tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post4919910063970373485..comments2024-03-28T20:36:33.364-04:00Comments on GROGNARDIA: Retrospective: Mordenkainen's Fantastic AdventureJames Maliszewskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-4475794441795301472009-03-04T17:07:00.000-05:002009-03-04T17:07:00.000-05:00If so, were these wizards only campaigns, or were ...<I>If so, were these wizards only campaigns, or were there others playing fighters, clerics, thieves, etc? Also, did the players invent the spells or did Gygax, and later named them after players?</I><BR/><BR/>They weren't wizard-only; there were some notable non-MUs, including Rob Kuntz's Robilar, but they were definitely a minority. As for the spells, I really don't know the answer to that question.James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-24238530741655258062009-02-28T20:03:00.000-05:002009-02-28T20:03:00.000-05:00James, it seems that all of the D&D authors we...James, it seems that all of the D&D authors were playing the wizards. If so, were these wizards only campaigns, or were there others playing fighters, clerics, thieves, etc? Also, did the players invent the spells or did Gygax, and later named them after players?Brooser Bearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08487438364129415650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-31490570351843680962009-02-28T14:11:00.000-05:002009-02-28T14:11:00.000-05:00Of the high level modules, I enjoyed WG5 because m...Of the high level modules, I enjoyed WG5 because meeting "superstar" NPCs and acquiring artifacts like the Tome of the Black Heart seemed fitting for heroes that had already defeated many WoG villains like the Slave Lords. Nothing says you're "12th level famous" like teaching Bigby a spell or two!Lee Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06698873084592329937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-38071431095610624922009-02-27T11:34:00.000-05:002009-02-27T11:34:00.000-05:00"Either way, neither of those articles were publis..."Either way, neither of those articles were published by Wizards of the Coast, instead coming from the magazine's PAIZO era."<BR/><BR/>By "WotC era" I was referring to the period of time when Dungeon and Dragon were compelled to utilize WotC's game rules.<BR/><BR/>It's damn hard to polish a turd, no matter how skilled a polisher you are.Will Mistrettahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18403399118961902073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-79794195157771150212009-02-27T09:30:00.000-05:002009-02-27T09:30:00.000-05:00who played the wizards after whom the spells are n...<I>who played the wizards after whom the spells are named?</I><BR/><BR/>Off the top of my head:<BR/><BR/>Bigby - Gary Gygax<BR/>Drawmij - Jim Ward (obviously)<BR/>Leomund - Len Lakofka<BR/>Mordenkainen - Gary Gygax<BR/>Otiluke - Luke Gygax<BR/>Rary - Brian Blume<BR/>Serten - Ernie Gygax<BR/>Sustarre - Dennis Sustare<BR/>Tenser - Ernie Gygax<BR/><BR/>There are probably others, but my memory fails me.James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-10248871605719848762009-02-27T09:24:00.000-05:002009-02-27T09:24:00.000-05:00... telephone (or Skype or whatever) plus a tape r...<I>... telephone (or Skype or whatever) plus a tape recorder (and attachment to connect the recorder to a phone if you don't have a speaker phone) is all you need to do these sorts of interviews.</I><BR/><BR/>It's certainly a thought to consider. My big problem would be -- and this is just as true for interviews -- getting a hold of these people in the first place, since many of them have basically dropped off the face of the earth.James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-88774241988322335822009-02-27T09:23:00.000-05:002009-02-27T09:23:00.000-05:00So, short version: Boxed text as a way of segregat...<I>So, short version: Boxed text as a way of segregating "what you see in a glance" information is good. Any boxed text which actually describes or assumes PC action/inaction is bad.</I><BR/><BR/>I won't disagree strenuously, because I think you're largely correct. Nonetheless, I'd much prefer some other presentation -- perhaps a bulleted list? -- that achieves the same goal without the need for a canned description.James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-82919076795291428212009-02-27T09:21:00.000-05:002009-02-27T09:21:00.000-05:00Either way, neither of those articles were publish...<I>Either way, neither of those articles were published by Wizards of the Coast, instead coming from the magazine's PAIZO era.