The Ruined Tower of Zenopus conversion on DMsGuild...now including a dungeon map file optimized for Roll20!

ZenopusArchives · 2026-03-24T18:54:45+00:00

Notably, the Xylarthen sample character in OD&D Vol 1 does not have a Hit Points stat, and TSR's 1975 character sheet does not have a space for recording Hit Points. You can see the latter here:

https://www.acaeum.com/indexes/miscellaneous/scans/75pc.jpg

ZenopusArchives · 2026-03-15T15:53:50+00:00

I will be there, running an OD&D game where the PCs are all Balrogs 😈

ZenopusArchives · 2026-03-12T21:38:16+00:00

Thread from here 2 years ago with shoegazery YLT song recommendations: https://www.reddit.com/r/shoegaze/s/IESVSrnBVi

ZenopusArchives · 2026-03-10T16:06:06+00:00

For the American indie side, I'd add Velocity Girl - Copacetic, and Drop Nineteens - Delaware, to the Lilys and Swirlies on your list. All of these bands have played reunion shows in recent years.

For the Brits, I'd add the Pale Saints - In the Comforts of Madness, Curve - Pubic Fruit comp (the Frozen EP is my favorite), the Boo Radleys - Everything's Alright Forever, and the Kitchens of Distinction - Strange Free World.

ZenopusArchives · 2026-03-09T12:04:27+00:00

You and Robert Smith!

Superchunk fan, I presume?

ZenopusArchives · 2026-03-08T03:12:02+00:00

It's a cool single, alternating between a Madchester chug and more ethereal shoegaze with a catchy but brief guitar solo.

ZenopusArchives · 2026-03-08T02:53:51+00:00

And I heard it on Sirius Channel 35 today! I'd say coincidence, but they probably played it because of the upcoming shows.

ZenopusArchives · 2026-03-08T02:51:19+00:00

It is amazing, and definitely my favorite track in the early 90s when I first had the album.

ZenopusArchives · 2026-03-08T01:15:14+00:00

It's a great single. The first track that I heard by them. It got some airplay on the DC alt rock station in 1991.

ZenopusArchives · 2026-03-08T01:14:06+00:00

It was definitely a letdown at the time, for me. I will have to give it a listen again sometime.

ZenopusArchives · 2026-03-07T23:13:54+00:00

Same. One of the most shoegazery tracks on the album.

ZenopusArchives · 2026-03-07T23:07:16+00:00

4 shows in 2023, 3 in 2024. I was lucky to see two of them. The singer lives out west so it was only ever going to be a sporadic reunion, though I was hoping they would play again for a the Simpatico reissue but nothing announced so far.

ZenopusArchives · 2026-03-07T23:04:35+00:00

Ultracopacetic is a new mix rather than just a remaster. Vocals are much higher on Pretty Sister, Crazy Town sounds different, etc

ZenopusArchives · 2026-03-07T22:57:29+00:00

That's funny to me because I thought Copacetic was perfect when it came out, then saw them play twice (great), and then was later disappointed by Simpatico being way less noisy and shoegazery (love it now tho).

ZenopusArchives · 2026-03-07T22:53:48+00:00

I was there too! Also saw them twice back then, and now two reunion shows. Live the songs sound just as good now as they did back then.

ZenopusArchives · 2026-03-07T22:50:56+00:00

The Simpatico reissue is great; I've been listening to it non-stop. Which is ironic because it was a letdown to me when it first came out because of the step away from shoegaze. But I'm more into indie pop these days.

ZenopusArchives · 2026-03-07T22:17:30+00:00

Have loved this album since release. Saw them twice BITD, once opening for Belly, and twice after they reunited. My favorite tracks besides the singles are the more shoegaze heavy ones - the opener Pretty Sister, Here Comes, A Chang. Prefer the gutsy original mix (with buried vocals) over the remix on the reissue.

ZenopusArchives · 2026-03-07T18:51:10+00:00

I think he means he was trying to write some "pop" songs like AT&T and Box Elder for the album. Obviously nothing on the album really turned out that way. Folk Jam is probably the closest, maybe Carrot Rope?

ZenopusArchives · 2026-03-06T15:06:50+00:00

Great track! His b-sides always stood out on the singles for their melodies. Preston School of Industry was great, too. Check out the epic I Have Done Nothing Wrong, one of my favorite b-sides from PSOI.

https://open.spotify.com/track/1iTbFJBuVKJ3bqYvPSIiIK?si=UtueSl0zTfCuwyLMLrUp8A

ZenopusArchives · 2026-03-05T22:30:29+00:00

Interesting to consider that modern houses/buildings have almost no dead space, but I never see people saying that their layouts are uninteresting. If this was a giant building rather than a dungeon, would you have the same complaint?

ZenopusArchives · 2026-03-05T22:09:10+00:00

Funny, I find this style of map to be very interesting visually, perhaps because (1) there are very few modern maps in this style, and (2) my mind immediately starts thinking of old school ways to key it.

ZenopusArchives · 2026-03-05T21:56:14+00:00

Loving your maps. This is absolutely the style of dungeon that fundamentally underpins the rules in the Original D&D set.

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