29-30] Catalog of Copyright Entries, Library of Congress, Copyright Office. 
  [29-31] Onlne web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  Posted October 17th, 2009. 
   
   
  
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  CHAPTER 30 
   
  tasks 
  for the wizard 
  kask 
   
  (september – 
  october 1975) 
   
   
  
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  A NEW era for TSR began on Monday, September 1st, when Tim Kask began working for the 
  company as a full-time employee. [30-1]  Tim’s wife had encouraged him to take the job.  He was 
  hired “at the princely stipend of $100 a week.” 
  His first few paychecks would be paid out by “Tactical Studies Rules” as opposed to merely 
  “TSR.”  Gary was happy to have an editor, because he wanted to focus more on game design and 
  play.  “I was brought in because he liked to do other stuff in The Strategic Reviews,” Tim recalled. 
  When Tim was handling the logistics, Gary could get back to writing articles featuring monsters 
  and elaboration of the game’s featured weapons and systems. 
  However, unlike Gary and Brian, Tim had a commute from nearby Delavan to contend with, 
  and he did not earn royalties because he had no prior game design credits to his name. [30-2]  Tim’s 
  “day office” was, of course, a cramped section of Gary’s basement.  His “evening office” was the 
  spare bedroom in his Delavan home. [30-3]  The basement was lit by two 100-watt bulbs in the 
  ceiling, and the work “table” Tim shared to fill the orders consisted of a raised and sawhorse-
  balanced piece of plywood.  As Tim recollected, “We worked around the furnace and oil tank in 
  near Stygian darkness.  …  It was always a bit of a shock on the pupils when we came up.” [30-4] 
  On the day that Tim began work, Gary was busy writing the Foreword for Blackmoor.  This was 
  an extremely optimistic gesture, and a huge vote of confidence is Tim Kask’s capabilities.  Gary 
  knew full well that Tim still needed to edit Dave Arneson’s notes into a workable supplement, and 
  by writing the Foreword he was indicating that he expected this work to be finished rather quickly. 
  However, due to Mr. Kask’s lack of super-humanity, Gary’s confidence in Blackmoor’s imminent 
  publication would soon prove to be premature. 
  There is some chronological confusion involving the start dates of TSR’s early employees.  Rob 
  Kuntz at the time of Tim’s arrival was a part-timer, and had probably gained that status early in 
  1975 when he helped with the collation and shipping of D&D’s third printing.  A few weeks after 
  Tim’s hiring (probably in late September), Rob was made a full-time employee of TSR. [30-5]  His 
  older brother Terry had been part-time too, filling orders and preparing shipments. [30-6] 
  According to Rob’s recollections, Terry was employed full-time prior to Tim’s arrival. [30-7]  TSR 
  had recently (perhaps in the summer) acquired “the grey house,” a run-down former residence — 
  rezoned for business, and with an excellent potential storefront location — at Williams and Marshall 
  Street. 
  
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  Terry was hard at work re-wiring, carpeting, and generally refurbishing the building so that it 
  could serve as a store and the TSR headquarters building in the future.  (“And at less than a 
  professional rate, I may add,” Rob would later note.) [30-8] 
  The storefront would be on the ground floor, and the offices — with Gary’s desk planned to be 
  at the very top of the stairs — would occupy the upper floor.  These commendable efforts would 
  save Gary and co. thousands of dollars, and those selfsame dollars would allow Gary to pay 
  everyone’s salaries for a while. [30-9] 
  Terry would later become the manager of the ground-level store, which would incarnate as the 
  now-legendary Dungeon Hobby Shop. [30-10]  Terry’s official full-time start date has been stated 
  in print as October 1st, 1975. [30-11] 
  Early on during Mr. Kask’s employment, Gary and Tim discussed the future of The Strategic 
  Review.  At that time, as Tim recalled, “It was understood that at the first feasible opportunity, 
  S[trategic] R[eview] was to morph into two, slick-papered, with color, actual magazines.” [30-12] 
  Tim would soon take the reins and turn the TSR zine into a much more professional publication.  
  The Review’s descendant periodicals The Dragon and Little Wars however, had only been vaguely 
  conceived of. [30-13]  Tim hoped however that his editing skills would soon be put to the test. 
  He went in to work one morning, a couple of weeks after beginning work, [30-14] and he knew 
  that something was up.  Gary and Brian were sitting there waiting for him, “looking like siblings 
  from the same litter of Cheshire cats.” [30-15]  As Tim went to the plywood table and began 
  preparing orders, Gary and Brian brought him an apple bushel basket full of notes. [30-16] 
  Tim glanced at the mismatched pieces of paper, and thought the slips might be more orders that 
  needed filling.  Tim wanted to know what was going on, and Brian started laughing.  Gary 
  explained that Tim’s first true test as an editor was immediately at hand.  The basket was filled with 
  Dave Arneson’s “final draft,” and Tim would be responsible for editing Dungeons & Dragons 
  Supplement II:  Blackmoor. 
  Tim was told that Gary and Brian wanted the Supplement II manuscript to be completed and 
  ready to send to the printer in approximately six weeks.  Tim had not yet taken a detailed look at 
  the papers, and so he agreed that he would do this on a quick turnaround.  He needed to empty the 
  bushel basket that same day (as Gary’s wife Mary needed it to do the laundry), so he took all of the 
  papers and stuffed them into an accordion file. [30-17] 
  Nonplussed, Tim took the file of papers home. 
  
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  He did not look at the papers for about a week, because he was busy getting the next issue of 
  The Strategic Review (#4) prepared and completed at the printer’s. [30-18] 
  I believe that The Strategic Review #4 was written by Gary (having been created a little earlier, 
  perhaps right before Tim was hired), and that Tim’s editorship came with issue #5. [30-19] 
  The next week after “the basket incident,” Tim sat in his home office and looked over Dave’s 
  draft in detail.  As he sorted through Arneson’s materials, he found that there was not really a 
  “manuscript” which required an edit.  There was a nice adventure scenario involving the Temple 
  of the Frog, and about forty pages of other notes.  These notes included tables, matrices, charts and 
  explanatory summaries, [30-20] which were “full of repetitions, contradictions, duplications and 
  complications.” [30-21]  He tried to make sense of the papers that night and the next.  At some point 
  early in the process, it seems that he may have contacted Dave Arneson personally for clarification 
  of various points.  Unfortunately the answers received were less than promising, intimating that 
  Tim needed to think a little harder (I am putting this politely) if he could not yet understand what 
  had been clearly written. [30-22] 
  Tim soon went back to Gary in defeat.  When Tim said that he couldn’t figure out Dave’s 
  systems, Gary simply replied that Tim was the editor and professional editing was all that Dave’s 
  materials required. [30-23]  Gary had already been through his own trial by fire in writing D&D on 
  his own while incorporating Arneson’s obscure ideas, and now it was Tim’s turn. 
  Unwilling to give up on such a promising job (and his friend and employer Gary), Tim rolled 
  up his sleeves and went to work.  He may have tackled the easy part first, the Temple of the Frog.  
  Tim once noted that the scenario was solely Dave’s creation, and besides spelling and such it just 
  needed an edit and inconsistency check from the perspective of another Dungeon Master. 
  That was the easy part. 
  There were also materials detailing the new assassin and monk classes, and these systems must 
  have been in good enough order that an appraisal of their relative power (compared to the already-
  existing character classes in D&D) could be rendered.  It seems that Brian liked the monk, and 
  Dave’s notes on that class passed through his hands before they reached Tim.  (Whether Brian 
  tinkered with Dave’s version of the class is unknown.) [30-24]  As Tim once explained, Brian “was 
  a huge fan of David Carradine’s Kung Fu on TV.” [30-25]  Brian’s affection for the monk class would 
  ensure that many of Arneson’s details concerning the class’s powers would make it into print. 
  Tim and Gary agreed that the idea of the assassin was somewhat depraved and “twisted,” [30-
  26] but Tim also felt that the monk was unrealistic and difficult to justify within the larger context 
  
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  of the game.  Tim did not like either class, and he felt they were overpowered.  Tim wondered if the 
  classes could be excluded, or at least heavily modified.  Apparently Tim had detailed some specific 
  and lengthy concerns about the monk, and talked to Gary about them, but Brian (in overhearing 
  this) convinced Gary to keep the monk systems intact by arguing that many of the extreme powers 
  were received only at high level, and therefore it was doubtful that many players would ever 
  manage to get a monk that experienced through honest play. [30-27] 
  Tim tried suggesting that the assassin would make a quality NPC villain, unusable by players 
  as a PC class, but again was overruled. [30-28]  Gary later told Tim that D&D Supplement II would 
  be Dave Arneson’s tome and reflective of his unique milieu of Blackmoor, and therefore Dave’s 
  ideas were going to be included in the final work. [30-29]  Tim was thus reduced to editing the 
  classes for clarity, and they would both make it into print.  According to Tim’s recollection, because 
  the monk was allowed the assassin was allowed too:  “The assassin rode in on the monk’s coattails, 
  so to speak.” [30-30]  But he never did like monks after that first appraisal.  “I despise the Monk 
  PC,” he once wrote.  “I will never, ever put one in any adventure I ever write.  They're a game 
  breaker.” [30-31] 
  A few overgrown monsters provided by Dave from the Blackmoor campaign made it into Tim’s 
  draft of Supplement II, including the giant beetle, giant frog, giant lizard, giant toad, and giant wasp. 
  [30-32]  “I’m pretty sure the giant animals were Dave’s idea,” Tim recalled.  “[Arneson] made a point 
  that remains valid today; you don’t need supernatural foes to kill a party.” [30-33] 
  It seems that the giant beetles, in particular, were vaguely outlined by Dave and then elaborated 
  into sub-species by Tim and Gary. [30-34] 
  Despite a few other pieces of material, however — for example, Arneson had written the treatise 
  on diseases which appears in the public work — [30-35] Tim did not have enough intact goodies to 
  make Supplement II into a manuscript which would be comparable in size with Supplement I:  
  Greyhawk.  Gary responded to this need by offering a set of underwater adventure rules written by 
  an outside contributor. 
  The story goes something like this: 
  At some point, perhaps in the middle of 1975, a young Dungeon Master named Stephen R. 
  Marsh had begun sending Gary several pieces of interesting conceptual material for potential 
  inclusion in Dungeons & Dragons.  Earlier, he had ambitiously struggled to create a new board game 
  based on the mystical precepts of James George Frazier’s The Golden Bough, but the scope of this 
  unusual undertaking caused his crude system to fail before it could really begin.  D&D came into 
  
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  his life soon after:  “One day,” Steve later recalled, “I sat down next to Sandy Petersen in a class at 
  BYU, saw his D&D rule books, and started asking questions.” [30-36] 
  (Yes, the same Sandy Petersen who would later design Call of Cthulhu.) 
  Steve studies the bizarre little booklets, and soon had a firm enough grasp on Arneson’s and 
  Gygax’s ideas that he could develop his own D&D systems, monsters, and character classes.  This 
  was the core of the material that he would soon send to Gary and crew at TSR. 
  The most significant piece (from a Blackmoor Supplement perspective) consisted of a detailed 
  envisioning of a magical water world (the Elemental Plane of Water), [30-37] complete with new 
  monsters and encounter tables.  From this would come many of the now-classic underwater beasties 
  featured in Supplement II and the later Monster Manual.  There has always been some confusion 
  about this, because Supplement II is entitled “Blackmoor” under Dave Arneson’s byline, creating the 
  false impression that all of these monsters were used in Arneson’s campaign and then submitted to 
  Gary for publication.  But that is not the case.  Steve’s earliest contributions to the game are indeed 
  very interesting, and over the years he has provided some excellent details sourcing the origins of 
  many of these aquatic monsters which are worthy of further consideration here. 
  The catoblepas is lifted directly from mythology, but with a convoluted pedigree.  Specifically, 
  the creature was first described in print by Pliny the Elder in his Natural History of the 1st century 
  A.D.  The real creature which Pliny’s fantastical description derived from was probably the African 
  wildebeest.  Claudius Aelianus later elaborated that the catoblepas killed enemies not with its gaze, 
  but rather with its poisonous breath.  The “deadly gaze” version of the monster was actually 
  derived from later interpretations, and popularized via the Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci. 
  Similarly, in its Dungeons & Dragons incarnation, the monster known as the gorgon (the iron-
  plated bull, as opposed to the bipedal female medusa creature whose viper tresses turn victims to 
  stone) was also inspired by medieval reinterpretations of Pliny’s older account of the catoblepas. 
  The floating eye, described as a mere fish in the later Monster Manual, had a far more intriguing 
  conception in Steve’s original material.  Apparently, these (more properly in the plural, “floating 
  eyes”) were possessed by extra-dimensional monsters which were capable of viewing and 
  exploring the under-seas of the Oerth-world from a distance, and their bodies remained in their 
  home plane.  Only their physical eyes came through to D&D’s world of the Prime Material Plane. 
  [30-38] 
  The ixitxachitl was derived from a Fafhrd and Gray Mouser tale by Fritz Leiber, in which the 
  protagonists follow a treasure map and are attacked by sea monsters. [30-39]  (I believe the tale in 
  
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  question may be The Bleak Shore.)  Steve later explained that this exotic race of vampiric manta rays 
  was inspired by the Aztec culture. [30-40] 
  The morkoth was inspired by a Witch World story by Andre Norton.  In Norton’s tale, the maze-
  dwelling monster dwells upon land, and Steve thought this would be an interesting concept to 
  develop for underwater play. [30-41]  By this comment Steve may be referring to the 1974 tale 
  Lavender-Green Magic, but I am not certain. 
  The sahuagin monsters, quite similar to H. P. Lovecraft’s Deep Ones, were named after a real-life 
  person.  Steve had seen a religious pamphlet entitled “Christ in the Americas,” and one of the 
  sources listed therein was a person named (Mr.?) Sahuagin.  Steve liked the evocative name and 
  borrowed it.  The monster’s appearance was inspired not by Lovecraft, but instead by “a Justice 
  League episode.” [30-42]  By this Steve may have meant the 1973-1974 Super Friends cartoon series, 
  but I believe he is actually referring to the 1967-1968 cartoon The Superman / Aquaman Hour of 
  Adventure, episode one:  “Menace of the Black Manta.”  (Strangle kelp is glimpsed in this episode 
  as well.)  At one point the armored villain Black Manta commands, “Attack, my Manta Men, destroy 
  them!”  And the fanged evil minions swim out to pursue the heroes. [30-43]  A quick review of the 
  cartoon reveals that the Manta Men are much more like ixitxachitl than sahuagin, however! 
  In the end, Tim’s version of Steve’s contributions would include about 30% of Steve’s original 
  monsters, and the underwater encounter tables had been stripped of their terrain specificity. [30-
  44] 
  Later in life, Steve would graciously note that “One could say Gary ‘pinched’ [borrowed] the 
  underwater encounters, but he had permission, in order to fill out the book which was a bit thin 
  without them.” [30-45] 
  More Steve Marsh contributions, as edited by Tim, would appear for D&D in the near future.  
  Steve also offered a mystic character class to Gary, based on the use of extrasensory powers and 
  planar travel. [30-46] 
  Steve once offered some details about this prospective class as well, which was based on the 
  idea of “Vedic yogis.”  “The real mystic had all the psionic powers,” Steve explained, “but no 
  psionic attacks (the attacks and defenses were to go with another class).  They gained powers or 
  abilities as they went up [in] levels (much like magic users gain spells) and they started out with a 
  bare-handed attack that emulated different weapons for ‘to hit’ modifiers and damage and then 
  was like a sword, with plusses.” [30-47]  This class would eventually be considered carefully, 
  
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  dismantled and reconstructed by Tim Kask, becoming the psionics system which debuted in 
  Dungeons & Dragons Supplement III:  Eldritch Wizardry in 1976. [30-48] 
  Tim provided some details on a new NPC class as well, the sage.  Tim estimated that the work 
  on the sage was about 35% Arneson, 60% Kask and 5% Gygax; [30-49] in other words, Dave came 
  up with the idea (perhaps from his Blackmoor-game “gypsy prophecies”), Tim refined the detailed 
  system, and Gary gave a final review and approval.  The sage may have been partially inspired by 
  Epimetreus, the fabled and prophetic sage of the elder years, featured in Howard’s exemplary 
  Conan tale The Phoenix on the Sword. 
  Tim decided against creating this specialist as a player-available class, because sages seek after 
  knowledge rather than craving adventure.  Tim once explained that “Adventuring for a sage would 
  be cruising the caravansary looking for obscure works; a quest would be a pilgrimage to a great 
  library.” [30-50]  Despite their limited adventure potential, sages would prove to be an ideal 
  addition to Dungeons & Dragons because they could provide adventure hooks, clues, and a handy 
  way for the Dungeon Master to get rid of excess PC gold. 
  As can now be clearly seen, in devising the Blackmoor Supplement, Tim was not just the booklet’s 
  editor.  He was basically the co-creator, as Gary had been forced to become the co-creator of 
  Dungeons & Dragons while he struggled to interpret Dave Arneson’s campaign notes.  Tim was 
  forced to identify near-duplicate materials, to discard inferior versions and to beef up the superior 
  ones, and to create entirely new material to fill in the gaps in Arneson’s conceptual whole.  In the 
  end, Tim would use “less than half” of Dave’s material, regarding the remainder as unusable. [30-
  51] 
  Tim would end up writing most of the rest of the Blackmoor Supplement, with helpful suggestions 
  and contributions from Gary, Brian, Rob and Terry.  It seems that Rob was particularly helpful, 
  because Tim did not want to bother Gary too much or to appear incompetent.  As Greyhawk’s co-
  DM, Rob was a perfect choice for Tim to share new ideas with. [30-52] 
  Other business of course continued while poor Tim was still wrestling with his Blackmoor 
  demons.  On September 26th, 1975, Gary and Brian finally managed to buy out Donna Kaye’s 
  interest in the original TSR partnership which had been modified after the passing of her husband. 
  [30-53]  The partnership was dissolved, and TSR Hobbies, Inc. would move forward as Gary’s and 
  Brian’s new public forefront for game sales, promotion and other business correspondence.  The 
  lizard man logo developed over the summer would soon be seen everywhere. 
  
