Rappan Athuk Reloaded: Is it worth it?

Ghostwind · Aug 24, 2006

Now that folks have had a chance to examine their copies of RA:Re I have to ask whether it is truly worth the cost? I have the 3.0 versions of all three books. What makes RA:Re so much better outside of the 3.5 revisions? Is this product so good that I should donate my 3.0 copies to my local library and run out to buy the revision?

Tell me about it in more detail. What makes RA:Re so different and yet, better at the same time?

DaveMage · Aug 24, 2006

I like it for three reasons:

1. The maps (especially compared to RA 1) are much better, and there are more of them, such as the mazes.

2. The wilderness area has been expanded.

3. It's been updated to 3.5

ShinHakkaider · Aug 24, 2006

Ghostwind said:
Now that folks have had a chance to examine their copies of RA:Re I have to ask whether it is truly worth the cost? I have the 3.0 versions of all three books. What makes RA:Re so much better outside of the 3.5 revisions? Is this product so good that I should donate my 3.0 copies to my local library and run out to buy the revision?

Tell me about it in more detail. What makes RA:Re so different and yet, better at the same time?

It's worth it if you buy the PDF and have access to a Laser printer with Duplexing features.
And I'm saying this as someone who has a hardcopy of this and not the PDF (yet). Reason being I actually paid less for the hard copy than I would have for the PDF at DTRPG.com.

Other wise you'll be spending $75 on a "limited edition" product to destroy its value by marking up the interiors of it with notes and such. That's an assumption on my part though. I tend to make notes in the borders of the adventures that I modify and run, I know not everyone does that. It's one of the main reasons that I'm a big proponent of PDF's. I use my gaming materials as utilites not collectors items. So which is why I tend to buy PDF's if I can.

The 3.0 - 3.5 conversion is enough of a reason to buy it though as well as the maps. But you can always buy the PDF of the maps separately if you wish.

So in short:

Worth the hardcopy (personal bias) = no
Worth it for the content = yes

Psion · Aug 24, 2006

ShinHakkaider said:
Other wise you'll be spending $75 on a "limited edition" product to destroy its value by marking up the interiors of it with notes and such. That's an assumption on my part though. I tend to make notes in the borders of the adventures that I modify and run, I know not everyone does that.

I make notes on paper. Or stuff character sheets of dead PCs in the book for reference when someone stumbles on their body later.

JRRNeiklot · Aug 24, 2006

ShinHakkaider said:
The 3.0 - 3.5 conversion is enough of a reason to buy it though as well as the maps. But you can always buy the PDF of the maps separately if you wish.

And if I still play 3.0? Is it still worth it? Like you, I own all the originals, plus all the Necro download content.

Festivus · Aug 24, 2006

The print quality of the book isn't much above printing on my printer here at the office (admittedly a nice printer). The binding appears to be simple glue binding for the big book, and I think it was saddle stapled for the other two (might have been glued, don't have here to confirm).

It's big, three books: one being the adventure (huge), the other monsters (all fully statted, very nice), and the third just maps. Though the cover is very nice, it's the same cover image for all three books, which is the same as the box cover. I paid $47 on Amazon for my copy, which was just a few bucks more than the PDF version, so to me, it was worth it. I don't think I would have paid $75 for a glue bound book and two saddle stapled books, a cardboard box and non-gloss, copier quality printed pages within.

Adventure wise, I haven't read much yet, I am waiting to see if my DM is planning on running it before I delve into it to run for my other D&D group. I never read the original, but it came highly recommended, so to me it's a win win, I get the original adventure and the new stuff, all converted to 3.5. Hopefully it lives up the type hype, worst case, I will always have an adventure to toss at the players.

ShinHakkaider · Aug 24, 2006

JRRNeiklot said:
ShinHakkaider said:

The 3.0 - 3.5 conversion is enough of a reason to buy it though as well as the maps. But you can always buy the PDF of the maps separately if you wish.

And if I still play 3.0? Is it still worth it? Like you, I own all the originals, plus all the Necro download content.

Click to expand...

If you still play 3.0 the only thing that wont be of any use to you would be the book that has all of the stats. Still I'd say save your money and just buy the new maps(PDF) if you were not satisfied with the maps in the originals. Otherwise no, it's probably not worth it.

That's just me though.

ShinHakkaider · Aug 24, 2006

Festivus said:
I paid $47 on Amazon for my copy, which was just a few bucks more than the PDF version, so to me, it was worth it.

Actually, if you were eligible for free shipping then your hardcopy actually cost LESS than the PDF.

Omro Gamer · Aug 24, 2006

Psion said:
I make notes on paper. Or stuff character sheets of dead PCs in the book for reference when someone stumbles on their body later.

I use Post It notes for notes in adventures, and also for errata and house rules in the rule books I own.

JoeGKushner · Aug 24, 2006

If you want a meat grinder dungeon that's priced due to it's limited nature, then yes.

Personally, I like it and own it. I don't see any reason though, why it's in a boxed set outside of nostalgia factors as the maps are in a book and not loose, the NPCs are not available as a download (just like Shackled City) and having something like the PDF is really helpful, the game balance is all over the place and relies on the playes taking a real old school mentality where they have to realize that somethings will just kill you regardless of what 'level' your supposed to be on.

Rappan Athuk Reloaded: Is it worth it?

Ghostwind

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DaveMage

Slumbering in Tsar

ShinHakkaider

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Psion

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JRRNeiklot

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Festivus

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ShinHakkaider

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ShinHakkaider

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Omro Gamer

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JoeGKushner

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