Blackmmor Noob Question

[Mr. Darke]

What's the best way for someone who knows nothing about Blackmoor to be introduced into the setting? I have been wondering about this but don't know where to start.

[Finarvyn]

The best (and most expensive) is to track down a copy of First Fantasy Campaign, which was Dave's campaign published by Judges Guild in the 1970's.

The next best thing might be to track down the DA modules by TSR from the 1980's. I like DA1 the best but DA2, DA3 and DA4 are also worthwhile.

Depending upon your enthusiasm for newer editions, there is an excellent d20 Blackmoor set of books and the brand new Blackmoor 4E which have been updated for the newer rules sets.

I prefer FFC above all others, however. Other than my LBB OD&D set, it's probably my favorite book in my book collection. Be aware that it's mostly a collection of campaign notes instead of a well-organized campaign setting. Don't know if that bothers you or not -- to me it's a bonus!

[benoist]

I've got the 3rd edition sourcebook and an eBook copy of OD&D supplement II. Supp. II doesn't present setting information. The 3rd edition does. Yet, I had the feeling that something was missing.

I asked around for information, and the consensus feedback I got was that the 3rd edition Blackmoor campaign book is actually a very vanilla version of the setting that leaves out some of what made Blackmoor what it is. When I asked how I could get the parts missing, they told me to go for the DA series of modules.

So my advice would be, assuming you want to run Blackmoor with OD&D or S&W, to get a copy of the 3rd ed campaign sourcebook (or 4th ed, as I understand the systemless information is mostly the same), a copy of Supp. II, and the DA series of D&D modules.

[benoist]

Aug 3, 2009 19:41:42 GMT -6 Finarvyn said:

The best (and most expensive) is to track down a copy of First Fantasy Campaign, which was Dave's campaign published by Judges Guild in the 1970's.

This too. Hard to find, though. I've tried multiple times. Couldn't manage to find a copy yet.

[greyharp]

Don't look on scribd then, finding an illegal copy is easier than getting hold of an original.

[Mr. Darke]

Thanks for the pointers guys. I'll look into the suggestions and go from there. Fin, The FFC book sounds like a good thing. I don't mind that type of writing as it could be argued the LBB's were campaign notes as well. ( Not a slam against them by no means, the minimalist feel of them compared to today's books are refreshing)

I have thought of the 3e books but don't want to dig through the stat blocks. How are they compared to systemless content?

[Finarvyn]

Aug 3, 2009 20:25:26 GMT -6 Mr. Darke said:

I have thought of the 3e books but don't want to dig through the stat blocks. How are they compared to systemless content?

I use 3E books for my OD&D campaigns a lot, and I just ignore the stat blocks. Most critters are the same ones you'll find in the general OD&D rulebook and so you already have the stats you need. Otherwise, it's easy enough to make a quick guess.

I wish they had made a systemless or OOP version of the d20 Blackmoor books.

[havard]

If you don't react to 3e/4e rules like a vampire to sunlight, I would recommend getting either the 3E or 4e main sourcebook as a starter.

The alternatives are, as mentioned:

The FCC - hard to get, but also IMO not for everyone. I like to compare it to the Silmarillion. If you already like the world, you are going to love this, but if you arent quite sure yet and want an overview, you might wait with this excellent resource for later.

DA1 - Quite good as an overview product actually. The downsides are that it is presented as an adventure, and some chunks of it go into how to connect Blackmoor with Mystara, which might not be what you are looking for.

Both the FCC and the DA series are great for fleshing out the details once you get started though!

Havard