So whats Mayfair's "Dark Tower"?

I mean, Judges Guild was so playful, and so ambitious in scope.

  Consider the first TSR module, B1 In Search of the Unknown, where  the adventurers explore a....dungeon.  Apparently Zeligar and Rogan decided to dig a very deep hole and then leave.  OK, fun, but....  

   Your first encounter with Judges Guild was likely to be a "module" involving the map of a sub-continental region where lust-crazed, towering amazons were likely to chase you to add you to their collection.  (Or so I remember it, anyway.)   

    Consider a game company whose first product turns out to be a huge city map featuring The Park of Obscene Statues.  This appeared in 1976.  Ponder this....    

(Consider also that the most recent re-issue of the City State was printed in 2004!  Talk about your meat and potatoes modules!)

    Mayfair didn't set their creations in a specific world.  They are more the dessert section of the RPG buffet....kind of like the angel food cake with chocolate syrup, or the Jello graham cracker crust instant cheesecake....or maybe the cinnamon rolls.  Hmmmmm.  

     You weren't supposed to chow down on Mayfair modules...they weren't slices of roast beef, or mashed potatoes with brown gravy mixed on your plate with sweet and sour meatballs.   You were supposed to add them to your tray like extra glasses of Mountain Dew or a huge bowl of soft-serve vanilla icecream.   

    That's what made the Mayfair boxed set of City State of the Invincible Overlord (complete with a one-sheet forward from Gary Gygax...which is never included when you buy it on Ebay ) such a nasty RPG surprise.  You put it on your plate quite innocently, and end up with a shock...much like the buffet consumer who takes a helping of lasagna only to discover he's accidentally bitten into a forkful of eggplant parmesian.  More like, City State of the Inedible Celery Stalk....or Bank Account of the Unexpected Overdraft.  

    But I digress...and grow strangely hungry....

    In The Days Before Internet, Mayfair was the source for those little adventuring extras and unorthodox monstrosities that are now available as free downloads online.  Once in a while you find a really clever and useable gem, even if you do have to bite into a number of creamy mint fillings to get to the one with nuts.

   OK...hot dog time.  

   I shall go, but....anyone with a Mayfair Dark Tower suggestion?

Mark  

Deadlord39 wrote:On second thought, maybe you have a point. No one would want to use their stuff nowadays, it's far too realistic. I don't recall them ever having a +27 flaming holy vorpal dancing sword of allslaying in any of their works.

  Ah, yes, but where else can you time travel to help and evil god fight a slightly less evil god in the midst of a pack of highly confused Nazis?  

As far as I know, they are the same company, but I do not know about the personnel.

    Interesting...no 3.0 or 3.5 materials.  

Mark  

Now, why would anyone start a new game company by giving it the name of an old game company?

   Sort of like naming my new country:  Prussia...just because I liked it when it was still around and I cannot think of my own name.     Or, naming my new island kingdom "The Soviet Union" because no one was using the name right then and I figured...well...it's got recognition!  

Mark  

mbassoc2003 wrote:A quick question....

Does Beastmaker Mountain come with pregenerated characters?
If so, are they meant to be in the book?

Is it just the book and the coloured folder? Nothing else (except possibly a flyer)?

I'll check both mine when I get back home ( bout an 2 hours ), unless someone finds out before I do.

mbassoc2003 wrote:

Lordan wrote:I'll check both mine when I get back home ( bout an 2 hours ), unless someone finds out before I do.

You have two?  

Actually 2 of each with the exception of the Fez I just bought. I may have another Kobold Hall without the folder though

anyways, from what I see in mine they both contain  the module ( 28 pages , center 2 pages are perferated for removal of maps , so 32 total pages ) and the ad paper for ordering ( has description of module on front side ). So unless both mine are missing something then I would say no pregen characters.

On page 6 it mentions guidlines for generating new characters.

hope that helps, just let me know if you need more info. BTW both my copies ( folders )  are the deep red, is the yellow one a second print?

I'll check mine when I get a chance.

Just a 26 page booklet and folder.  As mentioned, there are guidelines for generating characters, but that is it.