tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post1060446726039713701..comments2024-03-29T07:58:31.156-04:00Comments on GROGNARDIA: Retrospective: Man, Myth & MagicJames Maliszewskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-5472887004495237772011-03-09T05:50:12.853-05:002011-03-09T05:50:12.853-05:00But it had a great cover.But it had a great cover.Harounhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17731636259486649113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-2085487268461936562010-04-22T13:37:37.035-04:002010-04-22T13:37:37.035-04:00“I liked the idea of such a system, but the diffic...“<b>I liked the idea of such a system, but the difficulty for me (even then) was how to explain that a new character, who was conceivably older than the previous character whom he was replacing was a reincarnation of the earlier one.</b>”<br /><br />Time is a mundane construct that doesn’t apply to souls. There you go. ^_^Roberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16733274876782876659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-16868584587276747322010-04-02T22:19:37.027-04:002010-04-02T22:19:37.027-04:00The intriguing thing about it was the reincarnatio...<i>The intriguing thing about it was the reincarnation rules. When you died, you generated a new character (and were allowed to reroll if you rolled the same class again). Then as time went by you got to make "Distant Memory" rolls, and would eventually remember your previous existence, at which point you regained the special abilities of your former class, while keeping your new abilities.</i><br /><br>I liked the idea of such a system, but the difficulty for me (even then) was how to explain that a new character, who was conceivably older than the previous character whom he was replacing was a reincarnation of the earlier one.James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-21201111989551094232010-04-02T22:18:06.064-04:002010-04-02T22:18:06.064-04:00Speaking of role-playing games with ancient settin...<i>Speaking of role-playing games with ancient settings, have you looked into Palladium's Valley of the Pharaohs?</i><br /><br>My direct experience with any Palladium games is quite limited. It's a huge gap in my education.James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-15946405220637930432010-04-02T22:17:19.420-04:002010-04-02T22:17:19.420-04:00I'm not surprised that game fell into oblivion...<i>I'm not surprised that game fell into oblivion...</i><br /><br>It probably didn't help that Yaquinto ceased publishing RPGs a couple of years later.James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-44886051633596126312010-04-02T22:16:30.859-04:002010-04-02T22:16:30.859-04:00Ever have look at Zenobia by Paul Elliot?
I looked...<i>Ever have look at Zenobia by Paul Elliot?</i><br /><br>I looked at it some time ago and was quite impressed, but I don't know if I still have a copy.James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-11264903344206168992010-04-01T20:22:01.702-04:002010-04-01T20:22:01.702-04:00James, if you like historical fantasy, check out G...James, if you like historical fantasy, check out Gene Wolfe's <i>Soldier of the Mist</i> series. Greece during the Peloponnesian War, gods, magic swords, and a unique picaresque hero.cgeiselhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07737867949880580716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-52304871156114067222010-04-01T07:33:26.612-04:002010-04-01T07:33:26.612-04:00faoladh said..."You see, it seems that Brenna...faoladh said..."You see, it seems that Brennan's theory of roleplaying was (and may still be) that it really is great training for esoteric practices like Ceremonial Magic, and he was pretty explicit about that in Timeship."<br /><br />Yeah, Timeship is about a close as you can get to "overt new age evangelizing," not that new agers and occultists do much evangelizing. The game is pretty much a step by step lesson on magickal visualization with a focus on psychic time travel but teaches techniques that will serve the initiate... sorry... gamer in any magickal pursuit such as ceremonial magick, meditation, path working, etc. The system itself, with PERSONAL ENERGY being the main stat and the fact that you can use your PERSONAL ENERGY to create equipment or change your character's appearance, makes it obvious that your characters in the game are psychic projections and that the system is meant to simulate a type of psychic time travel rather than actual physical time travel. When one considers that Herbie Brennan also wrote a book on psychic time travel, this is not surprising. It's still not much in the way of a credible and playable role playing game but interesting nonetheless for its approach and a great beginner's guide if you want to someday gain the Knowledge and Conversation of your Holy Guardian Angel or actually travel through time in a completely subjective and unverifiable manner.