</I><BR/><BR/>I think it's unfortunate that a lot of what Paizo did during the last years of <I>Dragon</I> and <I>Dungeon</I> gets credited to WotC, since the direction of both magazines improved considerably during that time. I hadn't had a subscription to either magazine since the early 80s and I took out one during Paizo's shepherding of them. Had I been more of a 3e fan, I might have kept with them till the end, since there was some excellent stuff in both, articles and adventures that really showed knowledge of and respect for the history and traditions of this hobby. That's a pretty remarkable thing and I regret that, in the end, my preference for older editions prevented me from continuing a subscription (or from picking up <I>Pathfinder</I> as well).James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-38321304052816281122009-02-27T06:33:00.000-05:002009-02-27T06:33:00.000-05:00James, a side question regarding Mordekainen, Bigb...James, a side question regarding Mordekainen, Bigby, Otiluke and other wizards who were canonic to the Greyhawk campaign. It appears that these were actual player characters in the original D&D games. Spells, which are named after them, which appear in the Players Handbook, were these spells created by Gygax or by the Players, who played the wizards after whom the spells are named?Brooser Bearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08487438364129415650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-7058272227826895582009-02-27T04:48:00.000-05:002009-02-27T04:48:00.000-05:00Going by the name I always assumed this was an FR ...Going by the name I always assumed this was an FR style NPC-centric railroad and never had any interest in acquiring it, until now. Thanks! - S'mon using wife's account.Ingrid Koehlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08730535502104215832noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-40914334041039854242009-02-27T03:48:00.000-05:002009-02-27T03:48:00.000-05:00>>Had I the money and time to do so, I'd...>>Had I the money and time to do so, I'd certainly be flying all over the country, interviewing people associated with the early days of the hobby in order to record their reminiscences for posterity.<BR/><BR/>I'm sure I'm repeating what I said after the last time you said this...<BR/><BR/>... telephone (or Skype or whatever) plus a tape recorder (and attachment to connect the recorder to a phone if you don't have a speaker phone) is all you need to do these sorts of interviews.<BR/><BR/>Hell, since nobody in Finland (including me) has a landline anymore, I'll go ahead and send you my recorder-to-phone attachment if you want. :P<BR/><BR/>I find Skype easier though since I can just place the recorder next to the computer speakers and not worry about attachments.JimLotFPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02992397707040836366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-82815276243910656082009-02-27T03:12:00.000-05:002009-02-27T03:12:00.000-05:00Re: Original version of WG5 this year. I am incred...Re: Original version of WG5 this year. I am incredibly giddy at this news.<BR/><BR/>Re: Boxed text. I like properly executed boxed text. And by properly executed, I mean boxed text that in no way describes or assumes what he PCs are doing.<BR/><BR/>In that format, boxed text is simply a convenient way of segregating the information that should be immediately available to anyone looking into a room. As a GM, that segregation is useful to me -- it means that I don't need to try to parse out of the room description what I should and shouldn't be revealing to the PCs. (IOW, it eliminates the, "And in the middle of the room you see-- Err. Nothing. Nothing at all." moments.)<BR/><BR/>But I can understand the frustration many people have with it. Boxed text that (a) assumes the PCs are taking some action; (b) describes the PCs taking action regardless of whether the players have said they're doing that or not; or (c) worst of all, describes some long sequence of events with the implicit assumption that the PCs can do nothing to interpret it... Bite me. I'm playing a roleplaying game, not a Choose Your Own Adventure book.<BR/><BR/>So, short version: Boxed text as a way of segregating "what you see in a glance" information is good. Any boxed text which actually describes or assumes PC action/inaction is bad.Justin Alexanderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02227895898395353754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-79606174699115103802009-02-27T02:17:00.000-05:002009-02-27T02:17:00.000-05:00Either way, neither of those articles were publish...Either way, neither of those articles were published by Wizards of the Coast, instead coming from the magazine's PAIZO era.<BR/><BR/>I should know, as I edited both projects.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-14286642502590846402009-02-26T20:24:00.000-05:002009-02-26T20:24:00.000-05:00This adventure's updated/expanded presentation in ...