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Post by jeffb on Oct 15, 2023 16:33:42 GMT -6
FWIW- "The Gloaming" mini setting/sandbox and dungeon adventure that Mike Shea is running is apparently in Cursed Scroll #1.
And thanks to all for the feedback.
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Post by jeffb on Oct 13, 2023 21:12:00 GMT -6
Anyone running it? Comments? I have the starter, but I've only glanced through it.
I've become interested in it thanks to Sly Flourish's (Mike Shea) excellent DM prep videos for his Shadowdark game using a mini hexcrawl/sandbox called "The Gloaming". I like *some* of the stuff I'm hearing about the rules in play (and not liking some old school-isms that have always rubbed me the wrong way), but possibly/probably what I'm really taking a liking to is the weird fantasy setting and how Mike is fleshing it out before and during play sessions (each episode starts with a previous session recap). Some very fun locations and ideas, and some good "adventure building" advice.
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Post by jeffb on Oct 3, 2023 17:42:29 GMT -6
And it's already well beyond funded.
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Post by jeffb on Oct 3, 2023 9:24:01 GMT -6
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Post by jeffb on Sept 28, 2023 16:24:16 GMT -6
GREAT NEWS.
Once they get Tom's Basic Set up, I'll be ordering.
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Post by jeffb on Sept 27, 2023 16:15:12 GMT -6
And a link to the webpage with the article and pics link
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Post by jeffb on Sept 25, 2023 5:08:46 GMT -6
Yep. It's not an OD&D style adventure at all. Looking at it that way, it's a failure.
I'd say it's probably a bit more 2E than 1E (or maybe its closer to something post 1983 1E).
That said, I've run several adventures over the years that get little praise by many on a read through, that were a blast in actual play. Moldvay's B3 edit is a fine example. Ive run it a few times over the last 20 years using various O/TSR rules as well as Dungeon World, and it has always been a good time. A0 has been the same. And there are plenty of "classics" discussed in old school circles that I feel are "stinkers".Different strokes, and that's ok.
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Post by jeffb on Sept 23, 2023 8:16:29 GMT -6
Do we know if Gonnerman is going to do the same (rewrite for OGL reasons) for Iron Falcon?
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Post by jeffb on Sept 20, 2023 19:09:08 GMT -6
Got a "follow your favorites" email from DTRPG today for TLG. C&C PHB freebie and module A0- "The Rising Knight" for $1. I've run A0 a couple of times, and it definitely falls into a "favorites" for me. It's a mini sandbox area with an interesting small town and NPCs, a couple of wilderness area descriptions with encounter tables, and a small forgotten temple/dungeon (which is sentient-I've had a blast with this thing). Quite a few adventure hooks to do your own thing, or tie it into the next and larger adventure sandbox area described in A1- Assault on Blacktooth Ridge ( also *highly* recommended). I paid full price for the print version of A0 years ago (and bought the PDF compilation of A0-A5 as well) and found it money well spent. No affiliate links- just a PSA from a fan. C&C A0 + PHB
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Post by jeffb on Sept 19, 2023 4:55:05 GMT -6
Saw a post from Steve on Twitter/X indicating they will be taking down the free 7th print PHB and to get it while you can.
My guess is because of the OGL stuff they are purging.
I got the impression there won't be a free replacement.
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Post by jeffb on Sept 12, 2023 5:21:28 GMT -6
When I was younger, I only used the French pronunciation as I'd heard it/read it so much with my interest in Military History (which predates my interest in D&D). Its the only way I'd ever heard it.
It was only in the last 20 years or so (?) that I can recall anyway) I've been hearing gamers using the English pronunciation so much, and to me it sounds pretty ridiculous. :shrug: I've gotten used to it, but I still roll my eyes or shake my head a little when I hear people say it that way.
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Post by jeffb on Sept 10, 2023 18:17:38 GMT -6
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Post by jeffb on Sept 9, 2023 6:02:10 GMT -6
Before I found D&D in the late 70s, my fantasy fix was S&S comics (and I read all kinds of war comics and some supers too). DCS and Tramp, Erol and Darlene (and Bell, if I'm honest) are great, but Willingham, Roslof, and Dee were my absolute favorites of the classic TSR artists and loved the S&S comic style art they brought to D&D ..as well as Gamma World, Top Secret, the minigames, etc. The late 79 to 82-ish era of TSR products just resonate the most with me, aesthetically.
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Post by jeffb on Sept 8, 2023 3:53:39 GMT -6
Lockwood and Sam Wood were the big names I guess for the core books (and early FR products) and neither were my cup of tea really. Wayne had his moments- I think a fair amount of his B&W art in the 3.0 DMG was simple but enjoyable (he also did some good B&W work in the late 2E "rebirth" GH products). I didn't care for much of his work as he became more prolific circa 2K2 and beyond. Todd Lockwood is an excellent artist, it is strange that the art for 3.0 was so bad. I don't think he is to blame for the DungeonPunk look. No of course not. They were given a direction to go in. I'm certainly not blaming any of the artists in particular, just stating my dislike (being nice here) for said "direction".
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Post by jeffb on Sept 7, 2023 19:11:16 GMT -6
the Dark Fantasy/DungeonPunk look for FR during the 3.0 period Ugh, the DungeonPunk aesthetic was terrible. That was the influence of Wayne Reynolds, a truly remarkable and amazing artist, but people trying to emulate him created that awful DungeonPunk look. The WotC art directors encouraged it, unfortunately. So glad that era is over. Lockwood and Sam Wood were the big names I guess for the core books (and early FR products) and neither were my cup of tea really. Wayne had his moments- I think a fair amount of his B&W art in the 3.0 DMG was simple but enjoyable (he also did some good B&W work in the late 2E "rebirth" GH products). I didn't care for much of his work as he became more prolific circa 2K2 and beyond.
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Post by jeffb on Sept 6, 2023 17:28:14 GMT -6
You mean glass marbles and aluminum foil. I remember when they had Arnie Swekel (iirc, he was the guy who did those) on the tsr/wotc forums or maybe it was the early Eric Noah forums for a chat, and he was really razzed about those. The only one that looked halfway decent to me was the 3.0 MM and it's playdoh dragon scales. The 3.x aesthetic was just horrible period..covers, layout, art direction. Some of the later 3.5 FR and Eberron stuff was good for my tastes (not Wayne), but yeah..those "tomes"..lol. I saw the artist at a convention once with the actual physical models he built on display. As real 3-dimensional objects they were ok, like hand made tomes, but photographing them and flattening them for the printing press just made the whole thing so phony. There was one I liked: the Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide. That whole line looked pretty good to me. Graphic design, layout, artwork and all. Yep the FRCS and other books looked better with the color of the pages and the covers, though the print was quite small. I still did not care much for the drastic shift from the Renaissance meets Traditional fantasy artwork of 2E FR to the Dark Fantasy/DungeonPunk look for FR during the 3.0 period, but it got better towards the end of 3.5 (Lost Empires of Faerun is one that stands out to me visually because of the shift from the early 3.0 look)
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Post by jeffb on Sept 6, 2023 13:50:08 GMT -6
Not to mention how ugly the covers are. The faux leather style just makes it look cheap and amateurish. It is an extension of that horrid 3.0/3.5 style cover with the fake embossed leather and jewels and metal hinges and stuff. Ugh, can't stand that look. You mean glass marbles and aluminum foil. I remember when they had Arnie Swekel (iirc, he was the guy who did those) on the tsr/wotc forums or maybe it was the early Eric Noah forums for a chat, and he was really razzed about those. The only one that looked halfway decent to me was the 3.0 MM and it's playdoh dragon scales. The 3.x aesthetic was just horrible period..covers, layout, art direction. Some of the later 3.5 FR and Eberron stuff was good for my tastes (not Wayne), but yeah..those "tomes"..lol.
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Post by jeffb on Sept 2, 2023 15:59:37 GMT -6
I'm sure I'll have my own "opinions" on it (which I will be happy to share ) but is there an affordable PDF of this? Can someone please point me to the (state of the art?) currently most going rendition of S&W? Here ya go (DTRPG)
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Post by jeffb on Aug 30, 2023 11:53:30 GMT -6
Another email received today from. TLG. Apparently they were able to sell in 72 hours what they told Gary's estate the 120 DAY estimated sales would be.
Nice job folks. Hopefully sales will be brisk for the Gygaxian Fantasy volumes as well.
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Post by jeffb on Aug 28, 2023 18:34:56 GMT -6
I have no idea what happened to my original originals, but by the time I quit RPGs around 85 I had a set of barely used prints from 79-ish. I kept those until 2005 when I sold off my OD&D, AD&D, and RQ Collection (kept all my Moldvay/Cook/Marsh stuff). I eventually got another set of Wizard Logo era prints in the late 2Ks before prices started going up. I still have them, but they haven't gotten any use for 15 years or so. But I did pick up an original 1st print MM with the errata sheet a couple years ago for way below market value. These early prints make me feel like a kid again whenever I page through them. They feel different (materials are different from later prints), they smell different, pages look and feel different. I started playing when this first print MM had just came out, along with the LBBs sometime in late 1977- it was a member of my group who owned it , and I don't think I'd handled an original print since 1978 or so when he moved away. I posted a thread HERE on the forums which includes links to a few photos.
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Post by jeffb on Aug 28, 2023 13:37:03 GMT -6
Everything you need to run your PC is on the cards. You have to understand about 2 pages worth of general combat rules otherwise. I hated 2e what it came out. A couple years ago I won some of the Player's Options books in an auction, I didn't want the 2e books it was some other stuff in the lot I was after. However, once getting the books I read through them and was very impressed. So I did a deep dive on 2e and now I really like it. Not that I want to play it, but there was a lot of good stuff there I missed in the 90's. I'm wondering if a similar thing will happen with 4e. I despise it now, but when I'm in a retirement home* and someone starts up an old school 4e D&D campaign I might have my mind changed. *Actually, I hope my kids don't do that to me.I recall hating the PO books as well. I ended up getting a set around 2k3 as part of a collection and gave them another glance through and was surprised how much of the combat book made into 3.x I'd never run 4e RAW again as I'm not a minis and grids guy*, but I basically 13th Aged the system before 13th Age came out and we had a bunch of fun with it. * Play, yes...Run? No.
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Post by jeffb on Aug 27, 2023 9:04:32 GMT -6
WOOT- looks like we have a C&C specific forum now! Thanks Fin (and Mods) Also just checked and yep- Monsters & Treasures 3rd print PDF is still free (link below). So you have all you need to play C&C* without paying a dime and can spend your $ on all the great adventures, supplemental material and other games they sell. That said, the newer print volumes are worth picking up IMO, especially the most recent M&T as it combines monsters from not only the original M&T but other monster volumes (Classic Monsters) as well as those that appeared in adventures, etc) *For those who don't know- the Castle Keeper's Guide is a supplemental volume and NOT a must have like the DMG is in AD&D or WOTC editions. It's worth picking up for options, additions, and inspiration, but is not necessary in any way to play the game. Monsters & Treasure
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Post by jeffb on Aug 27, 2023 6:22:29 GMT -6
I haven't poured over the mechanics, but from skimming through the Castle Zagyg book, it doesn't seem like it would be too terribly difficult to run in something else. I think the introduction even provides some examples? It isn't hard to run at all. And if you don't like the SIEGE mechanic in the game, it's easy enough to substitute 5E's Advantage... Yep. I never cared for the execution of the Primes vs Non Primes*. I tried the 15/+3 variant which was better, but that wasn't quite right either. I really liked the Barbarian's "best of" attacks in 13th Age and also Dungeon World featured "advantage/disadvantage" (best/worst of two rolls) mechanics. When the D&D NEXT playtest showed up with A/D, that sealed it for me- went to standard 15 challenge base, and Primes offered advantage on the roll- playtested it, and I've played C&C this way ever since. *Not just for the math scaling issues, but it also made no sense to me whatsoever that someone who had a 10 Strength but PRIME had essentially twice the bonus that someone with a non PRIME Strength of 18 has. I know the "in game reasoning" that TLG talks about in the books, but this makes way less sense than some of the 4E mechanics non-fans complain about. The "best of two roll" and static challenge base fixes that weirdness in C&C- PRIMES add a significant benefit, high scores contribute as they always have in D&D and other RPGs, and the scaling is better as you go to higher levels.
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Post by jeffb on Aug 26, 2023 16:37:02 GMT -6
Below is the TLG free download page, which has plenty of stuff for C&C including a quickstart (admittedly, pretty meager), and IMO the best presentation of their main setting- the After Winter's Dark gaz. The Codex never did anything for me. Downloads also includes a much better quickstart book for thegreyelf 's Amazing Adventures game. Bag of Holding And here is the link to the free PHB C&C PHB The C&C PHB has all the rules needed for play- only monsters and treasures are missing. BITD when it was new (before the M&T book came out) I simply used an AD&D Monster Manual and later the 2E Monstrous Manual to run C&C. If I needed to reference magic items I grabbed info from various TSR books- Moldvay/Cook/Marsh, AD&D 1E/2E...even 3.0. Conversion is super easy both ways- to C&C from T/OSR, or vice versa. I often do it on the fly. 3.0 as well.
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Post by jeffb on Aug 26, 2023 7:33:01 GMT -6
Sounds tantalising, but I know nothing of the Castles and Crusades game. Is it an OS clone or something? Is it modelled on 0E, 1E, B/X....? It is Ad&D seen through the eyes of the d20 system. It has its own unique core mechanic. The PHB pdf for c&c is free. With that and any TSR or OSR book/s of monsters and treasures you can run the game for years. You can find it on the TLG site and possibly on their drive-thru page.
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Post by jeffb on Aug 24, 2023 18:06:10 GMT -6
29.99 sounds familiar but you made me search my email.... Item Name: Crusader Subscription & CZ Yggsburg Xmas Sale Quantity: 1 Total: $26.50 USD Love those guys. -Mike Yep. That's right. I bought it during one of the 12 days of Xmas sales (when they used to call it that)
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Post by jeffb on Aug 24, 2023 18:02:46 GMT -6
Some details from the email
I'm likely up for this.
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Post by jeffb on Aug 24, 2023 14:27:38 GMT -6
Yeah, that puzzles me too. Over the parallel DF thread, @tfoster mentioned that the $39.95 is the original MSRP. It looks to me that in the email they simply cut-and-pasted some of their old ad copy without proofing it. Which is pretty on-point for them. It is. Trolls will be Trolls. For some reason though I thought it was 29.99 bitd- maybe I just bought it at a discount. I sold it later along with the other CZ materials. Hope they all get reprinted and new ones to boot.
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Post by jeffb on Aug 24, 2023 11:44:09 GMT -6
Email states price is $39.95.
Link in email to product indicates $65.00
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Post by jeffb on Aug 24, 2023 11:22:57 GMT -6
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