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.