Bill Owen Q&A

Posts: 61 · Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 1:20 am

Aneoth wrote:

I got my copy of the Tegel Manor Color Map Poster. Very Happy

Sweetness. Exclamation

You guys gotta get one for yourselves......

Thanks for the kudos. Seeing the color map for the first time brought back some of the fun Bob gave us guys from his breakfast nook... so the map was very special to me.

About 5-7 of us would sit at his big dining room table and he'd be (literally) up there always with some new amazing thing. I can't remember what all of the crazy stuff was now but I remember the other players across from me with their eyes bugging out and my eyebrows lifted way up... then peals of laughter... facial expressions during D&D ...funny thing to remember isn't it?

Posts: 61 · Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 3:28 pm

I'm uploading more JG stuff this afternoon and wanted to thank you guys for tracking the various editions so I can describe them accurately on eBay! I really couldn't remember everything and of course the one's after I was out of the day to day are particularly a fog.

Posts: 2523 · Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 9:36 pm

Be sure to post a link to your auctons.
Us newbie lurkers don't know your eBay handle.

Posts: 61 · Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 12:15 am

mbassoc2003 wrote:

Be sure to post a link to your auctons.
Us newbie lurkers don't know your eBay handle.

Dear Rockin' Leopard,

It's GameDesign4u ...thanks for asking and have fun with bidding. I keep finding stuff just when I think SURELY there is not much more! It's like an archaelogical dig at my house.

Posts: 93 · Posted: Wed Oct 29, 2008 4:27 pm

Hi Bill,

Here is a question for you. In recounting the origins of his CSIO campaign, Bob describes an alternate mana based magic system the group experimented with, complete with a "robust backfire table". The story is recounted here at Acaeum:

http://www.acaeum.com/jg/HistoryCityStateCampaign.html

Do you know what this backfire table contained or how it worked? Or was this ever something that was published in Dungeoneer, Pegasus, or a JG module?

If anyone has any info on this feel free to chime in. Smile

Cheers!

Posts: 61 · Posted: Wed Oct 29, 2008 4:34 pm

I vaguely remember this process but don't remember it being put in print in JG materials oddly enough! We did all sorts of things differently that were not standard D&D (no surprise there I assume) but didn't always appreciate how others might want to know about it. Maybe if I talk to the other magic-user, Gandalf (Mark Holmer), he might remember--or Marcham who still runs games so has kind of an unbroken chain of memory.

I will park this in my mind for a bit and maybe it will resurface!

PS Watch my eBay site (gamedesign4u) for some oddities this Sunday!

Bill

islestrike wrote:

Hi Bill,

Here is a question for you. In recounting the origins of his CSIO campaign, Bob describes an alternate mana based magic system the group experimented with, complete with a "robust backfire table". The story is recounted here at Acaeum:

http://www.acaeum.com/jg/HistoryCityStateCampaign.html

Do you know what this backfire table contained or how it worked? Or was this ever something that was published in Dungeoneer, Pegasus, or a JG module?

If anyone has any info on this feel free to chime in. Smile

Cheers!

Posts: 61 · Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2008 4:08 pm

I have not forgotten about the magic mana question but have not had a chance to connect with Marc Summerlott yet. SOON!

PS Out of 433 viewings on eBay, I sold the 75th copy of the JG history today to a fellow German-ancestry guy... and know many of you Acaeum guys bought copies.
T H A N K Y O U V E R Y M U C H !

PPS The process of layout (much easier now!), printing (almost as easy but in color!) and mailing gave me a faint echo of what we did with JG in 1976. Then we had no clue whether any one would go for it... but the obvious care that you-all show on this forum give me more than a clue that I might sell a few.

Posts: 93 · Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2008 10:14 pm

Thanks Bill! Since I posted that question to you I've played 4 OD&D sessions in which we've implemented the magic mana system Bob described. It does make the magic-user more powerful, so having the robust backfire table is essential to providing a serious drawback to all that power. Of course we've come up with our own ideas of how it should work, but having done so we're now more curious than ever to see what the original contained.

I went on a bit of JG spree on Ebay last month. Now that the bill has come in and been paid my next purchase is your book! Will make a nice December gift.

Cheers!

Posts: 61 · Posted: Sun Dec 21, 2008 11:39 pm

2 updates: I will pull the signed-copy edition of the booklets 1/2/09 (for good) and hope to have a coffee table version (11x13" hardbound) then--much more expensive!

FYI, I sold 80 copies of the booklet! 739 viewings on ebay so 11% conversion!

As to Magic Mana, I asked Marcham and he had no immediate memory of this but would see if he stumbles on something to address this.

Bill Owen wrote:

I have not forgotten about the magic mana question but have not had a chance to connect with Marc Summerlott yet. SOON!

PS Out of 433 viewings on eBay, I sold the 75th copy of the JG history

Posts: 325 · Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2008 9:17 pm

Bill,

as one of the conversions ... it was an excellent purchase.

Thanks

Posts: 61 · Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 1:05 pm

obiter wrote:

Bill,

as one of the conversions ... it was an excellent purchase.

Thanks

You're welcome! After the November rush, I sold another yesterday and was so happy you'd think I just had kittens.

A little aside on the numbering of the books, I have in my paws copy #80 which conflicts with my earlier count which is because I was counting the non-numbered issues... for Bob Jr. I gave him # I (the initial letter of the word Initial, of course, to complete the circle of how I insanely started lettering the installments with letter I!) and # B to my brother Bruce... # M to Marc S and an identified pre-release final draft to my other Markian buddy Mark W.

Posts: 2338 · Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 1:55 pm

Bill Owen wrote:

I sold another yesterday and was so happy you'd think I just had kittens.

That was me, Mark P., I will probably give it a good read and forward it on to Dean Houdeshel who wrote some stuff for the Judges Guild Dungeon Contests way back when. I am selling some of the items he produced in the 1980s on his behalf (including the ones entered in the JG Dungeon Contest).

Posts: 61 · Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 2:41 pm

Mars wrote:

That was me, Mark P., I will probably give it a good read and forward it on to Dean Houdeshel who wrote some stuff for the Judges Guild Dungeon Contests way back when. I am selling some of the items he produced in the 1980s on his behalf (including the ones entered in the JG Dungeon Contest).

Thanks Mark! And you are about to get your $7 shipping back because I was too conservative to say free shipping on international... I figured I'd find out what it cost first before I discounted or fully refunded it!