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  The first product to bear that logo would be the second printing of the Greyhawk Supplement.  
  Note that there is some interesting contention on the print date of this version, because the text 
  declares that the second printing dates to July 1975; but there are two booklet versions, one with the 
  GK logo and another with the lizard man logo. [30-54]  It may be that the GK version was released 
  in July, and the lizard man version released in September, but this is still unclear at this time (and 
  remains an open research item). 
  And as mentioned prior, on Wednesday October 1st, Terry Kuntz officially became Service 
  Manager at TSR. [30-55]  While still very busy with the “grey house” refurbishment, he would soon 
  be tasked with a bit of game design, setting up TSR’s retail presence, and determining various rules 
  clarifications as well. 
  Terry’s appointment came around at about the same time that Tim was finishing up his labors 
  over Blackmoor.  After all was said and done, it had taken Tim about two long and very stressful 
  weeks to organize Arneson’s papers and to prepare the Supplement II manuscript for review. [30-
  56]  Finally, he was able to hand a finished manuscript over to Gary.  Gary, still amused and 
  admiring Tim’s ordeal decades later, once wrote that “After completing his assignment, [Tim] 
  informed Brian and me that if he was handed another ‘basket’ like that he turned into a D&D game 
  supplement, we could find a new magazine editor.” [30-57] 
   
   
  
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  Footnotes and Annotations 
  for Chapter 30 
   
  [30-1] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask. 
  As Tim would explain about that standard salary:  “Gary, Brian and I paid ourselves the princely 
  sum of $100 per week for a very long time.  Gary made a hell of a lot more than I did because he 
  had royalties; I never did as what I did was done on company (salary) time.  Having said that, Gary 
  was not rolling in high clover, either.” 
  [30-2, 30-3] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  See for example the post 
  made on January 10th, 2010. 
  [30-4] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  Posted May 24th, 2007. 
  [30-5] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  Posted January 10th, 2010. 
  [30-6] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask. 
  [30-7, 30-8, 30-9] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  Posted January 
  10th, 2010. 
  [30-10] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask. 
  [30-11] The Strategic Review, issue #5. 
  [30-12] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  Posted May 22nd, 2014. 
  [30-13, 30-14] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  See post made July 
  6th, 2011. 
  [30-15] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  Posted May 24th, 2007. 
  [30-16, 30-17, 30-18] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask. 
  [30-19] One clue that this might be the case is that fact that TSR #5 is the first issue to feature 
  cover art, and Tim once noted that The Strategic Review “started changing as soon as I took over; 
  the art on the front was the first indicator that there was a new sheriff in town.” 
  [30-20, 30-21, 30-22, 30-23, 30-24] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask. 
  
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  [30-25, 30-26] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  Posted October 16th, 
  2009. 
  [30-27, 30-28, 30-29] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask. 
  [30-30, 30-31] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  Posted October 16th, 
  2009. 
  [30-32] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Steve Marsh. 
  [30-33] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  Posted August 2nd, 2010. 
  [30-34] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  Posted June 3rd, 2008. 
  [30-35] Havard’s Blackmoor Blog, “Was Supplement II Arneson’s Work?”  Posted December 
  19th, 2009. 
  See also Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask, posted December 12th, 2009. 
  [30-36] Online interview:  Grognardia, “Interview:  Steve Marsh.”  Posted August 23rd, 2009. 
  [30-37] I found this information in various eBay auctions held for the collection of Stephen R. 
  Marsh, as sold by The Collector’s Trove. 
  [30-38, 30-39] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Steve Marsh.  Posted April 12th, 
  2010. 
  [30-40] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Steve Marsh. 
  [30-41] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Steve Marsh.  Posted April 12th, 2010. 
  [30-42, 30-43] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Steve Marsh. 
  [30-44] Playing at the World by Jon Peterson, pg. 537. 
  [30-45] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Steve Marsh. 
  [30-46] I found this information in various eBay auctions held for the collection of Stephen R. 
  Marsh, as sold by The Collector’s Trove. 
  [30-47] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot forums, “RC Mystic v. Blackmoor Monk.” 
  [30-48] Wikipedia.org, Stephen R. Marsh. 
  [30-49] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  Posted August 10th, 2010. 
  [30-50, 30-51, 30-52] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask. 
  
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  [30-53] Arneson v. Gygax, as well as the Grognardia interview with Tim Kask, Part I. 
  [30-54] Acaeum.com, D&D Supplements. 
  [30-55] The Strategic Review, issues #4, #5. 
  [30-56] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  Posted July 6th, 2011. 
  [30-57] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask. 
   
   
  
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  CHAPTER 31 
   
  demonic 
  disenchantment 
   
  (late 1975) 
   
   
  
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  DESPITE THE painful experience of laboring over the labyrinthine notes which would eventually 
  become the Blackmoor Supplement, Tim did find some time to game with his new co-workers and 
  companions.  The other and more established players were still enjoying the Greyhawk campaign 
  as well.  Ernie had lost Erac, but would soon create a stronger character to replace the one he had 
  lost.  Terry, perhaps bored with the high-level adventures of his original character Terik, play tested 
  the new paladin and monk classes.  Gary continued to play Mordenkainen and his Circle from time 
  to time.  And, with Lord Robilar in and out of semi-retirement, Rob Kuntz frequently took over for 
  Gary as Dungeon Master. 
  Unfortunately, there are literally no reliable dates to speak of for this material, other than my 
  best guess that the majority of these adventures occurred in the second half of 1975.  Play continued 
  whenever and wherever it was possible, but TSR was so busy that the sessions were apparently 
  scattered and unpredictable; no one seems to remember exactly what happened when.  The 
  following stories and notes are derived from dozens of different second-hand stories, half-
  remembered recollections and asides (many of them with the details of course conflicting), and 
  despite my best efforts to determine cause and effect some of these events may still be out of order.  
  Despite all hardship, the stories are too much fun to exclude, and many of them are fascinating, so 
  I will relate all of them here in the best order which I can achieve at the current time. 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  Undaunted by the loss of Erac a few months earlier, Ernie rolled a new character.  The time 
  period for the creation of Erac’s Cousin is especially elusive, although there is a vague hint (in 
  Dragon #305) that when Terry Kuntz started playing the first monk in the Greyhawk campaign, 
  Ernie was already playing Erac’s Cousin.  Gary stated in that Dragon article that Erac’s Cousin was 
  Ernie’s “new” character, which hints that Ernie may have created him in the autumn of 1975. 
  This new adventurer would be another magic-user, and he let no one know his name.  Instead, 
  he simply became known as Erac’s Cousin (EC hereafter).  Whether Ernie was inspired by the 
  mysterious namelessness of Tom Champeny’s villainous EHP character, or whether he decided to 
  add this amusing façade of intrigue on his own, is unknown. 
  According to The Collector’s Trove website, EC began play in 1975 and was played extensively 
  through 1976. [31-1]  EC was a devout worshipper of Zeus, and he adventured at length in 
  
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  Greyhawk’s dungeons.  Ernie by this time was very skilled at playing a magic-user, and EC 
  therefore rose through the low experience levels quite quickly. [31-2] 
  As I mentioned early in this chapter, Ernie however was not the only one creating other 
  characters at this time.  One of the other players involved in the 1975 campaign was a young man 
  named Mark Ratner.  (This is probably the same A. Mark Ratner who designed the games Space 
  Marines and Space Opera later in life.) [31-3]  Mark was active in the SCA and may have found his 
  way into Gary’s game through the Twin Cities gaming group and/or a friendship David Sutherland. 
  [31-4] 
  Mark’s first character in the Greyhawk campaign was a failed magic-user by the name of Rolf.  
  Rolf managed a few successful adventures, but one day in the dungeons he discovered a chamber 
  which featured a strange and monstrous statue as its primary decoration.  (Any veteran player 
  would likely tell you that you never, ever, NEVER touch statues or inanimate life forms in Gary’s 
  dungeons, but hey ... what’s the fun in that?) 
  Yes, Rolf touched the accursed statue.  The statue touched him back.  Rolf failed his saving throw 
  and so he was petrified, and the statue was given its freedom to explore the dungeon on its own.  
  The statue ran deeper into the maze, probably overjoyed by the sheer experiences of running and 
  causing mayhem.  Fortunately, Rolf had a few low-level henchmen with him and these doughty 
  souls dragged their very heavy inanimate master all the way back to the surface.  They took the 
  statue to the Tower of Klinchak, the infamous “Wizard of the Tower” who dwelled in the City of 
  Greyhawk. 
  For a hefty price, Klinchak tried to turn Rolf’s stony form back to flesh.  But sadly, the magic 
  fizzled.  The confounded (and greedy) wizard informed the henchmen that the disenchantment had 
  failed because the statue which had caused the malady was not present to revert the magical 
  transformation.  So the good-hearted henchmen went back to the dungeon to bring back a certain 
  runaway piece of masonry, and in doing so they got themselves slaughtered to a man. 
  Time passed, and Klinchak realized with some sadness that Rolf would never become a fleshly 
  man again.  But why not make the best of a tragic situation?  He would sure make a nifty garden 
  ornament!  Rolf was set up in the wizard’s garden fountain, where the petrified warlock was 
  reduced to spitting water at his captors at every opportunity. [31-5]  And that, as they say, was a 
  truly Rolf-ul way to go. 
  (Gary, I promised myself that I would put one miserable, groan-worthy pun in this book as a 
  tribute to your sense of humor.  And there you are.  ~K) 
  
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  * * * * * 
   
  Working with Arneson’s play notes, Tim Kask and Gary worked out a new design for the monk 
  class in about October of 1975.  It seems that the major play tester of the class, who loved it, was 
  Terry Kuntz.  This third character of Terry’s (following after Terik and the unknown paladin) was 
  probably inspired by Erac’s Cousin, and was simply known as “The Monk with No Name.” [31-6] 
  Terry would play his own nameless character well, and would quickly progress through the 
  experience levels.  The few existing anecdotes pertaining to this character relate to his higher 
  experience levels, which were probably achieved in 1976.  We will therefore look at this monk a 
  little further in HAWK & MOOR Book IV, which chronicles the history of that year. 
  Mark Ratner, without lamentation, had rolled his new character too.  After his calcifying 
  experience playing Rolf, International Garden Ornament of Mystery, Mark decided to roll a fighting 
  man instead.  This flunky would live to become the sword master Ayelerach, who ended up being 
  a very successful hero and companion to Ernie Gygax’s new character, Erac’s Cousin.  Perhaps 
  because of Mark’s style of play, Gary always remembered this champion as a paladin.  Mark 
  himself, however, has insisted since that Ayelerach began play as, and forever remained, a fighter 
  of good alignment. 
  Ayelerach became very powerful, and managed to acquire an intelligent magic sword with 
  numerous special abilities.  He eventually (at experience level 9) built a stronghold to the south of 
  Greyhawk, and one day soon thereafter he ventured with his fellow sword master Erac’s Cousin 
  deep into the dungeons, embarking on what sadly would become his final fateful journey.  We will 
  tell that sad tale a little farther down the path. [31-7] 
  James M. Ward had a character named Lidabmob (a reversal of Bombadil, derived from the 
  beloved nature spirit in J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring).  I do not know if this was the 
  same magic-user character that Mr. Ward played in his summertime “King Kong Island” 
  introduction to Dungeons & Dragons, but it does seem likely.  Later, perhaps because of Gary being 
  worried about getting a no-no censure again from the Tolkien estate (Lidabmob is Bombadil in 
  reverse), the character’s name was changed to Jimward ... that is, Drawmij.  Through dint of 
  cleverness and needful inspiration, on one particular dungeon adventure Lidabmob created the 
  Instant Summons spell which now bears Drawmij’s name. [31-8] 
  
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  A helpful article in Polyhedron #18 (published in May 1984) provides us with a fleeting glimpse 
  of James’s character.  Lidabmob was initially neutral, and later forced to become lawful evil.  He 
  gained power early on while exploring the dungeons of Greyhawk Castle.  In the deeper levels, he 
  adventured with other powerful heroes and managed to triumph over demons, devils, liches and 
  vampires.  Through sheer determination he acquired great wealth, and then managed to establish 
  a castle on the Selintan River near to the City of Greyhawk. [31-9] 
  At some later time, Lidabmob was forced into a diabolic pact to save his own life.  We do not 
  know what actually happened to force such a cruel fate upon him … details concerning Lidabmob’s 
  early dungeoneering career are hard to come by. [31-10] 
  Erac’s Cousin, however, rose quickly beyond these new characters and managed to attain 
  considerable prowess on his own.  Ernie’s new goal was for EC to acquire the magic items which 
  he presumed were still lying sealed in a secret vault with the body of his former character Erac, who 
  had perished on dungeon level six in the room of the reflected stars.  As EC gained power, he finally 
  became strong enough to dare the attempt.  Acting alone, he made his way all the way down to 
  dungeon level six.  There, he discovered the sealed secret chamber with poor Erac’s emaciated 
  skeleton lying near to the sliding wall.  EC took his family heirlooms from Erac, the magic wand of 
  fear and the silver horn.  He then looked up at the ceiling, and realized that the magic words needed 
  to escape the room were literally written in the stars.  What a way for Erac to die!  Perhaps, when 
  he was weak from starvation to move any longer, poor Erac had realized the puzzle’s answer when 
  that knowledge was too overdue to save him.  The mystery was answered by EC, but Erac would 
  never be resurrected.  His legacy would live on in his cousin’s spirit. 
  Erac’s Cousin and Lidabmob had a very amusing run-in of sorts, which seems to have occurred 
  soon after EC recovered Erac’s heirlooms from the dungeon vault.  Lidabmob discovered the Great 
  Stone Face and was fascinated by its runes, as well as the impossible-to-solve riddling nature of the 
  expressionless stone.  Instead of struggling to find the solution, however, James M. Ward cleverly 
  decided to use the Face’s mystery to his own advantage.  Lidabmob placed a Magic Mouth on the 
  Face, which would trigger whenever another adventurer came into the room.  The Face would then 
  intone something like this:  “In the name of the cosmic balance, if you would be rewarded you must 
  bestow your most prized of all treasures as a gift.  Give this gift not to me, but rather to one who 
  walks the path of neutrality.  Should you do so, great wealth shall be given to you.” 
  James did this on a solo adventure, and then played with Ernie (and Erac’s Cousin) shortly 
  thereafter.  When the Great Stone Face was nearby, Lidabmob offered to do some scouting at the 
  other end of the chamber and was out of earshot.  EC approached the Great Stone Face and heard 
  
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  the ominous portent of promised wealth.  Ernie, knowing that Lidabmob was neutral, proudly (and 
  with feigned innocence of heart) gave Lidabmob a powerful magic item as a gift.  James was 
  touched, while Ernie was probably silently flustered that no divine reward seemed to be 
  forthcoming for his actions.  Gary was probably struggling not to laugh at these antics as they 
  played out!  Never underestimate a 1st-level spell, or the creative potential of a clever player. [31-
  11] 
  James was a little too tricky, however.  EC returned to the chamber a bit later on, and the Magic 
  Mouth spell triggered again.  But he had not yet received a reward!  He somehow (probably through 
  the use of Detect Magic, Dispel Magic or the like) realized that he had been deceived, and how.  
  And by whom!  But EC was of lawful good alignment, and there was no real way for him to get his 
  powerful item back from Lidabmob without performing an evil act.  Ernie — probably 
  remembering all too well the trouble caused by Tenser’s shift of alignment when he sought to use 
  the Crown of Good — was forced to swallow his pride in angst-ridden silence, and Lidabmob got 
  to keep his prized possession after all. [31-12] 
  This was just one instance of the ill fortune which seemingly plagued poor Erac’s Cousin.  On 
  one adventure in the dungeons beneath Greyhawk Castle, EC managed to slay some monsters and 
  discovered a magical scroll.  He covetously read the runes upon the scroll, eager to learn a new 
  magical spell, only to realize to his horror that the scroll was cursed!  He was bathed in a crimson 
  light.  Erac looked up from the baneful manuscript, only to discover that he had been teleported to 
  another world of fantastical adventure:  the fantastical Martian landscape of Barsoom. [31-13] 
  On Barsoom, EC quickly learned that he was trapped in a place called the Land of Ugor, a 
  wilderness filled with cannibals. [31-14]  A horde of these cannibals chased EC down but he 
  survived, due to the planet’s low gravity which bestowed upon him both phenomenal strength and 
  leaping ability.  He learned to his utter dismay however that in this world, magical powers were 
  useless.  He could no longer cast spells!  He raced away and leapt up a tree, and the cannibals 
  climbed up to devour him. 
  Using his phenomenal newfound strength and a razor-sharp dagger, EC dispatched the 
  cannibals one by one.  One of the fiends had a sword strapped to his back, so EC grabbed this and 
  used its more deadly blade to fend off the relentless foes.  Hours passed and the desperate sword-
  mage stood in the branches swathed in blood, with the tree’s roots far below hidden by ever-rising 
  piles of mangled corpses.  The remaining cannibals were forced to withdraw and to feast upon their 
  own dead. 
  
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  This event, among other escapades experienced through the play of Tenser, would cause Gary 
  to admiringly nickname his son “Ernie the Barbarian.”  As Gary would later explain, “Ernie got the 
  nickname of ‘Barbarian’ because of his play style.  Even as a mage his character would go full bore 
  to defeat the foe without regard to danger.  That was indeed the inspiration for the spell ‘Tenser’s 
  Transformation,’ as Ernie would risk all thus.” [31-15] 
  When the slaughter was complete EC glided down in the light gravity, strapped on some armor 
  from his fallen foes, and ran away through the wastes as far as he could go. 
  Gary, then, was left with something of a rules conundrum which demanded his immediate 
  attention.  EC had been forbidden to act as a magic-user, and forced to act as a fighter to save his 
  life.  He had in fact slain so many cannibals that the first-level “fighting man” was already worthy 
  of level two.  Gary would rule that EC could keep his prior hit point total from being a magic-user, 
  but would also be a 2nd-level fighter, and only able to progress in the fighter class until he returned 
  to Oerth.  Then, Ernie would need to decide which calling — wizard or warrior — EC would heed 
  on each following adventure.  In this way, the crude rules for “the character with two classes,” or 
  dual-classed humans, came into being. [31-16] 
  In his further adventures on Barsoom, EC became a worthy sword master capable of dexterously 
  wielding two blades simultaneously. [31-17]  It seems that he fought with the Green Martians, and 
  organized a mine escape involving the human “Yellow” Martians.  Perhaps he led a revolt.  By the 
  end of his swashbuckling adventures, he was a 6th-level fighting man. [31-18] 
  He eventually made it back to Oerth, where he likely reveled in the ability to cast his beloved 
  spells once again. 
  EC eventually acquired two powerfully magical vorpal swords in different adventures.  The 
  first was discovered in Looking-Glass Land (bestowed by Tweedledum and Tweedledee), and the 
  second was discovered during a wilderness adventure.  The first one had been specifically placed 
  as a special hidden treasure by Gary, but the second was the result of a random roll. [31-19]  
  Combined with his spell-casting abilities and fighting prowess, this combination of magic and 
  vorpal blade mastery made EC extremely deadly.  Too deadly, in fact.  Gary and Rob, as co-Dungeon 
  Masters, decided that EC’s power needed to be scaled back for the good of the campaign. [31-20]  
  Gary and Rob needed to wait for a fair opportunity, however, so that they did not simply steal the 
  vorpal blades outright as a blatant example of poor and heavy-handed Dungeon Mastering.  Some 
  delicacy would be required.  Things however did not turn out quite as Gary hoped, as we shall see. 
  [31-21] 
  
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  While Erac’s Cousin continued to grow in power, Rob was admiring Ernie’s ascent to glory from 
  afar.  It seems that Rob even pulled Lord Robilar out of semi-retirement for a while in hopes of 
  emulating some of EC’s victories.  One day, Robilar decided that he too would journey to Barsoom.  
  Outside of metagaming, we must imagine that Robilar only heard of such a wondrous place after 
  the return of Erac’s Cousin back to Oerth; otherwise, he would have had no way to know that 
  Barsoom even existed.  Therefore, Robilar’s “missed Martian misadventure” likely occurred in the 
  fall of 1975. 
  The in-game problem to be solved first, however, was that Robilar had no way to replicate the 
  cursed scroll which had caused EC to journey across the aether to the red planet.  What Robilar did 
  have, however, was wealth.  He consulted with his two powerful mage-friends, Otto and Herb (a 
  12th-level magic-user and researcher NPC, apprenticed to Otto).  He also consulted with the great 
  sage Isador of Greyhawk, hoping to find some magical way to emulate EC’s journey. [31-22] 
  Choosing what he believed to be the best course of action, Robilar spent a huge amount of gold, 
  and then left Herb to his own devices.  Herb bought a huge amount of tomes and began researching 
  the potential for interplanetary travel.  Gary made a sage research roll which proved to be 
  disastrously bad (a critical miss, if you will).  This was unbeknownst to Rob, of course.  Robilar 
  went adventuring to win more gold and to restore his depleted treasury, while Herb continued 
  diligently on with his own overenthusiastic research. 
  A few game months passed, and Robilar was encouraged to learn that Herb was building a great 
  clockwork machine of some kind.  Lord Robilar was very pleased at this, with Rob perhaps 
  surmising that Herb had figured out a way to build a dimensional transporter or something similar.  
  So imagine Rob’s dismay when the machine was completed, and Robilar came to Herb to behold 
  the great machine.  Herb promptly displayed the most gargantuan catapult ever built on Oerth, and 
  proclaimed that the contraption would hurl Robilar into orbit and land him on Barsoom … or the 
  moon, at least!  Or something.  Well, it sounded good when all the gold was flowing in, quite? [31-
  23] 
  Needless to say, Robilar never gave the catapult a “shot.”  But we sadly never learn what 
  happened to the chastened Herb, nor to the magnificent siege-behemoth he created.  Perhaps the 
  improbable war machine was scrapped for the lumber, or sold to a wealthy madman for some 
  nefarious purpose.  Who knows?  At least Gary had a great laugh, and Robilar was back in action 
  and hungry for more treasure.  This misadventure (and likely others) made Rob dead set on getting 
  Robilar more gold, and on foiling Gary’s plans.  These unpredictable events would soon set Robilar 
  loose in the Hommlet campaign, which is a story we will explore a little further on. 
  
