Tenkar's Tavern: M.A.R. Barker's Empire of the Petal Throne (Original Manuscript) on Sale at DriveThuRPG-

Monday, February 20, 2012

M.A.R. Barker's Empire of the Petal Throne (Original Manuscript) on Sale at DriveThuRPG-

If you are like me, you've heard of M.A.R. Barker's Empire of the Petal Throne but have never actually come across it. As far as I can tell, this was the first setting / house rule publication based of the grand daddy of all RPG - The Original Boxed Set of Dungeons & Dragons.

This is a copy (included is both a scan of the original pages and a newly produced and cleaned up via computer pages) of the original 1974 manuscript, of which only 50 copies are known to have been produced. TSR's version was published in 1975. To tell the truth, I always thought the TSR edition was the first edition, so this is very interesting news to me (and a nice piece of history.)

Both the scan of the original pages, and the cleaned up computer versions are shown side by side. They have even included a sweet option to only print out he cleaned up pages if you were to print this out.

This PDF is nicely bookmarked, and a breeze to navigate.

As I poke through this, I see that there are Original Skills tables. I wonder if this is where AD&D got the idea for secondary professions. Stats aren't 3d6 but d100. Wow.

Lots for me to dig through. It's like being given a piece of gaming history. Doubt I'd ever run this, but I'm pretty impressed at the depth of a game written and produced in 1974.

More when I get further into it.

5 comments:

EvanFebruary 20, 2012 at 10:23 AM
As I poke through this, I see that there are Original Skills tables. I wonder if this is where AD&D got the idea for secondary professions. Stats aren't 3d6 but d100. Wow.

I haven't looked at the particular table in this version, but I'm pretty sure both of those things made it into the published one.
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mythusmageFebruary 21, 2012 at 5:33 AM
I bought the TSR version when it came out and no, it did not have the table. Not that I recall.

BTW; Eric, could you include a link to the RPGNow page?
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blakeFebruary 22, 2012 at 8:49 PM
Actually reading a product before you review it will enhance both your review & reputation.
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Erik TenkarFebruary 22, 2012 at 8:57 PM
As a well bookmarked PDF that includes scans of the original 37 year old product in addition to a cleaned up version of each page it is excellent.

As an opportunity to own a piece of history w/o paying premium market price it's fairly unique.

It's a 38 year old game. It's value is its place in history.
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blakeFebruary 23, 2012 at 6:37 AM
Yes, let us not pry open the covers & discuss the actual contents, what might be interesting, surprising, useful, dated, weird etc within it. What matters is the bookmarking.

Even what impressed you with the deoth of the game would be a start- that part where you almost began an actual review.
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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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Monday, February 20, 2012

M.A.R. Barker's Empire of the Petal Throne (Original Manuscript) on Sale at DriveThuRPG-

5 comments:

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