TavernTails' Tidbits of D&D History

[TavernTails]

Jack Scruby: Pioneer of D&D Miniatures

One of the D&D trivia questions from Tuesday night's DDOstream was " Whose fantasy miniatures were advertised for use with D&D in the back of the original 1974 booklets?" There were lots of good guesses, but no one guessed... Jack Scruby Miniatures.

Curiosity sent me to Google after the show where I found this GREAT article about the Scruby Miniatures. Sharing for those fans of D&D / DDO Trivia, and others who may be interested on the 50th anniversary of D&D!


https://playingattheworld.blogspot.com/2018/11/artistic-arcana-scruby-fantasy.html

 

[FaceDancer]

I was a big fan of Grenadier figures back in the day. I actually never heard of Scruby!

 

[TavernTails]

The 1982 D&D Movie that never was... and be thankful.

On the May 14th DDOstream trivia game, we asked, "What Academy Award winning screeenwriter did Gary Gygax tap in 1982 to write a script for a D&D movie?" (Answer: James Goldman, who won an Oscar for The Lion in Winter in 1968)

Which led me to wonder, how close were we to getting a great D&D movie in 1982? The answer was... not close, and it would have been not good. If you doubt me, here is the film synopsis:

Tom Boyman, a 23-year-old Californian, is on his way to Yale when he meets Milton “Fearless” Gilroy, a car racer, and Margot Champion, a senior at Wellesley. They visit an archaeological dig site and are transported to another world. They meet Odo, a cleric, who takes them to the Master. The Master reveals that Tom is the Chosen One, destined to save the Child, who has been kidnapped by the Nightking.

The group, including a creature named Drobni, embarks on a quest to save the Child. They face various challenges, including a monster painting that comes to life, a ruby dragon, and a maze in the Nightking’s castle. Tom manages to release the Child from a crystal prism by asking the Onelord for a miracle.

The Nightking, a figure with no eyes and a mellifluous voice, confronts them but leaves them in a dungeon with open doors. As they navigate through the castle, they are pursued by a dragon. In a confrontation, Odo sacrifices himself to save the Child, and Drobni slays the dragon by swinging it into a wall. This marks the only monster slaying in the story.

The Nightking returns, trapping the group with walls of flame. Tom, remembering the ruby he took from the dragon, brandishes it at the Nightking. The Child activates the ruby, causing a flood that lifts them into the air and transports them to the Master’s island.

There, the Master transfers his power to the Child and releases Odo’s spirit before his own soul ascends. The Child then sends Tom, Margot, and Fearless back to their world, allowing Tom to keep the ruby but erasing their memories of the adventure. Despite this, their bond of friendship remains strong. Back at the archaeological dig site, Margot discovers that the ruby can speak and remembers their journey. The story concludes with the three friends sitting in the desert sun, listening to the ruby’s tales.

Yuk. Almost NOTHING in that movie sounds like D&D. I am glad that never got made.

Read the full story at: https://www.escapistmagazine.com/inside-the-lost-1980s-dungeons-dragons-movie-gary-gygax-loved/

 

[FaceDancer]

Ouch! Mazes & Monsters & this one would have made a great double-feature in 82!

 

[Cordovan]

Same, love the Grenadier minis, I lost most of the minis but still have the boxes after all these years.

 

[Titus Ovid]

got pictures of the boxes?

Cheers,
Titus

 

[Lagin]

"I thought YOU had the minies."

"Hey!! I brought the dice"

 

[TavernTails]

The Plagiarized Art of Dungeons and Dragons. Allegedly.

On the 8/20 edition of TavernTails Trivia on DDOstream, the following question was asked: "From what Marvel comic did Greg Bell swipe the "rearing rider" that he drew for the box cover of the 1974 edition of D&D?"

Despite lots of great guesses (Conan, Ghost Rider, etc.,) no one got the correct answer: Strange Tales. Specifically, Strange Tales #167

We pulled up the cover on the stream, and didn't see any immediate similarities, so I wanted to research the story. And yep, it was copied.
A search online pulled up the issue at https://www.zipcomic.com/strange-tales-1951-issue-167 While the cover is misleading, the interior art is where the "borrowing" occurred.

