Thursday, September 14, 2023

1979 Dungeons and Dragons Basic box set 4th printing Estate Sale find!!

 And a fine late summer day it is! Back after a lengthy hiatus...ready for some D&D fun? Here goes...

I noticed (a couple days ago) that an nearby estate sale had the Holmes Basic box set for sale. I hemmed and hawed over going. "Too early. Too much to do. Don't want to stand in line." The usual excuses.

I did finally decide to "give it a go". Showed up just before the doors opened. I kept telling myself "...if there's too big a line I'm not waiting'. Line was small. 10:00am and the doors opened. I jumped from my truck & made my way in.

I had kind of memorized what the surrounding shelves had on them. Didn't see it at first. Looked on the other side of the room. Then I spied it. The estate sale folks had put another box on top of it! My luck! A couple of other people were looking for it too. I swooped in and grabbed my prize. I could hear somebody asking a worker "Hey. Where's that D&D game at?"

I could tell right away this was one of those "American Pickers" moments. Box was really clean. Bright vibrant colors. Paid the $10 asking price!!

Jumped back in my truck to open it & really see what I had stumbled upon!



I raced back home to get to my computer. With the help of the brilliant "Acaeum.com" I was able to determine that it is a 4th printing from 1979. Picture on the back of the box shows the contents which include the original basic dice.
This has the dice alright. Still in the unopened bag!!



This happened to be a lucky day for me. Did feel kind of bad for the guys who were also looking for this, but I've been on that end plenty of times myself. Glad I wasn't able to talk myself out of going this morning!


Wednesday, September 14, 2022

Original Dungeons & Dragons: The source of all the fun.


 Original Dungeons & Dragons: The source of all the fun 

Back for the 1st time this year! Illness & covid-19 really changed priorities this year. I'll keep this short & sweet. 2 major acquisitions...this being the first.

So...I finally took the plunge& invested in the "Original Dungeons & Dragons". The White Box set & the 5 additional Supplements.

At some point it was inevitable. Having started out with The Basic Holmes Blue book & AD D&D I always wanted to see the "Source"...the Original Dungeons & Dragons! Just to read the original version put forth by Sir Gary Gygax. To get a more of a feel for what Dave Arneson was playing in snowy Minnesota! 
Anywhoo...haven't processed it yet so no analysis of its merits. Just dang happy to have it! Bought from various sources across the Interwebs! Enjoy the pics!




I will say I was pleasantly surprised by the art. Each supplement seems to have an improvement in the artist...and the addition of David C. Sutherland III was a game changer. Kudos to Gary & Tim Kask for using more of Dave's art! I noticed how some of the monsters from the supplements were transferred to The Monster Manual exactly as it appeared here!




Also was very moved to see the very 1st Dungeon example that players were introduced to...



And lastly...the box set I bought was in need of a little repair. Had to fix some torn sides & crushed corners! Thankfully youtube can walk you through anything short of brain surgery!!






A bit of TLC and viola!!


Yes sir!! Who knows...maybe I'll enjoy this version of the game so much that I drop all others? Anybody out there prefer the Original version over all others?

Hopefully I'll be back soon...and show off the other major D&D treasure I picked up recently!!

Till then..."Up the Irons!!"

EXCELSIOR

  

Sunday, December 19, 2021

Dungeons & Dragons Ebay treasures: 4 great items from "The_Collectors_Trove" auction

 


Holiday greetings to my faithful readers! Just a quick entry on a otherwise gloomy Sunday afternoon!

An auction on Ebay ended last Sunday..."The_Collectors_Trove" had an auction of some old D&D related items...from some of the most illustrious names from TSR! Long story short...I won 4 on them!

A print from Darlene's collection of a fantasy map she did for "The Domains of Ancient Stuard" from 1980. The original hand drawn map is what made Gary Gygax decide that Darlene would be the artist to design the "Greyhawk" maps!


Next up is a fantasy art print of "Waterfall Castle" by the late great David C. Sutherland III...from the artist personal collection! Dave was perhaps the most prolific artist from the golden age of D&D art.


