Hey! Thanks for the link!
Gamma World. There's a blast from the past. Underrated game. Right there with Traveler in terms of playability. We wasted a lot of time in the early '80's, eh?
Yurodivi:
You're welcome!
Bryan:
GW: Yep, a great game--at least in the first and second editions. I liked the organization and supporting material in the second edition better--especially that map of what was left of North America. Then TSR decided to revise it two more times, and was baffled why it didn't sell.
And don't get me started on Traveller. Probably the best science fiction RPG ever (sorry, Star Frontiers). Then GDW decided to revise it two more times, and then went out of business. A shame--I think GDW was actually more creative and versatile (TSR's foray into board wargaming was a disaster), but it just couldn't sell as much as the geeks in Wisconsin.
"Wasted"? Oh, I disagree big time on that one. What was I going to do back then--date?
Besides--what mid-Michigan high school girl could compete with Morgan Ironwolf?
Why thank you, Mr. Price. Much appreciated!
Now some bad news: although I took your advice to heart, I had to shave three weeks of what was almost looking like a beard for a job interview. (The good news is that they've offered me the job, so it must've worked.) Maybe I'll try again between jobs next time ...
Thank you for your kind words! Always a pleasure to meet a fellow gamer who remembers the old days with fondness. Two points I'd like to clear up, however:
1) I'm only British by marriage. I'm actually a New Yorker.
2) OD&D is for Original D&D. Yes, I managed to track down a mint copy of the white box collector's edition, along with Greyhawk, Blackmoor, Eldritch Wizardy and Gods, Demigods and Heroes, and the complete (if short) run of The Strategic Review. Oh yes, and my treasured 1st Edition hardcovers. God, I love those! Minimal art, reads like a textbook... those were the days!
We may well have been separated at birth, as I was found on the doorstep with half of this amulet...
May the dice be with you!
Marcvs The Bard
Oops, one more thing. (Hey, it's 7.30am here in the UK, and I've not had my second cup of coffee yet.) By "Classic GW," I was referring to Games Workshop, back in the days when they published some excellent non-Warhammer games. Remember when White Dwarf published D&D and CoC material? GW produced glorious eight-hour epic games like Warrior Knights.
I do have a copy of 1st Edition Gamma World, and always wanted to try that Mutants & Magic thing from the 1st Edition DMG. Someday...
Right. Coffee.
Jeff:
You are quite welcome. Sorry about the beard, but I had to do that once, too. It was just starting to show promise when I had to rid myself of it. The reason was a pretext for embarrassment/despair of it looking better. The second time was the charm.
Congrats on the job--it's definitely worth losing the protobeard for that.
Marcvs:
Welcome--and when I get a chance, I'll edit. "Original" is what I call "Really Old D&D". I almost bought a copy of Chainmail once--but I went with the red, Erol Otis cover Basic box set instead. Faint regret, but not much. "Keep on the Borderlands" forever! And don't get me started on the Greyhawk stuff--I think I have virtually everything from the publication of the Folio gazetteer onwards.
Games Workshop--didn't do much, if anything with their products, though it wasn't for lack of interest. Limited resources. My brother in law has a ton of Warhammer, though.
"Old GW"--other words are starting to pop into my head, like "Judges' Guild," and "Iron Crown Enterprises," "Fantasy Games Unlimited"...
Stop me before I subreference again...
How 'bout Empire of the Petal Throne?
The always spoken-of but never actually played (at least in my neighborhood)classic?
Empire? Heard of it, but never played it. My impression is that it's newer (?), but don't hold me to it.
I haven't bought a new RPG system since Traveller 2300/2300 AD (around 1988--I think.)
Empire of the Petal Throne... yes, I remember it. It was a rather complex (or so my sources say) RPG set in a fantasy India/Pakistan. The designer, Professor M.A.R. Barker, created the language and went from there, a la Tolkien.
I've bought a few new RPGs since the old days! I rather liked 2300AD as the hard SF Traveller. But then I liked Space: 1889 as the Jules Verne Traveller. And Castle Falkentein, as well. I do love Victorian FRPGs.
Getting back to the venerable D&D, has anyone ever tried The Arcanum (Atlantean System)? I really seemed to be what 1st Edition AD&D could have been. And what a campaign world!
Dale --
you've encouraged me to post again.
Y
Empire of the Petal Throne was one of the very first games released after D&D, in fact.
And Dale, if you're on a nostalgia kick, I believe the original Traveller material was reprinted only a few years back. You can probably find it if you search.
(Man, I feel young--I started with a 2nd Edition AD&D Dungeon Master's Guide, 2nd Ed. Monstrous Compendium, and 1st Ed. Player's Handbook.)
Yurodivi:
Noted--excellent stuff, Not so BTW.
Matthew:
That explains why it was familiar.
Re: the Traveller reprints--much appreciated, but I'm already ahead of you! Far Future Enterprises is the outfit doing the reprinting. Marc Miller, the inventor of the game system, is periodically reprinting everything to do with the Traveller universe, in omnibus volumes. I have three, so far. He's also slowly putting together the Twilight 2000 and 2300 AD material, too. It's a bargain, when you consider how difficult it is to find the stuff in good shape after 20 odd years.
Marcvs: Never tried Arcanum. I tended to stick to the TSR house material for the game worlds--but only Greyhawk and Mystara.
Though if you are in need of having the 1e itch scratched, there's always Hackmaster, which has the licensing rights to 1e and is producing new material. I haven't seen any game world/campaign stuff yet, though.
Thanks, Dale. I hear good things about Hackmaster. I've not read many of the strips outside of, was it Shadis? However, Castles & Crusades is said to be promising.
But could it be the equal of Original D&D with the Outdoor Survival map?
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