|
Post by Finarvyn on Nov 22, 2007 9:19:22 GMT -6
Here's a list I generated of possible TSR games that don't have their own section on our boards. I have made a time cut-off of 1980, although that isn't a hard and fast rule. Not all of these are RPGs, in fact many of the older ones are miniatures rules sets.
* Don't Give Up the Ship (1E 1972, 2E 1975)
* Cavaliers & Roundheads (1973)
* Star Probe (1974) and Star Empires (1977)
* Boot Hill (1975)
* Tricolor (1975)
* Classic Warfare (1975)
* Lankhmar boardgame (1976)
* Divine Right boardgame (1979)
* Top Secret (1980)
|
|
|
Post by dwayanu on Nov 22, 2007 10:36:26 GMT -6
Divine Right was a very simple grand-strategy game with a bit of the feel of White Bear and Red Moon in special units and so on. The "diplomacy" rules (for courting non-player countries) were pretty neat.
The "Minarian Legends" series in Dragon magazine fleshed out the background. One could easily use those articles and the map as an RPG setting.
|
|
|
Post by greentongue on Nov 22, 2007 10:36:30 GMT -6
Star Probe was a fun little game. I still have a copy of it and Star Empires. Never knew there was a third in the series till a short while ago. =
|
|
|
Post by Finarvyn on Nov 22, 2007 19:24:06 GMT -6
Star Probe was a fun little game. I still have a copy of it and Star Empires. Never knew there was a third in the series till a short while ago. I don't think the third one was ever written. At least, if it was if flew under my radar somehow.
|
|
|
Post by Finarvyn on Nov 27, 2007 16:15:17 GMT -6
Looking at some of the games on the list, and noting that no one seems to be replying to many of those threads, one has to wonder about how many of these games are out there any more.
I mean, if the original print run of a particular game might have been only a couple hundred (few thousand?) copies, with time you expect to have some get damaged or lost and many of these games may have been boxed and are sitting in an attic or basement. I wonder how many are actually still out there?
If the original print runs weren't that large and there aren't many copies floating around, most of us won't get the chance to even look at them. It's like Warriors of Mars, which sells for $400 or more each time it hits e-bay. Most of the old games I own are ones that I have had since they were new, but a new gamer wanting to acquire them would be out of luck.
No real point, I guess, other than general frustration about out-of-print games.
|
|
|
Post by coffee on Nov 27, 2007 16:32:26 GMT -6
And that's a situation that doesn't seem likely to change.
There's really no point (from a corporate standpoint) in the copyright holder reprinting them, because there probably aren't many gamers who would want such a thing in this day and age. Look at how quickly each new edition of Warhammer 40K goes by the boards when the new one comes out.
It's sad, but there doesn't seem to be anything anyone could do about it.
Unless one could make them available on pdf, like at RPG Now (that's where I got some of the supplements for D&D).
|
|
|
Post by doc on Nov 27, 2007 17:12:25 GMT -6
It came out after 1980, so it isn't on the list, but one of my favorite early TSR games was Gangbusters! We played the heck out of that for years. I found it to be greatly atmospheric with smooth, fluid systems and a great premise. My character was "Cats" Alexandar, a former G-Man who quit the lawdogs when he discovered how corrupt they had become and became a PI. He got his nickname for surviving an encounter where he was shot four times at poinblank range and thrown off a third story roof.
Ahh, good times.
Doc
|
|
|
Post by coffee on Nov 27, 2007 17:20:30 GMT -6
I tried running Gangbusters once in my old group. Didn't go very well; I had two players who were walking encyclopedias of every historical gangster there ever was, and the other two were ticked off that there was no 'raise dead' spell.
|
|
|
Post by Finarvyn on Nov 28, 2007 17:03:15 GMT -6
It came out after 1980, so it isn't on the list, but one of my favorite early TSR games was Gangbusters! We played the heck out of that for years. Heck, start up a Gangbusters thread and see if anyone jumps in. I own a copy of the game plus most of the modules, but have never actually played it.
|
|
|
Post by coffee on Nov 29, 2007 2:06:30 GMT -6
I always loved the idea of Gangbusters. We were told so many times that roleplaying was 'cops and robbers for adults' -- and then suddenly there were rules for just that!
The mechanics were a bit off, I think; never liked the whole 'map and counters' thing for RPGs (same with Star Frontiers).
But I loved that each profession had it's own requirements for gaining experience, and that they reflected the profession. Groundbreaking!
|
|
|
Post by dwayanu on Dec 6, 2007 8:53:43 GMT -6
I mean, if the original print run of a particular game might have been only a couple hundred (few thousand?) copies, with time you expect to have some get damaged or lost... ...like most of my game collection! I had two copies of White Bear & Red Moon, one still sealed in its envelope. I knew back then I wasn't likely to see those rarities again -- but I thought I could always replace the Avalon Hill games. A few years later, I went to a games shop and learned the awful truth. I managed to pick up AH's Anzio, but with blank pages in the manual. No big deal back when AH was in business ...
|
|
|
Post by coffee on Dec 6, 2007 10:50:13 GMT -6
I managed to pick up AH's Anzio, but with blank pages in the manual. No big deal back when AH was in business ... Have you checked boardgamegeek.com? A lot of times they'll have errata, play aids, and sometimes even complete rulebooks available in the files section of each game. They might be able to help you with that.
|
|
|
Post by greentongue on Dec 6, 2007 12:56:19 GMT -6
...like most of my game collection! I had two copies of White Bear & Red Moon, one still sealed in its envelope. I knew back then I wasn't likely to see those rarities again I wish I had grabbed a copy of Nomad Gods to go with my White Bear & Red Moon.
|
|
casey777
Level 4 Theurgist
Herder of Chlen
Posts: 102
|
Post by casey777 on Jan 19, 2008 0:34:23 GMT -6
|
|
|
Post by makofan on Jan 26, 2008 10:35:40 GMT -6
Makofan's report of a DUNGEON board game session has been re-located into its own thread. - Finarvyn
|
|
yesmar
Level 4 Theurgist
Fool, my spell book is written in Erlang!
Posts: 197
|
Post by yesmar on Dec 22, 2008 21:46:56 GMT -6
Fin: Gangbusters. I don't own it but did play in a campaign of it a few decades back. It was very fun, as I recall.
|
|
yesmar
Level 4 Theurgist
Fool, my spell book is written in Erlang!
Posts: 197
|
Post by yesmar on Dec 22, 2008 21:48:54 GMT -6
I love Top Secret (the original, not the S.I. edition that came later). It provided many a good evening of gaming after we had become tired of continual D&D and Traveller play. Ahhh, Operation: Sprechenhaltestelle, I have such fond memories of thee...
|
|
skars
Level 6 Magician
Posts: 407
|
Post by skars on Oct 11, 2012 15:21:53 GMT -6
|
|
|
Post by Sean Michael Kelly on Oct 11, 2012 19:51:03 GMT -6
I just picked up a copy of Dawn Patrol about 2 weeks ago. I had originally owned it back when it first came out and played it then. I have no idea where my original went, but I got it again! Haven't played it again yet... have to sit down and remember it all.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2012 4:44:17 GMT -6
I recently bought a copy but haven't had a chance to play it, yet.
|
|
|
Post by Sean Michael Kelly on Oct 12, 2012 5:57:20 GMT -6
I recently bought a copy but haven't had a chance to play it, yet. Well, it sounds like the 3 of us need to play Dawn Patrol!
|
|
tec97
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 157
|
Post by tec97 on Oct 12, 2012 14:47:22 GMT -6
I owned and played Dawn Patrol back in the day. It's a decently well done game that does a pretty good job of emulating WW I air combat. As I recall, it was not overly complicated either. That said, it's tough for a table-top game to compete with some of the really nice video games that are available for this genre. Don't get me wrong - I very much enjoy table-top gaming, but air combat was really made for video IMO.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2012 20:41:58 GMT -6
Well, it sounds like the 3 of us need to play Dawn Patrol! I'm willing ...
|
|
randyb
Level 3 Conjurer
Posts: 92
|
Post by randyb on Apr 17, 2014 6:06:41 GMT -6
I love Top Secret (the original, not the S.I. edition that came later). It provided many a good evening of gaming after we had become tired of continual D&D and Traveller play. Ahhh, Operation: Sprechenhaltestelle, I have such fond memories of thee... Necro reply... I have been drafted to run a PBeM Agents of SHIELD game using the original Top Secret rules as a result of an offhand remark on Facebook. Old School, meet New Era.
|
|
aramis
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 170
|
Post by aramis on Sept 10, 2023 18:08:35 GMT -6
I've got, but haven't run a campaign of, Gang busters. Have done a one-shot. Star Frontiers was the first "Not D&D/AD&D" game I played, fall of '83. Haven't seen anyone from that group in over 10 years (15 year HS reunion). Odd to think it's been 40 years. Have read, but never played/run Boot Hill. Came across as pure minis game. Have Read Dawn Patrol. Again, came across as a board game... Have read and run one-shots of TSR Conan RPG. Have run short campaigns of AMSH.
I've never been predisposed to see rules medium or rules light wargames as RPGs, unless they say they are.
Favorite TSR non-D&D game is AMSH; Second is Great Khan Game, third SF:AD+SF:ZG. Third is Conan. ZeFRS is a good retro of Conan.
|
|
|
Post by doublejig2 on Sept 10, 2023 20:12:21 GMT -6
My group played a lot of Top Secret - good times!
|
|
|
Post by stevemitchell on Sept 11, 2023 1:14:10 GMT -6
Boot Hill: I never used it for an ongoing campaign, but I like to set up and run through the Gunfight at the OK Corral every now and then. The Earps always seem to win, although it can get bloody.
Marvel Super Heroes: No campaign, but a couple of one-off scenarios. The best was probably a Marvel Two-in-One adventure, with Captain America and the Thing taking on the Scorpion and someone I've forgotten. Turns out the bad guys were being secretly manipulated by D'Spayre, but then Brother Voodoo made a surprise appearance to help balance the forces of good and evil.
|
|
|
Post by chicagowiz on Sept 11, 2023 12:12:24 GMT -6
> * Star Probe (1974) and Star Empires (1977)
Going to have to look into these, had only heard the names but nothing else about them.
|
|
|
Post by Starbeard on Sept 11, 2023 20:58:02 GMT -6
I'm about to start a Star Probe/Empires game with a couple of friends. Hypothetically, anyway. The guy is reading through his old copies again to see how well suited they are to a PBM game club style format, and if it seems like a good fit we'll have ourselves a go.
|
|
|
Post by chicagowiz on Sept 12, 2023 11:16:47 GMT -6
I'm about to start a Star Probe/Empires game with a couple of friends. Hypothetically, anyway. The guy is reading through his old copies again to see how well suited they are to a PBM game club style format, and if it seems like a good fit we'll have ourselves a go. Sounds like fun! From what I've read of various reviews across archive.org and the web, it sounds like it would be doable. I'd love to play or be a fly on the wall for that!
|
|