Payback for Kenzer Co.

[Eye Tyrant]

Though I already said thanx once for the freebie copy of "The Root of All Evil", I just wanted to let the folks at Kenzer know that their generosity pays off... With a pocketful of cash burning a hole in my pocket yesterday (ok, it was only 80 bucks) I was perusing the shelves when I came across the KoK book again. Having debated picking it up for some time I was torn between it and some other D20 stuff... Then I remembered, "Hey, those guys sent me that adventure for free a few weeks back", my mind was made up! The marketing ploy does work!!

Now if we can just get all the D20 publishers to learn from Kenzer, then they would all be sending us free stuff!

Once again, thanx Kenzer!!

 

[Hari the Monk]

I have to second the vote for Kenzer&co. I love their source material, and the two adventure/sourcebooks I've got from them are great! I can't wait to see the 'player's guide' they've got coming out later this year.

 

[Eye Tyrant]

Yeah that ad in the latest Dungeon for the Player's book is what got me really interested again... I didn't really like the notes on the side about "Oh wow I saved the world with my new PrCls", but the book does look to be good...

 

[Olive]

that ad was annoyig as hell..."heaps of cool power ups!"

 

[trancejeremy]

As a Mystara fan, I all I can say is "Booo!" and that you should boycott Kenzer products...

 

[Agamon]

What did KenzerCo do to Mystara...?

 

[Kichwas]

that ad was annoyig as hell..."heaps of cool power ups!"

Kenzer's Kalamar ads and promotionals always seem aimed at the exact crowd that has no interest in Kalamar and is not likely to enjoy it once they get it.



Kenzer has the rights to use Mystarra for Hackmaster. Apparrently there is a group of people who feel they should not have done that without first getting and using the exclusive rights to use it for DnD / D20.

 

[rounser]

trancejeremy, I think what you and a bunch of other Mystara fans believe doesn't match with my understanding of the relationship between Mystara and Kenzer Co.

From what I have read: for doing Hackmaster, and Hackmaster alone, KenzerCo got a licence to use all D&D and AD&D material. Not just Mystara, all of it. They don't "own the rights" to Mystara any more than they "own the rights" to the Forgotten Realms, and Mystara wouldn't fit Hackmaster if done straight anyway. If you have an understanding of Hackmaster you'd realise that Garweeze Wurld is the only setting published for it (so far).

They're releasing Hackmaster versions of B1 and B2 to spoof D&D in general - they're classic modules. It's only retrospectively that B series modules until around B9 or B10 (can't remember which) actually got set in Mystara - that was in the compilation "In Search of Adventure". Even if you do think B1 and B2 belong to the Known World (which, IMO, they don't, they belong to every setting and none), most of the rest of the modules to get adapted in the future are classics from Greyhawk.

In short, AFAIK they're definitely not spoofing your setting in particular, and I doubt that they have the rights to release new Mystara material except under the Hackmaster flag even if they wanted to. I doubt they'll ever do that, because Garweeze Wurld draws far too much flavour from all the generic D&D worlds to make it worthwhile.

In short, I don't think they deserve your scorn. Save that for whatever commercial realities that drove TSR to cancel the setting the first time around, and WotC not to revive it.

 

[Darklone]

From what I have read: for doing Hackmaster, and Hackmaster alone, KenzerCo got a licence to use all D&D and AD&D material. Not just Mystara, all of it. They don't "own the rights" to Mystara any more than they "own the rights" to the Forgotten Realms, and Mystara wouldn't fit Hackmaster if done straight anyway. If you have an understanding of Hackmaster you'd realise that Garweeze Wurld is the only setting published for it (so far).

In short, AFAIK they're definitely not spoofing your setting in particular, and I doubt that they have the rights to release new Mystara material except under the Hackmaster flag even if they wanted to. I doubt they'll ever do that, because Garweeze Wurld draws far too much flavour from all the generic D&D worlds to make it worthwhile.

In short, I don't think they deserve your scorn. Save that for whatever commercial realities that drove TSR to cancel the setting the first time around, and WotC not to revive it.

I agree with the last part. But as far as I understood Dave Kenzer, they GOT the rights on Mystara. All of it. I just think they will do good work if they do something with it.

 

[Dr Midnight]

I'd also like to thank Kenzer for my copy. I love those guys.