Where are you coming from? (Game-wise)

[Rafael]

Hey,

For reviews, it's usually not bad to make it clear what are your personal preferences in the extremely vast space of RPG and fantasy gaming.



So I found this quote of mine that basically characterizes my approach to gaming:

Okay, so you all see where I am coming from: The rule systems I know and like best are Cyclopedia D&D and d20 (plz Don't burn at stake thx).

To me, the best rule system ever devised is Warhammer 2e.
The best setting ever done is old Imagine Magazine's Pelinore.
The best adventure module is AD&D's N4 Treasure Hunt.
And the best fantasy novels are written by Robin Hobb.

So, how about you?



Rafe

[Havard]

The rule systems I know and like the best are BECMI/RC D&D and Savage Worlds.

To me, the best rule system ever devised is BECMI
The best setting ever done is MYSTARA
The best adventure module is B10 Dark Night's Terror
And the best fantasy novels are written by JRRT

I am also a big fan of comic books, anything from Marvel to the Sandman series.

-Havard

[Rafael]

Nice!

I should say, me calling "Pelinore" the best setting does not diminish my fascination with Blackmoor! It's just that the setting material for BM was never really comprehensive in terms of making it easy to start a campaign that appeals me - if you play BM, you got to put some work into it.

Pelinore, while also sketchy here and there, is really like a sandbox, ready to run.

[Dave L]

Pelinore, while also sketchy here and there, is really like a sandbox, ready to run.

Hmm, does it have any decent maps?

[Rafael]

For its time, definitely yes.

Actually, the material published for Pelinore is more like a dozen of very detailed scenarios, comparable to the releases for Midkemia or DragonQuest.

[Big Mac]

I'm not going to say that anything is "best" (as that is subjective) as I've got no interest in "converting" anyone to agree with me. I'll just say that stuff is my favorite, and enjoy learning what other people like:

My favourite rule system is the d20 System (specifically because of the SRD and OGL freedom it brought).
My favourite setting is Spelljammer, as it can be used as a transitive plot device to allow a GM to take players to any other campaign setting. (But SJ has got more holes in it than a swiss cheese.)
My favourite adventure is SJA3 Crystal Spheres because I think that J. Paul LaFountain was the first SJ designer to really find the potential of taking a FR NPC and throwing them into a totally different environment. (I would have loved to have seen some Blackmoor elements make it into later SJ adventures. A link between the Juna and some of the Blackmoor technology might have been an interesting factiod to drop.)
My favourite fantasy novelist is J.R.R. Tolkein. I think that he really nailed the concept of creating a fully working fantasy world. (I think that D&D wouldn't exist without Lord of the Rings.)

Outside of gaming, I generally prefer science fiction to fantasy. I've got a love hate relationship with comic books, as I consider the modular way they are sold as a "rip off". But I've got some graphic novels that I really like.

I should say, me calling "Pelinore" the best setting does not diminish my fascination with Blackmoor! It's just that the setting material for BM was never really comprehensive in terms of making it easy to start a campaign that appeals me - if you play BM, you got to put some work into it.

Pelinore, while also sketchy here and there, is really like a sandbox, ready to run.

Well, I've got to say that I'm really cheesed off at the TSR UK staff for starting a petty argument with Gary Gygax. I think that the UK office could have turned out some brilliant stuff for Pelinore, but they shot themselves in the foot and a great concept died before it got a fair chance.

I think the politics that killed Pelinore are very similar to the US politics that killed Blackmoor. You have two great settings that got nerfed because the "wrong" people were standing behind them. Blackmoor was lucky enough to have some support from Mystara authors, but who knows how good it would have been if it had continued from the start (as a standalone thing).

I think the 3e line gives a very good clue as to what Blackmoor could have been, but I guess we will never know for sure. Not unless someone gets all of Dave Arneson's notes and writes the sort of books that Christopher Tolkein wrote about his father's work.

I'd love to get a Pelinore forum established back at The Piazza and see if anyone can hunt down any of the original designers and get them to tell us more about the way the world works.

Hmm, does it have any decent maps?

Yay! I've seen one map out there. I think you could hexify that.

[Rafael]

Pelinore was very creative and gave a lot of sandbox ideas to play with,
which is why I liked it a lot.

Greyhawk was too much locked in the dungeon for my taste, and, with all the respect, when I say "Greyhawk", I mean, Mr Gygax' original creations, not what he included from other authors.

The Lendore Isles, for example, I don't really count as Greyhawk. :oops:

[Big Mac]

Pelinore was very creative and gave a lot of sandbox ideas to play with,
which is why I liked it a lot.

You should get over to The Piazza and light a fire under any of the Pelinore related threads. (You forum sig might bring a few people back over here. :twisted: )

Greyhawk was too much locked in the dungeon for my taste, and, with all the respect, when I say "Greyhawk", I mean, Mr Gygax' original creations, not what he included from other authors.

The Lendore Isles, for example, I don't really count as Greyhawk. :oops:

I think that the entire "raiding other settings" concept causes a lot of problems. I wonder what Blackmoor would be like, without the connection to Mystara. I wonder what Kara-Tur would be like, if it wasn't stolen from Greyhawk and moved to Forgotten Realms.

But, these things were done. So it has created a Greyhawk that has been messed about with a lot. I'm not sure if Greyhawk has been messed up as much as Blackmoor, but there is a lot of "disputed canon". I personally favour tagging all the canon (so that people can see what type of canon it is) and then letting individual GMs decice which types of canon they want to include in their games.

And from the point of view of Blackmoor, I would really love to see an "alternate Blackmoor" written to drop into the Greyhawk world.

[Dave L]

Regarding a map of Pelinore, the only one I could find is in this thread, but it's really basic (it's about half-way down the first page).

Someone did a pdf of the magazine pages for Pelinore, but the link doesn't seem to work anymore.

I notice Rafael was one who downloaded it though, so it would be nice if I could have a look at it .... hint, hint.

If there's a better map available, i might be able to do something with it ....

[Havard]

These should be of interest to you:
http://blackmoor.mystara.us/pelinoremaps.html

I think I have more somewhere too...

Havard