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  Gary was disappointed that Rob never showed interest in Greyhawk’s moon ever again, because 
  he did indeed want to run some portal-originated adventures there.  Gary wrote that the moon was 
  a “viable sphere,” likely meaning that it had a breathable atmosphere.  It was going to be filled with 
  mutant plants, Lunar denizens and “little sprite-like races” in a savage jungle setting. [31-24] 
  Greyhawk’s version of planet Venus was also inhabited, and would have followed the Amtor 
  series of novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs.  But sadly, neither of these areas were ever fully 
  developed.  This is yet another instance where we have only an enticing glimpse of what might 
  have been, an adventure hook which encourages us to devise worlds of our own design by 
  following in the footsteps of the former master. [31-25] 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  Meanwhile down below, EC was exploring the Greyhawk dungeons, and Mark Ratner’s 
  chivalrous fighter Ayelerach had the unknowing misfortune to be alongside him.  Rob and Gary 
  both DM’d the misadventure which soon transpired.  EC and Ayelerach — a 9th level fighter at the 
  time — had managed to find their way down to a dungeon level where a beautiful bas-relief visage 
  was carved in a chamber’s floor. [31-26] 
  The magical face there — crying golden tears — spoke to EC and Ayelerach, and the treasure-
  hungry adventurers were intrigued by its promises of fortune.  Little did they know that a demon 
  lord had been imprisoned by Zagyg within the magical face, and desperate for release!  This idea 
  by the way was probably informed not only by the works of A. Merritt, but also by Gary’s reading 
  of Saberhagen’s Changeling Earth, where the demon lord Orcus is imprisoned in a dungeon by a 
  powerful archmage named John Ominor. 
  It seems that Mark Ratner was completely duped by the demon lord, and although Ernie was 
  highly suspicious, he had the gentlemanly grace to avoid meta-gaming or warning Ayelerach away 
  from malicious intent.  EC simply followed Ayelerach’s lead, and so Ayelerach agreed to perform 
  the magical face’s bidding.  The adventurers therefore descended to the eighth dungeon level, and 
  went to a side level nearby where a clan of werebears was protecting a magic Urn of Moon Dust.  
  The Urn which the clan’s leader defended was the key to freeing the poor magical spirit from its 
  confinement, and perhaps also the key to a valuable reward. 
  Unfortunately Mark Ratner did not stop to think about the nature of the werebear chieftain (and 
  its good alignment).  He attacked the shape-shifter, killed it, took the Urn and went to release the 
  
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  magically-held prisoner behind the bas-relief face.  Back up in the prisoner’s chamber, Ayelerach 
  promptly sprinkled Moon Dust into the face’s eyes, and immediately was greeted by a gale of 
  malicious laughter. 
  Through such actions (and Ernie’s noble but misguided inaction), [31-27] EC and Ayelerach had 
  accidentally released the great demon lord Fraz-urb’luu, Prince of Deception.  A furious combat 
  began, but the mortals quickly realized that they were outmatched.  Frantically, EC used a magical 
  Gate scroll to summon his patron deity, Zeus, to protect him from this horrific Abyssal power.  But 
  the fates of ill omen (Gary’s percentile dice) decreed that for some reason Zeus would deign to 
  intrude on this affair.  The god refused to save his faithful servant! [31-28] 
  In some ways, this moment bears some curious similarities with the fate of Elric in Michael 
  Moorcock’s fiction, where Elric would call upon his devil liege Arioch for aid.  Sometimes, he would 
  find himself instilled with unholy might.  At other times, however (as in the tale While the Gods 
  Laugh), the gods heroes choose to worship — for unguessable reasons — refuse to hear the frantic 
  prayers of the needy. 
  In the case of Erac’s Cousin, the freed demon lord clutched the two terrified adventurers in his 
  hairy paws, and then whisked them through a dimensional portal of his own.  Together fell these 
  three unlikely companions into the chaotic maelstrom of the Abyss. 
  The Kingdom of Fraz-urb’luu is a harsh domain of unbridled Chaos.  There, the wild emanations 
  caused EC’s vorpal blades and Ayelerach’s intelligent two-handed sword to be destroyed, turned 
  into useless chunks of disenchanted metal. [31-29]  After many hard travails and outright torture, 
  Erac’s Cousin finally managed to escape the Abyss and the clutches of Fraz-urb’luu.  (Gary, 
  although not certain, recalled that Ayelerach may have died in the escape attempt.) [31-30]  The 
  powerful blades were forever lost.  Mark Ratner was despondent, but Ernie was flat-out angry.  In 
  forum threads and articles written decades later, Gary still doubted whether his own son had truly 
  forgiven him for the unfair and heavy-handed way in which the vorpal blades were stolen from 
  Erac’s Cousin! [31-31] 
  Following this calamitous event, Gary would describe EC as bitter, “hard and merciless in his 
  actions.” [31-32]  “This very malign individual,” he said further of Ernie’s indignant sword-mage, 
  “was once a servant of Good, but in being captured by a demon and subsequently escaping, he 
  bitterly turned from his former deity for failing him in need, and he now serves Hell with will and 
  enthusiasm.  ‘Erac’s Cousin’ is seldom seen without a red-eyed rat [a shape-shifted imp] upon his 
  shoulder.” [31-33]  Another source (the Rogues Gallery, pg. 42) provides a few more details:  “Erac’s 
  Cousin is thoroughly evil, having made a pact with Baalzebul [more likely Asmodeus, according to a 
  
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  better-researched source].  In exchange for the souls of those he slays, [Asmodeus] has agreed to make 
  a major devil of Erac’s Cousin when he dies.  He is, however, afraid of death and if there is any 
  means to prevent or delay it (i.e. wishes, potion of longevity, etc.), he will try to obtain it.” 
  Proving his zealous and new-sworn fealty to the powers of diabolic evil (and Ernie’s anger with 
  Gary), Erac’s Cousin murdered his loyal henchmen.  He burned his fortress to the ground.  He was 
  consumed by abject hatred.  And such forever remains the legacy of Erac’s Cousin, the fortunate 
  and luckless, the blessed and the damned. 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  Of course, there was work for Gary and Rob to do as well.  Tim was a great help with moving 
  TSR forward on the periodical front.  After finishing the Blackmoor manuscript, Tim started working 
  on something much more akin to what he probably intended to do when he accepted employment 
  with TSR:  The Strategic Review #5.  This would be the first issue under his editorship, and his work 
  on it would lead directly to The Dragon magazine in 1976.  A few hints of the coming magazine 
  (“Beware of The Dragon …” and “The Dragon approaches!”) would also appear in #5, which was 
  released in November. [31-34]  Gary and Tim were probably both heartened to note that with this 
  issue, The Strategic Review exceeded 800 subscribers.  Tim began writing an introductory feature 
  titled “In the Cauldron,” and was happily able to state that Supplement II was finally at the printer.  
  He wrote in TSR #5, “Suffice it to say that I’ve been blooded, as an editor, by Blackmoor.” [31-35] 
  Tim would also report that Rob was busy working on a new project entitled Lankhmar, in 
  collaboration with author Fritz Leiber himself.  Rob’s brother Terry, it seems, was also busy 
  restructuring some Robin Hood rules which had been introduced at Gen Con earlier in the summer.  
  Simultaneously, James M. Ward was conceptualizing a future D&D Supplement with the 
  nominative title Gods, Demi-Gods & Heroes (GDG&H).  GDG&H would later be released as 
  Supplement IV, after Supplement III:  Eldritch Wizardry, which appears to have not even been 
  conceived as of November 1975.  Rob Kuntz would assist with Mr. Ward’s research project as it 
  progressed. [31-36] 
  While all of these new projects were being cooked up, purchased copies of D&D were still 
  rushing out the door.  The third printing had sold out quickly, and “late that summer” [31-37] the 
  fourth printing had been prepared.  Despite Gary’s recollection which would indicate a September 
  time frame, however, game historian Jon Peterson notes that the fourth print run was actually 
  
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  completed in November. [31-38]  This run was necessarily the biggest one yet, and therefore Gary 
  and Brian had decided not to use Heritage Models again for the printing process.  Instead, they 
  used Patch Press of Beloit, Wisconsin. [31-39] 
  The boxes would be different from those which had come before, replacing the wood grain 
  pattern with a “pre-printed white paper-wrapped box.” [31-40]  Patch Press agreed “to do all 
  assembly,” [31-41] greatly reducing the amount of labor which needed to be conducted by TSR staff.  
  But there would still be much work to do with all the receiving, packing and shipping of various 
  orders.  Rob was made a full-time employee just in time to deal with preparing the huge fourth 
  printing of D&D for various shipments.  Gary noted that the completed fourth print run was 
  delivered not to his home, but rather to the “grey house” where Terry Kuntz was still working hard 
  to get the building in shape to serve as TSR’s new headquarters. [31-42] 
  The amount of work each person had to perform was quickly getting out of control.  Gary was 
  not only optimistic about future sales, he believed that they would continue to grow at an 
  astronomical rate.  “The demographics of the D&D audience [in October 1975] were not quite what 
  I had thought would be the core market,” he once said in a later interview.  “So then I revised [sales] 
  projections upwards.” [31-43] 
  Meanwhile in all of the overlapping confusion, The Strategic Review #4 had been published “a bit 
  late,” [31-44] likely in late October.  The most substantial addition to the D&D game in this issue 
  was the illusionist class, presented by Peter Aronson.  The version presented there is quite similar 
  to that which would eventually appear in the Players Handbook (1978), with a few abilities that would 
  be dropped from later incarnations:  for example the spell Create Spectres, and access to 2nd-level 
  magic-user spells. 
  Ioun stones, lifted from a tale by Jack Vance, are also featured in TSR #4 as new magic items; 
  and the issue featured a now-classic monster too. 
  To the list of flesh, stone and iron golems, Tim and Gary added the clay golem as well.    Tim 
  relates that the clay golem was inspired by the monster movie It! (1966) starring Roddy McDowall. 
  In the movie, McDowall plays a museum curator (and madman) who brings the newly-
  acquisitioned Golem back to life.  Naturally, he loses control of the monster and things don’t go 
  very well.  One of the golem’s warning inscriptions is actually quite chilling:  “He who in the 21st 
  century evokes me must be of God’s hand himself, because on this Earth the person of man existeth 
  no more.” 
  
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  Both being impressed by the movie, Gary and Tim discussed the inclusion of a more powerful 
  golem.  Perhaps Gary mentioned Mordenkainen’s experience with Rob Kuntz’s Terrible Iron 
  Golem, but mercifully that fire-breathing, levitating, and petrifying monstrosity did not make it into 
  the published game! [31-45] 
  The clay golem is a metaphysical force of nature, an “inexorable nemesis” [31-46] with overtones 
  of divine retribution.  This is the reason why the creature requires a lawful good and ultra-powerful 
  cleric for its creation. [31-47]  The McDowall movie is also the likely source of inspiration for rules 
  involving a chance for the clay golem to be possessed by a chaotic evil spirit. [31-48] 
  In all, The Strategic Review #4 is an excellent example of the iterative creativity which led to many 
  of the subtle reiterations appearing in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (1977-1979) which we now take 
  for granted. 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  Also by this time, TSR was not the only company advertising and advocating the viral spread 
  of D&D.  In the late spring of 1975 (c. June), a new magazine called The Space Gamer had published 
  its premiere issue through an upstart company called Metagaming Concepts.  The second issue, 
  perhaps published in October, included enthusiastic mentions of Dungeons & Dragons.  This in turn 
  would help to introduce the game to a new audience of sci fi fans which TSR had not yet fully 
  reached.  “The most stimulating part of the game,” reads one review of D&D, “is that anything can 
  happen.  Nothing is impossible.  Even when you are standing between a cliff and a troll, there is 
  still hope, perhaps levitation boots!” [31-49]  Another review notes, “In this game there is no victor 
  as such, but the object is to gain experience (by finding treasures and beating up on monsters) and 
  become more powerful and gain more possessions.  Staying alive is a big part of the game, as there 
  are always monsters that hate you, lurking in the gloom.  But, if you should happen to die, don’t 
  worry; you can always start again.” [31-50] 
  Meanwhile, the Blackmoor Supplement was offered for purchase in The Strategic Review, although 
  it would end up being late once again.  Even more intriguing however is Gary’s mention that a fan-
  based supplement might be in the works: “We are also seriously considering the production of a 
  D&D supplement authored by ‘DUNGEONS & DRAGONS ENTHUSIASTS EVERYWHERE,’” he 
  wrote, “edited by Gygax, Arneson and possibly Kuntz also, for that will be a big job.”  This may 
  
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  have been decided upon after a closer review of Steve Marsh’s excellent contributions which were 
  making their way into Blackmoor, and perhaps the development of Steve’s mystic class as well.  
  Sadly, this dream of open fan authorship would be long deferred until the eventual Open Game 
  License (OGL) created by Wizards of the Coast, but the pent-up creativity of amateur designers 
  would soon be found in every issue of The Dragon, beginning in the summer of 1976. 
  It was also noted that Dave Arneson would soon be moving from St. Paul to live in Lake Geneva 
  and to work with TSR.  Gary noted that “His function will be to help us coordinate our efforts with 
  free-lance designers, [to] handle various research projects, and produce material like a grist mill.”  
  Due to logistics and various hang-ups, Dave would not make it down until the middle of January, 
  1976. [31-51]  But when he finally arrived and got situated in Lake Geneva, nothing went the way 
  that anyone was expecting.  Things were very good for a while, and then they were outright terrible.  
  That is a tale told in Book IV of HAWK & MOOR. 
  And yet, while everyone was waiting for Dave to join the company, the Greyhawk campaign 
  continued in an exciting new way.  That will be the subject for our next chapter. 
   
   
  
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  Footnotes and Annotations 
  for Chapter 31 
   
  [31-1] The Collector’s Trove:  Ernie Gygax “Erac’s Cousin” D&D Notes. 
  [31-2] Dragon, issue #319. 
  [31-3] Boardgamegeek.com, “Board Game Designer:  A. Mark Ratner.” 
  [31-4] An interview at space-opera.net. 
  [31-5] Online web forum post:  Doomsday Games forums, “Rolf.” 
  [31-6] Dragon, issue #305. 
  [31-7] Online web forum post:  Doomsday Games forums, “Erac & Erac’s Cousin” and 
  “Ayelerach.” 
  See also The Oerth Journal, issue #5. 
  [31-8] Online web forum post:  Doomsday Games forums, “Bombadil.” 
  [31-9] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with James M. Ward.  Posted December 2nd, 
  2009. 
  [31-10] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with James M. Ward. 
  [31-11] Garycon.com forums, “Erac & Erac’s Cousin.” 
  See also Dragon, issue #288, and Dragonsfoot Gary Gygax Q&A Part V, posted March 31st, 2006. 
  [31-12] Dragon, issue #288. 
  [31-13] Dragon, issue #319. 
  [31-14] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part XII.  Posted September 20th, 
  2006. 
  See also Dragonsfoot Gary Gygax Q&A Part IV, Posted December 6th, 2005. 
  [31-15] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part III. 
  [31-16] Dragon, issue #319. 
  
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  See also ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A Part V, posted January 28th, 2004. 
  [31-17] The Oerth Journal, issue #5. 
  [31-18] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part XII.  Posted September 20th, 
  2006. 
  [31-19] Online web forum post:  Garycon.com forums, “Erac & Erac’s Cousin.” 
  [31-20] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot forums, “Swords with alignment.” 
  [31-21] The Oerth Journal, issue #5. 
  See also Dragon, issue #320. 
  [31-22] Online web forum post:  Pied Piper Publishing forums, “Straining Robilar’s memory.” 
  [31-23] Dragon #301.  As Gary noted, Herb was following in the tradition of “some science fiction 
  writers on our world [who] thought that firing a space vessel from a giant cannon to reach the moon 
  would be workable.”  By this he was probably referring to the Columbiad space-gun, as featured in 
  Jules Verne’s 1865 novel From the Earth to the Moon. 
  [31-24] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part V.  Posted January 28th, 2004. 
  [31-25] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part XIII.  Posted April 26th, 2007. 
  [31-26] The Oerth Journal #5, Dragon #320. 
  See also “Erac & Erac’s Cousin” in the Garycon forums. 
  [31-27] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part XIII.  Posted July 23rd, 2007. 
  [31-28] This memory is a bit confused; in another conflicting account, Gary said that Zeus “made 
  a brief appearance” but then “left with a shrug, none there honoring him.”  In other words, Erac’s 
  Cousin may have been left to his fate by the petulant god because Zeus did not receive a pandering 
  bribe!  The exact events remain uncertain. 
  [31-29] The Oerth Journal, issue #5, Dragon #320. 
  See also ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A Part IX, posted November 10th, 2005. 
  [31-30] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot forums, “Lake Geneva campaign.”  Posted 
  February 28th, 2003. 
  [31-31] Dragon, issue #320. 
  [31-32] Dragon, issue #319. 
  
