To Erase or not to Erase, That is the Question...
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Post Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2007 9:36 pm 
 

Here's an awesome annotated Wandering Monster Table from a 1st print Holmes Basic rulebook (Lizard Logo, F-116R) that I bought on Ebay:

Image

The 1st print Holmes Basic rulebook was missing a number of monsters that were shown on this table including Centipede, Large Spider, Giant Rat, Troglodite [sic], Giant Toad, Huge Spider, Gnoll, Leprechaun, Piercer, Shrieker, Giant Snake, Giant Spider, Giant Weasel and Giant Lizard, Heroes, Theurgists, Vicars and Burglars. This was corrected in later prints.

As you can see, a frustrated DM has "fixed" the table. I love the replacements, especially "Guinea Pig", "Chicken", "Map Devoerer", "Purple Pig" and "Ants" (not Giant Ants, just Ants). And it's fun to imagine a party encountering 1-8 Hawks on the 2nd level underground. "Map Devoerer" sounds like an especially nasty critter - sort of a cross between and Intellect Devourer and a Rust Monster - as Gygax wrote in U&WA, "sure-fire fits for map-makers".  Note that Holmes uses the term "guinea pig" on pg 38/39, although it's in reference to Players using their henchmen as experimental subjects to test Magic Items.

So, that's my example of pencil writing that I won't erase.

(For more information on the Holmes rulebook print differences see: http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=18178)

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Post Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2007 10:00 pm 
 

It's awesome, alright.  Be nice if the frustrated DM had consulted the Webster's Basic Dictionary for the correct spelling of "Devourer" though, LOL.  I'm not sure these are improvements, even if the originally listed monsters didn't appear in this book (which incidentally I'd never heard of before now).

On the other hand, I am beginning to lean toward not erasing the writing in the G1-2-3 that I recently acquired.  It adds a bit of charm, and the module isn't in wonderful shape anyway.

  

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Post Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2007 10:02 pm 
 

zhowar wrote:So, that's my example of pencil writing that I won't erase.



Magical stuff - real (though perhaps slightly deluded) effort went onto this many years ago - definitely a bit of history.

(Pity the party that slaughters the band of chickens they meet on level one, only to later be faced by the chickens near legendary leader - a mysterious fugure known only as ' THE COLONEL' Bwa Ha Ha) :lol:


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Post Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2007 11:13 pm 
 

Sounds a bit like Castle Greyhawk...  What a travesty that was.

  


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Post Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2007 11:32 pm 
 

Kosh Vorlontay wrote:Sounds like a story in there somewhere...do tell  :)

Ah, no. Sorry, guys, it was just an off-the-top of my head example for the type of stuff I've seen in written-in modules throughout the years. It wasn't a specific example, though.  :)

zhowar wrote:As you can see, a frustrated DM has "fixed" the table. I love the replacements, especially "Guinea Pig", "Chicken", "Map Devoerer", "Purple Pig" and "Ants" (not Giant Ants, just Ants). And it's fun to imagine a party encountering 1-8 Hawks on the 2nd level underground.

"Rabbits (1-4)." That is frickin' classic!   :)

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Post Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 12:57 am 
 

In future years...in the times to come...the days beyond...the years that will be...the writing in those books will make them valuable.  Like pioneer autographs in Bibles or names etched on posts....or...or...like old characters living on inside of preserved game boxes.

The way I figure it, the pages still echo....

There must be a world somewhere where the great heroes live on, only fading away as their character sheets are destroyed by time and elements.   8O

Mark   8)


"But I have watched the dragons come, fire-eyed, across the world."

  


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Post Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 7:00 am 
 

FormCritic wrote:In future years...in the times to come...the days
There must be a world somewhere where the great heroes live on, only fading away as their character sheets are destroyed by time and elements.   8O

Mark   8)


And don't forget, by me angrily crumpling and ripping them apart with my razor sharp, negative feedback-leaving talons...

  


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Post Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2007 7:23 pm 
 

I went with the Pink Pearl, ultimately...  Tried the white erasers, they didn't seem to pick up as well, so I wiped down the kitchen table and got busy with some elbow grease.  The PP worked like a charm, no loss of blue portions of the module's IC maps, of course worked great on the text areas.  The writing wasn't that heavy (mostly labels on maps), but you'd never know it had any writing now.  Thanks for the advice, guys!

  
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