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Tag Archives: Rob Kuntz
The Stories (and 3 Mysteries) Behind D&D’s Iconic Monsters
Like every other kid who discovered Dungeons & Dragons in the late 70s, the Monster Manual suddenly became my favorite book. I studied the pages, and then turned to books of mythology to learn more about cyclopses, manticores, and harpies. … Continue reading →
Posted in Role-playing game history
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Tagged Charles Stross, David Zeb Cook, Gary Gygax, George R.R. Martin, James Ward, Monster Manual, monsters, Rob Kuntz, Tim Kask, Ultraman, Vogt
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3 Comments
Dungeons & Dragons and the Dream of the Grand Campaign
The original Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master’s Guide included an instruction that seemed pointless to most readers, even though Gary Gygax shouted it in caps. In AD&D, he explained, “YOU CAN NOT HAVE A MEANINGFUL CAMPAIGN IF STRICT TIME … Continue reading →
Posted in Role-playing game history
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Tagged Arduin, Arduin Grimoire, Blackmoor, Chivalry & Sorcery, Dave Hargrave, downtime, Ernie Gygax, Gary Gygax, grand campaign, Greyhawk, megadungeon, Rob Kuntz, Stan Lee, Tim Kask, time
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10 Comments
Time Pressure, Wandering Monsters, and D&D’s Social Contract
In 1980, Dungeons & Dragons players at my high school traded stories that confirmed Tomb of Horrors as the HARDEST DUNGEON EVER. Then someone told me how to beat it. Just hire a bunch of guys with shovels to excavate … Continue reading →
Posted in Role-playing game history
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Tagged Gary Gygax, random encounters, Rob Kuntz, time, time constraints, Tomb of Horrors, wandering monsters
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8 Comments
How much description should a dungeon key include?
The conventional Dungeons & Dragons adventure includes a dungeon key describing numbered locations on a map. When D&D co-creator Gary Gygax created his first dungeon under Castle Greyhawk, he usually wrote a 1-line note for each room. These notes served … Continue reading →
Posted in Role-playing game design, Role-playing game history
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Tagged Bill Owen, Bob Bledsaw, boxed text, Castle Greyhawk, Chris Perkins, Curse of Strahd, Dragon magazine, G1 Steading of the Hill Giant Chief, Gamescience, Gary Gygax, Judges Guild, one-page dungeon, Palace of the Vampire Queen, Rob Kuntz, Stonehell, Storm King’s Thunder, Tegel Manor, Tomb of Horrors
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5 Comments
The Dungeons & Dragons spells Gary Gygax never meant for players
Dungeons & Dragons first supplement, Greyhawk, raised the game’s highest level spells from 6th level to 9th. None of Gary Gygax’s players had reached the level required to cast the new spells. Tim Kask remembers that as he and Gary … Continue reading →
Posted in Role-playing game history
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Tagged Blackmoor, Greyhawk, James Ward, Rob Kuntz, spells, Tim Kask
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5 Comments
Tomb of Horrors tests patience, but still ranks as Dungeons & Dragons’ best villain
In his notes to the dungeon master, author Gary Gygax promises that the Tomb of Horrors “is a thinking person’s module.” He warns, “If your group is a hack and slay gathering, they will be unhappy.” To back his claim, … Continue reading →
Why Dungeons & Dragons players stopped exploring megadungeons
In my last post I wrote about how Dungeons & Dragons creators Dave Arneson and Gary Gygax built their campaigns around huge dungeons that grew and changed. These megadungeons enabled Dave and Gary to run campaigns for dozens of players. … Continue reading →
Posted in Role-playing game history
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Tagged Blackmoor, computer games, Dave Arneson, Dungeon crawls, Gary Gygax, Greyhawk, megadungeon, Monte Cook, play style, Rob Kuntz, Ruins of Undermountain
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29 Comments
When megadungeons ruled Dungeons & Dragons
In the early 70s, as Gary Gygax developed Dungeons & Dragons, he played the game seven times a week. He wrote, “As I worked at home, I did not schedule play sessions, but when a gamer or two dropped in … Continue reading →
Posted in Role-playing game history
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Tagged Blackmoor, D&D Encounters, Dave Arneson, Dungeon crawls, Gary Gygax, Greyhawk, megadungeon, Rob Kuntz, Scott Fitzgerald Gray, Shannon Appelcline
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20 Comments
Dungeons & Dragons fifth-edition Basic Rules, an annotated page 1
Wizards of the Coast has released the Dungeons & Dragons basic rules as a free download. I have yet to read past the first page, but even that invites comments. The July 3 basic rules are labeled, version 0.1, but … Continue reading →