So this exists: “(your name) AND THE HOLY GRAIL”. A Monty Python and the Holy Grail themed adventure scenario from Space Gamer #41 (1981).
Clik here to view.
Clik here to view.
Because yes, we need even more Monty Python references in our DnD sessions.
But well, this came out in 1981 and just as a magazine scenario. so when maybe not everyone in the hobby had seen the movie. On the other hand it clearly points to some alternative endings because the players would expect the stock ending (my favorite being the black knight showing up and telling the PCs that he told them it was just a flesh wound)
The scenario is… barely playable I would say. It wants to be an extended dream sequence by itself, which is kind of a cop out.
…how fitting…
A lot of the encounters only make sense if you have watched the movie, and still it does not quite GET it.
I would say it’s only playable if you are really into the Pythons and work out some better start.
That said, there is some stuff I do like in between:
- rules for travel by coconut (because of course)
- the Spanish Inquisition shows up (you didn’t expect that, huh?)
- the hex scale is .73 swallow flights (also it’s neat seeing the setting nicely hexed)
- those who visit Camelot have a 10% chance of succumbing to general merriment
On the other hand most of the scenario is just variations of things from the movie. the damsels of Castle Anthrax are there, so is the witch burning, so is the monster dropping dead by death of animator.
Sigh.
Yeah, it tries to be the movie. so much so that there are rules on how to move the plot forward by using The Narrator, God, or even The Director (in this order) to force stuff in the right direction.
I think this could be good if one would work it out a bit more. Like this it’s just the movie forced into a scenario. But I wouldn’t mind filing the numbers off and using some encounters in another game, or going the other way and filling that hexmap with more original encounters so it’s not such a glaring rip off.
Clik here to view.
By the way the scenario never actually states it is written for DnD. Of course it is, but it’s never said.
As a matter of fact this whole issue of Space Gamer is a special D&D issue, but whenever books are mentioned it’s the newest AD&D stuff, even when Gygax pens the article. I guess this came out in that brief period where even Gygax didn’t make a difference between D&D and AD&D to cut Arneson out of the royalties.
I have the feeling this issue was largely paid for by TSR. I think Space Gamer was way more into Traveller.
I am tempted to just introduce coconut riding in an otherwise normal setting and leave it completely unexplained, just to see the eye rolls of the players.
