Champions of ZED: Zero Edition Dungeoneering Review Part 1

Champions of ZED: Zero Edition Dungeoneering by Dan Boggs.

One thing you should like about this is that Dan Boggs is a meticulous researcher and whether you like what he has done or not you should give him the credit that he is due. As listed in the first few pages he asked many questions to ten of the people who where there, some from the earliest days and that they patiently answered his many questions.

The resources used to create this game include Beyond This Point be Dragons, OD&D,  First Fantasy Campaign, Adventures in Fantasy,  Dave Arneson's d20 Blackmoor Campaign Sourcebook,  Garbage Pits of Despair, other things and original material. In essence a mashup of some great material.

He gives an example of play in the Introduction to inform the reader's expectations. Then in The Context of CoZ he states,

Champions of ZED exists, however, to reflect an exploratory, world building style found as a core aspect of the first published edition from 1974, yet almost entirely neglected in later games. Champions of ZED also brings together the scattered intentions of both authors of the original 1974 edition, left unfulfilled when the urge to publish overcame the urge to perfect, while preserving the open ended flexibility for which those rules are famous.

He also "defaults" back to wargame combat rules.

Then a bit of history is provided and he posits what would have happened if Gygax instead of rushing to print, had brought in an editor to further the collarboration and extant ideas. Then preparing an better organized and edited game.

One purpose for CoZ is to serve as a pathway to to a different and neglected style of collective world building  and open, exploratory gaming, or as it is often called, "Sandbox" play.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 Introduction................................................................................2

    PART I: THE WORLDS OF ADVENTURE......................................... ...........................5

    PART II: CHARACTERS........................................ ................................................1 8

    PART III: CHARACTER GROWTH............................................ ................................31

    PART IV: STARTING THE GAME.............................................. ...............................42

    PART V: CONFLICT.......................................... ...................................................71

    PART VI: MAGIC............................................. ................................................. ..95

    PART VII: LUCK AND SKILLS............................................ ......................................128

    PART VIII: THE UNDERWORLD........................................ .......................................134

    PART IX: PRIZES............................................ ................................................. ..140

    Appendix I................................................. .................................................. ......154

    Appendix II................................................ .................................................. ......175

    Appendix III............................................... .................................................. ......176

    Appendix IV................................................ .................................................. .....178

    Index............................................. .................................................. .................180