3d6 In Order

Playing What Is Rolled
In Volume I: Men & Magic the referee is instructed to roll three six-sided dice in order to determine each character's abilities.  The player then selects a character class using those scores as a basis for the new character. Three six-sided dice in order for Strength, Intelligence, Wisdom, Constitution, Dexterity and Charisma. High scores, 13-18, in the chosen class's prime requisite adds to experience earned and helps the character advance through levels more rapidly. A low score, 8 or less, deducts from earned experience and slows advancement. This seems to be the most important contribution of ability scores in White Box.
There is no Strength bonus for attacks and damage in White Box. There is no improvement to Armor Class for high Dexterity. Dexterity scores do affect missile "to hit" chances slightly with a +1 for Dexterity scores above 12 and a -1 penalty for Dexterity scores below 9. Constitution scores affect survival chances and can add 1 to each "hit die" if the score is at least 15, or even subtract 1 from each "hit die" if the Constitution score is 6 or less. Charisma is perhaps the most useful ability score after the prime requisite as it affects how the player character interacts with people and monsters in the milieu. A high Charisma score allows the character to attract more hirelings and increases their loyalty base. A high Charisma may also be useful in persuading a captor to keep the character as a valued prisoner rather than kill them, enslave them or turn them into swine.
I can only speculate as to why White Box suggests the referee roll the dice determining each new character's ability scores. It seems likely this is done to give the referee some control over what scores make for an acceptable character. I presume that scores which seem to suggest a hopeless character can be rejected by the referee before the character is handed over to the player. Once the player takes control of the new character the player determines race, class and alignment and rolls 3d6 x 10 for starting gold pieces and a single d6 for "hit points". It is therefore the ability scores that White Box places in control of the referee.
The rules state that Clerics can use Strength on a 3 for 1 basis in their prime requisite area (Wisdom) for purposes of gaining experience only. Fighters and Clerics may use Intelligence on a 2 for 1 basis  in a similar manner. Fighters may use Wisdom on a 2 for 1 basis and Magic Users on a 3 for 1 basis in their respective prime requisite areas. Changing character class (not recommended, but apparently allowed) requires a score of 16 or better in the prime requisite of the new class and the score must be unmodified (i.e. not adjusted in the above manner). White Box is a bit unclear as to whether the use of Strength, Intelligence and Wisdom to enhance the prime requisite is an actual lowering and raising of the scores or just a way to figure the prime requisite experience bonus without actually changing the scores. I rather favor the latter interpretation of the language "for purposes of gaining experience only".
Dr. Holmes transfers the responsibility for rolling the three six-sided dice generating scores for each ability to the player as the first step in creating a character for his 1977 edition of the Basic game, but also makes the provision to set aside a "hopeless" character. Dr. Holmes uses the same prime requisite, Constitution and Dexterity score bonuses as those listed in White Box Volume I except that Dexterity is the prime requisite for the new Thief class.
The early game editions make little use of the ability scores beyond the prime requisite experience bonus. Ability scores seem to mostly assist the player in determining which class to choose for the character and perhaps help shape the character concept in terms of what manner of strengths and weaknesses the characters possess. An emphasis on playing what the dice rolls give you is an essential element in play.
Playing the character rolled becomes more difficult as ability scores take on additional meaning as in later editions. It is not uncommon for house rulings in White Box to incorporate rolling against an ability score to determine the occasional outcome of an action. However, low scores in abilities rarely significantly impact the character except perhaps in the case of the prime requisite. Once high ability scores start to carry significant advantages such as the Strength bonuses given in Supplement I: Greyhawk, those scores can directly influence character power level and high rolls become greatly desired. The Dungeon Masters Guide published in 1979 for the Advanced Game suggests multiple methods of increasing the odds of higher ability scores by rolling more dice, dropping the lowest scores or choosing the best set of scores from as many as a dozen ability roll sets. The original random distribution is thus skewed  dramatically toward the high end. More recently a point-buy system whereby scores are assigned to each ability and balance between characters sought in assigning higher costs to the higher scores with limited resource points thus allowing the player to tailor their PC to a preconceived ideal.
In White Box character generation is meant to have a significant random element. It is meant to be quick and get the player ready to play in a minimum amount of time. Chargen can be done at the table while the game is proceeding if a character "dies" during an adventure session. The campaign itself is not tied to any single character and the milieu plays a more central part in the continuity of play than does any PC. Character personality is developed during play, or is created from the imagination of the player who may decide to record an elaborate backstory and personality profile as part of their character data.
In play what really matters is the fun everyone has at the table. The stories that are told afterwards are hopefully about what so-and-so did, what new and exciting discoveries were made, what unexpected surprises were uncovered, and what unexplained mysteries remain. When discussing our hobby with other players, I would much rather hear about adventures than characters. It is part of my old school approach to gaming that I am much more interested in milieu and adventure than clever character builds.
Play what you roll, PC's are not special snowflakes, and don't tell me about your PC, rather tell me about your adventures. Those are the rules at my table.

Summer Reading

...and Inspiration
I like to see a suggested reading list included in game products. Over the decades since TSR published the first Dungeon Masters Guide I have worked my way through most of the authors listed in Appendix N. I have also noted titles and authors in other such reading lists or list of sources and frequently sought out those books. Near the beginning of this summer I picked up Sean Patrick Fannon's Shaintar Legends books written for the Savage Worlds system. Shaintar is Mr. Fannon's epic high fantasy world he has been running for decades. He is kind enough to provide the reader with a list of books he finds inspirational for the kind of fantasy he enjoys running at his table. Many of the titles included on his list are high fantasy epics written in the 1980's and '90's, titles I have seen on the bookshelves of dealers for years, but never read...perhaps because they didn't appear in Appendix N?

This summer I have started my reading journey through Mr. Fannon's list. The Belgariad is a five volume series by David Eddings telling the story of a prophesy fulfilled in a new manner. The prophesy has two possible outcomes and the actions of a number of special people will determine if good prevails or evil wins out. The cast of characters I find interesting and the story engaging. The story takes the reader on a long journey, much like Prof. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. The world Mr. Eddings creates is original and fun to discover. His take on magic is based on will and I found thought provoking. The gods are very much present in this tale, speaking directly to characters and occasionally manifesting as physical beings. Much like Middle Earth, it is the world, however, that takes center stage.

Guy Gavriel Kay seems to be one of Mr. Fannon's favorite authors and I am quickly seeing why. Mr. Kay is the chap who assisted Christopher Tolkien in publishing some of the professor's unfinished works on Middle Earth. He is also a very talented story teller in his own right. The Fionavar Tapestry trilogy is I believe Guy Gavriel Kay's earliest work and a single read through has put it high on my list of favorite books. The story is about five college students transported to the magical world of Fionavar where an epic struggle between good and evil is about to play out. Obviously these five students from our time play a significant role in the events about to unfold, or "be woven into the tapestry". This is a first rate story beautifully written.
Guy Gavriel Kay has written a number of fantasy novels since the Fionavar Tapestry. To only one I have read to date is titled The Last Light of the Sun. Although set in a world of his own creation, it seems Mr. Kay draws heavily on Vikings and Dark Ages England for this novel. One of the characters is the legendary Kind Alfred the Great in all but name. Mr. Kay mixes in a heavy dose of fairy magic and gives The Last Light of the Sun life of its own. Mr. Kay has a knack for getting inside his character's head, making them seem real, with real issues that I as the reader can identify with. I find the characters and plot captivating and it is a novel that will stay in my head for a long time.

Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth novels are also featured in Mr. Fannon's suggested reading list. So far I have only read the first of these novels, Wizard's First Rule. I find this novel a bit haunting. Mr. Goodkind can definitely tell an epic tale and his characters got inside my head in a way that seldom happens reading fiction. The author's ability to inspire an emotional response in his reader I found almost disturbing...exhausting. Mr. Goodkind takes the reader along with his characters on their journey and at the end I almost felt like the journey had been my own. I suppose this is high praise for Mr. Goodkind's ability as an evocative writer.
I have long held the belief that one of the best ways to work on improving our referee skills is to read a lot. Nothing takes the place of refereeing a lot to improve one's ability in that area, but once the referee has mastered the chosen rules system, reading for inspiration (and enjoyment) while thinking "How might I use these ideas at my table?" is the best way I know to prepare oneself for running a good game. "Be inspired, be inspiring!" If the referee is having fun, it is contagious and everyone will likely enjoy the game. Having a library of ideas in one's head from which to draw upon during preparation for and the playing of the game is invaluable. The best referees I have seen could reach into their imagination or storehouse of knowledge (I am seldom sure which) and pull out something wonderful for just about any situation. Having read a lot and given much thought to their milieu, these referees spoke with authority which made their game come alive.

White Box Balancing Act

What Does It Mean?
Game Balance for White Box is a bit different than what "balancing" has come to mean in later editions of the game. The authors of White Box, especially Gary Gygax, wrote frequently about the need for balance in the game and claimed giving away too much treasure and too many magic items quickly unbalanced the game and deprived everyone of fun. I infer from the rules and commentary (as I now recall it) as well as play aids such as the Monster & Treasure Assortment(s), that White Box balance means a slow steady rate of character progression, encounters that will not kill the characters too quickly and that gave the players a chance to use their game skill and common sense in order to limit the risk to their character. Balance among characters means making humans attractive as a player character race so they are likely to outnumber non-humans in the campaign. It does not assure players that all character classes are of equal power nor does it give undue confidence to players that their characters will survive every encounter. This last sentence sums up one of the major differences between so called "old school play" and the modern game as I understand it.
White Box uses a character class and an experience system to level-up characters thereby increasing PC power over time, giving them additional abilities and making it possible for them to successfully combat more powerful monsters and challenges. The experience points required to advance in level varies according to the various character classes and this is one way the game seeks balance.  Magic Users advance more slowly and wearing no armor start out relatively weak compared to Fighting Men and Clerics. Clerics get no spell ability until 2nd level, but have access to armor and the ability to turn undead. The demi-human player character races have additional abilities such as the ability to see in the dark or spot certain dungeon features better than humans, but are also limited in terms of class choice and have level caps as a means of balancing their apparent advantages.

The referee is advised to challenge the players with level appropriate monsters and give players a degree of advance warning when they are entering more deadly territory.  Dungeon level is a concept corresponding to how far below ground the player characters have traveled and the deeper levels can be expected to hold greater monsters, challenges/dangers, and treasures. One Hit Die monsters (the weakest) are common on the first level of the dungeon, two Hit Die monsters on the second level of the dungeon, etc. Monsters with more Hit Dice generally guard bigger treasures (reward) as a balance. The White Box includes tables which organize monsters by level. The Monster & Treasure Assortment play aid(s) list monsters and treasures by level as a guide and an aid to the referee in populating the underground with challenges and rewards in a balanced fashion. The single volume shown above includes the contents of three earlier volumes. The booklet is organized so that referees may make random rolls or pick and choose from the tables.
It was a concern of the designers of White Box that a referee who is too generous with treasure and magic items might spoil the fun of their campaign. Players naturally seek to improve their characters and doing so is one of the rewards of playing the game. Pacing that advancement is part of the challenge of refereeing a campaign. It has sometimes been suggested that an appropriate pace be for the players to attain a new level every 6-10 sessions. With weekly sessions, that will mean players can take a character from first to ninth or tenth level in a couple years of play (if the PC survives!).
The amount and power level of the magic items characters acquire can also greatly affect the campaign and it is generally advised that referees not unbalance play by being over generous with magic items. Again, a guide such as the Monster & Treasure Assortment can assist the referee in determining which magic items are balanced for a particular level of play. Ultimately, there is no attempt at a formula for balance as can be found in some versions of the game. The balancing act in White Box is more an art than a science, but there are tools to assist the referee.

Basic Set

Dr. Holmes' Game
By 1977 the folks at TSR were starting to think about a way to introduce non-wargamers into the new and increasingly popular hobby of adventure gaming. J. Eric Holmes, a California M.D., professor of neurology, and author of a couple science fiction/fantasy novels, offered to do just that. Using the original three LBBs and the first supplement, Dr. Holmes designed a 48 page version of the rules, introducing the game concepts and taking characters through the first three levels of experience. Dr. Holmes version of the game was influenced by his experience with Warlock, a version of the game as played at CalTech and published in The Spartan Simulation Gaming Newsletter #9. Dr. Holmes Basic became known as the Holmes Bluebook or Blue Box version (referring to the blue cover of the rulebook). TSR sold the new Holmes Basic Set in a box with a dramatic red dragon on the cover in hobby shops, bookstores and toy stores. Inside the box are polyhedral dice and a pack of dungeon geomorphs and a monster and treasure assortment booklet. Later printings replace the geomorphs and monster/treasure book with B1 In Search of the Unknown, an introductory adventure module by Mike Carr.
Although based on the LBBs, the Holmes' Blue Box rules deviates from them in areas. Alignment is expanded to include Good and Evil dimensions in addition to Law, Chaos and Neutral. A combat order is established starting with movement, then prepared spell casting, missile fire and finally melee. Distances are given in feet (and yards for outdoors) rather than inches as in the LLBs. Initiative order is by Dexterity score with the referee rolling for monster Dex as needed. Missile fire can only target unengaged creatures and spell casters must remain unengaged in order to cast spells. An engaged Magic User is limited to defending with a dagger or may use a wand or staff if available. There is a confusing reference to daggers attacking twice in a round and heavy (two handed) weapons attacking every other round (possibly a Warlock influence?). All weapons score a single d6 damage.
I only acquired a copy of the Holmes' Basic many years later, but I recall a member of our gaming group having a Basic Set during the early days and it informing how we played the game (and supplying us with much needed dice!). I am now quite impressed with the Holmes' Basic Set and wished I had purchased a copy much earlier. Remembering back to what it was like to figure out how to play White Box and how difficult it was to get those crazy polyhedral dice in the days, the Basic Set seems like a great solution. In a brief 48 pages, Dr. Holmes is able to give the reader enough information to understand "the basics" of how to play the game and the Box Set gives a player everything needed except imagination. Included in the book is a short introductory adventure, the dungeon of Zenopus, wizard of Portown, which I find to be both entertaining and instructive. The box set includes additional material for the referee in the form of geomorphs or module B1.
Giving some thought to combat using Blue Box conventions, I propose the following:

First round: Roll for surprise d6: surprised on 1-2
State intent (in all phases characters act in order of Dexterity)
Movement
Unengaged spell caster may cast a prepared spell
Missile fire by unengaged character at unengaged target
Melee between engaged characters (within 10'/1" of each other), when moving to engage weapon reach matters - longer weapons attack first
Heavy weapons and light crossbows attack every other round (Hvy Xbow takes 2 rds to reload)
Characters may forfeit an attack in order to parry: -2 to attacker roll
Characters with a shield may roll d6 to block an attack: 1 in 6 success (my own addition)
Withdraw - engaged characters may move away granting the enemy an immediate attack at +2
Changing weapons takes one round
Damage for Heavy Weapons: roll two d6 and keep higher score, all other wpn do one d6
Two weapon fighting: +1 damage to successful attack (my own addition)
Engaged characters may attempt to enter Hand-To-Hand with a successful attack roll
Characters in H-T-H may only use natural weapons or a dagger which gets two attacks!
Fighters may make multiple attacks/rd (equal to their level) on 1 hit die monsters

As a gateway into the hobby, the Holmes Basic Set is a great improvement over the LBBs. It is written to explain many of the game concepts which were not intuitive for me back in 1977. Although not without its own problems, the Holmes Blue Box rules offers many hours of fun and enjoyment using nothing more than the materials contained withing and imagination on the part of the players. Taken together with the White Box (or the Advanced books which are referenced in the Blue Box), Holmes Basic can be the basis of a complete adventure game system easily modified and customized for any campaign. Dr. Holmes is fondly remembered by many in this hobby and with good reason. Through his work many people discovered a rewarding hobby that has given untold hours of enjoyment often stretching over a lifespan.

Mutant Space

Gaming the Apocalypse
Back in the 1970's when my friends and I wanted to roleplay something a little different from White Box swords & sorcery one of the popular choices was TSR's Gamma World. Gamma World was a post Apocalypse game about mutants, lost technology and survival in a broken world. The mechanics were close enough to White Box that transition was easy and the science fiction elements made just about anything imaginable playable. It was an era of Star Trek, Planet of the Apes and The Six Million Dollar Man, and Star Wars and Mad Max were just coming around so inspiration for a variety of sci-fi scenarios involving intelligent animals, cyborgs and a trashed world setting was not lacking. We have some fond Gamma World gaming memories involving a giant intelligent bunny rabbit, a huge oven and malfunctioning security robots.

Much has changed since then, but gaming in a post Apocalypse setting is still fun. Mutant: Year Zero is a role-playing game from Modiphius set in a broken Earth after everything has fallen apart and there are vast areas of radioactive wasteland and humans are mostly mutants as a result, i.e. post Apocalypse. The setting is an Ark, or enclave of what passes for post Apocalypse civilization. The ancient elder - a surviving pure-strain human imparts wisdom pertaining to the old days, but the elder is dying, the Ark's supply of canned food is running low and someone will soon have to brave the zone - the area outside - where you may catch The Rot, be attacked by other mutants or various hostile animals and even plants. You grab your salvaged equipment and prepare yourself to leave the Ark... Mutant: Year Zero has one of the most engaging backstories I have read recently.
Another '70s game we occasionally played was the original black box Traveler from GDW. Traveler is a well known game with a loyal following even today. I describe Traveler as a space game where you explore, carry cargo and make money and occasionally fight. At least that is the way we played it. Like most RPGs Traveler can support many styles of play. The thrill of space games for me is discovery of something imaginatively fresh and alien. I like the surprise of exploring a setting that until then was unimaginable while playing a character that is familiar enough for me to identify with. I also enjoy plausible science...i.e. it passes the sniff test.

Coriolis: The Third Horizon is another RPG from Modiphius. Corilois is described by the authors as Arabian Nights in space. The setting is an area of the universe which has been cut-off from the rest of space and Coriolis is the central space station. Exploration is the name-of-the-game here, both exploring the 30 or so systems in the "pocket universe" and personal exploration through spiritual mysticism. Mysteries and intrigues abound and the group of characters can take one of several group career paths (smugglers, traders, prospectors, corsairs, rebels, etc) and involve themselves in the setting in as many (or few) ways as they like. I think of Coriolis as a "space sandbox". The game system is basically the same as that used in Mutant: Year Zero. Attributes are a single digit and the player rolls a number of d6's usually equal to the adjusted attribute score. Sixes are successes and extra sixes allow for bonus effects. The space ship rules are on the simple side, which I prefer. Ship combat provides roles for most if not all of the crew members, so it is unlikely that any player will feel left out.
Both Mutant: Year Zero and Coriolis are setting rich games sharing a common system engine. Both are beautifully illustrated and full of atmosphere and mood. Modiphius Entertainment has a new game book out titled Tales From The Loop which also uses the ENie Award Winning rules system from Mutant: Year Zero. The setting for Tales From The Loop is a weird 1980's techno-magic connected to a Gravitron Loop. Players take the role of curious teenagers who explore the mysteries connected to the Loop. Together the three games using a common system presents me with a nice selection of modern alternatives to the traditional fantasy RPG.

Dragons of Underearth

What Might Have Been a Great Game
Dragons of Underearth is the second of a planned three game trilogy which had it come to completion, promised to be something different and special in the history of adventure gaming. A previous release by Metagaming titled Lords of Underearth pits units/companies of dwarves and goblins against each other for control of a tunnel complex. Dragons of Underearth is a man-to-man conflict game using mechanics similar to The Fantasy Trip, Metagaming's tabletop RPG. The final product in the Underearth line was to be Conquerors of Underearth (CUE) in which the non-combat role-playing and referee rules would appear along with a combination Microgame-MicroQuest. Unfortunately, CUE was never released.
Dragons of Underearth, like all the Metagaming boxed products, is a complete game in itself. Dragons comes with a rules booklet, hex-map tactical display and cut-out counters. The Dragons of Underearth rule booklet is divided into two modules. the first is the character generation module which outlines making up the characters to be used in Dragons of Underearth labyrinth adventure modules "or any of Metagaming's MicroQuests". The MicroQuests are a line of solo adventures written for The Fantasy Trip and published by Metagaming. The second half of the booklet is devoted to the Combat Module.
The Combat Module rules are meant to be learned in stages. The basic system rules are presented, combat and magic, so that a scenario can be played using only those rules. Once the basics are learned, the rules add magic and offer a second scenario using the components from the box to learn those additional rules. Finally the advanced rules are added and a large scenario, Battle of the Chasm, is described. This last scenario seems straight out of "Lord of the Rings" and models the Moria fight involving the Balrog. It is a tense and challenging scenario and one worth playing again.
The rules in Dragons of Underearth are credited to Keith Gross with no mention of Steve Jackson, but they certainly appear to be a reworded, simplified, cut-down version of The Fantasy Trip. To be fair, there are considerable differences, but the basic 3d6 roll under an attribute engine is central to play. Gone are criticals and fumbles, automatic hits and auto misses, but characters are created by assigning points to three attributes, Strength, Dexterity and Intelligence, just like The Fantasy Trip. There are some references to Conquerors of Underearth and a few non-combat spells and talents (skills) refer the reader to Conquerors for explanation, but generally Dragons seems rather complete as an arena-style combat game that moves along more quickly than combat in The Fantasy Trip, but retains much of the tactical appeal of that game system.
Add the mass combat system of Lords of Underearth and Metagaming has something unique, a game using counters and hex-map to play fantastic battles and single combats both. The ability to scale the game upwards and downwards to suit referee preferences, while using tactical displays and counters (or figures) is am impressive referee tool set. Probably because the last installment of the system, Conquerors of Underearth was never released, we are not told explicitly how Dragon and Lords work together. Therefore a bit of creative work is required on the part of the referee.
Unfortunately Metagaming never released Conquerors of Underearth. It is a product I would like to see. Information on the plans for CUE is sketchy (references in Dragons of Underearth and Interplay Magazine, especially #8) and I have wondered what it would have been like. Metagaming Concepts' end story is one of the hobby's sadder moments. They produced some excellent games, giving a number of talented people their start in the hobby, then went out of business and took many of their products including The Fantasy Trip and the Underearth series into oblivion. Fortunately, many of their products remain popular and have been kept alive through their fan-base. It may just be a fantasy of mine, but I would still like to see a version of CUE be published by one of those fans.

MicroGame 3

The Fantasy Trip: Melee...and beyond
Since I first discovered Steve Jackson's simple and elegant combat system in the spring of 1978, I have been drawn again and again to return to this favorite pamphlet sized MicroGame from Metagaming. Melee is a boardgame in the sense that it comes with a paper hex-map and cut-out counters representing heroes, monsters and weapons. Positioning and range is significant and together with character build and choice of equipment, allows the players to develop tactics and fighting styles that reward careful play. If hack and slash is your desire, Melee delivers.
Melee is both a complete game for arena combat and the combat module for The Fantasy Trip adventure game series. The Fantasy Trip consists of two MicroGames, Melee and Wizard, and three full sized booklets, In The Labyrinth, Advanced Melee and Advanced Wizard as well as a number of supporting products. Wizard adds magic to The Fantasy Trip system and is also a complete MicroGame of magical arena combat. In The Labyrinth includes rules for campaigns, wilderness and underground adventures and character talents, everything needed to bring The Fantasy Trip up to the standards of a full adventure/role-playing game.

What makes The Fantasy Trip: Melee so appealing is the combination of elegant simplicity and tactical challenge and reward. The pamphlet is a mere 20 pages of rules, yet with the counters and hex-map tactical display constitutes a wargame of some complexity. Each fighter is custom built by the player who chooses Strength and Dexterity scores. These attributes determine the choice of weapons the fighter may employ. Armor affects Dexterity which is the attribute used to successfully attack an opponent. The Fantasy Trip uses a 3d6 roll under mechanic with pluses and minuses based on situational factors, equipment, and if using In The Labyrinth, talents. Designing your fighter to use certain equipment and positioning their counter (or figure) on the tactical display in certain ways may grant the player advantages in combat which make the difference between success and failure. Combat in Melee is way more than just rolling the dice and hoping for a good result. Game skill plays a significant roll in The Fantasy Trip. The rules are clearly written and the game is easily understood, but challenging to master. Among  group of fighters (and magic users if Wizard is added in) team-play and coordination pays off.
A good idea usually sticks around for a while and the basic The Fantasy Trip system has seen use in several game products over the years. Metagaming produced Dragons of Underearth, a simplified, cut-down version of The Fantasy Trip offered as an introduction to a new complete system that never materialized. After leaving Metagaming, Steve Jackson started his own company, Steve Jackson Games, and published Man-To-Man and GURPs using a greatly expanded system, but the Melee roots are evident. Indie game publisher C. R. Brandon's combat miniatures rules, Swords & Spells, and Heroes & Other Worlds adventure game draw on the Melee system and Dark City Games continues to publish solo adventures for the Melee/Wizard system as well as their own pared down version of the rules called Legends of the Ancient World which they offer as a free download (perhaps for those who don't have access to The Fantasy Trip).
Being a group of intrepid delvers, there were not many adventures, published or home brewed, that my friends weren't able to conquer during our college years. One such, which stands out to this day, is Tollenkar's Lair, a traditional refereed dungeon crawl written by Steve Jackson for The Fantasy Trip. Despite multiple assaults on the "Lair", no party ever finished it, killed Tollenkar or survived to emerge with his treasure. I recall running the module multiple times and even though parties were armed with fore knowledge and custom built to overcome the known challenges, failure and ultimate demise lay at the end of a twisting tunnel every time.

Rules of Combat

White Box Combat Options
Vol. I Men & Magic refers to the Chainmail fantasy rule(s) regarding combat as well as offering the "alternative system" which has become the game's standard combat methodology. Chainmail and the LBBs offer a number of combat resolution methods and conceivably, all of them may be used by the referee at various times for various effects during combat in the game.
The Chainmail rules cover a number of wargaming situations including a combat resolution system for tabletop miniatures battles using one figure to represent several men. A standard "scale" of wargaming is 1:20 where each figure represents 20 actual men. Chainmail resolves this 1:20 combat by throwing one to four d6 per figure and looking for a target score. (It's a bucket of dice mechanic.) The man-to-man melee rule involves casting two d6. Both systems involve a table, one that matches attacker troop type verses defender troop type in the case of the 1:20 rules or weapon type verses armor type in man-to-man melee. The latter system probably influenced the Advanced Game weapon type "to hit" adjustments.
The Fantasy Supplement combat table is most similar to the man-to-man rules and involves a matrix for attacker by type. Types include various fantasy creatures as well as Hero, Super Hero and Wizard. Rolling two d6 produces a number which is compared to the target number and gives a result of Killed (roll exceeds target #), Fall Back (roll equals target) or No Effect (roll is under target). It is interesting to note that in Vol. I Men & Magic, the Statistics Regarding Classes table refers to fighting capabilities including Man, Man +1 etc. and supposedly refers to the Fantasy Combat Table in Chainmail where there is no listing for "Man". I presume that would indicate use of the man-to-man table or could refer to the 1:20 system where the plus could indicate additional d6(s) to be rolled.
Chainmail also offers Jousting rules and a Jousting Matrix which I find useful when using castle encounters found in "off-hand adventures" as described in Vol. III The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures. The adventures of a knight errant breaking lances and testing him(her)self against the world is quite romantic and may appeal to certain players.
Vol. I Men & Magic introduces the "Alternative Combat System" using a d20, armor class and class level which is often referred to simply as the d20 system. Again a matrix is used comparing class level (or monster hit dice) to armor class to produce a target number which must be equaled or exceeded on a d20 roll to produce damage. Damage is a single d6 score and is deducted from Hit Points. This is the combat system which has become standard for all subsequent versions of the game.
Combat, or conflict between PCs and beings and creatures found in the imaginary environment of the game, is at the core of White Box (and later editions). Once the players decide their characters will fight with rather than run from, parley with, or trick their tabletop opponents in order to win treasure (and experience), the referee has a number of options for adjudicating the resulting combat. Conflicts may be fought involving relatively large numbers of combatants as the PCs lead various troop units in tabletop battle using miniature figures or smaller engagements can be resolved using the man-to-man or fantasy rules. A knightly joust is also an option to test one's mettle on the field of honor (and thereby impress the damsels!).
Few later versions of fantasy adventure rules offer as many options as White Box. I see each of the combat systems as a tool which can be chosen by the referee. The ability to slow combat down, make it more detailed and dramatic, or speed it up and showcase the superpower of higher level PCs and their ability to slay many low-level adversaries gives the referee a nice option. While relying on a single combat mechanic has the advantage of allowing players to more easily predict the nature of any conflict, having choices gives the referee an opportunity to perhaps achieve different effects through combat during play. Having options is one of the many reasons I enjoy White Box.