(I felt this might be relevant and interesting to the collector community, but feel free to delete or move if this is regarded in any way as inappropriate.  Thanks!)

Hi all, as some of you know I've been working on various books exploring the history of Dungeons & Dragons for about six years.  The first one I released was Steam Tunnels: The Myth of the Killer Dungeon, telling the tale of James Dallas Egbert III.  Now I'm embarking on a new series of books entitled Hawk & Moor, which is a chronicle of fantasy role-playing's early days.  Book one of that series, The Dragon Rises, is now in final draft form and ready for beta readers.

I have not yet published, as I would strongly prefer to have some smart and respected people (many of whom might have a better grasp on the "secret history" than I) review my work for potential misstatements and errors of fact.  I'd also love to have some feedback on the general style, which I've tried to set in a middle ground between formal and gamer-friendly.

Toward that end, I would like to invite any and all Acaeum members of good standing (say, anyone not banned and with an account established before April 22, 2014) to review a free .pdf copy of my draft.  Feedback and corrections would be greatly appreciated, and anyone who offers aid however minor will be happily added to the acknowledgements.  And if you'd just like something interesting to read, you're welcome as well!

I'm going to hold this beta reading offer open until April 29 (which does not mean I'm placing a deadline on comments!), and will be publishing regular updates to the eBook as further details come to light.  A softcover may follow once I'm reasonably certain that there are no significant errors in the text.  The Acaeum is the only site I am using for this purpose, and I would appreciate it if you would refrain from sharing the final draft outside of my distribution (except via request to me).

Also, please feel free to use this thread for discussion of the series, I have no proprietary hold over any of the "secrets" in these books.  The current draft, covering c. 1970-1972 with some earlier relevant material, is about 54,500 words and 203 pages.  Book II is being prepared for a spring release as well, which covers Dec 1972 - Jan 1974.  If you're interested, please reply to this thread and/or send me a PM.  I will be sending .pdfs via e-mail from my Hotmail account, or via Acaeum PM.

Thanks all!  I appreciate it.  

Kent

Thunderdave wrote in Hawk & Moor: A new D&D book and request for beta readers:Congrats on the project!  I respect any labour of love like this that enhances the profile of the early rpg scene.

I'd love to be a beta-reader and would do my best to provide feedback.  I don't have the depth of knowledge that many around the forum does, but I'll try

PM coming your way!

Ditto!

I'd be interested in reading through, and providing feedback where appropriate

Hi cdenham, no matter.  We all wanted to be there and that's the spirit I've this written this book in.  I'll send a copy your way a bit later, please enjoy it.  

Everyone, I've used either Hotmail or Acaeum PM to send your materials, although I'm not familiar with the distinction between Acaeum's outbox and sent logs; please let me know if you've been left empty-handed.

Thanks all!

K

Hi Gnat, sent.  Have fun!  

Sounds interesting.
Are you looking for people to read and offer opinion, or a complete proofread for typos and snafus?
I'd like to read it and let you know what I think, but I don't really have the time for a full proofread etc. right now.
Must go hunt down Steam Tunnels too. That one sounds good to me too.

darkseraphim wrote in Hawk & Moor: A new D&D book and request for beta readers:Hi Alexander, no worries.  Believe me I understand … I have an entire bookcase of partial reads, and my "to read" list is something of an embarrassment considering my mortality.  Hawk & Moor will probably see physical print after I'm sure there's no major errors.  Steam Tunnels is still being re-edited for print but should be out this summer.  8)

That's great to know, I really look forward to both books  

Hi all, I just wanted to let you know that Book II:  The Dungeons Deep is now available for the Kindle.  This is the one which covers the design and play of Castle Greyhawk dungeon levels 1 through 13, so it includes all of the tales involving Robilar, Tenser, Terik, Murlynd, Ahlissa, Otto, Lessnard, and the rest of the gang.  You'll find details on the Old Guard Kobolds, thouls, Zagyg, the Nine, Obmi, the City of Greyhawk, and all of that other good stuff as well.  I include notes on character experience levels and estimated chronology.  I also include my own research on the two biggest secrets of the dungeon, the Great Stone Face and the Jeweled Man.  280 footnotes for those who like to prowl out the original sources, too.

This one should be free for a few days starting tomorrow, if I can convince Amazon to start it up then.  After that, it will be priced at a criminally extortionist $3.99.  Enjoy, and happy reading!

Link:
Amazon.com: HAWK & MOOR - The Golden Age of Fantasy Role-Playing Games: Book 2 - The Dungeons Deep eBook: Kent David Kelly: Kindle Store

Hi all, thanks much Carl  

And thank you all for your kind encouragement, advice and reviews so far, I deeply appreciate it!  I'm receiving most of my feedback via Hotmail, Facebook and in person, but feel free to PM me here as well.  I have a few pieces of news to share relating to this project:

* Book I has gone as high as #25 in Amazon's bestselling D&D book list, which is both cool and kind of sad.  Hopefully D&D Next will breathe some more life into the game, and I hope we'll see some more old school support as well.  I'd like to see D&D rock the charts this summer.

* Book III is currently being written; this one will cover 1974-1975, including details on Greyhawk's China/Arabia continent, the City of Brass, the Tomb of Horrors, the Temple of Elemental Evil, Empire of the Petal Throne, Ayelerach and Erac's Cousin, Warriors of Mars, the Burroughs and Tolkien cease and desists and all of that other good stuff.

* Feedback received to date has allowed me to make some corrections and additions for Books I and II.  These are not live yet, as they are still being researched and collated, but should be on Amazon by June.  I think Amazon will send notice that a new version is available to prior purchasers as a free download, but I'm not sure

I'll also add some more detailed footnotes as I prepare for hardcopy publication later this fall.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, all are welcome!  I'll try to post a notice when Book III is released for those who would like a free copy.