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  See also ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A Part XIII, posted July 25th, 2007. 
  [31-33] The Dragon, issue #37. 
  [31-34] The Strategic Review, issue #5. 
  [31-35] The Strategic Review, issue #5. 
  [31-36] The Strategic Review, issue #5. 
  [31-37] The Ultimate Interview with Gary Gygax, by Ciro Alessandro Sacco. 
  [31-38] Playing at the World by Jon Peterson, pg. 535. 
  [31-39] Acaeum.com, Original D&D Set. 
  [31-40] Please refer to RPGConsortium.net etc.  Also, there is some confusion in Gary’s 
  recollections, particularly in the publication and shipping dates provided in Dragon Annual #4 while 
  recounting the year 1975.  I may have copied several additional unintended errors from this account 
  in regards to the publication of reprinted D&D sets, as several other details pertaining to the Third 
  vs. the Fourth Printing are potentially incorrect.  Thanks are due to Scott “Foulfoot” of the Acaeum 
  for clarification of the box differences between the Third “brown box” and the Fourth “white box” 
  Printings of the Original Dungeons & Dragons boxed set. 
  [31-41] The Ultimate Interview with Gary Gygax, by Ciro Alessandro Sacco. 
  [31-42] The Ultimate Interview with Gary Gygax, by Ciro Alessandro Sacco. 
  [31-43] TheWeem.com interview with Gary Gygax. 
  [31-44] The Strategic Review, issue #4. 
  [31-45] The Terrible Iron Golem would finally appear in 1984, in Dungeon Module WG5, 
  Mordenkainen’s Fantastic Adventure. 
  [31-46] Online web forum post:  Q&A with Tim Kask, posted May 26th, 2010. 
  [31-47] Monster Manual, pg. 47. 
  [31-48] Monster Manual, pg. 47. 
  [31-49] The Space Gamer, issue #2, pg. 9. 
  [31-50] The Space Gamer, issue #2, pg. 9. 
  [31-51] Playing at the World by Jon Peterson, pg. 536. 
   
   
  
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  CHAPTER 32 
   
  elemental 
  evil 
   
  (late 1975) 
   
   
  
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  THE TEMPLE of Elemental Evil (TOEE) is one of the most famous dungeons in all of classic 
  Dungeons & Dragons.  In fact, due to the non-publication of Gary’s personal version of Castle 
  Greyhawk, it is arguably the most legendary “mega-dungeon” released throughout the entire 
  history of the game.  The creation and play of the TOEE dungeon, and the campaign region 
  surrounding it, are topics of great historical interest to hardcore D&D fans.  Unfortunately, it is also 
  one of the most spottily annotated events that I have yet covered in the annals of HAWK & MOOR.  
  For this reason I must issue a general apology, and a warning:  this chapter details the Hommlet / 
  TOEE campaign to the best of my ability, but regrettably none of the details I provide here can be 
  taken as gospel.  There are (as of yet) no firm dates attesting these events, and simultaneously there 
  exist a plethora of confused accounts which make establishing a firm chronology for this campaign 
  an exercise in frustration and futility.  If you liked the mess of tangled webs I sifted through trying 
  to figure out Castle Greyhawk, you’re going to love watching me thrash through this!  Revel in my 
  suffering, eh? 
  There are a few hints, however, which appear to date the first steps which Gary took toward the 
  Temple design to early 1975.  The first, as I have chronicled, is the random dungeon generation 
  system which premiered in The Strategic Review #1, which appears to date the earlier conception of 
  the Temple dungeon levels to the beginning of the year.  Another significant clue is the following 
  mention Gary made on the ENWorld forums:  “When the World of Greyhawk was completed, I 
  decided to start a new campaign based on Oerth rather than continue using my generally 
  undetailed parallel earth setting.  Thus I created the Village of Hommlet, Temple of Elemental Evil, 
  Nulb and Stoink for nearby town adventures.” [32-1] 
  This comment might indicate that the Temple’s overland region was created in the spring and/or 
  summer of 1975.  The closest allusion to the Temple adventure time period can then be derived from 
  a Dragonsfoot forum post written by Rob Kuntz, in which he provided a near-chronological account 
  of Robilar’s many adventures in the Greyhawk campaign. [32-2] 
  Rob’s sequence there lists Robilar’s Temple adventure after the Tomb of Horrors, and before the 
  journey with Mordenkainen to the City of the Gods.  Rob once recalled (in 2006) that Robilar was 
  about 14th level when he explored the Temple, which also fits well within this somewhat flawed 
  2006 chronology. [32-3] 
  Since the Tomb of Horrors play test and tournaments date to the spring and summer of 1975 
  respectively, and further considering that the City of the Gods adventure dates tentatively to early 
  1976, we can infer that the Hommlet / TOEE campaign was conducted in the autumn of 1975, 
  through the winter and to perhaps the beginning of 1976.  This likely range is reinforced by a few 
  
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  other details, such as:  [1] the recollections of player Skip Williams (playing Rufus) during football 
  season; [2] the introduction of the ranger class (represented by the NPC Otis); [3] the Gen Con dating 
  of TSR’s internal adoption of Dennis Sustare’s druid PC class for play testing; and [4] the September 
  hiring date of Tim Kask (playing Jaroo in Hommlet, although that name came into being later than 
  the character who possessed it).  The only other tangible clue we have of the time period is that 
  Lake Geneva was “snowed in” while the low-level party was exploring the dungeons, which 
  resulted in Rob’s boredom and Gary agreeing to run Lord Robilar through one last great dungeon 
  adventure. [32-4] 
  Tim also once provided an indirect hint that the weather may have sometimes prevented him 
  from staying to play his druid during these sessions:  “If I was not there,” he explained, “neither 
  was Jaroo unless it was in a role as an NPC / adviser / savant, etc.  This was a courtesy extended to 
  me by Gary following a series of exchanges we had before I got there [in September?], and a couple 
  of talks after I got there, dealing with this issue.” [32-5] 
  None of these estimates are certain, however.  And adding to the confusion, we must also 
  consider that there are at least eight major versions of the Temple in existence.  When people talk 
  about the Temple and the adventures held therein, it is crucial that we discern which incarnation(s) 
  they are referencing.  I personally divide the eight known incarnations as follows, for the sake of 
  clarity and authorial sanity: 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  Incarnation I:  The first in-campaign Temple which Gary created and later Dungeon Mastered 
  for his players.  The dungeon levels were likely conceived in early 1975, then played in late 1975, 
  potentially through to the beginning of 1976.  Unpublished. 
  Incarnation II:  The later and more refined pre-publication play test version of a manuscript 
  which would then become Dungeon Module T1, The Village of Hommlet.  This draft probably 
  included the Moathouse Ruin, but not the Temple.  However, play testers sometimes refer to these 
  games as the “Temple sessions” or some such when they are discussing play.  Unpublished, created 
  c. 1978-1979. 
  Incarnation III:  The published Dungeon Module T1, The Village of Hommlet, which includes 
  hints concerning the Temple and its contents.  Published in the autumn of 1979. 
  
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  Incarnation IV:  The draft materials prepared by Frank Mentzer, at the direction of Gary Gygax, 
  in preparation for the publication of Super Module T1-4, The Temple of Elemental Evil.  Unpublished, 
  and having been reviewed by Mr. Mentzer c. 1984-1985. 
  Incarnation V:  The published TSR Super Module T1-4, The Temple of Elemental Evil.  Published 
  in August or September 1985. 
  Incarnation VI:  Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, a sequel produced by Wizards of the Coast 
  in 2001.  This version strongly references Incarnation V (above), but was not written by Mr. Gygax 
  or Mr. Mentzer. 
  Incarnation VII:  The Temple of Elemental Evil computer game, designed by Troika Games and 
  released in 2003. 
  Incarnation VIII:  (Dating from approximately 2004-present.)  Revisions and corrections made 
  to the most definitive published version (Incarnation V) to make it align more with Gary’s original 
  vision, made and collated by many DMs and fans; particularly in activities at the Dragonsfoot 
  forums.  These efforts are very helpful because they are frequently informed by comments made by 
  Gygax, Mentzer, and players in Temple versions I and II. 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  In this book, we are most interested in Incarnation I (1975), while pulling some helpful 
  information from V and VIII.  Incarnations II and III will be discussed in a future volume of HAWK 
  & MOOR (covering 1978-1979), and IV will be discussed in a potential future book discussing 1985 
  and Gary’s exit from TSR.  I do not at this plan to write histories extending so far as to cover VI, VII 
  or VIII; those I leave to some future historian more devoted to the later history of Dungeons & 
  Dragons than I. 
  Keep in mind in my following account that if I have gotten something “wrong,” it is entirely 
  possible that you are comparing data derived from III, V, VI or VII to my own historical information.  
  But if you are in a position to know more about I, II or IV than I do, by all means feel free to contact 
  me at shadowed_sky@hotmail.com. 
  Clear as mud?  Excellent!  It is time for us to delve into the mysteries of Gary’s original Temple 
  of Elemental Evil. 
   
  
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  * * * * * 
   
  As noted, Gary used the random dungeon generation system to create some of the Temple 
  dungeons.  He once noted in an interview that: “As I got busier and busier, and the demands of 
  work kept me from playing Greyhawk, I began to merge my profession with my avocation, and 
  cheated a lot by creating the village of Hommlet and the Temple of Elemental Evil to test some ideas 
  I had about random dungeons.” [32-6] 
  More specifically however, it seems that he actually created some of the most important rooms 
  in the dungeon by hand, and then filled in the many side areas using the random system.  As he 
  once explained, “The village and main temple areas were carefully mapped before I began 
  adventure sessions in the area.  The random generation was used mainly in developing the land 
  around the village and some of the side areas surrounding the main rooms I had done for the temple 
  dungeons.” [32-7] 
  The adventure scenarios pertaining to the Temple and the Moathouse Ruin were apparently 
  supposed to feature Lolth, Demon Queen of Spiders, as the primary antagonist. [32-8]  Whether this 
  was true for the 1975 adventure is uncertain, and if so this would be the earliest known appearance 
  of Lolth in Gary’s campaign.  The non-random design of the core of dungeon level four is interesting 
  as we consider this possibility however, because it clearly features a chamber shaped like a demon’s 
  skull with eight symmetrical and spidery tunnels radiating off at precise angles.  But the inclusion 
  of Lolth as the Demon Queen antagonist would change before the 1979 publication date of module 
  T1, [32-9] and the published module would feature a cryptic reference (in the form of an amulet 
  inscribed “TZGY” for “Temple of Zuggtmoy”) to the demoness Zuggtmoy instead. 
  The Temple of Elemental Evil, in Gary’s original conception, was supposed to have been 
  constructed upon an unholy site of power where an earlier Temple of the Elder Elemental God (EEG) 
  had been created in ages past.  The EEG’s netherworld sanctuaries were still in existence beneath 
  the ground, deeper than the deepest levels of Elemental Evil; but the builders did not know of the 
  powerful and primal lure of the EEG which had caused them to “select” the site for construction. 
  [32-10] 
  Interested readers may draw some intriguing hints from this information as it relates to the eerie 
  “violet temple” beneath the Steading of the Hill Giant Chief (as featured in 1978’s Dungeon Module 
  G1), which we will delve into further in the later books of HAWK & MOOR.  Perhaps the hill 
  
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  giants’ ancestors were compelled to build on the site of an ancient shrine to this same Elder 
  Elemental God?  The mystery has many layers. 
  The village of Hommlet was carefully populated to serve the adventuring PCs, and to serve as 
  a base for more established personages as well.  Gary was quite taken with Dennis Sustare’s druid 
  class, and decided to allow a druid PC in his new campaign.  It seems that Tim Kask may have been 
  the first to actually play test the class in Gary’s game.  Gary would later play his own druid named 
  Curley Greenleaf, whom he later immortalized in the Gord the Rogue novels as a champion of 
  balance.  Tim’s druid was named — get ready for it — Tim the Druid.  This was not sufficiently 
  entertaining for the other players, so the group collectively decided at random that he was actually 
  “Tim the Lusty Druid.” [32-11] 
  Whenever Mr. Kask was not available to play, the other players would take turns devising ribald 
  verses to the bawdy ditty of “Lusty Tim.”  Tim once let his readership in The Dragon know that the 
  full song is “definitely NOT suitable for reprinting.  We don’t need any more [songs] of that nature, 
  nor will we publish them, unfortunately.  There are simply too many readers of [The Dragon] that 
  are too young for a ‘dirty D&D songbook,’ and we certainly don’t need any nasty letters from any 
  mommy-monsters.” [32-12] 
  Tim recalled that his very merry alter-ego was a level 9 druid during the time of the play test. 
  [32-13]  It is likely that a higher level was chosen by Gary, so that the majority of druid spells could 
  be play tested at the same time.  Tim’s character was later named Jaroo.  In the later play tests of 
  Dungeon Module T1 (c. 1978-1979), Jaroo would receive the honorific “Ashstaff,” referencing an 
  actual staff that Tim Kask found had been left behind by someone at Gen Con in the summer of 
  1975. [32-14]  Tim kept the staff safe in his office, vowing to return it to its original owner if possible.  
  When Gen Con ’76 rolled around, he posted a notice for anyone who might be looking for that 
  missing piece of treasure; but no one responded, and so the staff became Tim’s forevermore. 
  The staff was thus safely situated in Tim’s office at TSR when the T1 module was being play 
  tested, and the name “Ashstaff” stuck where “Lusty” could not stand due to imminent public 
  scrutiny. [32-15]  Yes, “Ashstaff” now takes on a revelatory meaning.  Readers are strongly 
  encouraged to draw whatever solid and mighty inferences they will. 
  Young new player Skip Williams played Rufus the fighting man.  This character was originally 
  known as “Rufus of Hommlet,” but Gary would change that to “Rufus of Skipperton” for the 
  published version as a nod to Skip’s portrayal.  His erudite companion, Burne the magic-user, was 
  played by Ernie.  The character’s name was originally spelled Berne (as in the capital of 
  Switzerland), perhaps derived from “B-Ernie.”  (The name by the way is pronounced as “Bern-
  
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  NEY,” not as “Burn.”) [32-16]  Berne is recorded as one of the first characters to enter Hommlet, [32-
  17] which implies that he began play at level 1.  He and Rufus were both noob PCs, with nary an 
  experience point between them.  As Ernie would later explain, “The characters Burne and Rufus 
  were only created and used for the T1 [Hommlet] adventure.  Both of us had at least one if not 
  multiple characters already involved in the Greyhawk Castle campaign.” [32-18] 
  Another character, Otis (at first a fighting man, and later re-imagined as a ranger) was originally 
  an NPC, but would subsequently be played by Luke Gygax.  The compound name “Otis-Luke” 
  would then be shortened to “Otiluke” by Gary, a name used for a few interesting magical spells in 
  the later design of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. [32-19]  Otis’s brother Elmo did not yet exist, [32-
  20] but would apparently be added for the play test of the soon-to-be-published module in 1978 or 
  1979. 
  A few other characters in Hommlet are very interesting from a naming perspective, but we do 
  not know for certain whether these characters were played by the real people which they reflected.  
  Nira Melubb is an anagram for Brian Blume, a “truly neutral” individual who dislikes the rise of 
  the Temple’s evil horde because it would “hurt business.”  It is believed (due to an aside in an 
  interview in Polyhedron #2) that Brian was an occasional player in the Hommlet campaign.  The 
  veteran thief Rannos Davl (the name is a near-anagram) may be a caricature of Dave L. Arneson, 
  who was still in the Twin Cities when the new campaign began.  In the published module, Rannos 
  is jokingly described (despite his 18 Dexterity!) as “slow, fat, clumsy, and placid.” [32-21] 
  Gary noted that “many of the NPCs in the module [T1] are the characters and henchmen 
  developed through play,” [32-22] but unfortunately the specific attributions have been lost to time.  
  I do not yet know if the names of NPCs such as Black Jay, Calmert, Furnok of Ferd (someone named 
  Fred?), Gremag, Gundigoot, Kobort, Lareth, Lubash, Spugnoir (pronounced “Spug-NWAR”), [32-
  23] Terjon (Terry Kuntz?), Turuko, Y’dey, or Zert correspond to any real-life influences, but am 
  always willing to speculate and to hear of readers’ theories! 
  What the new characters did first is not known, but it seems very likely that the Moathouse Ruin 
  featured prominently in their adventures.  Interesting bits in the published version of the 
  Moathouse include:  [1] a pool of giant carnivorous frogs, perhaps as a tribute to Arneson’s Temple 
  of the Frog; [2] the symbol of Mordor’s eye, shamelessly lifted from Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings to 
  serve as the blazon for evil troops; [3] some Lovecraftian ghouls and rats; and of course [4] Lareth 
  the Beautiful, a decadent and duplicitous cult master filled with twisted dreams of glory. 
  Just how much the published Moathouse dungeon reflects the original design is unknown, but 
  (as mentioned earlier in this series) the upper ruins are a clear tribute to the castle featured in The 
  
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  Siege of Bodenburg.  It seems likely that the adventurers entered Hommlet, hired men-at-arms, made 
  alliances, and then proceeded to wipe out the Moathouse monsters and to explore the surrounding 
  countryside.  The Temple’s agents were — with some difficulty, and probably the help of the druid 
  — cleared out of the Village. [32-24] 
  The new characters did well and gained a few experience levels, but they were still reluctant to 
  go near to the Temple ruin itself. [32-25]  After their enjoyment of Hommlet, the survivors 
  progressed to the vile hovels of Nulb [32-26] and thence to the sinister ruins of the Temple.  The 
  players were wary of the Temple, and were afraid of losing their characters during a long 
  underworld expedition.  Therefore, they conducted repeated hit and run raids on the monsters 
  there.  After each successful foray the adventurers would retreat, recuperate, and then return for 
  more. [32-27] 
  Eventually, the group did get powerful enough to explore the deeper levels.  However, the 
  group was being extremely cautious so that they would not be trapped in a dead end by the 
  Temple’s overwhelming forces.  It seems that during most sessions they were busy exploring, 
  mapping and avoiding monsters as much as possible. [32-28]  This by the way is classic “Tenser” 
  behavior, which may imply that Ernie’s Berne (with a 17 Intelligence) was the de facto leader of the 
  party. 
  After many battles and hardships the party found Prince Thrommel, ninth in line for succession 
  to the crown, an abducted hero held in enchanted stasis.  However, the adventurers did not yet 
  know what to do with the discovery. [32-29]  There was a good reason for their confusion:  the 
  champion Paladin Lord Thrommel had been captured by the Temple’s rulers, and his appearance 
  as a “staked” vampire was merely an illusion.  He had been hidden away while the evil rulers 
  bickered about what to do with him.  If found as a “vampire,” there is a very good chance that a 
  misguided adventuring party might mistake his appearance for the real thing and finish him off by 
  cutting off his head! [32-30]  There was a short break in the campaign while the players mulled over 
  the discovery of the “vampire,” and were deciding what to do.  By this time it was winter in Lake 
  Geneva and the snows were falling hard. [32-31] 
  Rob Kuntz was over at Gary’s house and was bored and wanted to play Lord Robilar once again.  
  Gary thought about this and tried to conceive precisely what adventures he could come up with to 
  entertain his friend and his powerful character.  Considering the location of Castle Robilar along 
  the Wild Coast, and the fact that it was in the same Gnarley Forest as the Temple itself, Gary decided 
  that there might be a chance for Robilar to hear rumors about evil activity (and treasure!) nearby.  
  
