Something for someone who knows something about stupidly rare dice examples, and collects such things. Clearly the seller does, as they photographed them meticulously. I never really had much interest, although I do wish I'd kept ahold of one of the pairs of Olidamara dice I had.

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Something for anyone who collects foreign non-TSR D&D. There are nine of these modules in total, pretty similar to the stuff coming out of the UK at the time in feel, cartography, etc. But they're pretty rare. I see maybe one or two copies cropping up a year. A fair price too.

A poor translation thanks to Google from the Introduction page.....

For many long years, war has raged between the northern kingdoms and the forces of the Necromancers. War is also a misnomer; it is in fact a constant pressure on all the borders, and raids in all the coastal towns. Since the great battle of the Equinox which saw the victory of the "Free People", the kingdoms have turned in on themselves. The alliance between all the peoples against the Common enemy broke from the end of the battle in the confusion which reigned following the death of all the great captains. For a time, the necromancer forces seemed to wane, but on the second anniversary of the battle, five towns near the southern border were razed to the ground.

No one knows where exactly the territory of the necromancers is. The grassy steppes of KHARTAN, which extend beyond the southern border, are too often the scene of skirmishes where many men lose their lives. What makes some say that it is in the ruins, which one can find in the south of the steppes, that the great masters of the black orders took refuge. Others, basing themselves on the direction taken by the big black ships which raid the coasts, claim that the lands of the South are only vassal places of the necromancers, and that their real stronghold is a land in the West of the soul.

As a rule, ships from the Northern Kingdoms never venture outside of sight of the dimensions, whether for fishing or for trade. Knowledge has been lost, the sea has become a mysterious and worrying thing, even for those who live from it.

Just as the enemy does not have a precise geographic situation, so do the creatures who. Their strength is hardly better known. The raids of the southern border are very often the fact of creatures of nightmares, according to the survivors when there are any. Legends say that during the great battle of the Equinox, the steppe was black with living dead who advanced in slow irresistible waves to assault the fortifications of the "Free People". The black ships undeniably have human crews, but their ferocity is so great that, according to a fisherman's proverb, it is better to surrender to the sharks, because to be shredded alive is a sweet death compared to what these infernal crews reserve. to their prisoners. On the other hand, if the crews are human, no one has ever seen what the rowers of these large galleries are. Even for laymen, the movement of the huge oars has something that gives off an indefinable uneasiness, even an instinctive feeling of disgust. Finally, never confirmed rumors state strange birds that kidnap travelers to torment them for days.

This used to go for higher values than this BIN:


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Deadlord wrote in Interesting Non-TSR Items Currently on eBay:Nine as in nine different ones, not nine modules printed, right?

Yep. Nine different modules put out by Le Dernier Cercle.
That said, don't imagine the print runs were very high. I've been watching them for years and they very rarely come up. Maybe its a cultural thing. Maybe the French do not believe in buying and selling on eBay as a culture the way others do? Or maybe they just bin stuff when they are done, or stick it all in storage as 'family property' handed down through generations. Who knows? But if I were watching a UK published product line, and say so few copies making it to market, I'd be guessing at print runs of a couple of hundred units a piece.
Do any of our French members remember these being available in local games stores back in the late 80's? Or were these mail order only?
Either way, pretty high quality products for the time, and stupidly rare and difficult to read in the English speaking world.
Maybe one day I'll translate one.

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ashmire13 wrote in Interesting Non-TSR Items Currently on eBay:
Decent prices

I'd say great scores considering that content looked uncut and unused!

Italian version of Battle Cattle. There's also a second edition, and a line of minis that go with it.  

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Seller has a few issues at reasonable prices.

aia wrote in Interesting Non-TSR Items Currently on eBay:My copy is definitely smaller that this version... Is there anywhere i can understand the different printings/editions?

I think stratochamp mentioned having four, which are possibly:

1. The original 1981 UK edition (which I have never seen, & don't know if it has hardback or paperback binding)
2. The 1982 US version, the nicely produced hardback in the auction
3. The US book-club edition, a hardback with a dustjacket & uneven page edges
4. Maybe the UK book-club edition? Perhaps strato can fill us in.