I have the 3e boxed set of the Wilderlands that was released by Necromancer and I have a handful of Judges Guld Products, but I never owned the originals.I still don't, but I just grabbed the map pack in PDF for $10 off of RPGNow and I think I've found a new love.
Current game plan is to snag stuff in PDF from RPGNow first, then decide if I should hunt for certain items on Ebay.
I need to buy ink for my printer too, as there are like 90 pages worth of maps to print out.
Hell, 3 bucks for the Wilderlands of High Fantasy booklet in PDF? (maps not included) No brainer. I think I'm in trouble...
If it makes you feel better, I never even heard of it until a couple of years ago. My game stores didn't carry that stuff, or if they did it wasn't displayed anywhere near the TSR and RoleAids stuff. So I still don't have it.
ReplyDeleteI could have gotten this stuff at retail back in the early 80s if I hadn't been a teenager without cash ;)
ReplyDeleteBack when it was in print I knew of one guy in Texas who loved the oroginal Wilderlands, and that was it....I'd never seen a copy before or since. For me the big JG books were things like Rat on a Stick, Modron, and Hellfang Pass.
ReplyDeleteWhat's the quality of the scans in the map pack like? Last (pirate) scan I saw was preeeetty awful. Almost impossible to read the hex numbers, and the text wasn't too hot either.
ReplyDeleteErik, you have begun a long dark journey into Judges Guildom.
ReplyDeleteIf you have grabbed the book I'd be curious what your thoughts are about the PDF quality. Also the fact that the maps are not included but must be purchased separately always struck me as a little odd.
ReplyDeleteOne of usss...!
ReplyDeleteIMHO the original JG Wilderlands maps are amongst the most beautiful RPG maps ever created - and the most inspiring. They're simply, yet full of atmosphere and aesthetically pleasing, and stuffed with those little crinkly nooks and crannies that make you just want to explore and explore. The fact that the background is very light also adds to the fun, encouraging creativity.
The booklets have some great moments of inspiration - especially the crazy tables for generating all manner of stuff, the rumours tables, the one-liner NPC descriptions that unpack themselves into full-blown encounters at a single read. I grew up on the Wilderlands campaigns - played them over and over. The Necromancer re-issues are nice, and a lot of the detail is cool, but somehow they don't have the magic of the originals. And I think it's down to the maps. If I had my way, I'd reproduce the Necromancer material with the original tables and maps, all of it done in the marvellous sepia stock and Jaquays artwork.
Happy exploring, Erik! Did you get the original City State of the Invincible Overlord, too? And the World Emperor?
I never did either, though I have accumulated a couple other Judges Guild products-- mostly ones written by Jennell Jaquays 'cause I know her a bit and I wanted to see some of her work.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I like Judges Guild material, Jennel Jaquays work stands out way above anything else the company ever produced (IMO). Dark Tower is one of the very best adventures I've ever run or participated in.
ReplyDelete