See for yourself:

Marvel, Wizards of the Coast, and Ten Speed Press

I found where later editions removed the cover art, but I do not know if the other images were subsequently removed. I also couldn't find any quotes from Greg Bell on the subject. And what did Mr. Bell earn for his purported plagiarism? Each artist was paid $2 for a small piece or $3 for a larger piece, with an identical amount paid as a royalty every time another thousand copies were printed. Not much.

So there's the history behind the question!

Additional References:
Witwer, Michael; Newman, Kyle; Witwer, Sam (2018). Dungeons & Dragons Art & Arcana: A Visual History. Ten Speed Press. ISBN 9780399580949.
Wayne's Books. https://waynesbooks.games/2020/10/31/original-dd-where-it-all-started-the-1975-white-box-in-photos/

https://www.polygon.com/2018/10/22/18001762/dungeons-and-dragons-art-arcana-visual-history-book-review-excerpt

 

[TavernTails]

Blackmoor: Setting, Supplement, or Game?

Blackmoor is an important part of early D&D history, but it has come up in trivia as answers for all three of the above. So what is Blackmoor?
Blackmoor originated in the early 1970s as the personal setting of Dave Arneson, the co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons. It began as a development of David Wesely's "Braunstein" games and Arneson's own wargaming sessions, where he introduced fantasy elements. Inspired by Conan novels and gothic horror, Arneson expanded the setting around the eponymous town, castle, and multi-level dungeon to include ideas from The Lord of the Rings and Dark Shadows. Blackmoor was a campaign centered on individual player characters capable of a series of progressions, encouraging cooperative play to succeed.

A few years later, Blackmoor became the second supplement to the original Dungeons & Dragons rules. Published by Tactical Studies Rules (TSR) in 1975, it introduced rules for underwater adventures and hit location, and added the monk and assassin character classes. Despite its name, the supplement included almost no information on Arneson's version of the world.

After leaving TSR, Arneson published his world of Blackmoor as an adventuring world with Judges Guild. The First Fantasy Campaign was published in 1977. It was very popular and went through three printings.

Book cover, First Fantasy Campaign by Dave Arneson, (Judges Guild, 1977)

In addition to being a setting and a supplement, Blackmoor was also the setting for various adventure modules. One notable adventure is "The Temple of the Frog," which was included in the original Blackmoor supplement and is recognized as the first published role-playing game scenario. Other adventures set in Blackmoor were released in later years, further expanding the lore and history of the setting.

A final note: There is an unrelated area in the World of Greyhawk setting known as Blackmoor that will be removed when the setting is relaunched for 2024 D&D. However, it was renamed Arn so it remains a tribute to Blackmoor's creator and D&D co-founder.

 

[TavernTails]

Dungeons and Dragons and... Needlepoint?

In an attempt to diversify their product line, TSR, Inc. acquired a needlepoint company in 1982. Yep, you read that correctly: the company built around slaying monsters and stealing their treasure determined that crafts were what their players craved. They purchased Greenfield Needlewomen and introduced D&D-themed needlepoint kits. Greenfield added patterns and materials for fans to create their own D&D needlepoint art. It was stated that the new TSR president, Kevin Blume's wife, sold TSR on the idea. Surprisingly, these products were initially well received by the D&D community but it didn't last.

A few examples are below:

By June 1983, the needlepoint business was not meeting expectations, and TSR would report revenue for that fiscal year of only $26.7M, short of their predicted $75M. April and May revenues exceedingly alarmed the company’s managers. The purchase of Greenfield Needlewomen had failed to deliver its promised returns, so TSR was forced to write off the acquisition, dump it, and post its first loss.

On a separate note, there was also a D&D woodburning kit. No, really.

Sources:
https://grognardia.blogspot.com/2020/09/the-future-of-tsr-hobbies-inc.html

https://medium.com/@increment/the-ambush-at-sheridan-springs-3a29d07f6836

 

[TavernTails]

1977: The Year Gen Con gamers descended on... the Playboy Resort??

Gen Con is the largest tabletop gaming convention in North America and was established by Dungeons and Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax in 1968. It became the property of TSR, Inc in 1976, and in 1977, it was held at a very unique venue for a gaming convention… the Lake Geneva Playboy Resort.

The event had outgrown its previous space in Lake Geneva, WI, and the Playboy Club had lots of space to offer. Opened in 1968, the Lake Geneva Playboy was planned to serve the “wealthy elite” vacationing from Chicago. So, in 1977 the club's convention facilities were host to Gen Con X.