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  These rumors eventually did reach Lord Robilar’s ears, and so the tempted veteran promptly 
  emerged from semi-retirement and prepared to set out for a major expedition. [32-32] 
  To get there, he needed to cross to the far side of the Gnarley Forest, so he used his flying carpet.  
  His two most faithful companions, Quij and Otto, followed on tamed griffons. [32-33]  The three 
  adventurers spotted the Temple’s vast ruin from the air, and Robilar ordered the group to land in 
  a hidden meadow close to the outer walls.  Otto prepared his spells, Robilar readied his weapons 
  and magic arsenal, and Quij was ordered to remain behind to guard the carpet of flying along with 
  the hungry griffons. [32-34] 
  With these cautionary measures taken, Robilar and Otto crept through the ruins and down into 
  the vermin-infested dungeons which lie beneath the ancient Temple itself.  Knowing Gary’s game 
  mastering style very well, Rob decided that he could not risk the safe “raid and retreat” tactics 
  which were being slowly and successfully used by the other low-level adventurers.  He had 
  something more like a Tomb of Horrors-style “smash and grab” in mind.  Robilar’s mission 
  therefore was to smash his way into the bottom of the dungeon, where all of the best treasures 
  would be, and to get back out before the Temple’s minions could regroup or post reinforcements.  
  Even more cannily, Rob decided to get everything done in a single session so that the other players 
  would have no chance to intervene or beat him to the treasure! [32-35] 
  All of the monsters Robilar encountered were either avoided or slain, with no prisoners being 
  taken.  Rob once noted that there may have been a slim chance for parley, with Robilar and the 
  monsters being collectively evil (but not serving the same powers); and yet the monsters mercilessly 
  attacked in defense of the Temple, and so Robilar and Otto wiped all of them out whenever combat 
  ensued. [32-36] 
  This is not to say that the adventure was a frontal assault, however.  Far from it.  Robilar and 
  Otto moved in stealth and secrecy, and sometimes (perhaps when invisibility or resistance to spells 
  was required?) Robilar acted alone.  Using the same tactics which Rob had perfected under Castle 
  Greyhawk, the most dangerous monsters were avoided while the rich ones were attacked from 
  ambush.  Closed doors were dealt with by having Robilar make noise, and then waiting to see if 
  any evil priests or monsters came out to investigate. [32-37] 
  Anyone who peeked out, of course, was summarily slain with total surprise.  As each lair’s 
  monsters were cleared, the adventurers would dig through the mess and filth in search of treasure.  
  There was not much to be had, however.  Rob once noted fondly that as Robilar searched every 
  room, there would be “little bits and pieces of temple trash flying everywhere.  Now those were the 
  days!” [32-38]  Then again, he may have been referring to slaughtered monsters! 
  
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  The meager finds, however, only proved to Rob that Gary had hidden the vast majority of the 
  wealth at the very bottom.  A final assault would be needed to remove the most dangerous monsters 
  lurking in Robilar’s way.  The carnage lasted for two full game days, which probably means that 
  Robilar and Otto depleted their spells and hit points to the utmost limit that Rob would dare to 
  undertake.  Perhaps the adventurers then hid themselves in a secret room, or in a cleared area of 
  the upper dungeon levels, while Robilar nursed his wounds and Otto strove to re-memorize his 
  spells. 
  Along the way, Robilar encountered a curious assortment of magical columns.  These huge 
  arcane devices were planar seals of a kind, ensorcelled by great powers of Good and positioned to 
  chain Zuggtmoy to the Prime Material Plane (and more specifically, to her prison amongst the 
  slimes and fungi who served her as eerie “consorts”). [32-39] 
  Rob may well have suspected that these columns were the puzzle-key to the riddles surrounding 
  the Temple’s hidden treasure.  In reality, however, these were barriers placed by the forces of Good 
  years ago, their purpose being to keep the terrible Demon Queen Zuggtmoy imprisoned within the 
  dungeons.  (Gary noted that Zuggtmoy was basically immortal, as far as the irksome adventuring 
  heroes were concerned:  “As for the Temple of Elemental Evil,” he wrote, “Zuggtmoy is unkillable.  
  She can be set free or sent back to the Abyss, but the PCs cannot destroy her.”) [32-40] 
  Robilar used his girdle of storm giant strength to shatter the columns and barriers in his 
  relentless search for the treasure.  And with each shattering, Rob’s satisfaction and Gary’s anxiety 
  grew. [32-41]  When the brash Lord Robilar came to the final gate which held Zuggtmoy at bay, he 
  shattered the doors down with the last pillar and strode inside. [32-42]  Surely, great treasures must 
  be hidden behind such well-protected portals!  Instead, Robilar came face to face with the newly-
  liberated Demon Queen. 
  Otto must have either been hidden nearby, or perhaps Gary ruled that (as an NPC) he had fled 
  in mortal terror.  Whatever occurred, the solitary and hapless Lord Robilar was quickly 
  overwhelmed by the jubilant tyrant Queen.  The Demon Queen knew that she was in great danger 
  as she stood free beneath the Temple, because the forces of Good had greatly curtailed her power 
  with the imprisonment.  And so, she decided to flee homeward to her demoniacal palace within the 
  Abyss.  But surely she would need a great champion to protect her while she rebuilt her power base 
  on the Prime Material Plane, and who better to “reward” with such an honor than her liberator 
  himself? 
  
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  Yes, the “handsome” Lord Robilar — much like poor Ayelerach and Erac’s Cousin — was 
  whisked up in the clutches of a monstrous Evil and swept away to serve chaos in the ultimate realm 
  of darkness. [32-43] 
  While Lord Robilar and his newly-won beauty queen were away and enjoying their Abyssal 
  vacation (to varying degrees), the forces of Good learned about what had been done. [32-44]  The 
  liberation of Zuggtmoy was probably discovered as a result of the lower-level adventurers (led by 
  Ernie’s Berne) re-entering the dungeons and finding that many of the monsters had been 
  slaughtered, with treasures missing, and of course the un-breachable gates had been sundered too!  
  Berne, Rufus and company probably went straight to Tim, the Druid of the Grove, to share their 
  deepest fears:  the Demon Queen had been loosed once again upon the world.  How could such 
  horrific things be?  Who would dare to free such a terrible foe? 
  During their time together, Zuggtmoy and Robilar became “friends,” or at least tentative allies 
  with Zuggtmoy in control. [32-45] 
  Eventually, Lord Robilar managed to convince the Demon Queen of two things:  first, he should 
  be allowed to live; and secondly, he really wasn’t very good at that whole “fawning servant” thing.  
  Being lawful evil and asked to serve chaos intimately, Robilar was not entirely trustworthy.  
  Perhaps Robilar managed to convince the Demon Queen that he had a wrathful protector of his 
  own; or, more likely, he simply asked to serve the Queen on the Prime Material Plane where he 
  could acquire treasures and face down the powers of Good on her behalf.  Whatever the reason, 
  Robilar managed to escape the Abyss and so he was returned to the Temple environs. [32-46] 
  Freedom was just the beginning of his ultimate problem, however.  Lord Robilar had angered 
  the great powers of Good by unleashing the Demon Queen of Fungi, and he was now worth 
  stomping out.  Even the neutral druids were in allegiance with Good, because the balance of power 
  in the region had been completely disrupted.  A great force was raised to hunt Lord Robilar down 
  and to bring him to justice. [32-47] 
  Robilar (not yet knowing all of this, but probably sensing instinctively that he was stuck hip-
  deep in demonic doo-doo) managed to escape the dungeons, to meet up with Otto (who had 
  probably feared the worst), and to find Quij who was still faithfully guarding the griffons beneath 
  the secret boughs of the Gnarley Wood.  However, loyal Quij had gotten very cold waiting for 
  master to return.  Unable to leave the griffons unguarded or to make his presence known in Nulb, 
  Quij instead cut a hole in master’s carpet of flying.  He then stuck his head through it and waited 
  more contentedly in his “poncho” while master was away. [32-48] 
  
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  Good boy, Quij!  But Lord Robilar was less than thrilled.  He needed to make an escape, and 
  quickly!  When Robilar finally managed to flee, he left in such haste that neither he nor his 
  companions noticed that they were being followed.  The damage to the carpet of flying probably 
  slowed it down considerably, and Otto’s and Quij’s griffons would have been forced to slow 
  themselves to avoid leaving Robilar behind to a nasty fate.  Behind them, the druid Tim had 
  watched them depart while hidden in the nearby forest.  Tim then shape-shifted into a falcon, and 
  followed the fleeing adventurers for hundreds of miles until they returned “safely” to Castle 
  Robilar. [32-49] 
  Finally, the identity of the culprit who had so audaciously freed Queen Zuggtmoy was known!  
  Tim returned to Hommlet and shared the ghastly news:  the champion of Evil was hidden away in 
  his nearly impregnable castle.  A siege would be needed to be brought against Castle Robilar at 
  once, which would require the mustering and marching of an army. 
  Very soon thereafter, “Robilar’s ravages were followed by the army of enraged Good folk, led 
  by Tenser and associates, including Otis, Berne, [and] Rufus.” [32-50]  In other words, Ernie decided 
  to create a righteous conclave that would hunt down the impious Lord Robilar once and for all.  
  Ernie probably allied his mid-level PC Berne with his main high-level PC Tenser, and then 
  convinced Skip Williams and Tim Kask to assist.  The inclusion of Otis’s name in this list also implies 
  that by this time Gary’s young son Luke [32-51] was controlling Otis as a new NPC-turned-PC for 
  this special mission of vengeance.  There were seriously bad times ahead in Lord Robilar’s future! 
  The army of Good which assembled also included elves (probably from the Kingdom of Celene), 
  unicorns (ridden no doubt by elven knights and maidens), and paladins (undoubtedly Prince 
  Thrommel’s companions, who hailed from Verbobonc). [32-52]  Tenser led the force to Robilar’s 
  castle.  Quij, perhaps learning of their approach from his patrolling orc scouts, fled in panic. [32-53] 
  It seems that due to all of his earlier precautions, Robilar narrowly managed to escape.  He may 
  have left as soon as he realized the size of the force being brought against him.  This, combined with 
  Gary’s genuine displeasure that Rob had ruined the Temple dungeon for future use by the lower-
  level PCs, probably forced him to come to terms with a grim and incontrovertible fact:  everyone 
  was pissed off at him.  Sure, it was all in good fun, but that would not be enough to save Lord 
  Robilar’s life!  At the very least he would imprisoned for life.  And so, thinking fast he fled the 
  Greyhawk region and went into exile. [32-54] 
  The army came and the siege on Robilar’s castle then began. [32-55]  The details are confused, 
  but it seems that Otto may have led the last effort to defend the place, even while Robilar was safely 
  away.  Castle Robilar was laid out on a relatively simple plan, with a square outer perimeter 
  
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  cornered by four towers and a fortified keep in the center.  Near the courtyard was a beautiful 
  fountain. [32-56] 
  The invaders suffered some deaths due to the castle’s guards and warding spells.  As the main 
  gate came crashing down, Otto used a Dispel Magic spell on the fountain in the castle courtyard, 
  which caused a swarm of “snails” to become furious hydras. [32-57]  The hydras killed many of the 
  invaders but were eventually slain.  Under the cover of this confusion, Otto fled away as well. [32-
  58] 
  Lord Robilar’s abandoned castle was sacked and ruined, perhaps even razed to the ground. [32-
  59]  All of the treasures which he had not managed to carry into exile were lost.  At this time he also 
  lost the Green Dragon Inn.  It seems that Tenser instigated an investigation, and the forces of law in 
  the City of Greyhawk confiscated the property. [32-60]  As has been gravely noted, “A valuable 
  lesson was learned and [from this point forward] Robilar’s history starts being controlled by outside 
  forces.” [32-61] 
  Despite a very chagrined Rob learning his lesson well, however, Gary was genuinely depressed 
  by the misadventure’s aftermath.  With the “big bad” in the Temple no longer present, and most of 
  the guardian monsters slain, there was little reason for the rest of the PCs to go back into that 
  netherworld setting again.  Gary’s son Ernie would lament many years later that the mysteries of 
  Elemental Evil would never be fully realized in the Greyhawk campaign:  “Father kept so many 
  details hidden,” he remembered, “and if we did not explore the background deep enough, we never 
  learned all that the module contained.” [32-62] 
  “When Robilar freed Zuggtmoy,” Gary remembered, “I pretty well scrapped the idea of using 
  [the Temple of Elemental Evil] for ongoing adventures for my group, vowing to get back to finishing 
  it eventually.  As I was not able to do much DMing thereafter, that never happened ...” [32-63] 
  And now you know.  Robilar’s demon-freeing days came to an end.  He would later ally with 
  the neutral archmage Mordenkainen, and journey to the City of the Gods.  Thereafter, he would 
  find a powerful artifact and take it across the sea to the land of Lyhnn.  We will consider these other 
  great adventures — the last to be told in the legendary chronicle of Lord Robilar — in Book IV of 
  HAWK & MOOR. 
   
   
  
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  Footnotes and Annotations 
  for Chapter 32 
   
  [32-1] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part XII. 
  [32-2] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot forums, “How far did Gygax go with Greyhawk?” 
  [32-3] A post by Rob Kuntz on the paizo.com forums, dated September 12th, 2006. 
  [32-4] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot forums, “Temple of Elemental Evil question.” 
  [32-5] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  Posted February 16th, 2009. 
  [32-6] Polyhedron, issue #2. 
  [32-7] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part V.  Posted January 24th, 2004. 
  [32-8] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot forums, “Lareth the beautiful.” 
  [32-9] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot forums, “Lareth the beautiful.” 
  [32-10] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot forums, “Elder Elemental God?” 
  [32-11] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  See for example entries from 
  March 8th and August 14th, 2011 
  [32-12] The Dragon, issue #13. 
  [32-13] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  According to Gary’s 
  recollection, Tim the Druid “got up to around 10th level” in the end. 
  [32-14] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask.  Posted May 2nd, 2012. 
  [32-15] Acaeum.com, “Gen Con 2007 pictures.” 
  [32-16] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot forums, “Zagyg’s Castle.” 
  [32-17] The Collector’s Trove:  Ernie Gygax. 
  [32-18] This information comes from a Facebook post made on July 14th, 2015. 
  [32-19] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot forums, “Primeval players of D&D.” 
  [32-20] Pied Piper Publishing forums, “Rufus, Burne and the green dragon.” 
  
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  See also the Dragonsfoot forums, “Otis and the Battle of Emridy Meadows.” 
  [32-21] Dungeon Module T1, The Village of Hommlet, pg. 4. 
  [32-22] Dungeon Module T1, The Village of Hommlet, pg. 3. 
  [32-23] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot.org, “Zagyg’s Castle,” posted March 8th, 2004. 
  [32-24] Super Module T1-4, The Temple of Elemental Evil, pg. 28. 
  [32-25] The Oerth Journal, issue #7. 
  [32-26] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part VIII.  Posted February 25th, 
  2005. 
  [32-27] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part VIII.  Posted February 25th, 
  2005. 
  [32-28] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot forums, “Temple of Elemental Evil question.” 
  [32-29] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot forums, “Temple of Elemental Evil question.” 
  [32-30] Super Module T1-4, The Temple of Elemental Evil, pg. 86. 
  [32-31] Online web forum post:  Pied Piper Publishing forums, “Giants / Drow – was it played 
  in the Geneva campaigns?” 
  [32-32] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot forums, “Temple of Elemental Evil question.” 
  See also a Rob Kuntz post on the paizo.com forums, dated September 8th, 2006. 
  [32-33] The Oerth Journal, issue #7. 
  See also Super Module T1-4, The Temple of Elemental Evil, pg. 28. 
  [32-34] Online web forum post:  a post by Rob Kuntz on the paizo.com forums, dated September 
  8th, 2006. 
  [32-35] The Oerth Journal, issue #7. 
  [32-36] Online web forum post:  Pied Piper Publishing forums, “Robilar and the ToEE.” 
  [32-37] Online web forum post:  Pied Piper Publishing forums, “Robilar’s solo adventures.” 
  [32-38] Online web forum post:  Pied Piper Publishing forums, “Robilar in ToEE?” 
  [32-39] Super Module T1-4, The Temple of Elemental Evil, pg. 94. 
  [32-40] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part X.  Posted June 23rd, 2006. 
  
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  [32-41] The Oerth Journal, issue #7. 
  [32-42] Pied Piper Publishing forums, “Robilar and the ToEE,” in addition to the Greytalk 
  Archives. 
  [32-43] The Greytalk Archives. 
  See also ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A Part X, posted June 2nd, 2006. 
  [32-44] Super Module T1-4, The Temple of Elemental Evil, pg. 28. 
  [32-45] The Oerth Journal, issue #7. 
  [32-46] The Greytalk Archives. 
  See also ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A Part X, posted June 2nd, 2006. 
  [32-47] Super Module T1-4, The Temple of Elemental Evil, pg. 28. 
  [32-48] Super Module T1-4, The Temple of Elemental Evil, pg. 28. 
  See also ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part X. 
  [32-49] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask. 
  [32-50] Super Module T1-4, The Temple of Elemental Evil, pg. 28. 
  [32-51] Gary once noted (in the Dragonsfoot forums, Q&A with Gary Gygax Part X, posted June 
  23rd, 2007) that in regards to Luke’s game play, “Hommlet was the first campaign in which he 
  actually played in a reasonably mature manner.  The older fellows in the group used to razz him a 
  good deal and also assist him in developing [his] RPG skill.” 
  Luke’s first attempts at Dungeon Mastering would be made for his sisters Heidi and Cindy, with 
  father Gary noting that the girls “told him what opponents they should face, what treasure they 
  should gain from their defeated adversaries … until he complained to me, and I set matters aright.” 
  [32-52] The Oerth Journal, issue #7. 
  [32-53] The Oerth Journal, issue #7. 
  [32-54] Online web forum post:  Pied Piper Publishing forums, “Robilar’s tower.” 
  [32-55] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part X. 
  [32-56] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot.org, “Which Kingdom is Lord Robilar’s Manor 
  Located In?”  Posted April 21st, 2005. 
  
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  [32-57] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot.org, “Which Kingdom is Lord Robilar’s Manor 
  Located In?”  Posted April 21st, 2005. 
  See also Dragonsfoot.org, “Lake Geneva Campaign,” posted February 11th and 12th, 2003. 
  [32-58] Online web forum post:  Pied Piper Publishing forums, “Robilar’s tower.” 
  [32-59] Online web forum post:  Pied Piper Publishing forums, “Robilar’s tower.” 
  [32-60] Online web forum post:  Pied Piper Publishing forums, “The Green Dragon Inn.” 
  [32-61] The Oerth Journal, issue #7. 
  [32-62] This information comes from a Facebook post made on July 14th, 2015. 
  [32-63] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part XII. 
   
