Tenkar's Tavern: The Draconic Archeologist: Sidetracked By Some Sorcerer's Apprentices

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

The Draconic Archeologist: Sidetracked By Some Sorcerer's Apprentices

Lookie what the Ebay Gods granted me! I got my hands on Sorcerer's Apprentice Issues 1, 2, 5 (already had), 9/10 (ditto), 14 ('nother ditto) and 13 (needed that one). At some point I'll be offering my duplicate issues as prizes for as an as yet undecided contest - no idea when.

Very very cool acquisitions. Heck, issue #2 even has an article by author Poul Anderson - On Trolls and Others - which looks, you guessed it, pretty cool! ;)

I do love the way mini-solos were integrated into the magazine back then, squirreled away on each pages, so you really did have to flip around for the next part.

I may have to do a side by side comparison of The Dragon #1 and SA #1 at some point. As covers go, SA #1 has The Dragon #1 beat by a mile and then some. You probably can't tell from the pic, but the wizard is holding a record labeled: Cythulhu's Greatest Hits. How awesome is that?

Alright, I need to read these babies - I did notice that Spite Damage made it's debut in issue #13 (you can either thank or curse Roy Cram for that 5.5e and later rule).

2 comments:

fireinthejungleApril 27, 2011 at 9:29 PM
So you were the buyer! If I had known, I would have put a little bonus in the package for ya.

I was also thinking of offering these as prizes for a contest of some sort on my blog, but I decided to just go the lazy route and post them on ebay. :)
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TenkarApril 27, 2011 at 9:35 PM
LOL! Small world :)

I can see they were well cared for, and I intend to continue the tradition.

SA #1+2 will find a nice place to be displayed along with the Trollgod's personal and signed copy of T&T 2E when I complete my renovations.

I have some doubles now (I think I have 3 copies of SA 14). I'll find someway to give these away ;)
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Why "Swords & Wizardry?"

Believe me when I say I have them all in dead tree format. I have OSRIC in full size, trade paperback and the Player's Guide. I have LL and the AEC (and somewhere OEC, but I can't find it at the moment). Obviously I have Basic Fantasy RPG. Actually, I have the whole available line in print. Way too much Castles & Crusades. We all know my love for the DCC RPG. I even have Dark Dungeons in print, the Delving Deeper boxed set, Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea. BOTH editions of LotFP's Weird Fantasy and some dead tree copies of the Greyhawk Grognards Adventures Dark & Deep

I am so deep in the OSR when I come up for breath it's for the OSR's cousin, Tunnels & Trolls

So, out of all that, why Swords & Wizardry? Why, when I have been running a AD&D 1e / OSRIC campaign in Rappan Athuk am I using Swords & Wizardry and it's variant, Crypts & Things, for the second campaign? (Actually, now running a S&W Complete campaign, soon to be with multiple groups)

Because the shit works.

It's easy for lapsed gamers to pick up and feel like they haven't lost a step. I can house rule it and it doesn't break. It plays so close to the AD&D of my youth and college years (S&W Complete especially) that it continually surprises me. Just much less rules hopping than I remember. (my God but I can run it nearly without the book)

I grab and pick and steal from just about all OSR and Original resources. They seem to fit into S&W with little fuss. It may be the same with LL and the rest, but for me the ease of use fit's my expectations with S&W.

Even the single saving throw. That took me longer to adjust to, but even that seems like a natural to me now. Don't ask me why, it just does. Maybe it's the simplicity of it. At 45 52, simplicity and flexibility while remaining true to the feel of the original is an OSR hat trick for me ;)

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Wednesday, April 27, 2011

The Draconic Archeologist: Sidetracked By Some Sorcerer's Apprentices

2 comments:

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