This is exactly the sort of content I love to see from you guys -- incredible piece of history, and really shows how sophisticated TTRPGs were already becoming even almost 50 years ago.
I was there, it was best time of childhood. We had friend who loved being DM. His parents gave him a white board that he put flat on the table and drew the map for our figures. I’m 52 (1970), I still have my original Player’s Handbook, DM Guide, Fiends and Folios, Monster Manual, DM screen and multiple campaign modules with maps (eg Keep on the Border) and boxes of figures. It was so much fun.
I remember them advertised in the old modules and the blue box set, but I never did find them in the stores. If you have access I'd love to see a review of the old Rogues Gallery accessory.
I never had the geomorphs. The nearest shop that carried any D&D items was 40 minutes away, and we rarely made it up there. Also, we were poor, literally poor, teenagers, lol. But, I was in geometry the year I got the Holmes Basic set, and I had tons of graph paper. I ended up using the graph paper for D&D than for class. And, at the end of the year, when most people were trashing their unused graph paper, I was asking all of them for all of it. I even found some of that paper in an old notebook recently, most of it filled with dungeons, castles, wilderness maps, etc.
This made me laugh Michael. I was the biggest graph paper scavenger in 200 miles. For some reason it was like gold to me. I still get excited when I have a new pad of graph paper on the table in front of me. Guess it's because of the creative possibilities in those clean pages.
I had the basic set with the dragon on the cover, I don't remember these dungeon geomorphs in the box. The box contained the blue rulebook, yellow B1, dice, a mail-in card perhaps. I do remember seeing the later dungeon geomorphs packs for sale at the store though.
I think it was the fourth printing of Holmes Basic in 1978 that was the first to include module B1. Prior to that it was geomorphs. The sixth printing in about 1979 switched to module B2.
What a memory that brings back. Used them occasionally for dungeons on the fly. My friends would get together and roll a 20, lowest DM'd so they were very useful at times. Great job Gentlemen!
I only had the caverns (pack 2). Never could find the others. Did you ever have the Lankmar geomorph set from the module/setting book? I used those to the extreme when I first started.
Inciteful on pointing out how the maps were opening up to different game play. I could not find them on drivethru but other companies are still producing blue map packs.
This is exactly the sort of content I love to see from you guys -- incredible piece of history, and really shows how sophisticated TTRPGs were already becoming even almost 50 years ago.
So glad you liked the video, thanks Robby! Keep your sword arm free!
“History,” ugh, I guess I am now officially old, 52, 1970. LOL
I still remember the odd shaped rooms and passages on these maps. Soon as I see them that old memory comes flooding back of my intro to dnd in '77.
Agreed! I can't pick them up without a wave of nostalgia coming through.
I was there, it was best time of childhood. We had friend who loved being DM. His parents gave him a white board that he put flat on the table and drew the map for our figures. I’m 52 (1970), I still have my original Player’s Handbook, DM Guide, Fiends and Folios, Monster Manual, DM screen and multiple campaign modules with maps (eg Keep on the Border) and boxes of figures. It was so much fun.
It was a great time to discover that game. Totally mind blowing since there was nothing else like it.
I remember them advertised in the old modules and the blue box set, but I never did find them in the stores.
If you have access I'd love to see a review of the old Rogues Gallery accessory.
Hey Michael! I think I do have the Rogues Gallery. If I do, we'll do a video about it.
I'm 27 so no experience with these. I'd heard of them in passing but never seen them before. Cool stuff, thanks! I dig a lot of these historical vids
DriveThruRPG has them for sale.
Thanks Bizzy. I didn't know they were on DriveThru. If you get them, let us know what you think.
I never had the geomorphs. The nearest shop that carried any D&D items was 40 minutes away, and we rarely made it up there. Also, we were poor, literally poor, teenagers, lol. But, I was in geometry the year I got the Holmes Basic set, and I had tons of graph paper. I ended up using the graph paper for D&D than for class. And, at the end of the year, when most people were trashing their unused graph paper, I was asking all of them for all of it. I even found some of that paper in an old notebook recently, most of it filled with dungeons, castles, wilderness maps, etc.
This wss my process as a youngin. I went through a lot of graph paper back then making dungeons.
This made me laugh Michael. I was the biggest graph paper scavenger in 200 miles. For some reason it was like gold to me. I still get excited when I have a new pad of graph paper on the table in front of me. Guess it's because of the creative possibilities in those clean pages.
@@theoldwarlock Absolutely right! Endless possibilities from each sheet, or even taping several together for a huge megadungeon or wilderness map. 🙂
I had the basic set with the dragon on the cover, I don't remember these dungeon geomorphs in the box. The box contained the blue rulebook, yellow B1, dice, a mail-in card perhaps. I do remember seeing the later dungeon geomorphs packs for sale at the store though.
I think it was the fourth printing of Holmes Basic in 1978 that was the first to include module B1. Prior to that it was geomorphs. The sixth printing in about 1979 switched to module B2.
What a memory that brings back. Used them occasionally for dungeons on the fly. My friends would get together and roll a 20, lowest DM'd so they were very useful at times. Great job Gentlemen!
Thanks, MM!
Drive Thru rpg has the DCC #9 Dungeon Geomorphs--I'm assuming a set inspired by, but different from the D&D set. $7 for 124 map tiles as pdf.
Thanks for letting us know! Keep your sword arm free!
I only had the caverns (pack 2). Never could find the others. Did you ever have the Lankmar geomorph set from the module/setting book? I used those to the extreme when I first started.
I had/have it. That module is fantastic. Was the gold standard for my cities for a few decades.
I'd like to know how to use these. Thanks for the video.
i dont know why but i love these!!
DriveThruRPG has them.
Hey Scott! There is something great about them. And I can't quite put my finger on why either.
The days before wet erase playmates. It’s cool, much like much of early d&d is still usable today.
Agreed. Maybe it's because I'm old school but I love using these things.
They were in blue so you couldn't photocopy them. But TSR didn't count on me tracing over them with a black pen.
We found that on some copiers if you increased the dark tone you could get a workable copy. There was always a work around if you looked hard enough.
The geomorphs remind me of architectural drawings.
I remember Geomorphs, but never used them. I always found them kind of weird : )
Inciteful on pointing out how the maps were opening up to different game play.
I could not find them on drivethru but other companies are still producing blue map packs.
Thanks, Myke. Some other comments have said they're on DTRPG but I haven't found them there either. I'll let you know if I come across them somewhere.
Can we remake these in high quality color art?
Make similar? Not a bad idea.
lol... the wacky face... "Thumbnail."
We're real professionals, it's true.
I started from a geo-political map and went down from there.
Hallo meine Feunde!