Return of Mystara?

[Byrons_Ghost]

A message was recently sent out over the Mystara list with a press release that Kenzer & Co. are releasing Mystara as a Hackmaster setting this summer. There's also a thread on their message boards about it:

Hacklopedia Mystara thread

I haven't seen anything on the Kenzer boards, and I'm not familiar with the magazine they're quoting. So I can't completely verify this, but from what I've seen on the mailing list there's a pretty good chance it's genuine.

Anyone's thoughts? I'm a huge Mystara fan, it's pretty much the only setting I've ever used. And I know next to nothing about Hackmaster. I have to say I've got mixed feelings myself- I certainly would've preferred a 3e, or at least d20, version.

 

[Alzrius]

First Oerth, now Mystara???

I want to see old campaigns brought back too, but this is not the way. Just the prospect of seeing a dozen different threads about this issue here on EN World is enough to make me groan. That said though, I'm beginning to wonder if Kenzer is trying to get some sort of license to republish a HackMaster version of every discontinued AD&D world. How long until we see "Birthwrong" where hack-and-slashers are born into being kings?

Seriously though, the take they seem to be doing here is different from what I read over on their boards. They wanted to set their HackMaster Greyhawk stuff as another continent on Oerth. This seems to be a totally HackMaster take on Mystara. I'm not sure which of them (if either one actually is) is supposed to be the HackMaster planet Garweeze World.

Time will tell I guess.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

I'll reserve judgement until I see the product. But initally this sounds like something I'd really hate or be the thing that persuades me to buy the entire Hackmaster line.

 

[Tsyr]

Anything that brings back Mystara is good in my eyes. I'm already a hackmaster nutcase, so this is just icing on the cake.

*waves his little "Hackmaster!!!!!" flag about wildly*

On a more serious note, Alzrius, you say you would like to see the old game worlds brought back, but "this is not the way". I'm curious what you see "the way" as? I think the chances of Wizards of the Coast doing a lot of the really old ones (A.K.A., Mystara, for one) is slim to none in the first place, and frankly I'm not sure I'd want them to. And given Kenzer's track record for keeping everything *good* about the old school flavor in their work, or at least most of it, not to mention their generaly high-quality releases, I can't think of much better of a company for it to go to.

Now, granted... It will be Hackmaster-ized. Yes. But if Robinloft and the various re-released classic modules are any indication, this is not really crippling. The products still feel right... just better. It's still your same old well-worn chair, it's just been vacumed and that wobbly leg fixed. At least, that's been my impression thus far of the Hackmaster re-issues. Yeah, they get a tad silly now and then, but not *nearly* as much as many people seem to think, and not anything you can't edit out quite simply.

 

[Mark Plemmons]

An FYI:

Mystara is going to be a new continent on Garweeze Wurld, not a new world of its own.

First Oerth, now Mystara???

We haven't done Oerth yet. Maybe next year.

I'm beginning to wonder if Kenzer is trying to get some sort of license to republish a HackMaster version of every discontinued AD&D world.

TRYING to get it? We've had it for quite a while now.

You can see the latest thread here:

http://www.kenzerco.com/forums/show...=157075&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1

Mark Plemmons
Kenzer and Company
www.kenzerco.com

 

[johnsemlak]

Well, I'd love Mystara to come back insome sort of published form. I'd prefer 3e, but I'm not against it being HM. It' might convince me to give HM a serious look.

 

[BiggusGeekus@Work]

I don't suppose Bruce Heard is part of this project?

 

[trancejeremy]

I think I'm going to be sick.

Seeing my favorite game world 'hackified' does not make me happy. It's one thing having my favorite setting OOP. But now it has to be ruined and mocked.

I think Kenzer has now replaced SJG as my most hated RPG company.

#@%#%@s

Why can't they make their own world for Hackmaster? Why do they have to ruin old D&D worlds?


(I would also point out, you can't really plug Mystara in as world for Hackmaster (It flopped when TSR tried it with 2E). HM is a blend of the 1E/2E AD&D rules. Mystara was primarily developed as a D&D world. Completely different rules, which impacted the development and logic of the world. So unless they completely rewrite Hackmaster, it's going to suck. 3E could manage it, at least if they use the Epic level rules, but even then, they'd need more rules for playing Immortals)

 

[Geoffrey]

(I would also point out, you can't really plug Mystara in as world for Hackmaster (It flopped when TSR tried it with 2E). HM is a blend of the 1E/2E AD&D rules. Mystara was primarily developed as a D&D world. Completely different rules, which impacted the development and logic of the world. So unless they completely rewrite Hackmaster, it's going to suck. 3E could manage it, at least if they use the Epic level rules, but even then, they'd need more rules for playing Immortals)

While I see your point about HM being based on OAD&D, 3E rules are quite a bit farther away from the 1980's D&D rules than are the HackMaster rules.

 

[Tyler Do'Urden]

I think I'm going to be sick.

Seeing my favorite game world 'hackified' does not make me happy. It's one thing having my favorite setting OOP. But now it has to be ruined and mocked.

I think Kenzer has now replaced SJG as my most hated RPG company.

Oh, come off it. They're not boiling your pet kitten. If they announced that my favorite setting (Planescape) was getting the Hackmaster treatment, I'd probably be rather amused.

Geez, people take this D&D stuff too seriously... it's a game, folks! It's supposed to be fun! And somehow I doubt that Kenzer & Co is going to round up every copy of the oD&D Gazetteers and have them burned (but I could be wrong).

#@%#%@s

Why can't they make their own world for Hackmaster? Why do they have to ruin old D&D worlds?

They're not ruining them, they're honoring them- imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, after all...

(I would also point out, you can't really plug Mystara in as world for Hackmaster (It flopped when TSR tried it with 2E). HM is a blend of the 1E/2E AD&D rules. Mystara was primarily developed as a D&D world. Completely different rules, which impacted the development and logic of the world. So unless they completely rewrite Hackmaster, it's going to suck. 3E could manage it, at least if they use the Epic level rules, but even then, they'd need more rules for playing Immortals)

#1. Determining that something is going to "suck" before it is even released is a bad idea.

#2. This isn't going to be a fascimile of Mystara (and if you want that, svgames has quite a bit of the material now posted in ESD's). This is something new and different, and it will have it's own logic to it (as skewed as hackmaster logic tends to be )

#3. Why would one need epic level rules for Mystara? I know that the OD&D progression charts go to 36, but a 36 in oD&D has rough power-parity with a 20th level character in AD&D and 3e. I've generally just converted the old modules and materials with that in mind...

#4. Once again, this is a game, not a philosophy course. Logic isn't a requirement.