Who was Gary Gygax’s Dungeon Master in the old days?
Robert J. Kuntz was like a son to Gygax. Not only did Kuntz play in his Greyhawk campaign, but the elder was also a player at Kuntz’s table. Indeed, their campaigns were often linked and intertwined.
This castle [El Raja Key] was intentionally designed to provide Gary with a source of adventuring enjoyment but quickly expanded in scope when EGG chose me to help co-DM the original Greyhawk campaign. Some of its levels were incorporated into the second (large and current) version of Greyhawk Castle, and many of its tricks, traps, monsters and magic appear in sundry published releases…
Grodog’s Secret Archives of Rob Kuntz
Kuntz doesn’t get the same recognition online as Gary Gygax or Dave Arneson, but his work is everywhere in early (A)D&D. Gygax and Arneson are gone, but “Robert Kuntz resides in Corsica, France with his charming wife Nathalie and their four spirited cats.”
For a more complete list of his works, see the Robert J. Kuntz Official Biography.
I wasn’t aware of Kuntz’s contributions to Expedition to the Barrier Peaks until reading about it today. And we’re starting S3 right now:
A Module Trio
I’ve picked up a supply of 3 Kuntz modules from Black Blade Publishing: Cairn of the Skeleton King, Tower of Blood, and The Original Bottle City.
The originals fetch nosebleed collector prices, but these gorgeous booklets are in-print and can grace your gaming table for a reasonable price. There are even more from Kuntz’s Lake Geneva Castle & Campaign, but I want to see how these sell before proceeding.
Cairn of the Skeleton King
“You have been directed to stamp out the rising evil in the Kingdom! Its source is the foul undead inhabiting an ancient Cairn. And their King, whom legends say will not die. This module contains two challenging scenarios in one! If you can defeat this hold of evil, then the secrets of another realm of terror arise, equally evil and deadly, and more ancient than the lands you venture beneath!”
This module is filled with original art by Jim Holloway!
Tower of Blood
“Shadows stir beneath the earth. In Tower of Blood, the PCs discover that a subterranean gnomish tower has fallen to beings from the Plane of Shadow. Can a band of heroes drive this menace from the depths before it claims the unsuspecting world above?
This module details three distinct settings for adventure: a large cavern within which the three-level tower rests; two levels of mines below the tower; and the sinister lair of forces allied to the tower invaders. Tower of Blood also features two unique NPC foes, seven new magic items, and five new monsters. Tower of Blood can be run as a stand-alone adventure or as a sequel to RJK-1 Cairn of the Skeleton King.”
As with the previous module, Tower of Blood is filled with original art by Jim Holloway!
The Original Bottle City
An updated version of an adventure that Robert J. Kuntz ran for Gary Gygax and others in 1974. The Bottle City was a “sublevel” found within Castle Greyhawk.
This module comes with a 2-part reproduction of Kuntz’s original game map!
See Also: