Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Tomb of Horrors (S1) wasn't a random killer. It was a 1975 tournament scoring instrument, and in 2026 almost nobody runs it the way it was actually graded.
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Gary Gygax built Tomb of Horrors for Origins I in July 1975 to humble two of his own players, Rob Kuntz's Robilar and his son Ernie's character Tenser. The tournament scoring sheet came down to one criterion: how much loot a party carried out. That single fact changes what the "unfair" traps are actually doing. This one walks through the 1975 scoring criterion, how Robilar and Tenser beat the original tomb, what the final trap says about the whole design, and what modern "killer dungeons" copy wrong when they steal the lethality without the test behind it.
Note for the OSR crowd: S1 is AD&D 1st Edition, not B/X — but the design logic underneath it runs through every OSR ruleset built after it.
The Tavern Rules: We’re here for B/X and OSR gaming. I use AI as a tool to help organize and format my notes, but every ruling and opinion is 100% Tenkar. Keep it civil, keep it old-school, or the bouncer will show you the door.
Basic Rules (Moldvay) PDF & Print - drivethrurpg.com/en/product/110274/d-d-basic-set-rulebook-b-x-ed-basic?src=newest_print&affiliate_id=1446
Expert Rules (Marsh/Cook) PDF & Print - drivethrurpg.com/en/product/110792/d-d-expert-set-rulebook-b-x-ed-basic?affiliate_id=1446
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Master Minion: mortgagemike77, Randt Chrockett, Eric Fox, The Veteran DM, Cathulhu17, Don Bakke, DoubleDeuce, skink, Kore44, Louis Feurino, Craig Aylward, Anthon Kron, Ijimisan, Terry Taylor, blahlbinoa, Arbiter's Archive, Dean Salsberry, DM Angelo, Douglas Pearson, James Spahn, Mathew Sherman, Agile Monk
Companion Minions: Andrey Zharinov, Brett C, Spode Racing, Tacoloco787, Adam Lovell, Plush Cthulhu, DM_Sahrenyth, Gabe Guerrero, Chris Charlton, Chris Blatnick, Nicodemus ShadowCaster, Christopher Beattie, No one, Stephen Klow, Mark the Shark, Eupolemos, Jay, Martin Penny, tim cafferty, Rubens Barrichello, Curt Gould, Estaban Vasquez, Glen K. Amo
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#OSR #DnD #BXDnD #TTRPG #TenkarsTavern #TombOfHorrors
Tomb of Horrors (S1) wasn't a random killer. It was a 1975 tournament scoring instrument, and in 2026 almost nobody runs it the way it was actually graded.
🔥 JOIN THE MINIONS: youtube.com/@TenkarsTavern/join
Gary Gygax built Tomb of Horrors for Origins I in July 1975 to humble two of his own players, Rob Kuntz's Robilar and his son Ernie's character Tenser. The tournament scoring sheet came down to one criterion: how much loot a party carried out. That single fact changes what the "unfair" traps are actually doing. This one walks through the 1975 scoring criterion, how Robilar and Tenser beat the original tomb, what the final trap says about the whole design, and what modern "killer dungeons" copy wrong when they steal the lethality without the test behind it.
Note for the OSR crowd: S1 is AD&D 1st Edition, not B/X — but the design logic underneath it runs through every OSR ruleset built after it.
The Tavern Rules: We’re here for B/X and OSR gaming. I use AI as a tool to help organize and format my notes, but every ruling and opinion is 100% Tenkar. Keep it civil, keep it old-school, or the bouncer will show you the door.
Basic Rules (Moldvay) PDF & Print - drivethrurpg.com/en/product/110274/d-d-basic-set-rulebook-b-x-ed-basic?src=newest_print&affiliate_id=1446
Expert Rules (Marsh/Cook) PDF & Print - drivethrurpg.com/en/product/110792/d-d-expert-set-rulebook-b-x-ed-basic?affiliate_id=1446
Join The Tavern’s Discord Server (It's Free):
discord.gg/fReGmuD
Buy me a Beer!
ko-fi.com/tenkar
The Tavern uses affiliate links - using our affiliate links supports the channel without costing you anything extra.
Humble Bundle: humblebundleinc.sjv.io/da4WJ2
The Tavern’s Amazon Storefront: amzn.to/41Jm0oG
DriveThruRPG: drivethrurpg.com/en/?affiliate_id=1446
Fantasy Grounds VTT: affiliates.fantasygrounds.com/388855/15958
The Tavern uses Restream for its livestreams and its long-form videos. You can too! restream.io/join/g5Qpgr
The Tavern also uses VidIQ: vidiq.com/TenkarsTavern
Master Minion: mortgagemike77, Randt Chrockett, Eric Fox, The Veteran DM, Cathulhu17, Don Bakke, DoubleDeuce, skink, Kore44, Louis Feurino, Craig Aylward, Anthon Kron, Ijimisan, Terry Taylor, blahlbinoa, Arbiter's Archive, Dean Salsberry, DM Angelo, Douglas Pearson, James Spahn, Mathew Sherman, Agile Monk
Companion Minions: Andrey Zharinov, Brett C, Spode Racing, Tacoloco787, Adam Lovell, Plush Cthulhu, DM_Sahrenyth, Gabe Guerrero, Chris Charlton, Chris Blatnick, Nicodemus ShadowCaster, Christopher Beattie, No one, Stephen Klow, Mark the Shark, Eupolemos, Jay, Martin Penny, tim cafferty, Rubens Barrichello, Curt Gould, Estaban Vasquez, Glen K. Amo
youtube.com/channel/UCIdpAASpAI7vu-bZx6pP_mQ
Get vidIQ to grow your channel faster! 🚀
vidiq.com/TenkarsTavern
#OSR #DnD #BXDnD #TTRPG #TenkarsTavern #TombOfHorrors
