tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post694746847564147116..comments2024-03-18T20:22:06.331-04:00Comments on GROGNARDIA: Retrospective: Mach: The First ColonyJames Maliszewskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-73646528074558529852012-05-17T09:45:07.655-04:002012-05-17T09:45:07.655-04:00Good point about Artesia. Just a beautiful game bo...Good point about Artesia. Just a beautiful game both for its color illustrations by Smylie and it's background. It has a proud place on my shelf even though I've never actually played the game.Steve Bodenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-24871376554457148102012-05-17T05:13:31.371-04:002012-05-17T05:13:31.371-04:00It looks like Michael Lange is
still active in t...It looks like Michael Lange is <br /><br /><a href="http://paizo.com/products/btpy83ru?The-Equinox-Games-A-Stonehenge-Abstract-Strategy-Game-by-Michael-Lange" rel="nofollow">still active</a> in the game writing biz.David Macauleynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-74865242346243200612012-05-16T22:15:01.738-04:002012-05-16T22:15:01.738-04:00"I've long thought that a RPG taking insp..."I've long thought that a RPG taking inspiration from the European <br />exploration and conquest of the western hemisphere had potential. <br />Strangely, comparatively few games have ever done this, so perhaps I'm <br />alone in thinking this way."<br /><br />Timeshadow posted a preview of the Ursutsk: Box set a ferw months back that hints that it might scratch that itch when it: http://thegrandtapestry.blogspot.com/2011/07/urutsk-world-of-mystery-boxed-set.htmlBluskreemnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-33048722346615001822012-05-16T22:14:12.521-04:002012-05-16T22:14:12.521-04:00I owned Mach: the First Colony back in the 80'...I owned Mach: the First Colony back in the 80's. I don't remember very much beyond it being the only game I ever bought that I never even making a character for. I think that makes it unique among all the games that I bought but never played.Russ Dibblenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-57888082499458601132012-05-16T20:01:14.105-04:002012-05-16T20:01:14.105-04:00Interesting. Never heard of this one. Not that I...Interesting. Never heard of this one. Not that I'm a be all and end all of Old School RPGs, but it being a sci-fi game, I'd surely have given it a look if I'd seen it on the shelves back in the day.<br /><br />For those of you thinking of a D&D style-setting with a New World bent, you might want to look at Role Playing Public Radio's New World Campaign PDFs. They're created to 4E, but frankly they're almost free of rules, and could be readily adapted to whatever flavor Fantasy RPG you wanted to use. I've been using the setting, albeit greatly modified, as the basis for my main group's Pathfinder game recently.Stuart Dollarhttp://www.facebook.com/people/Stuart-Dollar/100000246202373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-61843445454503334462012-05-16T19:55:25.105-04:002012-05-16T19:55:25.105-04:00I had this game back in the '80's. Sadly,...I had this game back in the '80's. Sadly, I don't remember anything about it, which could be an indication of it's impression on me.Brothershinrinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-59505521877798102122012-05-16T17:21:37.154-04:002012-05-16T17:21:37.154-04:00Fascinating. I've definitely never heard of th...Fascinating. I've definitely never heard of this one before, and the premise (and the cover) are pretty interesting. Thanks for this post.Paul Vermerenhttp://profiles.google.com/djblizacknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-45441848645462464892012-05-16T17:18:11.401-04:002012-05-16T17:18:11.401-04:00Wow, now this is one I've never heard of, and ...Wow, now this is one I've never heard of, and I thought I knew them all from back then.Anthony Raganhttp://breeland.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-56294892052874812622012-05-16T16:59:03.172-04:002012-05-16T16:59:03.172-04:00James, I always enjoy when you bring up the more o...James, I always enjoy when you bring up the more obscure RPGs from your youth. I bream with pride that I actually owned the game you talk about. But, with Mach you got me. I have absolutely no memories of this game. Rick Krebsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-82738222403302017322012-05-16T13:21:06.296-04:002012-05-16T13:21:06.296-04:00This kind of setting, where it's like fantasy ...This kind of setting, where it's like fantasy but every element has a science-fictional explanation, seems to have been very popular in the 80s. One example is Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series.James Hutchingsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-37865053364938336552012-05-16T13:19:37.831-04:002012-05-16T13:19:37.831-04:00"I've long thought that a RPG taking insp..."I've long thought that a RPG taking inspiration from the European <br />exploration and conquest of the western hemisphere had potential. <br />Strangely, comparatively few games have ever done this."<br /><br />Arguably, D&D is this situation in a pseudo-European world.James Hutchingsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-39895974739630471132012-05-16T12:34:27.499-04:002012-05-16T12:34:27.499-04:00unified aesthetic
Mark Smylie's Artesia also ...<i>unified aesthetic</i><br /><br />Mark Smylie's <i>Artesia</i> also rises to mind here where the connection between the game and illustration can be very close owing to the author illustrating and having an intimate personal stake in the world. But sometimes, just having a single illustrator with talent, vision, and a sympatico with the source material can also work (viz Donna Barr illustrating Paul Kidd's <i>Lace & Steel</i>, or Eric Hotz illustrating much of <i>Harn</i>).viktor_haagnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-30487598672754921962012-05-16T11:27:50.111-04:002012-05-16T11:27:50.111-04:00Wow, I'd never heard of this one. Cool find, a...Wow, I'd never heard of this one. Cool find, and good post.<br /><br />A "New World exploration" game has been in the back of my mind for a while now, so it's interesting to read about Mach using this concept as its central premise. I've been slowly putting together ideas for a campaign that starts out with the PCs literally stepping off of the boat onto the shores of the New World. Beyond a couple of colony outposts on the coast, it's terra incognita. I think combined with a good system for semi-randomly generating the map as the players explore, it could be really fun.Andy Raunoreply@blogger.com