   
   
  
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  CHAPTER 33 
   
  blackmoor 
  dawning 
   
  (november – 
  december 1975) 
   
   
  
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  ON THE business side of affairs, November and December of 1975 encapsulated a very busy time 
  for TSR.  Early in November, Gary traveled to Minnesota to make various business arrangements. 
  [33-1] 
  It is very likely that he visited with Dave Arneson (as a game designer and associate, of course), 
  M. A. R Barker (game designer), Mike Mornard (experienced D&D campaign referee) and David C. 
  Sutherland III (artist), among others.  We know a meager scrap of this via the court record, but that 
  brief mention provides us with only a glimpse of the possible goings-on at this time. 
  This may, by the way, have been the Minnesota trip which Rob Kuntz accompanied Gary on.  
  As Rob would later fondly recall, “I first met David Sutherland when in 1975 a select crew from 
  TSR drove to Minnesota to visit with the esteemed Professor M. A. R. Barker.  Dave personally 
  showed me around Minneapolis / St. Paul, took me to Uncle Hugo’s bookstore, pointed me to the 
  Clark Ashton Smith and H. P. Lovecraft books there, and we later joked and talked and ate some 
  food downtown.  A great first start to a friendship, which was to build for years after he finally 
  arrived in Lake Geneva to work for TSR.” [33-2] 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  By this time Tim Kask had his stewardship of The Strategic Review well in hand, and issue #5 was 
  published in November. [33-3]  Gary once estimated that circulation may have been over 1,000 
  copies … a noteworthy milestone considering the amateur makeup and casual distribution of earlier 
  issues. [33-4]  Soon and with the waiting audience proven, Tim and Gary would be able to shift 
  their focus toward a more professional publication, The Dragon, with a similar print run.  The Dragon 
  would also feature fiction, a full-color cover, more illustrations, better-quality paper and a higher 
  page count as well.  Even better, the Blackmoor Supplement was being bound, stapled and churned 
  out at the printers (and thus it was out of Tim’s hair, which may have been in danger of falling out 
  by this time).  Good things were brewing in the publication side of the business! 
  Issue #5 of The Strategic Review features many highlights, including an illustration of stirges by 
  David Sutherland, and several new monsters:  the rakshasa, the slithering tracker and the trapper. 
  The rakshasa appeared as a result of Gary’s earlier-mentioned enjoyment of Kolchak:  The Night 
  Stalker.  As Tim once fondly recalled, “Gary came in one morning and threw the rough stats and 
  such on my desk and asked what I thought about the critter.  It was love at first sight.” 
  
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  The trapper monster, meanwhile, is simply an inverted lurker above, again likely inspired by 
  Terry Kuntz’s paranoia concerning the various surfaces in Gary’s Greyhawk dungeons.  The 
  slithering tracker, however, is something of an enigma.  It appears to be an intelligent and invisible 
  slime monster, and may have been created by Gary with the help of Rob Kuntz. 
  This issue also gives us the first hint of “geomorphic dungeon maps,” meaning that Gary was 
  already testing the waters for general DM interest in the generic and configurable maps which 
  would later be published as the Dungeon Geomorphs series of supplements. [33-5] 
  Copies of The Strategic Review #5 that were mailed to subscribers were accompanied by a flyer, 
  which invited readers to embrace “an offer that only comes once in a lifetime.” [33-6]  This was an 
  invitation to subscribe to a lifetime subscription to TSR game products.  People could shell out a 
  sizeable chunk of cash, and in return they would get every game produced by TSR in perpetuity.  
  (!)  A similar offer would be made in 1976, with lifetime subscriptions available for The Dragon 
  magazine.  It was a chance for Gary to raise a significant amount of cash in a short period of time, 
  but the long-term advantages of the program were very much on the side of the subscribers.  As 
  Gary later explained, “a lifetime sub to The Dragon was $300 and a like sub to game products was 
  $700.” [33-7] 
  He recalled that approximately 30 individuals signed up for both, and several others signed up 
  only for the game products.  Subscribers were required to sign an annual form which confirmed 
  their interest in continuing with the program.  (TSR was obviously less interested in honoring this 
  agreement as time went by, but honor it they did.)  Every once in a while, TSR would get behind 
  on shipments and send materials by the pallet-full! [33-8]  By the time Gary left TSR in December 
  of 1985, about a dozen of these people were still involved in the program and reaping a huge 
  amount of gaming loot as a reward for their much earlier foresight. 
  Also in this issue, Tim was proud to note that work was being performed to finally open the 
  Dungeon Hobby Shop.  Ideally, the Shop would have opened before the busy holiday shopping 
  season; but alas, this was not to be.  The “grey house” simply needed too much work before it could 
  be safely opened and fully stocked for business.  And in Terry Kuntz’s defense, it is said that he was 
  working extremely hard and his efforts were saving TSR a considerable amount of money.  The 
  ground-level retail side of house was put on hold, but it seems that the office spaces were ready to 
  go:  Tim reported, “We are in the midst of a move out of our beloved crypts,” by which he meant 
  the cramped work spaces in Gary’s basement. 
  Tim also told the following story about the last of the basement days:  “The last Friday that we 
  were in Gary’s basement — Monday we were moving into the new building, it was a landmark red-
  
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  letter day for us — we were sitting in Gary’s study.  Invariably and inevitably, we were smoking 
  cigars and drinking scotch.  We didn’t do this very often, only once in a while would we take the 
  time to do this.  And we would have what we called our ‘blue sky sessions.’  We would just start 
  throwing out preposterous stuff that we saw in the future.”  The funniest tale was that TSR would 
  sell 10,000 copies of D&D, which was met with gales of laughter.  Little did anyone know that one 
  day soon, this impossible pipe dream would come true … and then some! [33-9] 
  Indeed, Dungeons & Dragons continued to sell very well.  The fifth printing appears to have been 
  produced at some point between December 1975 (less likely) and April 1976 (more likely). [33-10]  
  Tim once estimated that TSR sold “a little over $100,000” in product in 1975. [33-11]  This was largely 
  a result of the TSR Hobbies Division, which was selling miniatures (with the Minifigs offerings 
  being especially popular).  TSR Hobbies was also stocking other designers’ games, and of course 
  selling Dungeons & Dragons and its various supplements as well.  We do not know what the profit 
  margins were for all of these many proceedings, but nevertheless $100,000 is a phenomenal number 
  for a gaming startup which had just recently celebrated its second birthday on October 1st, 1975. 
  Despite all of these developments, however, the most eagerly awaited new publication was 
  saved for last:  Blackmoor finally made it into print and was arriving in customers’ mailboxes in late 
  December. [33-12]  All of the back orders were filled and this supplement was eagerly purchased 
  by many other gamers, but it was not as well-reviewed as Greyhawk had been.  Initial feedback for 
  Blackmoor was mixed, and not everyone knew what to do with the sheer variety of the material.  The 
  aquatic theme was considered confusing by some, and not everyone enjoyed the assassin and the 
  monk.  “Some people were turned off by all the emphasis on water,” Tim once explained. [33-13] 
  Also — through no fault of Tim’s own — Blackmoor is the first D&D product in which there is a 
  significant change of tone.  Dungeons & Dragons, Greyhawk and The Strategic Review issues had all 
  been authored by Gary Gygax, with input from Dave Arneson, Rob Kuntz, Mike Mornard and 
  others.  Blackmoor, however, was not only not created by Gary; it was comprised entirely of materials 
  which had never appeared in Gary’s game.  For those “old school” purists who are interested in 
  marking a line of demarcation between Gygaxian Dungeons & Dragons and the more collaborative 
  game which followed through all of the decades to come, the publication of Blackmoor represents a 
  milestone for the borderland between those two very different play styles.  Material from Gary’s 
  game would still appear in print, in altered form of course; but never again would D&D be “Gary’s 
  game.”  Dungeons & Dragons, as a direct result of its commercial prosperity and success, had become 
  the shared creative property belonging to the growing community of D&D’s players and Dungeon 
  Masters. 
  
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  * * * * * 
   
  Blackmoor is a major D&D release, however, from both a play perspective and an historical one 
  as well.  The section which was most widely embraced by Dungeon Masters, it seems, was The 
  Temple of the Frog. 
  The Temple of the Frog offers us an evocative glimpse into Dave Arneson’s Blackmoor 
  campaign.  As such, I will reveal some of the more interesting details here.  The Temple is not 
  precisely a “dungeon” in the sense that any small adventuring party might stand a chance to attain 
  glory and riches there.  It is more of a battle scenario setting, a military outpost which might be 
  attacked by a small army.  The surface stronghold appears to have been designed to integrate with 
  Arneson’s interpretation of Chainmail Fantasy (c. 1971-1972), while the dungeon proper (suitable for 
  large parties, provided they can make it past the army) appears to date to the spring of 1973. [33-
  14] 
  In Dave’s world, the Temple of the Frog was situated just a little further to the south from the 
  swamp-town of Loch Gloomen. [33-15]  A few anachronistic game system notes in the text lead us 
  to believe that Arneson only lightly updated this material prior to handing it off to Gary in “final 
  draft form” in 1975. 
  The Temple as portrayed in Blackmoor is a great stronghold of evil, hidden within the wreathing 
  and corrosive mists which veil the frigid swamps near to the frontier town of Loch Gloomen.  
  Considering Dave’s cinematic and pulpy predilections, I believe that this setting may have been 
  inspired by the cheesy 1972 horror movie Frogs, which boasts some of the most terrible taglines of 
  all time:  “If you are squeamish stay home!!!” shrieks the poster, featuring a giant frog with a dead 
  man’s hand sticking out of its mouth.  “Cold green skin against soft, warm flesh!  … a croak … a 
  scream!  FROGS!”  And even better, “TODAY — the pond!  TOMORROW — the world!” 
  Some of the more obscure details concerning the Temple’s convoluted history are made clearer 
  in Arneson’s later (and heavily revised) Dungeon Module DA2, Temple of the Frog (1986).  The 
  Temple was founded by priests who worshipped the deadly frogs and swamp beasts lairing 
  throughout the region of Loch Gloomen.  The mad priests of the swamp, it seems, may have sought 
  unholy unification with the spirit of the Great Frog.  Human sacrifices were made, and a 
  subterranean breeding program was begun in which frog DNA was spliced with human DNA to 
  create a race of fanatical amphibious warriors.  (Jurassic Park fans take careful note.)  The 
  
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  Brotherhood’s goal was to raise an army to purge all of Loch Gloomen’s unbelievers — the sane 
  and innocent humans throughout the word, rather — in the unholy name of the Frog.  The 
  description of the forbidden chapel makes the goal of the Brotherhood very clear:  “Behind the pit 
  is a huge tapestry that portrays the eventual doom of man at the hands of the priests of the Temple, 
  with the emphasis on the worthlessness of human life.” [33-16] 
  The Temple’s reclusive Brotherhood was split into two orders, the pious Brothers and the sinful 
  Keepers.  The Brothers remain above while the Keepers are forced to contend with the horrors of 
  the underworld and the frog-infested breeding pools, and so the Keepers became more depraved 
  and feared as the years went by. 
  Everything changed, however, with the arrival of an entity named Stephen.  Stephen is “quite 
  literally not of this world,” an alien and member of “a scientific expedition that crash landed on this 
  planet some years ago.” [33-17]  In Arneson’s original background, the world of Blackmoor is 
  alluded to be a staging ground for invaders which threaten some remote star empire.  Stephen is 
  assigned to beam up to an orbiting satellite station once a year to provide evidence of enemy 
  artifacts, troop movements, and so forth to his commanders.  Meanwhile, however, he becomes 
  greedy and duplicitous.  He controls the Temple priests for his own personal gain, while hiding the 
  extent of his planet-side activities from his commanding officers.  These ideas were all probably 
  related to a specific character in John Snider’s space adventure campaign — very popular in 
  Arneson’s play circle c. 1974 — which would later be featured in a published and more general form 
  as TSR’s Star Probe (early 1975). 
  Stephen Rocheford, the player who played the Stephen character, described the creation of this 
  arch-villain as follows: 
  “Dave approached me to invent an ‘evil’ character that would be ‘different from the norm’ in 
  this world.  Ergo, I thought and settled on a character that was ‘not of this world’ of Blackmoor.  My 
  inspiration eventually was from an old episode of the original Star Trek television series.  In it, 
  Captain Kirk found a planet of Nazis and found the earthling, an historian, who founded it in the 
  hope of eliminating its excesses and organizing this society for the betterment of all in the name of 
  efficiency.  I told Dave Arneson and he was delighted.  He asked that I ‘flesh out’ the character.” 
  [33-18] 
  In the later version of the story (in DA2), a starship much like Star Trek’s U.S.S. Enterprise 
  crashed on a fantastical planet, and the Captain and most of the crew believed that the Prime 
  Directive would forbid them from making contact with Blackmoor’s primitive inhabitants.  The 
  crew planned to enter suspended animation and to await rescue by the Arnesonian equivalent of 
  
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  the United Federation of Planets.  However, Security Officer Stephen “the Rock” Rocklin led a 
  minority faction in mutiny.  The mutiny failed and Stephen escaped in a lifeboat, which was hit by 
  a missile as it raced through the swamp near Loch Gloomen.  The Brothers of the Swamp set out to 
  investigate the ill-omened explosion, and when they arrived they promptly marveled over the 
  technology exhibited by Stephen and his companions.  Stephen just happened to belong to a green-
  skinned anthropomorphic race, and so he told the Brothers that he was a comet-borne swamp god 
  worthy of their worship.  And who, in the face of Stephen’s miraculous armor and weapons, were 
  the Brothers to disagree?  Stephen basically took over the Temple and became a power-hungry 
  villain. [33-19] 
  In Arneson’s campaign, Svenny and his companions hear rumors of the Order of the Frog, and 
  decided to mount an expedition to reach the Temple.  Stephen Rocheford was still playing “the 
  Rock” at this time and was in control of the Temple priesthood.  The adventurers invaded, and one 
  of them was slain in the ensuing battles.  The fallen man’s companions vowed revenge.  It is likely 
  that much more transpired, but many of the details have faded from memory.  Perhaps Svenny’s 
  crew were victorious, plundering the dungeons below the Temple.  Who can know? [33-20] 
  But there is much more of interest which we can find in the published version of Arneson’s 
  batrachian-spawning netherworld.  There are many remarkable features in the dungeons below, 
  such as three “weird sister” medusas, each over a century old, who dwell in a secret chamber which 
  they have clawed out of the slimy stone.  There is also a warren filled with 200 giant rats, accessible 
  through a secret door which the Keepers of the Frog might be able to flee through while employing 
  their magical rings of domination.  A room reached by three bridges is occupied by clambering 
  trolls who will swarm up to attack intruders, while the horrific Breeding Pool is home to “an 
  estimated 1,100-1,200 killer frogs.”  Beyond the Breeding Pool lies the Island of the Frog People, 
  where over 250 frogmen guard a clutch of powerful magic items. 
  Dear Reader:  If any of the players in your game ever complain about unfairness in your 
  dungeons or approach to play, you may want to consider introducing their favored and coddled 
  characters to the Temple of the Frog! 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  Tim was excited to see his quality work in print, although he may have privately resented the 
  fact that Arneson was listed as the author and would be receiving royalties on the project. [33-21]  
  
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  This was not the end of the world, however; it was an incentive for Mr. Kask to do more.  Soon, Tim 
  would begin working on his own preferred system expansions to the Dungeons & Dragons game, 
  and many of his ideas would see print in the spring of 1976 by way of D&D Supplement III:  Eldritch 
  Wizardry. 
  Tim had also earned Gary’s respect as an editor and creator of published professional content.  
  With Brian Blume focused on the business and financial side of TSR, and Rob Kuntz busy running 
  the Greyhawk campaign, Tim and Gary began discussing the future of Dungeons & Dragons and its 
  various releases.  These conversations of course encompassed the upcoming Dragon magazine, but 
  it seems that Gary also had something far more ambitious in his mind.  Gary had decided that it 
  was time to clean up D&D in toto, before the rules, additions and corrections could get any more 
  convoluted than they already were. [33-22]  Who better to assist Mr. Gygax in this task than the 
  mighty Wizard Kask? 
  This effort originally entailed a full editorial consideration of D&D as a whole.  The monsters 
  would all be alphabetized, the magic items would all be consolidated in a single source, and the 
  character classes and races would be gathered together to form a unified guide to play.  However, 
  in beginning the work it soon became apparent that even an edited D&D game would be too 
  difficult for new players to learn (and perhaps also too expensive for them to procure).  If a single 
  monolithic edition was created, would new players be frightened away by the sheer bulk of the 
  offering?  It seems that Gary decided to create a Basic Set of the rules in either late 1975 or early 
  1976.  Soon, this endeavor would take on a life of its own under the auspices of a neurosurgeon, 
  author and Dungeon Master, a fascinating gentleman named John Eric Holmes. [33-23] 
  With so much time (in 1976) to be saved by the development of the introductory set by Dr. 
  Holmes, Gary would then be able to shift his attentions to a far more comprehensive edit and update 
  of the overarching D&D system of “advanced” adjuncts to the Basic Set.  Gary’s efforts would take 
  several years and would eventually result in a new game which he titled Advanced Dungeons & 
  Dragons.  That, however, is the main tale to be featured in Books IV and V of HAWK & MOOR, 
  covering 1976 and 1977. 
  TSR was literally moving out from the underground, leaving Gary’s basement while providing 
  his family with a reliable income and hope for the future.  As the move into the new “grey house” 
  headquarters continued and 1975 came to a close, Gary must have reflected on the wild ride which 
  TSR had taken throughout the year.  What had begun with disaster, and the death of Don Kaye, 
  had ended in bittersweet triumph.  Avalon Hill, the great wargame publisher which had rejected 
  adventure games as uninteresting pieces of folly, had been forced to change its business plan and 
  
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  to run a gaming convention to compete with Gary’s risky startup.  The entire industry was 
  changing.  There were much stormier waters looming ahead, but there were also many glorious 
  islands of wonder to be discovered. 
  Books IV and V of HAWK & MOOR explores Dave Arneson’s arrival at TSR, his mysterious 
  departure, the rise of The Dragon magazine, the Dungeon Hobby Shop, the conception of Advanced 
  Dungeons & Dragons, the Basic Set, and the development of the Monster Manual.  We will also 
  journey into some fateful and exotic locales which have become legendary in gaming fandom, such 
  as the City of the Gods, the Barrier Peaks, the Starship Warden, the Palace of the Vampire Queen, 
  and the Lost Caverns of Tsojconth. 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  Before I take my leave, however, there are a few lingering mysteries to address.  Here, I will 
  discuss several developments which occurred in either 1974 or 1975, but where there is not a 
  sufficient level of detail to confidently place the events into the overall chronology.  It is hoped that 
  as my research and the revelations of history continue to unfold, I will be able to shorten this section 
  further.  But I did not want these crucial events to be utterly lost, and so they are gathered here.  
  Tread warily, there are interesting mysteries ahead … 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  [Mystery #1] The creation of the beholder.  In 1974, Terry Kuntz created a short story about a 
  melancholy and solitary sphere of eyes … long-time D&D players will recognize this as the 
  accidental conception of one of the game’s most iconic monsters, the beholder. 
  Gary noted that the saying “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” had no bearing on this 
  monster’s origin. [33-24]  Rob remembered that his brother Terry “had a wild imagination.  He came 
  over to my house one day on his way to Gary’s and showed me a short story … I read through it, it 
  was 8 or 10 pages where he described a family of these things living on a mountain, and how they’re 
  discovered.  So there was an ecology to them already built into his mind, and his conception of it 
  and his story fully conceptualized this.  He went over to Gary’s and told him about it.  The next 
  
