TSR - Other proposed Publications that weren't

[Crimhthan The Great]

In The Strategic Review Vol. No. 1 the following is mentioned,

"CHAINMAIL will be reprinted soon in a third edition, with additions in the historic characteristics section to include the fighting men of the Far East, among others. Also added are sections in the man-to-man rules and some small items to the "Fantasy Supplement". The additional material, coupled with current costs will require that we raise the price, but that is unavoidable in today's economy. It is also hoped that we will be able to release at least one -- and possibly two -- companion booklets to CHAINMAIL, one to deal with the Crusades and the other with mythical English Medieval times (you guess which of the two possibilities we plan!) Both will use the CHAINMAIL system with modifications to fit the particular case."

It is likely that the mythical English Medieval times would have been a Robin Hood supplement.

Over in Ye Olde School Supplements there are some really good supplements. I hope someone does Robin Hood and also someone does The Crusades. I think they would be great additions to that list.

[Dartanian]

A Robin Hood Supplement would be really good, would love to see that.

[merctime]

*Looks around cautiously*

Guys... WE could do this!!!

*Runs back into the shadows*

[Admin Pete]

May 2, 2015 15:47:41 GMT -5 merctime said:

*Looks around cautiously*

Guys... WE could do this!!!

*Runs back into the shadows*

Go for it! Start the project and I am sure people will help with it.

[Admin Pete]

Here is another old post that I thought might be of interest to some.

[simrion]

How about the Moldvay/Cook/Marsh Companion Rule Book that was promised in the Expert Rulebook? Granter Frank M created his version when they reskinned the Basic Line but there are differences/changes. I have to say the fan created Companion offered by B/X Blackrazor is a fantastic take on the idea

www.rpgnow.com/product/103412/B-X-Companion

[magremore]

Robin Hood is an interesting case. I would love to hear more about the Terry Kuntz campaign that was and the rule set that I guess (?) was never been published.

robkuntz or @gronanofsimmerya , Anything you guys can share?

* * *

Bits of the history . . .

from The Strategic Review, v1 n2, Summer 1975:

let us know what you think of the following possibilities for miniatures rules and game offerings.... Please drop a card listing your reaction by the numbers 9-0: 9=wonderful; 4-5=about average, 1=horrid;
and a zip means you wouldn’t even give the offering a thought.
. . .

Rules for Robin Hood (compatible with CHAINMAIL)

from GenCon VIII brochure (August 22–24, 1975):

Sunday / 10:30 a.m. — Tournaments: . . . Robin Hood — Terry Kuntz

from The Strategic Review, v1 n4, Winter 1975:

TERRY KUNTZ, currently hard at work on the final draft of the “Robin
Hood” rules (which some readers viewed at GenCon)...

from The Strategic Review, v1 n5, December 1975:

Terry is finishing up the ROBIN HOOD rules that were tested at GenCon. They should provide for some escapist fantasy unlike anything extant.

from The Dragon, n24 (v.III n10), April 1979 (Gary’s article “The Melee in D&D®”):

Terry Kuntz developed a system which allowed for telling
strokes in an unpublished game he developed to recreate the epic
adventures of Robin Hood etal. To mitigate against the loss at a single
stroke, he also included a saving throw which allowed avoidance of
such death blows, and saving throw increased as the character successfully
engaged in combats, i.e. gained experience. This sort of approach
is obviously possible, but it requires a highly competent designer to
develop.

robkuntz played “A fighter (a Duke) in Terry Kuntz's "Robin Hood" campaign” (per www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=106&t=16993&start=540, 2009).

(Rob, Do you recall any other details about this character? Were the abilities D&D based? How about the classes? Did the characters level up?)

* * *

Not directly on topic, but of interest perhaps, Gary on Robin Hood’s class:

Robin Hood was not a thief class character in any sense of the AD&D term. He was a ranger and a bandit.

The ranger is where I think most of us here would go with Robin. It’s the “bandit” mention, in the context of class, that really grabs me. 

It’d be a different kind of bandit for sure (for me anyway). I’m not a fan of the nine-point or five-point alignment systems (as I feel those systems break down under their own weight), and so for original D&D I feel pretty strongly that Robin Hood’s alignment is Lawful (his loyalty to Richard never wavers, even going on to sacrifice his personal liberties to fight with and serve under Richard). 

Of course when Robin and his band of merry men were finally stat'd for AD&D in Dragon 55 [November 1981], he appeared as Chaotic Good. 

[robkuntz]

Terry completed a fully functional game which he used for two campaigns: England era Robin Hood and in his Zothar setting. I played in both and in fact am in the midst of writing an adventure story based off of the 2nd where I was a Duke. The combat was hit location oriented and fast. I believe that they were lost in a fire he sustained in Whitewater, WI when he was going to college. He may have rewritten these.

[Mighty Darci]

It is really a shame that these both did not get published, the Robin Hood game sounds awesome and the Crusades has so many ways you could go with it. What was the Zothar setting? Sorry that your brother had a fire, those can be devastating. I hope he recreated his game, even if just for himself.

[robkuntz]

Jul 8, 2017 17:44:18 GMT -5 Mighty Darci said:

It is really a shame that these both did not get published, the Robin Hood game sounds awesome and the Crusades has so many ways you could go with it. What was the Zothar setting? Sorry that your brother had a fire, those can be devastating. I hope he recreated his game, even if just for himself.

Hi Darci.  Zothar was his fantasy campaign world.  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Kuntz  and thecollectorstrove.com/arc-ernie-gygax/ebay-auction-55/4862186

[Mighty Darci]

What a great map, shame the original is gone. I see he also created some board game too! Is he still doing anything design related?

[robkuntz]

Jul 8, 2017 21:10:10 GMT -5 Mighty Darci said:

What a great map, shame the original is gone. I see he also created some board game too! Is he still doing anything design related?

He is a guest at Garycon for the past years and helps run some of Paul Stormberg's 'Legends of Wargaming' events there.

The board game was variously titled Ragnarok, Twilight of the Gods or just Ragnarok and we both designed it.  The only remaining copy of the rules is on file with the LoCongress copyright division.