<br /><br />EDgoeticgeekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02806200047269447375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-56743515794369990202010-04-01T05:51:28.577-04:002010-04-01T05:51:28.577-04:00"Consequently, a typical party might consist ..."Consequently, a typical party might consist of a Roman legionnaire, an African witchdoctor, an Irish leprechaun, a Siberian shaman, and an Egyptian priest."<br /><br />And they fight mummies, you say? Maybe I'm just a freak, but this sounds way, WAY more awesome than any dry "accurate" historical RPG I've ever encountered. :)Will Mistrettahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18403399118961902073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-56771444163187901672010-04-01T04:48:45.369-04:002010-04-01T04:48:45.369-04:00I'd never put it together that the author of t...I'd never put it together that the author of that game was also the author of <i>Timeship</i>, a game which was the subject of some serious debate in the gaming community during the BADD years. You see, it seems that Brennan's theory of roleplaying was (and may still be) that it really <i>is</i> great training for esoteric practices like Ceremonial Magic, and he was pretty explicit about that in <i>Timeship</i>.faoladhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03691952430041394614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-3980234020540795842010-04-01T02:48:05.463-04:002010-04-01T02:48:05.463-04:00I only ever played AD&D (OK, and Call of Cht.....I only ever played AD&D (OK, and Call of Cht...Cth...C..uh..you know), but our game god was an inveterate collector of RP games, so I do remember looking through this. I knew enough even then to be less than impressed by the mulligan stew of themes being mushes together.lazycathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08391072231837230851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-57493237103467505222010-03-31T20:54:55.802-04:002010-03-31T20:54:55.802-04:00Mazes and Minotaurs isn't very historical, but...Mazes and Minotaurs isn't very historical, but it is very fun. If you want to play Ray Harryhausen Ancient World, there you are.Adam Thorntonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06368676086759298705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-67453673714553731332010-03-31T19:02:56.158-04:002010-03-31T19:02:56.158-04:00I'm going to have to echo Jeff here and say th...I'm going to have to echo Jeff here and say that the anachronistic kitchen sink faux-historical vibe sounds great!Blairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10884401206802336531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-68227826806632823022010-03-31T18:14:41.460-04:002010-03-31T18:14:41.460-04:00@Anthony: Hey! Powers & Perils had it's ...@Anthony: Hey! <i>Powers & Perils</i> had it's redeeming features! It just appeared bad at first glance (for a third or fourth generation game); it actually worked quite well in play.Reverance Pavanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01217657347160811310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-35854288961245368472010-03-31T18:05:21.398-04:002010-03-31T18:05:21.398-04:00We played it once or twice. I killed a guy by thro...We played it once or twice. I killed a guy by throwing one of my sandals at him. And the characters were really 'Huh?'.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-54755663543992769862010-03-31T16:11:43.719-04:002010-03-31T16:11:43.719-04:00This was a HORRIBLE game. I rate it right up ther...This was a HORRIBLE game. I rate it right up there with Powers & Perils for suck factor.AnthonyRobersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12280185959763509522noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-86116981985825596382010-03-31T15:46:45.915-04:002010-03-31T15:46:45.915-04:00I have a friend who owns this game and its few sup...I have a friend who owns this game and its few supplements. He LOVES it, although he's never played it or run it. He was bummed out that the final adventure was never published, which supposedly would have completed the campaign arc Herbert had started in the first four(?) books.<br /><br />You should also check out the Man, Myth, and Magic encyclopedia set. Tricky to find, but EXTREMELY useful for any RPGer.<br /><br />Word Verification: Undie. hehehe.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13786137235534111384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-13081437837771437162010-03-31T15:42:07.450-04:002010-03-31T15:42:07.450-04:00The system was definitely cumbersome. We only pla...The system was definitely cumbersome. We only played it once. The chance of a Merchant character was about 1 in 4 or so, with most of the rest being one of the many warrior or spell-casting classes.