On the subject...

I picked up Rappan Athuk---Reloaded the other day, both as an investment (it sells for $75 in the stores and has already sold for as much as $100 online) and out of curiousity.  

Anyway, if you play 3rd edition, it's a nice purchase, the dozens of levels and hundreds of pages could keep your group busy for awhile. If you play another version of D&D, it could be nice purchase because unlike other 3rd ed products there are no stat blocks crapping up the descriptions...they are all in another book, separate from the main text. Anothee book contains all the maps.  Without the ever annoying stat blocks, it doesn't interfere with a DM's creative juices if he wants to convert it to another edition.

Mike B.

Badmike wrote:On the subject...

I picked up Rappan Athuk---Reloaded the other day, both as an investment (it sells for $75 in the stores and has already sold for as much as $100 online) and out of curiousity.  

Anyway, if you play 3rd edition, it's a nice purchase, the dozens of levels and hundreds of pages could keep your group busy for awhile. If you play another version of D&D, it could be nice purchase because unlike other 3rd ed products there are no stat blocks crapping up the descriptions...they are all in another book, separate from the main text. Anothee book contains all the maps.  Without the ever annoying stat blocks, it doesn't interfere with a DM's creative juices if he wants to convert it to another edition.

Mike B.

Yep...there was 1000 printed and they are all sold out. And these came with numbered cards a few of which got the person prizes or were signed by Demon Lords
One card allowed free Necromancer Games products for life I believe and don't think anyone has come forward yet (demon signed one has been announced though)

Necromancer Games has gone to the model of placing the majority of its stat blocks at the back (something I prefer what with d20's way of presenting them.)

ShaneG.

24 modules?

The hardback project has been abandoned?

So we're not going to see the castle ruins and dungeons books to go with the city of Yggsburgh?

(I wrote of a review of Yggsburgh, by the way.  It is around here on the Acaeum, somewhere.)

I think I get it..the castle is the two box sets, the city is to be the 24 modules.
Has Troll Lords announced the city stuff yet, I don't recall reading it and I check the forums usually every day.

ShaneG.

No, Steve Chenault has not formally announced them but I imagine they will be announced relatively quickly (I hope not too long after LGGC III, but only Gary and Steve know when for sure.) However, its not like they're coming from nowhere, since Gary Gygax made them publically known when he did his call for designers a while back. I just happened to get lucky enough to be "special consultant." They are separate from the CZ castle, as they are about Yggsburgh and the environs thereabout, but they are related to the whole project.

Its been a bumpy ride, to be sure, but CZ stuff is on the way.

serleran wrote:The Castle is going to box set(s), rather than 8 hardbacks. But, the city is being expanded in 24 modules. So, you're getting both, the city and castle/ruins. All that has changed is that the format shifted from hardback to box set. Its just easier to give relevant material in box format, especially when one book might've had stuff from two or more maps, or one map might have stuff from two or more books. So, umm, I guess no you won't see "books." You'll see box sets (looks to be two) and 24 modules focusing on Yggsburgh. Is that more clear?

Are there any plans to fix the egregious Yggsburgh city map?  

Possibly replace it with a map suitable for fantasy gaming?

The only map redux I am aware of involved the Darlene map from the book, but I will see about finding more info on an improved city map, but I can't promise anything. I think there will be a consolidated map of the city when all the town modules are finished, but I can't say for certain.

I have always been dissapointed with Troll Lord Games products. Its such a shame too because they always have great ideals and creativity, but the actual execution of those plans always fall short. By the way, did they ever hire a paid editor, or are they still proofreading stuff themselves 30 minutes before it goes to the printing press?

I have few complaints about the spell checking at TLG.  I have seen worse.  The guy who did Yggsburgh too obviously relied on a computer spell checker and the find/replace function on Word.  It made for some nutty errors.

I know first-hand that editing RPG stuff can be a complicated and time consuming task.  There are so many nonsense names and terms...combined with lots of italics, special script and layout quirks.

My complaint about the Yggsburgh city map is that it was obviously expensive to make...and for the same money they could have had something grand.  

In a city module, the maps are the key components.  Dungeons can be fairly random, so long as we can see roughly where everything connects.  City maps have to be good.  Outdoor maps, that place an adventure in its setting and frame a quest, are also more important than dungeon maps.

The large scale map by Darlene was just great...if the key encounter sites had not been numbered right on the map...another inexplicable decision which did not involve any change in production costs.

I've noticed the same trend with other TLG products.  They skimp on drawing the maps.  Why?

The concept style map for Lost City of Gaxmoor was a very nice TLG exception.  They need to revisit that publication...and then take a look a the city maps for Freeport and the online map of the City of Greyhawk.  A look at the City State of the Invincible Overlord would also give them a nice idea of how to proceed...but with just a bit more detail than Judges Guild included.

I don't really want to carp.  I just want them to succeed.  

Mark