In Quest of the Hand of Vecna?
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Post Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 3:58 pm 
 

I was probably the person who sent John the first email about Vecna/Serpent but I didn't hear back from him :(  I checked his email address too and it seemed current with some recent poetry related posts.

I think that was the store that I picked up my copies of Serpent from as well (although I had the impression that I got the rest of them) so I am guessing that you will receive something similar to a plastic side pinched cover with xeroxed pages.  There is a cover sheet but no map pages such as the ones in the Hand of Vecna.  In the comparison between Vecna and Serpent, it does seem as if a few rooms have been changed and moved around a bit.  For example the casino is room 55 in one and 58 in the other.

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Post Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 4:04 pm 
 

g026r wrote:I've had that one in my eBay searches since it came up here.

That's a good idea; I'm glad someone remembered to do it.

Man, that was a poorly played scam. Atari, if you're still lurking, you really took it too far; a little discretion next time might net you an unwary buyer.

The Vecna/Serpent thing, on the other hand, looks reasonably cool. I'm not usually a fan of homebrews, but this one appears to be a reasonably good labor of love that might be worth dropping a few coins on.

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Post Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 9:13 pm 
 

Xaxaxe,

    Thanks for the history lesson the Lisa...at the time I was on the C64 or the Vic-20 playing Telegard  :D if I can remember that far ago. I can remember the Mac Plus and the SE, but thats the earliest I can go. And I did ask him if he still has the Lisa for you  :P

Everyone,

    I originally just wanted information on this and to see if it had any value. I got all the information that I could want (Thanks go out to Mars and ThorinIronfist(John Barnes) especially) but still haven't seen anything regarding value. I know something like this is rare but then again so is pretty much every homebrew module from the early-mid 80's. This is different from those in that this is an original module that was modified for publication and there is some value to the published version (Serpent of Me'Tal).

    In the last email from John, he told me there were only 4-5 of these ever printed out and after talking to Carl they might have given 1 or 2 of these away so at most if they are remembering correctly there are 5-7 (or just highball as high as 10) that ever existed. So I know the odds of ever getting this back is slim to none.

    I have decided that I am not going to keep it, mainly because it doesn't fit into my collection of TSR items. I have had people PM me offers for it, but I really don't know how much its worth. I don't know if anyone here can give me a rough idea or not but I would appreciate anyones best guess. I know the only 100% way of finding out is to throw it up on an auction site but I prefer not to do that. Don't get me wrong, I can do it (and people can check my Ebay ID --> Fdevlin2002 100% positive feedback of 219 but only 25-40% of those are for selling items - Drop me a message and tell me you're from here and I'll respond) its just that I would prefer to not do it.

    I have been telling people that PM me with cash offers, that I would prefer not to sell it outright but would prefer trades for OD&D items. I mention that just to be up front with people that might be thinking this is an "ATARI" thing.

    Thanks again for everything, I do appreciate it.

GreyM

  

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Post Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 11:00 am 
 

GreyM....well if you want to trade for it, what EXACTLY are you looking for then?

the folk here who want it, i can guarantee, have everything you want and then some, so put something out there and see who bites.

its the kinda item i like having, i have to say, but that said, it doesnt mean i will shell tons of cash at it either.

Al


Are we nearly there yet?

  


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Post Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 1:02 pm 
 

Kill,

    I think I am going to throw it up on the classifieds with a link to this thread. I'm pretty much wanting OD&D items such as the box set and/or supplements since I started out with the blue basic set. I never had the chance to read/play the original. I'm also interested in the supermodules but we'll see what happens. Thanks as I didn't think to actually put what I was wanting in here.

GreyM

  

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Post Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 5:12 pm 
 

Just one follow up note on this.  I've been chatting with John and he found out from another of the authors that about 20 copies of Hand of Vecna were sold at a convention in Bowling Green State University, near Toledo.

So far they aren't quite sure where the "manuscript" copy with white title page, black ink and a picture of an egg with snake wrapped around it came from.

Of the copies that look like this,
Image

apparently 100 copies were printed, about 20 sold, 10 might have been given away and the rest went with one of the authors.  So there might still be a stash of these still kicking around.  I have only ever seen 1 of these go by on Ebay.

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Post Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 9:29 pm 
 

Hey there.  I'm the guy that John was talking to.  A couple additional details:

The original product was printed at the University of Michigan (on those Lisa computers).

I do seem to remember that someone told me they used it at a convention once.  Possibly the Bowling Green convention where we first sold it.  At least I think it was Bowling Green.  That's the way I have always remembered it anyway.

To bad "The Box" with the hand never made it into the product.  Its one of my fondest memories of my D&D days.  I knew we should have kept Carl locked in his room another day or two.

  


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Post Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 6:43 am 
 

GreyM - Those scans seem to have a weird washed out brownish color to them.  I remember a color like Mars scan above.

Trivia - The High Level Bridge in Toledo (over the Maumee in down town) was the name sake for our company.  I think I am the one who actually came up with that.