And lastly...2 items from the TITAN board game created by Jason B. McAllister & my personal fav artist...Dave Trampier! Grogonstar Titan board game notes & Newsletter with multiboard rules from 1980...and the TITAN War I button, created by TRAMP for Gen Con XIII in 1980! This  button for Titan's debut at 1980's Gen Con convention in Lake Geneva! Always stoked to pick up any piece of TRAMP's art!



Hope I didn't outbid any of you! Did anybody else pick up some treasures from that auction? There was some incredible stuff for sale!

Anywhoo...hope you all have a safe & incredible Christmas! Happy Holidays & see you all again soon!

EXCELSIOR 

Ps...I almost forgot...all 4 items came with certificates of authenticity! Bonus!




Sunday, November 14, 2021

Dungeons & Dragons Postcards : Just in time for the holidays!


 Two blog post in as many days! 

Greetings again...just a brief entry to pass some time on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

I don't know where I came across these new D&D postcards (they were just released this month)...but I'm a sucker for the early artist of TSR.

"Archival Art From Every Edition" the box proclaims. You can find these for $16+ on the net all day...they'd make a great Christmas gift to any old grognard!

100 cards...doubles, so 50 images. Lots of newer art...but plenty of the ancient masters like TRAMP, Sutherland, Otus & Dee.








I have to say its beautifully done...very snazzy box...all art crisp & clear. Just in case you need an idea for gift...or, you might request that some kind soul buy it as a "stocking stuffer". 

Lots of great images...I did see a guy online who had framed a bunch for his office. Grand idea!


Excelsior!

Saturday, November 13, 2021

Chainmail reprint by DriveThruRpg

 


Back after a long absence...a quick blog entry on a Saturday night.

Don't know if many of you are aware of such sites as DrivethruRPG.com...

They create "on demand" reprints of many old RPG modules & supplements. I'm interested in the D&D material...primarily such old modules that I never actually played...such as "Ravenloft" or "Temple of  Elemental Evil"...

I noticed the other day that they have "Chainmail" as one of their "Print on demand" books...some titles are only available as downloadable PDFs...

I got the Chainmail in the post and was pretty jazzed. I never actually gazed upon the original "back in the day"...but one of our gaming group had an older brother who owned one & hand copied it to use in our D&D campaign. 






What I remember was that early in our D&D careers we were gaining troops...henchmen & followers...armies that we would lead into battle. This is where Chainmail came into play. I can vividly remember the charts used for troop combat...as well as the charts for jousting combat! Good times!



And for an added bonus...a TSR price chart circa 1979!

At $27.50 "The Empire of the Pedal Throne" was serious business! Way too rich for our blood!

Hope you enjoyed this "blast from the past"! 

Stay tuned...another blog coming your way in a matter of hours!


Excelsior! 

Sunday, May 23, 2021

1980 "Caverns of Doom" Dragon miniature Restoration

 

I recently purchased a 1980 Dragon mini that is from the "Caverns of Doom" board game/Dungeon crawl boxset. 

My best friend owned that box set...that dungeon map was the setting for my very 1st D&D adventure. Years later, when he had lost interest in the game, said friend gifted me that dungeon & many of the minis from that box set. Except...the dragon wasn't part of the deal!

I'd been kicking around the idea of picking one up recently...just had to keep an eye on Ebay and see what came along. Couple of weeks ago one came up for sale...& I pulled the trigger. This is the condition the old boy showed up in...




Very similar to how my friend had painted his...except my buddy did his in all red...both looked like they just dipped the mini in a can of paint! The original owner of this mini probably got his at a young age, too.

So...I decided to repaint this dragon as a red dragon. Using the art of Dave Sutherland as my inspiration. Both the Monster Manual cover & the box cover of the Holmes Basic boxset.

Here's the step by step process...





 I did kinda like this guy as a black dragon! Maybe I'll buy another one just to paint it differently!







A dark wash & some dry brush highlighting later...

I then decided to give this old boy the royal treatment...after 40+ years as a mono-color mini he was getting the major upgrade! He needed a base to really make him seem regal! It woud be my 1st attempt at creating a "dragon horde" base! I'm happy with the results.




A very fun project! Glad I was able to restore this guy to his proper regal state! I remember the fun we had playing D&D with the minis from "Caverns of Doom". Would have never have guessed that all these years later I'd be enjoying them again!

EXCELSIOR! 
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