<B>This adventure's updated/expanded presentation in Dungeon is, without exaggeration, the only worthwhile thing to come out of its WotC era incarnation.</B><BR/><BR/>Tweet's Omega World had merit as well, in my humble opinion.Jeff Rientshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17493878980535235896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-71220226389880893832009-02-26T19:44:00.000-05:002009-02-26T19:44:00.000-05:00>Lwhich includes no boxed text<I went to som...>Lwhich includes no boxed text<<BR/><BR/>I went to some recent monthly "game day" events in Anaheim, and hung out just to watch some gameplay (I don't have kids and I don't want to play with any). The somewhat celebrated (in that scene) DM running 1st edition AD&D would read those boxed items as-is robotically. No wonder the kids playing would get bored and wander to other tables. <BR/><BR/>Talented DM's just read those to themselves to help with flavor, and described in their own words and personality to the players when the time came. Personally, I usually changed so much in a module that reading those boxed text as is was not an option.Kevin Machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14122665488285424578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-59585720058115662222009-02-26T18:04:00.000-05:002009-02-26T18:04:00.000-05:00Boxed text really bothers me, too. The last thing ...Boxed text really bothers me, too. The last thing I want to do as a DM is sit there and read to the players. The last thing I want to do as a player is sit there and try to listen to the DM read to me.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-73237170546605354682009-02-26T16:27:00.000-05:002009-02-26T16:27:00.000-05:00@ Matt: James hit it squarely on the head. The W...@ Matt: James hit it squarely on the head. The WG5 levels were originally a side-quest semi-related to Rob's El Raja Key castle in Kalibruhn, which is the equivalent of Maure Castle in Greyhawk (which is in Urnst, south and east of Greyhawk City). For a quick snapshot of the GH locations, see <A HREF="http://members.cox.net/dmprata/ghmap.jpg" REL="nofollow">http://members.cox.net/dmprata/ghmap.jpg</A>.<BR/><BR/>One of the items on Rob's development agenda (and for this year, IIRC) is the original version of WG5, as EGG initially adventured in it (and with its ties to the Lost City of the Elders).<BR/><BR/>Allan.grodoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11800184312511280050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-39877891231912733502009-02-26T15:33:00.000-05:002009-02-26T15:33:00.000-05:00Wait, you already did Bottle City. I forgot.Well, ...Wait, you already did Bottle City. I forgot.<BR/><BR/>Well, pretend I said The Stalk or one of the two magic item compilations he just put out. :)Will Mistrettahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18403399118961902073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-75866228712192636972009-02-26T15:08:00.000-05:002009-02-26T15:08:00.000-05:00I have to mention I don't hate the name, if only b...I have to mention I don't hate the name, if only because it has the baroque naming style I've come to associate with lots of really cool spells.Rachel Ghoulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04765944479141792643noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-16389402263447356542009-02-26T14:08:00.000-05:002009-02-26T14:08:00.000-05:00This adventure's updated/expanded presentation in ...This adventure's updated/expanded presentation in Dungeon is, without exaggeration, the only worthwhile thing to come out of its WotC era incarnation.<BR/><BR/>I'd be really interested to hear your reviews of some of Kuntz's most recent published advantures, especially Bottle City.Will Mistrettahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18403399118961902073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-28473905691250622122009-02-26T12:15:00.000-05:002009-02-26T12:15:00.000-05:00The dungeon originates in Rob Kuntz's Kalibruhn ca...The dungeon originates in Rob Kuntz's Kalibruhn campaign setting, significant portions of which were later incorporated into Greyhawk, once Rob became co-DM of that campaign. Allan Grohe probably knows the full story better than I.James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-80071866437824650942009-02-26T11:45:00.000-05:002009-02-26T11:45:00.000-05:00WG5 is one of my favorites, too, probably in the t...WG5 is one of my favorites, too, probably in the top 3 or 4. I've written elsewhere (probably somewhere buried in K&KA) that I think the introduction to WG5 is the best introduction to a module ever written.<BR/><BR/>I thought Maure Castle was in Greyhawk, though, generally to the east and south of the City. Is that a revision made in post-EGG TSR or WotC?Matt Finchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07678557558458924177noreply@blogger.com