I have a picture somewhere of Bob and I at the selling table at the Bowling Green convention.  I'll have to try to dig it up.

BTW, John and I both agree that its very good to hear the interest in this after so long a time.  Quite the nostalgia trip.

  

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Post Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 8:22 am 
 

Hi nano, good to see you here.  Do you remember why there was a chance of address from Vecna to Serpent?

Vecna was 135 University Blvd and Serpent is 3737 Schneider Road.

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Post Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 10:21 am 
 

No kidding?  3737 Schneider was my home address back then.  I have no idea why we did that.  Maybe because I was the only guy living in town at the time (went to University of Toledo).  Everyone else went to school out of town.

John, Carl - Chime in here guys.  MORGOTH KNOWS YOU ARE WATCHING!

  


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Post Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 10:31 am 
 

Hi nano---

I'm definitely interested in talking with you and John about your leveraging of Greyhawk elements in the Hand of Vecna and how they were/weren't changed in The Seprent of Met'al (which I don't own).  

John obviously made use of some Vecna/DMG terms/elements---Vecna and Kas---but also added in at least some GH elements too ("Baklunish" appears, for example).  So I'd be very interested in further info/details on your original placement of this in Greyhawk, whether mentioned in the text of hte module or simply how you ran it at home or in tournaments.

Also, if you (or anyone else) has any confirmed details about Hand of Vecna being run at a Bowling Green convention, I'd be happy to add the adventure to my roster of GH (and early D&D) tournament events at http://www.greyhawkonline.com/grodog/gh_tourneys.html

Thanks!


Allan Grohe ([email protected])
Greyhawk, grodog Style

Editor and Project Manager, Black Blade Publishing
https://www.facebook.com/BlackBladePublishing/

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Post Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 11:27 am 
 

Hey grodog,

Carl is your man for HoV.  I was just the crazy CE MU (lich) trying to take over the world.  John then helped Carl with revisions on SoM.

John is trying to join this forum.  Might take him a day or two though.  Not sure if Carl is planning on joining or not.

Details on the Bowling Green convention would be hard to come by at this point.  I'm pretty sure a guy bought one and used it right away that weekend for an event he had planned.

BTW - I remember people being astounded at the difficulty level of the module.  lol - Not sure we had ever heard of "Campaign Control" until then.  Might be called the "Battle-cloud Galactica" syndrome I guess.

  

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Post Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 1:49 pm 
 

nano wrote:BTW - I remember people being astounded at the difficulty level of the module.  lol - Not sure we had ever heard of "Campaign Control" until then.  Might be called the "Battle-cloud Galactica" syndrome I guess.


Yes, I was going to ask why such a high level module was written.  SoM states it is for part of 7, average level 16 with at least two +5 weapons and a wide variety of other powerful magic.

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Post Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 12:56 pm 
 

Ah...here we go....That's me on the right.

Image


Last edited by nano on Sun Jan 23, 2022 2:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
  


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Post Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 1:13 pm 
 

Ahh.  Now I know why you use the name "nano".   :D


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Post Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 2:15 pm 
 

nano wrote:GreyM - Those scans seem to have a weird washed out brownish color to them.  I remember a color like Mars scan above.
...
...
BTW, John and I both agree that its very good to hear the interest in this after so long a time.  Quite the nostalgia trip.


The actual pages are more white like his scan. I think it was the lighting and/or my 10 year old digital camera  :D

I keep my old one at work (Canon 2.0 megapixel) where I took them. At home, I use my wife's Rebel XTi.

I'm glad John got ahold of you and let you know about this thread and site. That photo is great. The copy of the Hand I have might have been one of those on the table to your left(if thats what those are).

The guy that told me he thought he played this at a convention might have actually played this there.

I've thanked John and Carl and now I get to thank you for atleast giving us more information regarding this (and the picture)  :P

GreyM

  


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Post Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 12:49 am 
 

nano wrote:Ah...here we go....That's me on the right.

Okay, seriously ... you know who you guys look like exactly? Tom Cruise and his buddies doing their Junior Businessmen thing in Risky Business. You know, with that thing they made? The paper-towel dispenser or whatever the hell it was?

I mean, it's uncanny! I even see Docksider shoes!

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Post Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 6:28 am 
 

LOL!  oh sorry...I mean "XD!"

That is funny.  I've always loved the movie "Risky Business".  Maybe that had something to do with it.  Bob always had some kind of "sure-fire" money making scheme in his head.  I think he actually got that from Junior Achievement.  Are you saying I look like Tom Cruise?  Man....I do NOT like that guy these days.

OK.  Can't resist a couple more shots...


First gaming group shot we ever took (John in suit, Carl center back):
Image
John and Carl (Carl on left, John seated, Bob in background)
Image

Long Live High Level Adventures!


Last edited by nano on Sun Jan 23, 2022 2:44 pm, edited 2 times in total.
  
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