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Post by vaultkeeper on Mar 16, 2011 7:26:34 GMT -6
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Post by kesher on Mar 16, 2011 12:44:46 GMT -6
AHHHH! I LOVE this game! My friends and I spent a good year playing the hecuba out of it. Having lost my original copy, and couple of years ago I scored another on ebay, which the author had actually signed.  I wasn't aware a scanned copy existed---I did see a brief interaction with him on an Acaeum thread where he mentioned that he still had copies in the basement, and seemed amenable to the idea of republishing it. I'll sign your petition, and let me know if I can help in any other way! |
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Post by vaultkeeper on Mar 16, 2011 12:52:13 GMT -6
thanks a lot! so you have a physical copy? You could help by letting us know something more about its mechanics, and maybe about your one-year role-playing experience with it! thanks |
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Post by vaultkeeper on Mar 26, 2011 16:24:22 GMT -6
Bill Underwood (creator of the "Beasts men & gods") RPG has contacted me today saying that he is considering printing on demand (POD) of his PDF copy of the game! (he replied at the same link address posted before) |
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Post by kesher on Mar 28, 2011 9:08:44 GMT -6
That's great news!
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Post by vaultkeeper on Apr 10, 2011 0:18:11 GMT -6
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Post by waysoftheearth on Apr 10, 2011 0:31:45 GMT -6
I'll be interested to see which ideas can be easily merged with ongoing games -- especially in the area of additional spells |
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Post by vaultkeeper on May 26, 2011 3:47:03 GMT -6
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Post by kesher on May 26, 2011 6:56:28 GMT -6
Congratulations! You worked hard for that, and you've almost single-handedly rescued a small but intriguing piece of gaming history!
Thou Art Exalted!
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jasmith
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 316
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Post by jasmith on May 26, 2011 7:50:11 GMT -6
I'll second that Exalt.
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Post by vaultkeeper on May 27, 2011 9:43:09 GMT -6
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Post by kesher on May 27, 2011 10:30:20 GMT -6
That is crazy cool--it looks exactly like the original!
It has a nice forward, too. Bill seems like a nice guy!
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2011 16:05:48 GMT -6
Vaultkeeper, has Bill mentioned any plans to release a pdf version? I'm happy to risk $5 for a pdf of a game I don't know, but I'm not going to spend $20 + international postage for a hard copy of the same, not until I know whether I think it's worth it or not.
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Post by Zenopus on May 28, 2011 9:26:58 GMT -6
The pdf preview linked above is quite extensive. It has about 60 pages of the 150+ in the document, and they are spread throughout, covering most or all of the various sections. You should be able to get a reasonable idea of whether it's worth the $20 + shipping for the hardcopy. The author also posts on the Acaeum - there's a dedicated thread for this product in the Non-TSR section. You could try asking/lobbying for the pdf alone (or perhaps vaultkeeper can take up the battle).
I like the artwork. Not sure about the system...looks interesting but like OD&D + added complexity. There's no sample adventure. The intro does say he may reprint a module next - Tower of the Frozen Wind.
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Post by Zenopus on May 28, 2011 9:37:59 GMT -6
Initiative is complex & seems to include almost every type of modifiers used in different version of D&D.
There's a random roll (2d6) modified by Attack Speed (Dex + Str) as well as weapon or spell speed, and then weapon length is accounted for, and then speed determines number of attacks per round.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2011 15:03:44 GMT -6
The pdf preview linked above is quite extensive. It has about 60 pages of the 150+ in the document Ah OK thanks zhowar, that explains why I couldn't download it - we've used our monthly download limit and are back stuck on dial-up speed.  I'll try again in a couple of weeks. |
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Post by vaultkeeper on May 29, 2011 13:52:52 GMT -6
yes the preview is quite long, you should get a very good idea of the system. Moreover, there is a review on my blog taken from "Pegasus" magazine issue 6 here: chateaudessortileges.blogspot.com/2011/04/high-resolution-bm-review.htmlAs for the pdf, Bill will never consider that option. At least it is very unlikely he will consider it, because you perfectly know that once a pdf is released, it immediately goes to bittorrent circuit, Emule and the like. Bill, myself and everyone else (i suppose) don't want this to happen. Above all, i think the price is incredibly low for a reprint of this game...think about the fact that some days ago (before Bill published it again after 30 years) there existed only 2 copies of this game for sale in the ENTIRE WORLD...for 100 dollars here: www.amazon.com/Beasts-men-gods-fantasy-system/dp/B00072ZNHQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1306218812&sr=1-120 dollars for this is like a gift, a present. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2011 16:09:39 GMT -6
As for the pdf, Bill will never consider that option. At least it is very unlikely he will consider it, because you perfectly know that once a pdf is released, it immediately goes to bittorrent circuit, Emule and the like. Playing devil's advocate here and NOT criticising Bill's decision in any way, publishing print only will not prevent piracy. The vast majority of OOP RPG materials being file-shared are scans of physical books, not electronic products. And they were out there well before companies like WotC began selling scans of TSR products. I stumbled across a RPG file-sharing site quite by accident where members were putting up scans of newly released print products, sometimes within days of them hitting the shops. In other words, one member of that community bites the bullet and purchases the print product, then scans it as a pdf and sets it free on the Internet. I'm guessing Bill's game, being a relative unknown, will unlikely have a wide enough appeal for this to happen in the short term, but as I said I am just playing devil's advocate here and pointing out that these days avoiding releasing a pdf version is no safeguard against piracy. Speaking personally, while I have no qualms about downloading an illegal scan of an OOP product that the author no longer receives any revenue for (because it is OOP), if an item is in print I strongly believe in supporting the author and our hobby industry by purchasing it. Back on topic, thanks for the link to the review vaultkeeper, I saw that the other day but didn't read it. I will go and do so now. And I'm looking forward to downloading the preview of the game. |
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Post by vaultkeeper on May 30, 2011 0:40:28 GMT -6
i explained to Bill in the past that there exists the possibility of releasing watermarked pdf's...he seemed to start considering the idea but then he opted for POD (print on demand).
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Post by kesher on Jun 1, 2011 11:36:41 GMT -6
It's good to keep in mind that this is an unmodified reprint of a game published in, what, '81. Definitely complex, but fun.
I always liked that special powers for monsters are simply connected to an analogous spell. I also love the fact that tables were provided to either by armor piecemeal (which was something my friends and I thought was REVOLUTIONARY at the time!), or you could use pre-assembled "suits".
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Post by Mike on Jun 6, 2011 3:35:46 GMT -6
Eek! Sounds a tad too complex for my needs...
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Post by vaultkeeper on Jul 8, 2011 11:10:26 GMT -6
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Post by kesher on Jul 8, 2011 12:12:01 GMT -6
Man, I hope Bill's giving you kickbacks! I assume that the art in that montage is NOT in the current edition, right? Be cool if it was... And who was the music? It reminded me of Swans... |
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Post by vaultkeeper on Jul 8, 2011 12:30:35 GMT -6
no kickbacks i swear you made me laugh.. no the art is NOT to be found in the book, the book contains only old school art, be advised. But nonetheless i think you are not going to buy the book just for the art inside it.. the music? a wonderful band, Arcana www.erebusodora.net/arcana/ |
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Post by kesher on Jul 8, 2011 12:39:10 GMT -6
I actually have been known to buy RPG books simply for their art... |
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Post by keith418 on Feb 17, 2012 12:12:34 GMT -6
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Post by kesher on Feb 17, 2012 14:59:03 GMT -6
keith, nice post! I absolutely agree with what you're saying re: the spark in that book, shining through everything else...
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I'll try again in a couple of weeks.