tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post8731882899512121090..comments2023-06-08T08:26:07.304-05:00Comments on Advanced Gaming & Theory: The Complete Fighter's Handbook, Book ReviewRipperXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03506064393275174920noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-48357659082681844642018-09-09T01:13:46.711-05:002018-09-09T01:13:46.711-05:00Good, thorough review. Thank you!Good, thorough review. Thank you!bukwahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03208933256841251267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-65803670182614895812016-03-01T20:08:03.024-06:002016-03-01T20:08:03.024-06:00Metamorphosis Alpha was a board game forerunner to...Metamorphosis Alpha was a board game forerunner to Gamma World. You can still get all if the out of print stuff on e-bay for pennies on the dollar. Best 2 Iconic TSR board games are the Dungeon, and Escape From New York (great forgotten classic!)Brooser Bearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08487438364129415650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-33449963657307008762016-03-01T18:39:14.555-06:002016-03-01T18:39:14.555-06:00I had seen these games advertised in Dragon, and a...I had seen these games advertised in Dragon, and always wondered about them, but by the time that I saw them, they were already out of print. <br /><br />I'd like to find a copy of Metamorphose Alpha and see if I can't update it to 2e. Of all of the old games, this one stands out as the best! At least to me it does. RipperXhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03506064393275174920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-7210871914068070032016-03-01T18:05:22.657-06:002016-03-01T18:05:22.657-06:00Regarding the AD&D sister games, Gamma World a...Regarding the AD&D sister games, Gamma World and Boot Hill, the ones I know and played, not at all. There was a section in the First Edition DMG on how to interface between the AD&D and the other systems, but the game systems were different at the core. Especially the Boot Hill. It had no hit points, you subtracted damage from strength, and like in real world - you either died on the spot or went down unconscious, or took a light or serious gunshot. Serious gunshot meant that you pretty much needed others to help you get up on your feet and walk. Boot Hill was poor on setting and game aids.<br /><br />Gamma World (First and second editions) was also, a very different system. No levels. No skills, experience improved stats. Combat was different and deadly went by Weapon class - swords, clubs, firearms, lasers, death rays, poison weapons, which anyone could wield regardless of level or hit points. First edition was hard core sci-fi, second edition was more colorful comic book action game with touched of the Moldway Red Box, introduced Tech levels - TL 1 Stone age, TL 2 D&D level, TL 3 modern day technology, TL 4 - near futuristic. I also played Top Secret, game was awful, basically D&D set in James Bond - esque 20th Century Cold War, with the D&D style charater classes - Thief, Assassin, and then Thug, Investigator, and Spy, I believe. I found it ridiculous. ALL TSR game systems of the day featured HP, AC, Six Ability scores with minor variation, but beyond that, core rules were very different. Top Secret was agead of its day, because it had elegant rules for creating encounter based adventures - if you want to run a node-based encounter based adventure instead of a site-based adventure, then a copy of the Top Secret rulebook is essential.<br /><br />Touche on Second Edition's versatility. My mindset was to go to games other than D&D for gaming in other settings. Brooser Bearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08487438364129415650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-74025663257427545172016-03-01T10:03:22.676-06:002016-03-01T10:03:22.676-06:00Do I know Elwood personally? NO! I'm a poop-ki...Do I know Elwood personally? NO! I'm a poop-kickin hillbilly, Brooser. You've seen his stuff, I post a lot of it. Chances are, if it is full color and beautiful, than it was painted by Elwood. He drew the cover art for all of the core books.<br /><br />The reasons why you don't like 2e is exactly why I do. I don't want to learn a totally new system when I change settings. With this version of AD&D I have the tools that I need to tell billions of stories, and explore unlimited places and times. I really like that! <br /><br />1e was pretty versatile as well, you had Gamma World, Boot Hill, Marvel Superheroes, didn't they all use the AD&D engine for their base mechanics? RipperXhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03506064393275174920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-44834132374910311952016-03-01T09:53:01.090-06:002016-03-01T09:53:01.090-06:00Rob, I totally get you. The Complete Handbook seri...Rob, I totally get you. The Complete Handbook series got crazy. The first four were helpful and added stuff to the game, it wasn't needed! <br /><br />At the time that they were all out there, many DMs ignored them, and if you wanted to use something inside of these books, you had to first ask permision and then explain what exactly you want to use in the book, so that the DM could say yes or no. Most Dungeon Masters at the time were too busy reading and writing other things, and they tended to take offense when a book that they didn't want or need put crazy things into players heads.