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  thing he knew, it was appearing on the cover of Greyhawk and then Gary made apologies [in the later 
  Monster Manual] for not giving him credit.” [33-25] 
  Obviously Gary loved the idea, and (with Terry’s permission) he created a few additional game 
  stats for it (Terry had done most of the work) and added it to the D&D monster roster as a powerful 
  new tyrant of the underworld. [33-26]  As Gary noted, “All I needed to do was a bit of editing to 
  make it a great addition to the terrible monsters to be found in the D&D game.” [33-27] 
  Gary once said that Terry “came up with the beholder after he had been playing in my campaign 
  for about two months,” but if this is true then the beholder actually dates to around February 1973.  
  This seems unlikely, however, as the monster was not featured in the original D&D set but rather 
  in Supplement I:  Greyhawk. [33-28]  Unfortunately the short story documenting the origination of the 
  beholder was later lost in a fire, which makes dating these events difficult. [33-29] 
  More details surrounding the beholder’s creation are eagerly anticipated, should Rob Kuntz 
  ever publish his memoirs! 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  [Mystery #2] New masters in the mists.  It is known that Ed Greenwood, renowned as the 
  creator of the Forgotten Realms, began playing Dungeons & Dragons with friends in early 1975. [33-
  30]  He also played Chainmail before that. [32-31]  It has also been noted that two other RPG 
  luminaries, Tom Moldvay and Lawrence Schick, began playing around 1975 as well. [33-32]  
  However, I know very little about their early games or the circumstances surrounding their 
  introduction to the hobby of role-playing.  I hope to provide more details surrounding both of these 
  talented men in the future. 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  [Mystery #3] Mike Mornard meets Dave Sutherland, and Sutherland meets Professor Barker.  
  Unfortunately Mr. Sutherland — one of the iconic artists who would define the visual identity of 
  Advanced Dungeons & Dragons — passed away some years ago, and never seems to have conducted 
  interviews with the “Old School Renaissance” movement that has heightened so much of the 
  popular interest in RPG history.  We know that he was involved in the Society for Creative 
  
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  Anachronism (SCA) in the early 1970s, and that he would eventually come to the attention of Gary 
  Gygax and TSR through a friendship with Mike Mornard. [33-33] 
  It seems that Mike disliked the artwork in the originally published D&D set, and so he went off 
  in search of an artist who could manage a better job of bringing Gygax’s and Arneson’s imagined 
  world to life.  Mike met Dave Sutherland at an SCA meeting.  He loved Dave’s art, and encouraged 
  him to get in touch with Gary. [33-34]  I believe that Mike met Dave in 1974, and that Dave was 
  introduced to Professor Barker by Mike in 1975. [33-35] 
  As Gary admired Dave’s illustrations, Dave would also be asked to provide illustrations for The 
  Strategic Review and The Dragon in 1975 and 1976.  We will learn much more about Mr. Sutherland 
  in the future.  His greatest works would include the Monster Manual and Dungeon Masters Guide 
  covers, the piece “A Paladin in Hell” featured in the Players Handbook, and the cover of the “Holmes” 
  Basic Set.  It is Sutherland’s art — along with that of David A. Trampier and Tom Wham — which 
  attractively presented and sold these compelling products to hundreds of thousands of gamers in 
  the mid- to late 1970s. [33-36] 
  In the interests of honoring Mr. Sutherland’s legacy, I would like to include a more detailed 
  history of his early days in these future pages. 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  [Mystery #4] Gary Gygax creates the Lost Caverns of Tsojconth.  Although the tournament 
  dungeon Lost Caverns of Tsojconth was not played at a convention until 1976, Gary once mentioned 
  that he had created the first version of the dungeon in “c. 1974.” [33-37]  The Lost Caverns were 
  partially based on a dungeon level originally created by Rob Kuntz. [33-38]  This is an open research 
  item. 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  [Mystery #5] An eyebrow-raising offer.  At some point in 1975, probably before Origins I, Tom 
  Shaw of Avalon Hill asked Gary if he would be interested in letting AH publish Dungeons & 
  Dragons.  Of course, Gary was in a much stronger negotiating position than he had been in the 
  summer of 1973 (when AH rejected his inquiries), and so he was quite amused:  “It was my turn to 
  
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  laugh,” he once noted in an interview. [33-39]  This would be an interesting turn of events to 
  integrate into the larger chronology, because it implies that AH was willing to negotiate with TSR 
  even while the rivalry between Gen Con and Origins was still in its earliest stages. 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  [Mystery #6] More adventures in the dungeons of Castle Greyhawk, Blackmoor, and beyond.  
  In my research I am always coming across more vague hints of dungeon adventures, and I will try 
  to add some more entertaining stories in the future.  Most of the adventures undertaken in Gary’s 
  and Dave’s campaigns are still unknown to us, and so I hope to unravel more of the early mysteries 
  in a future edition of this book, as ever more arcane details are unearthed from the musty tomes of 
  FRPG history. 
   
  * * * * * 
   
  There are many more curiosities to consider, but these six events are the ones which I am most 
  avidly endeavoring to solve for a future edition of this work.  I hope to shed light on such 
  discoveries soon!  I hope further that you have enjoyed sharing this third journey into the mists 
  with me. 
  And so, with hundreds of mysteries thus uncovered and many more thousands yet awaiting 
  our exploration, be it known that future volumes of HAWK & MOOR are on the horizon — I 
  promise — while Book III, Lands and Worlds Afar, is here brought to an 
   
  END. 
   
   
  
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  Footnotes and Annotations 
  for Chapter 33 
   
  [33-1] United States District Court (Fourth Division, Minnesota) Civil Action 4-79-109, Arneson 
  v. Gygax. 
  [33-2] “Memories of David C.  Sutherland III,” by Rob Kuntz.  This essay appears in the In Search 
  of the Unknown Campaign Sourcebook, edited by Demos Sachlas, 2009. 
  [33-3] Grognardia interview with Tim Kask, Part I. 
  [33-4] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask. 
  [33-5] The Strategic Review, issue #5. 
  [33-6] The Strategic Review, issue #6, pg. 13. 
  [33-7] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A Part VII, posted February 2nd, 2005. 
  [33-8] Online web forum post:  Acaeum.com, “TSR Products for Life.” 
  [33-9] Refer to the Youtube clip “Interview:  Tim Kask,” posted by Mythwits.  The relevant 
  conversation appears at approximately 17:50. 
  [33-10] Acaeum.com, Original D&D Set. 
  See also the Acaeum.com forums, “Was Greyhawk Printed Feb. ’75?” 
  [33-11] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask. 
  [33-12] Playing at the World by Jon Peterson, pp. 538-540. 
  [33-13] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask. 
  [33-14] Havard’s Blackmoor Blog, “Stephen the Rock — First D&D Arch-Villain”  Posted August 
  15th, 2010. 
  See also “The Frog God,” posted September 29th, 2010.  By the way, Sterling Lanier’s novel 
  Hiero’s Journey featured vicious and weapon-wielding frogmen in a ruined swamp-city, which were 
  the result of radioactivity-induced mutation.  However, the novel was published in June of 1973 
  
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  and so it was likely a case of parallel creativity, and not an inspiration for Arneson’s own conception 
  of vile frogmen of the marshes. 
  [33-15]  Havard’s Blackmoor Blog, “The Frog God.”  Posted September 29th, 2010. 
  [33-16] Dungeons & Dragons Supplement II:  Blackmoor. 
  [33-17] Dungeon Module DA2, The Temple of the Frog. 
  [33-18] Online web forum post:  the Comeback Inn forums, “Stephen the Rock.” 
  [33-19] Online web forum post:  the Comeback Inn forums, “Stephen the Rock.” 
  [33-20] Online web forum post:  the Comeback Inn forums, “Stephen the Rock.” 
  [33-21] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with Tim Kask. 
  [33-22] The Dragon, issue #11. 
  [33-23] The Dragon, issue #14. 
  [33-24] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part XIII.  Posted July 30th, 2007. 
  [33-25] Refer to the Youtube clip ‘Rob Kuntz Conversations,’ with Martin Brown of Grognard 
  Games.  The story begins at approximately 20:40. 
  [33-26] Lord of the Green Dragons blog, “Sphere of Many Eyes.” 
  See also the ODD74 Proboards thread, “Terry Kuntz’s beholder.” 
  [33-27] Dragon, issue #305. 
  [33-28] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part IV. 
  See also Dragonsfoot Q&A with Gary Gygax, Part IX. 
  [33-29] Refer to the Youtube clip ‘Rob Kuntz Conversations,’ with Martin Brown of Grognard 
  Games.  The story begins at approximately 20:40. 
  [33-30] The Grognardia interview with Ed Greenwood. 
  [33-31] Dragon, issue #218. 
  [33-32] The Grognardia interview with Lawrence Schick. 
  [33-33] A link reached through the Wayback Machine, linking to Science Fiction and Fantasy 
  Writers of America, Inc., David C. Sutherland III. 
  
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  [33-34] Online web forum post:  the ENWorld forums; complete citation not available.  Also, The 
  Collector’s Trove:  David C. Sutherland III. 
  [33-35] Online web forum post:  Dragonsfoot Q&A with James M. Ward. 
  [33-36] See The Crusader Journal #2 for tributes to Sutherland in memoriam. 
  [33-37] Online web forum post:  ENWorld Gary Gygax Q&A, Part IX. 
  [33-38] The Dragon, issue #35. 
  [33-39] The Ultimate Interview with Gary Gygax, by Ciro Alessandro Sacco. 
   
   
  
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  APPENDIX 
   
  The 
  Dungeons 
  & Dragons 
  Chronicle: 
   
  A Timeline 
  for the Years 
  1974 and 1975 
   
   
  
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  i 
  The Year 1974 
   
  Early January 1974:  By this time, the Lake Geneva Tactical Studies Association (LGTSA) has 12 
  members. 
   
  Early January 1974:  The full print order for Dungeons & Dragons is delivered to Don Kaye’s 
  house, and assembly begins. 
   
  January 1974:  The collection The Book of Fritz Leiber is published. 
   
  c. Mid-January 1974:  Gary writes letters to his friends and fellow gamers, letting them know 
  that D&D is finally ready for sale. 
   
  Late January 1974:  The first copy of Dungeons & Dragons for which someone had a mailed in an 
  order is shipped to its new owner. 
   
  January 30th, 1974:  This is the date retroactively applied to the original Dungeons & Dragons 
  boxed set (registration A760448) which appears in the Library of Congress July-December 1976 
  Catalog of Copyright Entries. 
   
  January 31st, 1974:  By this date, perhaps 5 copies of D&D have been shipped. 
   
  
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  Early February 1974:  Gary, Don and Brian fulfill D&D shipping orders for various suppliers 
  and hobby stores. 
   
  c. Early February 1974:  Gary and Don work sporadically on rules for a Wild West gun-fighting 
  game, which will later become Boot Hill. 
   
  February 1974:  The first printed notice of Dungeons & Dragons appears in El Conquistador 
  fanzine. 
   
  Mid-February 1974:  By this time, perhaps 100 copies of Dungeons & Dragons have been sold.  
  Professor M. A. R. Barker purchases a set at about this time. 
   
  February 19th, 1974:  Professor M. A. R. Barker receives and inscribes his personal copy of 
  Dungeons & Dragons. 
   
  February 19th, 1974:  The paperback of The Burrowers Beneath, by Brian Lumley, is published. 
   
  Late February 1974:  By this time, 150 copies of Dungeons & Dragons have been sold. 
   
  Late February 1974:  By this time (and perhaps earlier), TSR has sufficient revenue to begin 
  considering paid advertising. 
   
  February 27th, 1974:  Gary writes a letter to the Great Plains Game Players Newsletter to inquire 
  about advertising rates. 
   
  
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  c. Early 1974:  Tim Kask calls Gary Gygax, and introduces himself.  The two men discuss rules 
  interpretations for Dungeons & Dragons. 
   
  c. February-April 1974:  Professor Barker uses Dungeons & Dragons to create his own fantasy 
  role-playing game, which will later become Empire of the Petal Throne. 
   
  March 5th, 1974:  Gary writes a letter to Dave Arneson, encouraging him to promote and sell 
  Dungeons & Dragons. 
   
  March 13th, 1974:  Gary writes another letter to Dave stressing the importance of marketing 
  Dungeons & Dragons. 
   
  c. Early Spring 1974:  Gary and Brian Blume work on a new game based on the Barsoom setting 
  created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, entitled Warriors of Mars. 
   
  c. Spring 1974:  The experimental thief character class is devised by Daniel Wagner and his play 
  group. 
   
  April 1st, 1974:  Gary writes the Foreword to the Tricolor wargame. 
   
  April 5th, 1974:  The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, previously released in the UK, is released in 
  American theaters. 
   
  April 1974:  James Lurvey, editor of the Great Plains Game Players Newsletter, inserts a D&D flyer 
  in the later issue at no cost to TSR. 
  
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  April 1974:  The Ballantine Adult Fantasy volume Over the Hills and Far Away, by Lord Dunsany, 
  is published. 
   
  c. April 1974:  Professor Barker writes an update on the Mornard fantasy campaign, which will 
  later appear in Wargamer’s Newsletter. 
   
  April 30th, 1974:  By this time, 300 copies of Dungeons & Dragons have been sold. 
   
  May 1974:  A list of preferred Swords and Sorcery authors written by Gary appears in 
  Wargamer’s Digest.  The D&D play report featuring Mordenkainen and Bigby also appears in this 
  issue. 
   
  May 1974:  A partial review of D&D appears in El Conquistador. 
   
  c. May or June 1974:  Gary invites Tim Kask to visit Lake Geneva and to attend Gen Con. 
   
  c. Late Spring or Early Summer 1974:  Gary develops the thief class, utilizing a description from 
  rules originating in another play group. 
   
  June 2nd, 1974:  Gary writes a letter to David Megarry, updating him on the sales and marketing 
  of Dungeons & Dragons. 
   
  June 1974:  The wargame Tricolor is released by TSR. 
   
  
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  June 1974:  An ad for Dungeons & Dragons appears in Wargamer’s Digest. 
   
  c. Late June 1974:  The design of Warriors of Mars is completed. 
   
  Early Summer 1974:  Gary meets James M. Ward at a bookstore.  Mr. Ward will become the 
  future author of Metamorphosis Alpha, a sci fi game derived from Dungeons & Dragons. 
   
  July 1st, 1974:  The Foreword to Warriors of Mars is written. 
   
  c. July 1974:  The thief class appears in the Great Plains Game Players Newsletter. 
   
  July 1974:  An ad runs in Lowry’s Guidon for Jack Scruby’s fantasy figures, which are some of the 
  earliest to be offered to Dungeons & Dragons / role-playing hobbyists. 
   
  Summer 1974:  By this time, 500 copies of Dungeons & Dragons have been sold. 
   
  Summer 1974:  James Ward begins developing the material that will become Metamorphosis 
  Alpha. 
   
  c. Summer 1974:  Gary develops the paladin character class. 
   
  August 1974:  Issue #1 of The Savage Sword of Conan is published. 
   
  August 1974:  Professor Barker self-publishes his role-playing game. 
  
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  August 23rd-25th, 1974:  Gen Con VII is held in Lake Geneva.  Tim Kask introduces himself to 
  Gary, and plays in Rob Kuntz’s D&D demonstration game. 
   
  Late August 1974:  The popularity of D&D begins a viral expansion, as attendees of Gen Con 
  return home to their gaming groups. 
   
  September 1st, 1974:  Gary writes the Foreword to the upcoming sci fi game Star Probe. 
   
  Late Summer 1974:  Craig VanGrasstek releases Rules to the Game of Dungeon, a game heavily 
  (yet in many ways unintentionally) derived from Dungeons & Dragons. 
   
  c. Late Summer or Early Fall 1974:  Gary Gygax becomes aware of Professor Barker’s role-
  playing game.  Gary will encourage Barker to develop his game, but will note that due to its heavy 
  reliance on the rules for Dungeons & Dragons the future edition (Empire of the Petal Throne) will need 
  to be released by TSR. 
   
  September 7th, 1974:  Land of the Lost premieres on television. 
   
  September 20th, 1974:  Episode 2 of Kolchak, the Night Stalker, entitled The Zombie, is aired. 
   
  September 27th, 1974:  Episode 3 of Kolchak, the Night Stalker, entitled They Have Been, They Are, 
  They Will Be … is aired.  This episode may have influenced the depiction of invisible stalkers in 
  D&D. 
   
  October 4th, 1974:  Episode 4 of Kolchak, the Night Stalker, entitled The Vampire, is aired. 
  
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  October 1974:  The tale Black Colossus is adapted in The Savage Sword of Conan, issue #2. 
   
  Late 1974:  Arnold Hendrick gives D&D a mixed review in the Courier magazine. 
   
  c. Late 1974:  A D&D player named George A. Lord submits a random dungeon generation 
  system to Gary for consideration. 
   
  November 1st, 1974:  Episode 5 of Kolchak, the Night Stalker, entitled The Werewolf, is aired. 
   
  November 8th, 1974:  Episode 6 of Kolchak, the Night Stalker, entitled Firefall, is aired.  This 
  episode may have influenced the depiction of dopplegangers and/or ghosts in D&D. 
   
  c. November 1974:  The first printing of D&D sells out, and Gary orders a second printing. 
   
  November 1974:  The Warrior of World’s End, by Lin Carter, is published. 
   
  November 16th, 1974:  Tactical Studies Rules, the former and amended partnership (Gary-
  Donna-Brian), is formally dissolved. 
   
  December 6th, 1974:  Episode 9 of Kolchak, the Night Stalker, entitled The Spanish Moss Murders, 
  is aired.  This episode may have (tenuously) influenced the conception of shambling mounds in 
  D&D. 
   
  
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  December 1974:  Ken St. Andre, future designer of Tunnels & Trolls, hears rumors of the existence 
  of D&D and begins searching for a copy. 
   
  c. December 1974:  By this time, hobby stores are out of D&D stock, and it becomes difficult to 
  find a copy of the game. 
   
  c. December 1974:  Gary refines George Lord’s random dungeon generation system for 
  publication. 
   
  December 1974:  TSR continues to take back orders for Dungeons & Dragons while awaiting the 
  second printing. 
   
  December 20th, 1974:  Gary watches Horror on the Heights, the 11th episode of Kolchak:  The Night 
  Stalker, on TV.  This episode will inspire the creation of the rakshasa monster. 
   
  December 31st, 1974:  By this time, TSR has generated approximately $12,000 in sales.  Gary (in 
  The Dragon #26) would later write that “only slightly more than 1,000 copies” of D&D had been sold 
  by the end of the year. 
   
  c. End of Year 1974:  Gary writes text for The Strategic Review #1 for future publication. 
   
  End of Year 1974:  At this time, it is likely that 200 or more copies of D&D are being sold per 
  month.  Gary will later indicate that TSR is handling 50-75 orders (of games, including D&D) per 
  week. 
   
  c. End of Year:  Star Probe is published by TSR. 
  
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  (Unknown Date) 1974:  The Jargoon Pard, by Andre Norton, is published. 
   
  
   
   
   
  
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  iI 
  The Year 1975 
   
  January 1975:  Rules for damage by individual monster type appear in the Great Plains Game 
  Players Newsletter. 
   
  January 1975:  Gary’s article “What Dungeons & Dragons Is All About” is published in Europa 
  magazine. 
   
  January 1975:  For this time period, Gary estimates that D&D has approximately 5,000 players. 
   
  January 1975:  The second printing of the D&D boxed set is released, and back orders are filled. 
   
  c. January 1975:  Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone discover Dungeons & Dragons. 
   
  January 17th, 1975:  Episode 13 of Kolchak, the Night Stalker, entitled Primal Scream, is aired.  This 
  episode may have influenced the conception of yeti in D&D. 
   
  January 31st, 1975:  TSR co-founder Don Kaye suffers a heart attack and dies. 
   