<br /><br />The intriguing thing about it was the reincarnation rules. When you died, you generated a new character (and were allowed to reroll if you rolled the same class again). Then as time went by you got to make "Distant Memory" rolls, and would eventually remember your previous existence, at which point you regained the special abilities of your former class, while keeping your new abilities.<br /><br />WV: quinne. Clearly a reference to William Von Orman Quine, a philosopher who was very interested in self-referential statements, appropriately enough.Leptopushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08222070077217913283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-8182916745485011012010-03-31T13:59:05.069-04:002010-03-31T13:59:05.069-04:00Speaking of role-playing games with ancient settin...Speaking of role-playing games with ancient settings, have you looked into Palladium's <b><i>Valley of the Pharaohs</i></b>? I think they may still be offering it as a series of free PDF downloads. Someday, I need to play it. (And I wish I had all the related miniatures that were available when the game was released. They were nice.)Gordon Cooperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12907319916602597979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-48541398676816684262010-03-31T13:54:25.644-04:002010-03-31T13:54:25.644-04:00I played the introductory scenario in which you st...I played the introductory scenario in which you start as a gladiator during the reign of a randomly determined Roman emperor. I thought it was quite fun.<br /><br />The game has promise, but my biggest complaint is not about the random professions, but the overwhelming odds that you will generate a merchant. I think I'd adjust the tables to accommodate more variety. Parties of merchants may actually be more credible, but they can also be incredibly boring if exotic adventure is what lured you to the game.<br /><br />I recall reincarnation being an important part of the game, which intrigued me, but who wants to look back on a long line of previous lives all spent as a merchant?<br /><br />If I were to play it again, there would definitely be house rules.Gordon Cooperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12907319916602597979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-23629403388944428902010-03-31T13:39:46.148-04:002010-03-31T13:39:46.148-04:00I don't remember playing that game, but I do r...I don't remember playing that game, but I do remember that it had awesome character sheets.devisorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16400214403122519533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-77807673995241649332010-03-31T13:18:38.253-04:002010-03-31T13:18:38.253-04:00There's a good article in White Dwarf #20, abo...There's a good article in White Dwarf #20, about various well-known peoples (Vikings, ancient Egyptians etc) in D&D terms.anarchisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05546197561922726279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-16493418744570127302010-03-31T12:47:23.665-04:002010-03-31T12:47:23.665-04:00"...a Roman legionnaire, an African witchdoct..."...a Roman legionnaire, an African witchdoctor, an Irish leprechaun, a Siberian shaman, and an Egyptian priest..."<br /><br />...all walk into a bar and...<br /><br />Security word: "Plikintr," the homonculous scribe employed by the local wizard.Anthonyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01254215329246851683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-38795826271409682722010-03-31T12:12:24.434-04:002010-03-31T12:12:24.434-04:00Pretty much echoes my feelings on the game. I firs...Pretty much echoes my feelings on the game. I first saw and thought "This looks neat" then I read a copy and thought "This isn't that good".Robert Conleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03863009007381185340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-60080321458950504202010-03-31T12:09:01.969-04:002010-03-31T12:09:01.969-04:00I remember playing MM&M long ago (back in 1987...I remember playing MM&M long ago (back in 1987). The background was, as James said, more akin to an episode "Xena the Warrior Princess" than anything else. Highly fanciful, to say the least.<br /><br />It can be fun, though, if you are not looking for an "historical" game. <br /><br />Strangely, I don't remember anything about the rules except for the fact the character generation was totally random (class, race, sex...)<br /><br />That meant you could have to play a virgin Vestal even if you just wanted to be a muscular gallic gladiator...<br /><br />Could be interesting at times, but mostly, players felt annoyed (and I'm not even talking about a five Vestals adventuring party!)<br /><br />I'm not surprised that game fell into oblivion...Le Baronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10243853568677750451noreply@blogger.com