Wilmark Dynasty & Entertainment Concepts

Posts: 137 · Posted: Sun May 15, 2005 7:29 pm

No ive got my copy of "Heroic Worlds" i, intrigues to know:

Are the Wilmark Dynasty products actually any good?

Likewise Entertainment Concepts "World od Silverdawn" stuff.

Posts: 4467 · Posted: Sun May 15, 2005 9:40 pm

nn wrote:

No ive got my copy of "Heroic Worlds" i, intrigues to know:

Are the Wilmark Dynasty products actually any good?

Likewise Entertainment Concepts "World od Silverdawn" stuff.

Short answer: No and No...!

Long Answer: At one time or another I've had the complete product lines of both of these at hand and read through them (wish I had photocopied them, but oh well....). World of Silverdawn is probably the more professionally done, but very skimpy (about 8 pages each, both sides, so 16 pages in all per publication). Wilmark Dynasty stuff is uniformly...well, not awful, but very plainly tournament items (never converted to campaign play) and there isn't one distinguishing factor about any of these that would make them worth owning (much less using; you'd never use any Wilmark Dynasty item because you could write better yourself given an hour or two of time). WD stuff does boast truly awful production values, but if you collect the stuff that's part of the appeal actually!
The World of Silverdawn, as said, is slightly more filled out, but several years after selling these I strain to come up with any interesting or intriguing concepts, I can't even remember a single plotline.
So, in summation, fun to collect if you enjoy home brew/vanity press RPG items from 20+ years ago, but for actual use, naaaah.
If you are looking through Heroic Worlds for some small press lines to collect, might I suggest The Companions/Islandia campaign, Midkemia Press, and Gamelords (Thieves' Guild and Haven setting).

Mike B.

Posts: 72 · Posted: Mon May 16, 2005 1:26 am

I used to play with the two main authors of the Wilmark Dynasty stuff in Newark, Delaware back in 1980-82. The scenarios they ran in local game conventions and I never looked at the published products. However, Melanda is a stand alone role-playing system with a somewhat interesting take on magic, using runes in various combinations. I think it is a decent product, contrary to opinions I have seen expressed by others. Also, the authors were both very talented GMs. I have always felt that a good GM was more important than the rules used.

Posts: 4467 · Posted: Mon May 16, 2005 2:10 am

ddt58 wrote:

I used to play with the two main authors of the Wilmark Dynasty stuff in Newark, Delaware back in 1980-82. The scenarios they ran in local game conventions and I never looked at the published products. However, Melanda is a stand alone role-playing system with a somewhat interesting take on magic, using runes in various combinations. I think it is a decent product, contrary to opinions I have seen expressed by others. Also, the authors were both very talented GMs. I have always felt that a good GM was more important than the rules used.

I sold some stuff for one of the creators of Wilmark back in the mid 90's...I don't remember his name, but I did sell a complete line of Wilmark Dynasty products on commisssion for him (so I got to read through them all). The author was actually very dismissive and critical of the printed products, he told me that the stuff that didn't get printed was ten times better. I'm inclined to agree with him considering how bad the printed stuff was, too bad he never got around to writing that stuff up and publishing it, if what you say is true it might have been pretty decent reading. Unfortunately the stuff that got printed up was tournament stuff that needed a lot of work to make it more campaign like and less tournament like. Melanda was the exception, and it was a lot better than the other printed stuff, so maybe the guy was telling the truth there.

Mike B.

Posts: 2448 · Posted: Mon May 16, 2005 2:37 am

I don't know about most of the Wilmark Dynasty stuff, and I don't particularily like Melanda. But Journey to the Centre of the Circle is a strance one. If you'd like a short roleplaying adventure, as opposed to hack and slash, its actually quite a good little tourney.

Posts: 137 · Posted: Mon May 16, 2005 1:57 pm

Badmike wrote:

If you are looking through Heroic Worlds for some small press lines to collect, might I suggest The Companions/Islandia campaign, Midkemia Press, and Gamelords (Thieves' Guild and Haven setting).

Mike B.

already on the radar!

Gamelords - complete:
Companions: got 3 of em, scouring ebay for bargains.

Midkemia: Ive read The Black Tower and Towns of Jourdan
Are Tulan and Carse different / better?

Any other recommednations?

