Blackmoor Collector's Guide

[Echohawk]

Which one are you working on now?

I'm not . I've had a hectically busy few weeks of work and haven't look at the Collector's guides recently. Things shouldn't quieten down soon, and then I'll leap back into the fray.

 

[havard]

Some "lost" files for the MMRPG were recently uploaded here. These were never published, but have been made available for fans now.

Also, there is a starter set for the 4E MMRPG, which includes the 4E version of the Inventor class...

-Havard

 

[Echohawk]

Some "lost" files for the MMRPG were recently uploaded here. These were never published, but have been made available for fans now.

Thanks -- I've added a link to that page.

Also, there is a starter set for the 4E MMRPG, which includes the 4E version of the Inventor class...

Do you have a link for this? I couldn't easily find one

 

[havard]

Do you have a link for this? I couldn't easily
find one

I will have to look into this

-Havard

 

[Big Mac]

Mystara/Known World
Original/Basic D&D

Your guess is close to my plan

My current plan is to split the two you've listed above slightly differently:
- Mystara/BECMI (i.e. all Known World sources)
- Original D&D (and possibly some miscellaneous stuff)

The one you are missing from your list is the Kingdoms of Kalamar.

What, no Jakandor Collector's Guide? Wah!

I know it is a diddy setting. Perhaps you could have an "Odyssey Collector's Guide" with a Jakandor section, a Tale of the Comet section and so on. (The same could perhaps be said for the "Monstrous Arcana" brand which kind of makes specific monsters into campaign settings.)

Getting back on topic, the softcover version of the 3e Blackmoor Campaign Setting book is not the same thin as the hardcover version.

I once talked to Havard (who is the world's biggest Blackmoor fan) about something in my paperback book and he was totally baffled by my question because it just was not in the hardback. (I don't know if he shook his fist in the air and cursed my name as he pulled out his credit card and bought a copy of the paperback. )

Anyhoo, the main thing is that the paperback version updates the setting and adds some stuff. I don't have both, so am not sure how many changes there are or if anything has been dropped. (Maybe Havard can explain what the differences are.) I think a collector would want to know the differences are there.

 

[havard]

Getting back on topic, the softcover version of the 3e Blackmoor Campaign Setting book is not the same thin as the hardcover version.

I once talked to Havard (who is the world's biggest Blackmoor fan) about something in my paperback book and he was totally baffled by my question because it just was not in the hardback. (I don't know if he shook his fist in the air and cursed my name as he pulled out his credit card and bought a copy of the paperback. )

Anyhoo, the main thing is that the paperback version updates the setting and adds some stuff. I don't have both, so am not sure how many changes there are or if anything has been dropped. (Maybe Havard can explain what the differences are.) I think a collector would want to know the differences are there.

Good point.

The Softcover includes everything from the hardcover, but also has:

* A pull out, hex map
* Monks of the Fallen Star Class
* Errata incorporated
* somewhat improved layout.

And yes, the discussion you refer to is probably what made me buy the softcover as well



-Havard

 

[Echohawk]

What, no Jakandor Collector's Guide? Wah!

I know it is a diddy setting. Perhaps you could have an "Odyssey Collector's Guide" with a Jakandor section, a Tale of the Comet section and so on. (The same could perhaps be said for the "Monstrous Arcana" brand which kind of makes specific monsters into campaign settings.)

I definitely don't have plans for either a Jakandor or Odyssey Collector's Guide -- those products will be covered in the 2nd Edition guide, when I get to that. There just aren't enough to justify a separate guide.

Getting back on topic, the softcover version of the 3e Blackmoor Campaign Setting book is not the same thin as the hardcover version.

Thanks for that clarification, I've moved the softcover version to a separate line in the Guide.

I've also added a mention of the Blackmoor article from "The Domesday Book #13", which turned up during my research for the FR guide.

 

[JohnRL]

Thanks for the guide - very interesting.
I didn't get any Blackmoor products until the 3E/d20 boom, but its reputation precedes it. For me the Blackmoor setting has always had an old-school mystique that only Greyhawk matches. When I got hold of the D20 /OGL Blackmoor book, I was fascinated - and I also realised that it really didn't fit into Greyhawk.
The realm of Blackmoor at the top of the World of Greyhawk to me seems more like a half-hearted gesture rather than a real attempt to integrate the two settings. Perhaps Gary and Dave were not so friendly when Gary was writing the description of his Blackmoor in the WOG boxed set.
However, I am much happier about including Blackmoor in Mystara, albeit back in the ancient past. I think that's how TSR settled on it, when Dave Arneson wrote DA1-4 for Basic/Expert D&D.

 

[havard]

Miscellaneous
MMRPG web site

This site is now gone. I see little chance of it returning. I have taken the liberty of preserving the most valuable discussion threads onto the Comeback Inn Forum, which has several ZGG employees, freelancers as well as original Blackmoor players parttaking in discussions.

I have most of the MMRPG files on my HD, but I am unsure as to the legality of distributing them, so that will have to wait for now.

-Havard

 

[havard]

Thanks for the guide - very interesting.
I didn't get any Blackmoor products until the 3E/d20 boom, but its reputation precedes it. For me the Blackmoor setting has always had an old-school mystique that only Greyhawk matches. When I got hold of the D20 /OGL Blackmoor book, I was fascinated - and I also realised that it really didn't fit into Greyhawk.
The realm of Blackmoor at the top of the World of Greyhawk to me seems more like a half-hearted gesture rather than a real attempt to integrate the two settings. Perhaps Gary and Dave were not so friendly when Gary was writing the description of his Blackmoor in the WOG boxed set.

I think Blackmoor was included in Greyhawk mainly as a nod to one of the Great Campaigns of the early days. As with the Lendore Isles (Len Lakofka), Perrenland (Jeff Perren) Rob Kuntz' Great Kingdom etc, there was never any real attempt to actually integate the campaigns.

Dave Arneson OTOH, early on seems to have made a real attempt at placing his campaign in a world where Greyhawk, Kuntz' Great Kingdom and the other campaigns actually existed.

Then again, there is also the problem that Gary's campaign was very different from the Greyhawk that was published.

However, I am much happier about including Blackmoor in Mystara, albeit back in the ancient past. I think that's how TSR settled on it, when Dave Arneson wrote DA1-4 for Basic/Expert D&D.

This is how I use it as well. The maps and history from the Hollow World boxed set provides a great framework for such a campaign.

Note that Dave was not credited for DA4. Although the Duchy of Ten, the Afridhi etc were clearly drawn from Dave's campaign, he was not consulted by TSR for this module and also stated that had he been so, he would have liked to see a somewhat different take on the module.

-Havard