<br /><br />I think that the first 4 true class books were excepted more readily, as they didn't try to be bossy; but once the racial books started coming out, they dictated to the DM what these races were supposed to be, and it wasn't their place to do that.RipperXhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03506064393275174920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-73877144219001951522016-03-01T06:54:44.273-06:002016-03-01T06:54:44.273-06:00You got links to any of the Elwood's artwork, ...You got links to any of the Elwood's artwork, I'd like to see it. You knew him personally? I chose 1st Edition AD&D over Second because the Second edition became the Kitchen Sink - Gygax had a vision and a design philosophy, that I saw and appreciated. Second edition had a multitude of writers who made D&D fit every conceivable setting. Renaissance Musketeers, Ancient Romans; some of the ideas were seemed to have been invented on the spot and were ridiculous, such as the Parliament of Fish from the Ranger's Handbook, and the ridiculous illustration of the Cleric choosing monasticism over social life while staring at a bunch of geometric shapes that were supposed to be Holy Symbols, these were not real world holy symbols and neither were they evocative of any symbolism. The artist's lack of imagination was on the level of the frontal lobotomy. Yes, TSR was shamelessly trying to cash in, the way WOTC did with the planned obsolescence of the D&D editions. I got all of the supplement books on e-bay in 2003-2005 for pennies on the dollar.Brooser Bearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08487438364129415650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-60727130969116375502016-02-29T23:41:36.541-06:002016-02-29T23:41:36.541-06:00The Fighters handbook fills me with RAGE. This was...The Fighters handbook fills me with RAGE. This was the first book in a long line of books and accessories that were put out by TSR that made it go from needing just a few books (PHB, DMG, Monster Manual) if you were the DM and just ONE book if you were the player. I think it started making the game inaccessible for new players and is one of the reasons for its dwindling popularity into the 90's. <br /><br />Thanks for the excellent and thought provoking blog!<br /><br /> Robhttp://rpgcache.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-38142484287925248012016-02-29T16:28:55.115-06:002016-02-29T16:28:55.115-06:00I love the artwork of the 2e period, Elwood, of co...I love the artwork of the 2e period, Elwood, of course, being my favorite. Years before actually playing the game, I flipped through the books that he had collected, and it was the art that planted the seeds. <br /><br />I am not a fan of the later stuff; namely the art style of the reprintings, but the early stuff I love. I still use my original PHB and DMG because of the art in the book. The errata was done by me, and done by hand, and there is info that isn't in my copy but I prefer it anyway. I suppose that it helps me find the page that I need to find more quickly? <br /><br />The newer artwork seems flat and uninspired to me, and I hate that brown border that they put around text to introduce new chapters, it just seems like such a waste of space.RipperXhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03506064393275174920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-24918863751386045182016-02-29T16:13:03.902-06:002016-02-29T16:13:03.902-06:00I have every book and supplement from this series....I have every book and supplement from this series. This is one of the better ones. Second edition lost me on the artwork, though.Brooser Bearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08487438364129415650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-3482861372246180122016-02-29T13:50:02.617-06:002016-02-29T13:50:02.617-06:00Thank you for such kind words! It is really nice t...Thank you for such kind words! It is really nice to hear from like-minded individuals. Let us know how your game turns out! If you've got any questions or comments about the system I'd be happy to try and help.RipperXhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03506064393275174920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7370162161693557709.post-50883257929526590562016-02-29T13:20:14.670-06:002016-02-29T13:20:14.670-06:00Love the review! I'm a new DM, preparing to ru...Love the review! I'm a new DM, preparing to run my group through 2e for the first time ever (I've played and DM'ed 4e and 5e, but have fallen in love with the 2e rules and feel) so your blog has been a tremendous help to me. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com