Tenkar's Tavern: Masters of Fantasy - TSR: The Fantasy Factory

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Masters of Fantasy - TSR: The Fantasy Factory - A Docu-Promo For TSR (1997)

I'm willing to give credit where credit is due - I found this link thanks to ENworld.

It's a nice little piece put together by the Sci-Fi network.

I find it interesting that Lorraine Williams is dressed in black with a mostly black background, so you can't clearly see how "Jabba the Hut" like she is.

There is nothing hard hitting here, but it an interesting view of the hobby from 16 years ago and quite entertaining. 23 minutes, so just long enough.

Damn, I own the bad CGI DVD they keep showing pieces off...

2 comments:

SimonFebruary 16, 2013 at 4:20 PM
1997 - I'm guessing WoTC actually bought TSR while this show was in production? Hence Lorraine Williams' prominent role, I can't imagine they'd have bothered to interview her if she hadn't been the current CEO when they started. And they were still in Lake Geneva.
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ZensunMarch 2, 2013 at 6:56 AM
"I find it interesting that Lorraine Williams is dressed in black with a mostly black background, so you can't clearly see how "Jabba the Hut" like she is."

Erm, why is her size worth mentioning? I'm curious - if she were a man, do you think you would have found it as 'interesting'?
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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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Saturday, February 16, 2013

Masters of Fantasy - TSR: The Fantasy Factory - A Docu-Promo For TSR (1997)

2 comments:

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