  Early 1975:  Games Workshop is founded in the UK. 
   
  
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  Early 1975:  By this time, the majority of the Lake Geneva Tactical Studies Association (LGTSA) 
  as it remains is directly associated with TSR.  In Gary’s words (in Dragon #65), “By 1975, most of the 
  old club members were either part of TSR Hobbies, Inc., gone from the area, or out of gaming for a 
  time.” 
   
  February 1st, 1975:  Gary makes a new temporary business arrangement with Don’s widow, 
  Donna. 
   
  February 1st, 1975:  Gary writes the Foreword of the upcoming Greyhawk supplement. 
   
  February 7th, 1975:  Episode 16 of Kolchak, the Night Stalker, entitled Demon in Lace, is aired.  This 
  episode may have influenced the conception of succubi in D&D. 
   
  February 14th, 1975:  Episode 17 of Kolchak, the Night Stalker, entitled Legacy of Terror, is aired.  
  This episode may have (tenuously) affected the depiction of mummies in the Greyhawk campaign. 
   
  February 1975:  The Strategic Review #1 is published. 
   
  c. February 1975:  Owl & Weasel #1 is published in the UK. 
   
  February 1975:  The Quest for Tanelorn, by Michael Moorcock, is published. 
   
  February 1975:  Sign of the Unicorn, by Roger Zelazny, is published. 
   
  February 1975:  The tale Iron Shadows in the Moon is adapted in The Savage Sword of Conan #4. 
  
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  February 13th, 1975:  Gary Gygax writes a letter to Bill Hoyer, indicating that the first major 
  Supplement to Dungeons & Dragons — Greyhawk — would be available “in about 3 weeks.”  This 
  would end up being a bit optimistic, however. 
   
  c. Early 1975:  Gary and Brian realize that in time, they will need to create an introductory set 
  for Dungeons & Dragons. 
   
  c. February or March 1975:  The third edition of Chainmail is published by TSR. 
   
  Early March 1975:  By this time, Dave Arneson is preparing his Blackmoor “supplement” 
  (gathering of notes) for future publication via TSR. 
   
  March 6th, 1975:  Gary writes a letter to David Megarry which discusses the business future of 
  TSR.  Gary also notes that the Greyhawk accessory will be “finished next week.” 
   
  March 7th, 1975:  Gary notes in a letter that The Strategic Review #2 is at the printers, which means 
  that it will be ready on schedule and ready to be published no later than April 1. 
   
  March 7th, 1975:  This is the earliest date for the availability of D&D Supplement I:  Greyhawk 
  (although almost no one would have it yet). 
   
  The Week of March 10th to 14th (most likely) 1975:  D&D Supplement I:  Greyhawk is becoming 
  more widely available beyond TSR. 
   
  
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  March 20th, 1975:  Likely by this time, D&D Supplement I:  Greyhawk is available to most gamers 
  in the Midwestern United States. 
   
  March 20th, 1975:  Bill Owen, a member of the future Judge’s Guild partnership, writes a letter 
  to TSR seeking clarification of a D&D rules question.  Gary will answer the letter personally. 
   
  March 20th, 1975:  Episode 20 of Kolchak, the Night Stalker, entitled The Sentry, is aired.  This 
  episode may have (tenuously) affected the depiction of lizard men in the Greyhawk campaign. 
   
  March 1975:  George Phillies publishes an article on the meaning of D&D in American Wargamer 
  magazine. 
   
  End of March, Or No Later Than April 1st, 1975:  The Strategic Review #2 is published. 
   
  c. Spring 1975:  Dennis Sustare designs the druid class, which he will later share with TSR for 
  consideration. 
   
  April 1st, 1975:  The new royalty agreement is enacted between Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. 
   
  April 1975:  The tale A Witch Shall Be Born is adapted in The Savage Sword of Conan #5. 
   
  April 1975:  Under the Thumbs of the Gods, by Fritz Leiber, is published in Fantastic magazine. 
   
  April 1975:  Kyrik:  Warlock Warrior, by Gardner Fox, is published. 
  
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  April 1975:  TSR orders a third printing of Dungeons & Dragons. 
   
  April 1975:  Ken St. Andre is able to read a copy of Dungeons & Dragons, and begins considering 
  improvements and modifications to the system (which will lead to the design of a new game, 
  Tunnels & Trolls). 
   
  c. May 1975:  Ken St. Andre and his play group play test Tunnels & Trolls. 
   
  May 1975:  The Enchantress of World’s End, by Lin Carter, is published. 
   
  May 1975:  TSR is restructured so that Donna Kaye can formally leave the business. 
   
  c. Late Spring 1975:  The second printing of D&D sells out. 
   
  c. May or June 1975:  Alan Lucien sends a dungeon design to Gary, which will become the 
  inspiration for the Tomb of Horrors adventure. 
   
  c. Early or Mid-June 1975:  The Space Gamer #1 is published. 
   
  June 1975:  The Magician’s Ring, a Greyhawk campaign tale, appears in Wargamer’s Digest. 
   
  June 1975:  Alarums & Excursions #1 is published. 
  
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  June 1975:  Steve Jackson mentions Dungeons & Dragons in Owl & Weasel #5. 
   
  June 1975:  Gary formally becomes the first full-time employee of TSR. 
   
  June 1975:  Ken St. Andre prints the first edition of Tunnels & Trolls. 
   
  c. June 1975:  The Burroughs estate objects to the unauthorized existence of Warriors of Mars. 
   
  c. June or July 1975:  Gary designs the Tomb of Horrors for the upcoming D&D tournament. 
   
  Summer 1975:  James Ward shares his first draft of the sci fi D&D-related game with Gary, and 
  Gary provides advice for expansion and improvement. 
   
  c. Summer 1975:  Steve Marsh sends some character class designs and aquatic campaign notes 
  to Gary for consideration.  Much of this material will later appear, in altered form, in the Blackmoor 
  supplement. 
   
  July 1st, 1975:  TSR publishes Professor Barker’s War of Wizards game. 
   
  July 1st, 1975:  TSR publishes the Boot Hill game. 
   
  Early July 1975:  The Strategic Review #3, misleadingly termed the “Autumn” issue, is published. 
  
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  July 3rd-6th, 1975:  Ken St. Andre begins selling his Tunnels & Trolls game at WesterCon (the 
  West Coast Science Fantasy Conference). 
   
  July 1975:  Owl & Weasel #6, devoted to the topic of D&D, is published. 
   
  July 1975:  The second printing of the Greyhawk supplement is released. 
   
  July 1975:  The En Garde! role-playing game designed by Frank Chadwick is released.  Gary 
  would admire this game especially for its social status system and other good ideas.  (Refer for 
  example to The Dragon #16, pg. 21.) 
   
  July 1975:  Gary discusses the history of Dungeons & Dragons in Alarums & Excursions #2. 
   
  July 19th, 1975:  TSR is formally incorporated in the state of Wisconsin as TSR Hobbies, Inc. 
   
  c. July 1975:  The lizard man logo is designed for future use on TSR products. 
   
  July 25th-27th, 1975:  The Origins I conference is held in Baltimore, Maryland.  Empire of the Petal 
  Throne and Dungeon! are released. 
   
  August 1975:  The D&D derivative game Warlock — a later influence of Dr. John Eric Holmes — 
  appears in Spartan Simulation Gaming Journal #9. 
   
  
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  August 5th, 1975:  Dave Arneson notes that it is likely that he will soon be moving to Lake 
  Geneva to work for TSR. 
   
  August 15th-17th, 1975:  Gary attends the CITEX-75 / DipCon conference, noting how D&D is 
  being embraced by the Diplomacy gamers there. 
   
  August 22nd-24th, 1975:  Gen Con VIII is held in Lake Geneva. 
   
  c. Late August 1975 (Or Earlier?):  Gary looks over Arneson’s Blackmoor notes and plans the 
  future publication of the next D&D supplement. 
   
  September 1st, 1975:  Gary writes the Foreword to the Blackmoor supplement.  However, due to 
  difficulties the accessory will not be published for quite some time. 
   
  September 1st, 1975:  Tim Kask, Editor, becomes an employee of TSR. 
   
  c. Early to Mid-September 1975:  Gary and Brian hand the Blackmoor development and editing 
  project off to Tim. 
   
  September 1975:  The Character Archaic is developed, and will later be offered for sale via TSR. 
   
  September 1975:  The collection The Second Book of Fritz Leiber is published. 
   
  
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  c. September 1975:  A play report of the Tomb of Horrors tournament dungeon appears in 
  Alarums & Excursions #4. 
   
  September 26th, 1975:  TSR Hobbies fully originates:  Gary and Brian buy out Donna’s share of 
  TSR to dissolve the original partnership arrangement.  This business transaction involves the 
  transfer of purchased assets from the Tactical Studies Rules partnership to TSR Hobbies, Inc. 
   
  c. Late September 1975:  Rob Kuntz becomes a full-time employee of TSR. 
   
  c. Fall 1975:  Games Workshop secures the rights to distribute Dungeons & Dragons and related 
  materials in the UK. 
   
  c. September-October 1975:  TSR purchases a house, which will become the company’s future 
  headquarters building. 
   
  October 1st, 1975:  Terry Kuntz, Service Manager, becomes an employee of TSR. 
   
  c. Early October 1975:  Tim completes his work on the Blackmoor draft. 
   
  October 1975:  Owl & Weasel #9 is published. 
   
  October 1975:  Alarums & Excursions #5 is published. 
   
  October 1975:  SPI enters the fantasy game market with their new wargame, Sorcerer. 
  
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  c. October 1975:  The monk character class is refined for the Blackmoor supplement. 
   
  c. October 1975:  The Strategic Review #4 is published. 
   
  c. October 1975:  The Space Gamer #2 is published, and includes notes on Dungeons & Dragons. 
   
  October 1975:  The Blackmoor supplement is late, but still in production at this time. 
   
  October 21, 1975:  TSR sends the first royalty check to Dave Arneson for the sales of Dungeons 
  & Dragons. 
   
  October 31st-November 2nd, 1975:  The First World Fantasy Convention takes place in 
  Providence, Rhode Island.  Honored guests and attendees include Robert Bloch, Ramsey Campbell, 
  Lin Carter, L. Sprague de Camp, Lester del Rey, Fritz Leiber, Andrew J. Offutt, and Manly Wade 
  Wellman. 
   
  October-December 1975:  Terry Kuntz works to repair and renovate the TSR house, so that it 
  can be made into a headquarters building and storefront. 
   
  Early November 1975:  Gary travels to Minnesota to make various TSR-related business 
  arrangements. 
   
  November 8th, 1975:  A skit appears on Saturday Night Live which will become one of the 
  inspirations for the “landshark” monster, aka the bulette. 
  
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  November 1975:  The Strategic Review #5 is published. 
   
  c. November 1975:  The fourth printing of the D&D boxed set is released. 
   
  November-December 1975:  The last outstanding legal debts of the Tactical Studies Rules 
  partnership are satisfied, and everything business-wise is tied up and completed by this time. 
   
  c. December 1975:  TSR begins moving out of Gary’s basement and into the “grey house.” 
   
  December 1975:  Bob Bledsaw loses his job, and will soon develop a major D&D campaign.  
  Bledsaw will later become the driving force behind the Judge’s Guild. 
   
  December 1975:  The Strategic Review #5 is published. 
   
  December 1975:  The collection The Compleat Enchanter:  The Magical Misadventures of Harold Shea, 
  by L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt, is published. 
   
  December 1975:  Owl & Weasel #11 is published. 
   
  December 1975:  The second edition of Tunnels & Trolls is published by Flying Buffalo. 
   
  December 20th, 1975:  The first Games Day con is celebrated in the UK. 
  
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  End of December 1975:  D&D Supplement II:  Blackmoor is published, after many delays.  It will 
  not be available to most gamers until January. 
   
  (Unknown Date) 1975:  Kyrik Fights the Demon World, by Gardner Fox, is published. 
   
  (Unknown Date) 1975:  Fabulous Beasts and Demons, by Heinz Mode, is published. 
   
  
   
  The Year 1976 
   
  (Please refer to HAWK & MOOR Book IV for further details on the chronology of Dungeons & 
  Dragons and its inspirations.) 
   
  
   
   
  
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  ABOUT THE AUTHOR 
   
  BEGINNING PLAY as a chaotic neutral normal human with one measly hit point to his name, 
  KENT DAVID KELLY eventually became apprenticed to a magic-user of ill repute ... a foul man 
  who dwelt in the steamy deeps of the Ivory Cloud Mountain.  After this mentor carelessly 
  misplaced an intelligent soul-sucking sword and then died under suspicious circumstances, his 
  former henchman Mr. Kelly escaped to the deeper underground and there began playing Satanic 
  role-playing games.  This, the legends tell us, occurred in the year 1981. 
  Hoary wizard-priests who inspired Mr. Kelly in his netherworldly machinations included the 
  peerless Gygax, Carr, Arneson, Cook, Hammack, Jaquays, Bledsaw, Moldvay, Kuntz, Schick and 
  Ward.  Sadly, a misguided made-for-the-basements movie entitled Mazes and Monsters gave Mr. 
  Kelly’s parents conniptions in 1982.  As a result of that blasphemous Tom Hanks debacle (and other 
  more personal lapses in judgment), Mr. Kelly was eventually forbidden from playing his favorite 
  game for a considerable length of time. 
  Nonplussed but not defeated, he used this enforced exile to escape to a friend’s alehouse, and 
  there indulged himself in now-classic computer RPGs such as Zork, Telengard, Temple of Apshai, 
  Ultima, Tunnels of Doom, The Bard’s Tale, Phantasie, Pool of Radiance, Wizard’s Crown and Wasteland.  
  He then went on to write computer versions of his own FRPGs, which led to his obsession with 
  coupling creative design elements with random dungeons and unpredictable adventure generation. 
  Mr. Kelly wrote and submitted his first adventure for Dungeon magazine #1 in 1986.  
  Unfortunately, one Mr. Moore decided that his submission was far too “Lovecraftian, horrific and 
  unfair” to ever serve that worthy periodical as a publishable adventure.  Mr. Kelly, it must be said, 
  took this rejection as a very good sign of things to come. 
  In the late 80s and 90s, Mr. Kelly wrote short stories, poems and essays ... some of which have 
  been published under the Wonderland Imprints banner.  He wrote several dark fantasy and horror 
  novels as well.  Concurrently, he ran Dark Angel Collectibles, selling classic FRPG materials as 
  Darkseraphim, and assisted the Acaeum with the creation of the Valuation Board and other minor 
  research projects. 
  At this time, Mr. Kelly and his entourage of evil gnomes are rumored to dwell in the dread and 
  deathly under-halls of the Acaeum, Dragonsfoot, ENWorld, Grognardia, Knights & Knaves, ODD, 
  
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  and even more nefarious levels deep in the mega-dungeon of the Web. 
  There he remains in vigil, his vampiric sword yet shivering in his hand.  When not being sought 
  outright for answers to halfling riddles or other more sundry sage advice, he is to be avoided by 
  sane individuals at all costs. 
   
   
  
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  OTHER BOOKS 
  BY 
  KENT DAVID KELLY 
   
  CHRONICALLY AFFLICTED with the “Partial Completion Curse” of the Magus Arneson, Kent is 
  the author of hundreds of partial manuscripts, ranging from role-playing games, to novels, to 
  poems, to songs, to short stories and gaming articles.  A few dozen of these pieces have even been 
  published and read by others!  If you enjoyed this book, the following additional works are available 
  for your consideration: 
  Perhaps the most relevant to HAWK & MOOR is THE STEAM TUNNEL INCIDENT, the real-
  life account of the legendary “satanic hysteria” and the tragic death of James Dallas Egbert III. 
  Mr. Kelly also publishes the well-received CASTLE OLDSKULL line of system-neutral gaming 
  supplements, intended to inject classic “old school” flavor into any Fantasy Role-Playing Game.  To 
  date, there are eight books in the Castle Oldskull series, detailing world design, dungeon design, 
  character creation, urban encounters, monsters, treasures, and more. 
  Kent has also published three novels to date.  The first is ARACHNE, a dark fantasy epic which 
  is available in two volumes:  (I) Death, the Beginning and (II) The Weave of Fate.  The second full novel 
  is NECRONOMICON:  THE CTHULHU REVELATIONS, a grimoire which depicts the nightmarish 
  life of H. P. Lovecraft’s anti-hero, Abd Al-Azrad.  Third and most acclaimed is FROM THE FIRE, a 
  gripping post-apocalyptic tale which is available both in a special omnibus edition and as a series 
  of novellas, beginning with Episode One:  End of Days. 
  To date, Kent’s published poetry has also been made available in two volumes, comprising THE 
  LYRIC BOOKS OF SHADOW.  These volumes include For the Dark Is the Light and The Summoning 
  of Dark Angels. 
  * * * * * 
  All of these works are available as affordable eBooks via Amazon.com and other sites as well.  I 
  do try to balance my family’s financial needs with the interests and convenience of my readership, 
  and run free promotions and sales on my eBooks whenever I can.  Paperbacks may be released in 
  
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  the future if there is sufficient interest; please let me know of your preference! 
  Many additional works are being prepared as well.  I ask that you always feel welcome to contact 
  me via Facebook, my Amazon Author page, or at shadowed_sky@hotmail.com.  You can also reach 
  me through the Acaeum.com website (although replies may be delayed) via account name 
  darkseraphim. 
  If you have enjoyed this book, please do consider leaving me a review online, as that “tip jar” 
  has a direct and lasting positive effect on my future success.  Someday, I may even convince my 
  family that my hobby is almost as important as my day job.  I thank you in advance! 
   
   
  
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  THE 
  HAWK & MOOR 
  SERIES 
   
  BOOK I:  THE DRAGON RISES (1938-1972) 
  BOOK II:  THE DUNGEONS DEEP (1972-1974) 
  BOOK III:  LANDS AND WORLDS AFAR (1973-1975) 
   (Books I, II and III are also collected in TRILOGY ONE as a single volume.) 
  ~ 
  BOOK IV:  OF DEMONS AND FALLEN IDOLS (1976) 
  BOOK V:  AGE OF GLORY (1977) 
  BOOK VI:  DARK ELF UNDERWORLD (1978) 
   (in preparation) 
   (Books IV, V and VI shall be collected in TRILOGY TWO in the future.) 
  ~ 
  SPECIAL EDITION:  THE STEAM TUNNEL INCIDENT 
  ~ 
  BOOK VII:  THE MASTER’S GAME (1979) 
  BOOK VIII:  SLAVE PITS AND DEMONWEBS (1980) 
  BOOK IX:  GATEWAY TO ADVENTURE (1981) 
  BOOKS X-XIII:  1982-1985 
  (all in preparation) 
  ~ 
  
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  (The series — including Special Editions and interrelated side projects — is likely to include 
  between 15 and 18 volumes upon completion, and all volumes shall be continually updated into 
  the foreseeable future as new discoveries come to light.) 
  ~ 
  To purchase these works, you can ethereally journey to Amazon.com and search for HAWK & 
  MOOR, or for KENT DAVID KELLY.  Reviews and feedback are always welcome, and I thank 
  you for reading. 
   
  WONDERLAND IMPRINTS 
  K D K 
  
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SOURCE: textdata/thevault/OSR(ic)/HAWK & MOOR - Book 3 Lands and Worlds Afar.pdf