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San Francisco, 11:18 AM
Thu Dec 3
24 posts in the last 24 hours

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    Gaming Manuals That Will Prepare You For An Alternate World

    In Which Cthulhu Kicks Cloverfield's Ass Without Ever Showing Its Face
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    Dsmvwl  Admin  Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×
    Image of DraconisXC DraconisXC
    11/18/09

    In reply to Gaming Manuals That Will Prepare You For An Alternate World
    Monster themes aside, Shadowrun 2nd ed sourcebooks were some of the crunchiest, most satisfying RPG materials I've ever had the satisfaction of passing out face-down on after a night of reading into the wee hours of the morning. The Cybertechnology book, Paranormal Animals of North America/Europe, the Street Sam Catalog, and Shadowtech have some of the best background info and art for equipment I've ever seen. They were the game-world brought to life.
     Reply
    Annalee Newitz promoted this comment DraconisXC was starred DraconisXC was unstarred
    Image of the stealth m.c. the stealth m.c.
    11/18/09

    In reply to Gaming Manuals That Will Prepare You For An Alternate World
    An excellent and highly entertaining alternate-world manual from back in the day is Transdimensional TMNT. I loved reading and re-reading their time travel system!
     Reply
    Annalee Newitz promoted this comment the stealth m.c. was starred the stealth m.c. was unstarred
    Image of Smeagol92055 Smeagol92055
    11/18/09

    In reply to Gaming Manuals That Will Prepare You For An Alternate World
    So... I'm supposed to bop the eldritch horrors from beyond space and time in the head with the book, then?

    I mean, half of them don't even have heads, much less anatomies that would ensure any sort of success should you actually land a blow on an extrusion resembling a head...
     Reply
    Smeagol92055 was starred Smeagol92055 was unstarred
    Image of Project Thanatos Project Thanatos
    11/18/09

    In reply to Gaming Manuals That Will Prepare You For An Alternate World
    Mmm Ravenloft... beware the fog!

    Also.. why wasn't Shadowrun included in here? Old races emerging, corporations taking over the world and it's governments, Decking, shamanism, all sorts of other goodies?
     Reply
    Annalee Newitz promoted this comment Project Thanatos was starred Project Thanatos was unstarred
    Image of Jarerex Jarerex
    11/18/09

    In reply to Gaming Manuals That Will Prepare You For An Alternate World
    Ravenloft was simply the best setting. Faced with a slew of worlds where good was always the best way to go, it was the tiny pocket realm that actually gave you penalties if your character was good.

    Or just killed you outright. Great times.
     Reply
    Annalee Newitz promoted this comment Jarerex was starred Jarerex was unstarred
    Image of Alessar Alessar
    11/18/09

    @Jarerex: Ravenloft is probably the best use of pocket universes ever.
     Reply
    Alessar was starred Alessar was unstarred
    Image of RexMaximus RexMaximus
    11/18/09

    In reply to Gaming Manuals That Will Prepare You For An Alternate World
    No Warhammer 40K, Rifts or Shadowrun?

    Especially Warhammer 40k? I mean, zombie robots, soul-eating psychic demons, more aliens than the American Southwest, armored genhanced supermen, and planet-eating bugs? What more could you want?!

    Oh, and pauldrons. Lots and lots of pauldrons.
     Reply
    RexMaximus was starred RexMaximus was unstarred
    Image of daveNYC daveNYC
    11/18/09

    @RexMaximus: Hate to say it, but so far the 40K RPG books have been kind of light on material. Lots of fluff and setting and whatnot, but lacking in the raw amount of information like you'd get in the old Monster Manual.
     Reply
    daveNYC was starred daveNYC was unstarred
    Image of RexMaximus RexMaximus
    11/18/09

    @daveNYC: Guess you're right, though I haven't played 40k since Second Edition and back then you could still find First Edition materials on shelves. Both of them were just treasure troves of stuff on the background, setting, aliens and weapons of the 40k world.

    I can't speak about the current editions, but at least the wikis tell you almost all there is to know.

    Also: I know the profiled books are RPGs, but shouldn't tabletop gaming be included too?
     Reply
    RexMaximus was starred RexMaximus was unstarred
    Image of Idaan Idaan
    11/18/09

    @daveNYC: I'd argue that rows of numbers won't prepare you for an alternate world like fluff and setting will.
     Reply
    Ed Grabianowski promoted this comment Idaan was starred Idaan was unstarred
    Image of FakingThroughLife FakingThroughLife
    11/18/09

    In reply to Gaming Manuals That Will Prepare You For An Alternate World
    Ha! Gamma World! I haven't thought of that game in ages!
     Reply
    Annalee Newitz promoted this comment FakingThroughLife was starred FakingThroughLife was unstarred
    Image of Kishi Kishi
    11/18/09

    In reply to Gaming Manuals That Will Prepare You For An Alternate World
    The Van Richten's Guides, in general, were pretty entertaining reading. I don't play AD&D, but I've bought most of them anyway.
     Reply
    Annalee Newitz promoted this comment Kishi was starred Kishi was unstarred
    Image of FrankenPC FrankenPC
    11/18/09

    In reply to Gaming Manuals That Will Prepare You For An Alternate World
    I remember Ravenloft. Good times.
     Reply
    FrankenPC was starred FrankenPC was unstarred
    Image of Alessar Alessar
    11/18/09

    @FrankenPC: Ah. You were a GM. >:)
     Reply
    Edited by Alessar at 11/18/09 5:43 PM Alessar was starred Alessar was unstarred
    Image of FrankenPC FrankenPC
    11/18/09

    @Alessar: I tried...my wetware came back with ERROR:Insufficient creativity
     Reply
    Edited by FrankenPC at 11/18/09 5:54 PM FrankenPC was starred FrankenPC was unstarred
    Image of Alessar Alessar
    11/19/09

    @FrankenPC: That's what modules are for. : ) If you're not a writer, direct.
     Reply
    Alessar was starred Alessar was unstarred
    Image of mordicai mordicai
    11/18/09

    In reply to Gaming Manuals That Will Prepare You For An Alternate World
    Planescape, Spelljammer, & Dark Sun are all better settings than Ravenloft, for my money.
     Reply
    ggodo, the man from R.O.A.C.H. promoted this comment mordicai was starred mordicai was unstarred
    Image of ShadRS ShadRS
    11/18/09

    @mordicai: For reading the stories and lore of, Ravenloft beat the three you named hands down. However as game settings to play in go, the three you named are some of my favorites. Especially Spelljammer, who doesn't want a giant space hamster?
     Reply
    ShadRS was starred ShadRS was unstarred
    Image of mordicai mordicai
    11/18/09

    @ShadRS: I disagree-- the original Planescape material has the best in-universe fiction & viewpoint writing in the whole of DnD's canon. Plus, amazing art direction.

    Come on kids, who wants to ride on Cuttle Command?! With these SPACE HIPPOS?
     Reply
    ggodo, the man from R.O.A.C.H. promoted this comment mordicai was starred mordicai was unstarred
    Image of mordicai mordicai
    11/18/09

    In reply to Gaming Manuals That Will Prepare You For An Alternate World
    TEKUMEL: Empire of the Petal Throne.

    [www.amazon.com]

    I am a huge fan of the very under-rated Professor MAR Barker-- he's like Tolkien, but with Southeast Asian & South American mythologies & languages as his base, rather than European. His novels are really drool worthy, if you can get ahold of them.
     Reply
    Annalee Newitz promoted this comment mordicai was starred mordicai was unstarred
    Image of DrLocrian DrLocrian
    11/18/09

    In reply to Gaming Manuals That Will Prepare You For An Alternate World
    I love the Malleus Monstrorum! It's more than just a critter collection--the artwork is pure genius and will inspire scenarios all by themselves. Each Old One and monster is portrayed by taking some ordinary object, or famous work of art, and tweaking it collage-style so that the Mythos peeks through and colors your perception of reality just a little bit.
     Reply
    Ed Grabianowski promoted this comment DrLocrian was starred DrLocrian was unstarred
    Image of ggodo, the man from R.O.A.C.H. ggodo, the man from R.O.A.C.H.
    11/18/09

    In reply to Gaming Manuals That Will Prepare You For An Alternate World
    I'm just loving the fireproof bears. Best setting ever.
     Reply
    ggodo, the man from R.O.A.C.H. was starred ggodo, the man from R.O.A.C.H. was unstarred
    Image of RizzRustbolt RizzRustbolt
    11/18/09

    @ggodo, the man from R.O.A.C.H.: And the Mad-Max Racoon people.
     Reply
    ggodo, the man from R.O.A.C.H. promoted this comment RizzRustbolt was starred RizzRustbolt was unstarred
    Image of Dunny0 Dunny0
    11/18/09

    In reply to Gaming Manuals That Will Prepare You For An Alternate World
    The Ravenloft setting was all sorts of awesome. It, and all the creatures, even got a brief update near the end of 3.5

    Sure, I have no point... Just wanted to express some love for a favorite D&D setting.
     Reply
    Dunny0 was starred Dunny0 was unstarred
    Image of billzbub billzbub
    11/18/09

    @Dunny0: I'm gonna wax nostalgic for a moment myself. I remember my first encounter with D&D, back when it was just basic D&D, in a campaign called Teagle Manor. My 2nd level fighter was killed by a wight. I was hooked ever since. And I think I still have a copy of the Ravenloft guide somewhere. Great times.

    On a side note, anyone remember Cthulhu by Gaslight? That one brings back some chills.....

    Also that first campaign would have been around 1978 or 79, yikes, am I admitting something there about my age?
     Reply
    Annalee Newitz promoted this comment Edited by billzbub at 11/18/09 1:00 PM billzbub was starred billzbub was unstarred
    Image of ShadRS ShadRS
    11/18/09

    Anyone recall the Ravenloft update/alternate setting Masque of the Red Death? I loved the idea of that setting, at the time it sounded so fresh and new. I of coarse didn't have a clue about all the Cthulhu stuff at the time.
     Reply
    Annalee Newitz promoted this comment ShadRS was starred ShadRS was unstarred
    Image of Alessar Alessar
    11/18/09

    @ShadRS: I remember the setting but I thought it was just a Poe ripoff! What a shame.

    You ever check out Castle Forlorn mini-campaign setting? 1 very small Domain, 1 very haunted castle, 1 very cursed antagonist.
     Reply
    Alessar was starred Alessar was unstarred
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