Back in my early days of gaming, production quality equaled legitimacy on my eyes. Therefore, Mayfair Games "Role Aids" line was in and Judges Guild was out. Very foolish cutting out Judges Guild like that, but I was a teen with limited funds. There was no internet with a quick way to find a review on the next great gaming product - appearance was everything, at least for me.
Dark Folk isn't a bad product at all, although it is a bit inconsistent in quality if memory serves right (the Troll adventure "is designed for a party of 6 to 8 characters of 5th to 8th level of ability with at least three magic items specifically designed to neutralize Trolls - emphasis mine).
Come to think of it, I'm not sure if I used any of the included adventures, but the background fluff and sub races were pretty cool. I may just steal some of this for the current campaign.
I love that book.
ReplyDeleteWasn't JG pretty much out of business (not literally, but not producing product) by the time Role-Aids came out? Role-Aids was starting up around the time JG was winding down ('83 or so).
ReplyDeleteIndeed, Mayfair published a version of the City State. A very odd version.
I liked the book but it was very uneven in tone and style....an orc goddess named. "MISS PIHGEE"?
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Role Aids products were Lich Lords and The Keep (an adventure based on the movie of the same name). Lich Lords was a high level death trap, and The Keep was OK as an adaptation of the movie. It twisted the plot into a time travel adventure (which was not in the movie), offering WW2 Nazis as enemies in one sequence. I also have the first volume of their Monsters of Myth and Legend series, and it is OK. I have heard good things about the Lizardfolk and Dark Folk books, but have never read them.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that you mention JG and Mayfair together. One stinker that Mayfair dropped on the RPG world was actually a remake of the JG "City State" setting. Woweee.. Centaurs and Nagas as player races? It's only connection to the original was the name. I'll admit, I bought it, based on the artwork and blurb on the box. I still have it, as a reminder to be more selective in my purchases if nothing else. Fortunately it seemed to be an exception to the usual fine work that came out of Mayfair's forges.
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