Posts: 2448 · Posted: Mon May 16, 2005 6:02 pm

nn wrote:

Midkemia: Ive read The Black Tower and Towns of Jourdan
Are Tulan and Carse different / better?

Any other recommednations?

I would recommend all of the Midkemia modules. They make a great campaign setting. I'd also recommend Starstone if you don't have a copy.

Posts: 2639 · Posted: Mon May 16, 2005 6:07 pm

mbassoc2003 wrote:

I would recommend all of the Midkemia modules. They make a great campaign setting. I'd also recommend Starstone if you don't have a copy.

That was excellent timing: Allan just outbid me! Razz

Yeah, Midkemia, good... now let me win the others I don't have or have "misplaced", Ian! Wink

( two freebies @ http://www.midkemia.com/Products.html )

Posts: 2448 · Posted: Mon May 16, 2005 6:31 pm

harami2000 wrote:

mbassoc2003 wrote:

I would recommend all of the Midkemia modules. They make a great campaign setting. I'd also recommend Starstone if you don't have a copy.

That was excellent timing: Allan just outbid me! Razz

Yeah, Midkemia, good... now let me win the others I don't have or have "misplaced", Ian! Wink

( two freebies @ http://www.midkemia.com/Products.html )

Once I've got around the scanning them, I think I've got the whole set. I'll let you know before I put them on eBay. Just don't have much time ATM.
What did Allan outbid you on, BTW?

Posts: 2639 · Posted: Mon May 16, 2005 7:23 pm

mbassoc2003 wrote:

harami2000 wrote:

mbassoc2003 wrote:

I would recommend all of the Midkemia modules. They make a great campaign setting. I'd also recommend Starstone if you don't have a copy.

That was excellent timing: Allan just outbid me! Razz

...
What did Allan outbid you on, BTW?

What d'ya think? Wink

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5197487275

(two minutes before your post)

Posts: 4467 · Posted: Mon May 16, 2005 9:13 pm

nn wrote:

Badmike wrote:

If you are looking through Heroic Worlds for some small press lines to collect, might I suggest The Companions/Islandia campaign, Midkemia Press, and Gamelords (Thieves' Guild and Haven setting).

Mike B.

already on the radar!

Gamelords - complete:
Companions: got 3 of em, scouring ebay for bargains.

Midkemia: Ive read The Black Tower and Towns of Jourdan
Are Tulan and Carse different / better?

Any other recommednations?

I actually think Heart of the Sunken Lands is the best thing they put out. Jonril: Gateway to the Sunken Lands is a companion product and pretty excellent also. Carse and Tulan are pretty nice products, I even enjoy the Chaosium reprints of these. Cities is probably not as essential, it's just fillled with charts for populating cities.

Another company worth collection is Dimension Six items (Mountain of Mystery, Towns of Jourdan, etc). Not that great, but an excellent original D&D "feel" about them.

Mike B

Posts: 2448 · Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 2:57 am

harami2000 wrote:

What d'ya think? Wink

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5197487275

Oh, that. I've beek keeping an eye on that one. I don't have a Starstone of my own. Sad

Re. Midkemia. I actualy found Cities to be quite a nice book. But, yes, Sunken Lands and Jonril are very good indeed.

Have you taken a read through Afterglo's site?

http://www.stud.uni-hamburg.de/users/afterglo/rpg/nontsr.html

I also assume you've explored Judges Guild. They were the most prolific of publishers, and some of their products are second to none.

Posts: 4467 · Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 3:46 am

mbassoc2003 wrote:

harami2000 wrote:

What d'ya think? Wink

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5197487275

Oh, that. I've beek keeping an eye on that one. I don't have a Starstone of my own. Sad

Re. Midkemia. I actualy found Cities to be quite a nice book. But, yes, Sunken Lands and Jonril are very good indeed.

Have you taken a read through Afterglo's site?

http://www.stud.uni-hamburg.de/users/afterglo/rpg/nontsr.html

I also assume you've explored Judges Guild. They were the most prolific of publishers, and some of their products are second to none.

Afterglow's site is almost essential if you are collecting non-tsr stuff...and I was a frequent contributor! (Back when I had time to do stuff like research, sigh). A good place to go when you want just a little more info on something you may have been interested in...

Mike B.