"Bunnies" from the Lake Geneva Playboy Resort, 1976

Photo: The Journal Times

I imagine the attendees, probably mostly men, were thrilled with the arrangement! Ultimately, TSR didn't think it reflected their values as a family game company, making it the first and last Gen Con held at the Playboy Club (gygaxmemorialfund.org).

The event was covered in (The) Dragon Magazine #10 and reported an attendance of 2,300. Ironically (or perhaps not so…) the story was positioned right next to a gaming article on incorporating, well, "intimate adult group activities" in your game (No joke. Yes, it was a different world in 1977.)

Image: OSR Grimoire

As a follow up, the Lake Geneva Playboy club closed and was reopened as the Grand Geneva Resort & Spa. Since 2016, this has been the host site for Gary Con, which is a memorial game convention dedicated to the memory of Gary Gygax. Hence, Gary’s gaming convention DID eventually return to the location, just under very different circumstances.

So that’s the tale of how gamers and Playboy bunnies got together for a weekend that I imagine neither of them ever forgot!


Sources:

https://www.gygaxmemorialfund.org/lgam-36

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gen_Con

https://www.annarchive.com/files/Drmg010.pdf

 

[TavernTails]

Back to Basics is aptly named!

In last night's TuesdayTrivia on DDOstream (6/3/2025), one of the questions was:
"The quest Back to Basics is based on an example dungeon map found in which official Dungeons and Dragons product?"

I was surprised that the question went unanswered, especially since I am impressed weekly with how much obscure DDO knowledge the audience knows & remembers. The answer is the 2001 Dungeons and Dragons Basic Edition (often known as Holmes basic, as Eric Holmes edited the book).
Below are pictures of both. While not a mirror image, it is clear that it is an homage to one of the earliest published sample dungeons.

The fact that SSG fully populated it and turned it into a complete quest is also a bit of a throwback to the B1: In Search of the Unknown module (1978), which was only partially keyed, and encouraged DM's to complete the module with their own imagination.

Here is the map comparison:

 

[TavernTails]

Since I am mildly obsessed with the lore of D&D, I thought I'd shed some light on the history behind the new Thrane, Oerik, and Moonsea server names.

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Thrane is one of the Five Nations of Khorvaire in the Eberron campaign setting. Unlike the other nations, which largely follow the Sovereign Host, Thrane is a theocracy ruled by the Church of the Silver Flame. The monarchy still exists in a symbolic capacity, but true power rests with the Keeper of the Flame, currently Jaela Daran.

Thrane's capital, Flamekeep, is home to the Cathedral of the Silver Flame, a sacred site where the Silver Flame was first kindled. The people of Thrane are known for their honesty, devotion, and hard work, often leading abstinent lives in accordance with their faith. While the Silver Flame is dedicated to fighting evil—particularly undead and fiends—most Thranes are not zealots and tolerate other belief systems.
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Oerik is the largest continent on the planet Oerth, the world of the Greyhawk campaign settings. While much of Greyhawk’s published material focuses on the Flanaess, the eastern portion of Oerik, the rest of the continent remains largely unexplored in official sources.

The Flanaess is a diverse region filled with powerful kingdoms, ancient ruins, and legendary figures. It includes lands such as the Great Kingdom, the Baklunish Basin, and the Empire of Iuz, each with distinct cultures and histories. Beyond the Flanaess, Oerik is said to contain vast deserts, towering mountain ranges, and civilizations that remain mysterious to most adventurers.
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Moonsea is a rugged and perilous region in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, known for its deep, dark waters and the harsh, often tyrannical cities that line its shores. The lake itself is a vast body of water located north of the Dalelands and west of the Vast, connecting to the Sea of Fallen Stars via the River Lis. The name "Moonsea" refers both to the lake and the surrounding lands, which are infamous for their bleak landscapes, brutal winters, and dangerous inhabitants.

The cities of the Moonsea—such as Zhentil Keep, Hillsfar, Mulmaster, and Melvaunt—are ruled by iron-fisted leaders who maintain control through fear and force. These settlements are known for their aggressive politics, treacherous dealings, and frequent conflicts, making the region a hotbed of adventure and mystery.
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Just dropping that out there. Yes, you could google it (like I did to get the reminders lol) but its here in one tidy description for convenience.

Happy Server Picking!