Over thirty years ago at the TSR Dungeon Hobby Shop, Terry Kuntz drew up several levels for a dungeon he was designing at the time. He never got around to writing up a key for the dungeon but had drawn some fantastic maps for the upper works and ruins of the place, 4 dungeon levels, and a 5th level using TSR's Dungeon Geomorphs Set. One day Ernie Gygax told Terry, his co-worker at the TSR Dungeon Hobby Shop, that he was looking for some ideas on a dungeon setting. Terry turned over his already drawn maps and Ernie began creating keys for the various dungeon levels.

Eventually, Ernie added a 6th and final level and what a level! The sixth level is the largest dungeon level I have ever seen! The map for this level is on a massive 22" x 17" paper with 10 squares to the inch! Compared to a standard piece of graph paper with 4 squares to the inch that is equal to 20 sheets of 8.5" x 11" paper! In game the dungeon level is 2,120 feet by 1,720 feet! Not only that, it is not exactly spread out. Indeed it is crammed with rooms, tunnels, arenas, temples, secret doors, pits, underground lakes, pools, fountains, caves, and adventure! This map is really a work of art!

Never named, it became known as the Dungeon Hobby Shop Dungeon, one of the most played dungeons of all time! Ernie ran this dungeon heavily from 1977 onward. He estimates easily over 1,000 players have adventured within it. Many of these folks were customers of the Dungeon Hobby Shop and, much later, customers of The Game Guild. Quite a few of these players were Great Lakes sailors who stopped in to buy TSR, D&D, and AD&D games and accessories while on liberty.

One of the more famous characters to arise from these games was Arrarat, Tim Jiardini's fallen ranger, made legend by his entry into the Rogues Gallery! Other players who adventured in the Dungeon Hobby Shop Dungeon include Gary Gygax, Rob Kuntz (with Robilar), Neil Christiansen, and many other TSR and Greyhawk regulars.

Literally, hundreds of players entered the Dungeon Hobby Shop Dungeon. Ernie tells tale of one night with 22 players in the shop that gamed until he had to open the store the next morning at 10 o'clock! All delving the six deadly levels of the Dungeon Hobby Shop Dungeon at once. In the end only four survivors would escape the dungeon, all having nearly made it to third level with several magic items each! The rest of the crew shouted encouragement and cheered them on their success. Such are the tales of the rousing adventures that took place in the Dungeon Hobby Shop Dungeon!

These worthy adventurers: "Orrock of OHOD", "Ordu of OHOD", "Darkis of OHOD", and "Herman of OHOD" soon became very important figures in the campaign because of their legendary feat! Their names are even noted in certain areas within the Dungeon Hobby Shop Dungeon itself!

The Dungeon Hobby Shop Dungeon includes: the original three-ring binder, 1 upper works map done on graph paper in color pencil, 4 dungeon level maps with certain areas shaded with color pencil, 1 dungeon level map made using TSR's Dungeon Geomorphs, 1 gargantuan 22" x 17" map with certain areas shaded with color pencil and two sub-areas keyed in blue and red marker, and 27 pages of encounter and room descriptions! The 6th level has 17 pages of encounter descriptions with well over 100 entries!

Another great feature about the encounter keys is that Ernie noted where the various players had been. That's right you know where Robilar tread and Arrarat tracked!

The Dungeon Hobby Shop Dungeon is one of the last of its kind - the old school dungeon - made by one of the people who played the Dungeons & Dragons game at the very beginning! This dungeon is part of the fabric of the D&D game and a true crown jewel for your collection!

Copyright © 1994-2010, [Paul J. Stormberg]. All rights reserved.