zaterdag 21 januari 2012

Collection update and goals 2012

I normally check the Acaeum forums on a daily basis but now I was browsing around the actual website and found an essay on collecting ins and outs.

Step 1 : Establish a goal. Well it seems I've skipped that one right out of the box. From the moment I started playing I ended up being the Dungeon Master of my group at the time. So it was me buying all the books right from the start. Then I found some great guys who ran a local gaming store, we started playing together, and have been friends ever since. And yes, 'on occasion' they showed me a new cool setting, which I would start buying, and then another and another and well you know where that ends.

The first books I bought however were from the Forgotten Realms setting and this was the focus of much of my first years of buying RPG material. I didn't consider myself a collector at all, I was just buying books.

Then I found Legend of the Five Rings and man was I hooked. I was very big into traditional martial arts at the time and samurai roleplay, oh yeah, all the way up my alley. But finding players or a dungeon master for samurai roleplay, well that turned out to be a different story. So in all those years, I was the dungeon master for a one-on-one game for a couple of sessions until the character screwed up and committed seppuku as a result, and I have played a Dragon character in one single session. Pretty sad for a setting I love so much.

Further along the line Call of Cthulhu and Delta Green made an appearance, along with short stints in Fading Suns, Ravenloft, and Godlike. And of course there was always D&D in the background. I would play Dwarves. A lot. And making fun of them made me upset. Yeah I'm looking at you D&D the movie!!

Then Warmachine and the Iron Kingdoms invaded Europe, and our group started working on the Buccaneer Bass website, something I'm still very proud of. Matt Wilson, Brian Snoddy, Jason Soles, they were amazing and gave us so much support. And even though it hasn't been updated in a long time, it's still being referred to on the Privateer forums. Very cool stuff.

After that my life took a different focus, and suddenly the time for actually playing was gone. But the love for the game never died and neither did my buying habits. It was in these years that I actually started considering myself a collector. But never with any focus other than to complete what I already had bought. So since I pretty much skipped step one of the whole process, I think it's time to define some goals.

  • Short term goals
    • