Published classic-era OD&D mini-settings?

[Deleted]

Hi all,

So, the thread concerning a possible online get-together got me thinking a bit about which adventure/scenario I'd like to run for you guys in such a case, and from there, to what self-contained mini-settings exist for OD&D. "The First Fantasy Campaign" is perhaps the most famous one, followed by another JG product, "Verbosh". - But after that, things get a little bit obscure: While, especially with late Judges Guild, we have a lot of "generic" adventures set in more or less specified environments, we only rarely see any of these implied settings get a detailed treatment, like, for example, in modules like "Demons of Dundurn". With the arrival of gaming magazines, - when it comes to mini-settings, IMO, mainly through White Dwarf -, we get, generally, more detailed adventure backgrounds, and even some material than may qualify as "mini-settings", like, whatever, the desert region supposed to exist in "The Lichway".

But how many stand-alone publications that can be qualified as "mini-settings" really are out there, and made for OD&D/pre-AD&D, specifically?

Thank you,

Rafe

[Starbeard]

Good topic. All of the ones I can think of are 1980-82ish, and clearly AD&D.

Although, I think even the later JG stuff never updated to an AD&D house style, but instead referenced OD&D classes with Holmes alignment and MM monsters. Can anyone confirm this?

If so, then "Isle of the Blest" in the Wilderlands should qualify as a legitimate mini-setting for pre-AD&D. It's covered in one of the issues of Pegasus.

[clownboss]

There's the three Wee Warriors modules, who are all within the Greyhawk-era OD&D. "Dwarven Glory", "The Palace of the Vampire Queen", and "Misty Isles". They're amazingly comprehensive for the time they were made, but also they are so incredibly and unfairly brutal.

Would really like to try out an approximation of Gary's Greyhawk from 1973, though.

[Deleted]

Perhaps this thread benefits from including the future present as brought to bear on the old topic, if that makes sense. Suppose the S&W offerings from FGGs as examples were brought to bear on this topic, along with OSR materials in general. The number of mini-settings improves dramatically then. In any event, failure is not a character class, eh.

[Finarvyn]

I'm wondering about the old "monochrome" TSR modules, marketed as AD&D products but clearly written as OD&D tournament dungeons. My recollection is that most of those were placed in Greyhawk somehow, but this may have been totally arbitrary.

* What about the G-series? Could these three modules form the nucleus for a "campaign" or is it too closely tied to Greyhawk?
* Same for the D-series and the drow plot arc. Could this be a "campaign" of its own?
* I seem to remember Homlet and the Tomb of Horrors linked together, so could this form a mini campaign?
* B1 was marketed as a "basic" adventure but is of the right era. I seem to recall threads on DF where folks have made it into a campaign.

I honestly haven't played any of these enough to have an expert opinion.

- - - - -

EDIT: What about the JG modules Dark Tower and/or Caverns of Thracia? Both are quite in-depth and could form the basis of a long-term campaign, I think.

[coffee]

Mar 31, 2020 11:38:53 GMT -6 Finarvyn said:

* B1 was marketed as a "basic" adventure but is of the right era. I seem to recall threads on DF where folks have made it into a campaign.

I had a copy of B1 back in the day that had an NPC with percent strength. I thought it was a clear case of shoehorning an AD&D module into the B/X line, but now I think it may have been a reference to Greyhawk.

[jeffb]

The Jacquays adventures from the early issues of Dungeoneer are a mini campaign area and specifically OD&D. Night of the Walking Wet, F'Chelrak's Tomb, etc,


For new stuff- Rob Conley has done a couple books for Goodman, but I like his "Blackmarsh" the best (and which reminds me of the Jacquays setting a little)

[gentlemanranker]

Of Skulls and Scraf*g**t Green by Bob Blake has a Wilderness section which may qualify and is the right era.

GR

[Piper]

Apr 10, 2020 5:43:02 GMT -6 gentlemanranker said:

Of Skulls and Scraf*g**t Green by Bob Blake has a Wilderness section which may qualify and is the right era.

It was a nice mini-campaign setting: town, wilderness, dungeon.

[tetramorph]

I’m currently quite enamored with Thieves of the Fortress Badabaskor.

I prefer JG stuff to TSR. It feels more “original” D&D, more wargames campaign-y, if you will.

In the module you can place it anywhere in the wilderlands or in your own world. It has a 5 mile hex detailed. Then it has the fortress village detailed. Then it has a five level dungeon with layers of history and settlement with all sorts of potential for factions. Feels pretty perfect to me right now and I am enjoying running it for my home campaign.

[Melan]

I love Badabaskor (and Citadel of Fire, although that's a bit higher-level). It is a rougher, stranger Keep on the Borderlands, and has a lot of surprises even for people who are familiar with old-school D&D.

[The Wanderer]

I can’t find Fortress Badabaskor on Drivethru. In fact I don’t see any judges Guild at all, except for Rob’s maps. I thought all Judges Guild Products were on there?

[The Wanderer]

Never mind. I just googled Judges Guild and found out why things have disappeared. I really should have got the Ready Reference Sheets, and Badabaskor when I had a chance.

d**n shame that the old products will we gone forever now.

[DungeonDevil]

Apr 11, 2020 9:21:43 GMT -6 The Wanderer said:

I can’t find Fortress Badabaskor on Drivethru. In fact I don’t see any judges Guild at all, except for Rob’s maps. I thought all Judges Guild Products were on there?

I can't find the stuff either. I recently had Badabaskor printed in hard-copy from Goodman Games and they did a good job of it.

[jeffb]

Yep, the idiot son messed things up for all of us, and tarnished his Dad's legacy/company.

Thankfully, I pretty much had bought everything I wanted over the years after I sold my print collection back around 2K5.

[tkdco2]

Indeed. I may still have a couple of old Judges Guild modules. I haven't seen one in a game store in years.

[dicebro]

It’s a d**n shame. I was a huge fan. But then Junior and Trey really let us all down.

[jeffb]

Apr 11, 2020 9:39:56 GMT -6 The Wanderer said:

Never mind. I just googled Judges Guild and found out why things have disappeared. I really should have got the Ready Reference Sheets, and Badabaskor when I had a chance.

d**n shame that the old products will we gone forever now.

I'm hopeful that Junior will get smart and try to sell the company to someone who cares and who can start the company fresh. Then possibly we may see some things again.

FWIW- I think the Ready Ref sheets are worth searching for. Great product. That was the hardest print item of all my JG items for me to sell off. I have a PDF, but that was one of the most useful things for OD&D ever published, IMO. I didn't even need the rulebooks most of the time. Ready Ref sheets, my adventure materials, a map, and go.

[Vile Traveller]

As Malchor just discovered, possibly the earliest published OD&D setting is in Wee Warriors' Misty Isles DM Kit.

[scalydemon]

I just ordered a hard copy of the Misty Isles reprint. www.pigames.net/store/default.php?cPath=145

[jeffb]

And "Palace" takes place on one of these islands, IIRC.

[Vile Traveller]

May 31, 2020 6:54:04 GMT -6 jeffb said:

And "Palace" takes place on one of these islands, IIRC.

As does Dwarven Glory.

[Malchor]

May 31, 2020 7:43:01 GMT -6 Vile Traveller said:

May 31, 2020 6:54:04 GMT -6 jeffb said:

And "Palace" takes place on one of these islands, IIRC.

As does Dwarven Glory.

It looks like Wee Warriors did one more game in the same setting, The Vanquished Foe, though it was a stand alone game. 

[dicebro]

May 31, 2020 12:07:20 GMT -6 Malchor said:

May 31, 2020 7:43:01 GMT -6 Vile Traveller said:

As does Dwarven Glory.

It looks like Wee Warriors did one more game in the same setting, The Vanquished Foe, though it was a stand alone game. 

It’s out now too by pi games I think

[Falconer]

There’s Gen Con IX Dungeons (1976) and Town of Baldemar (1987) which are by the same author and are part of the same setting. Not sure if the vintage of the latter disqualifies it, but it’s an interesting connection. Not sure if Blake’s other items are connected.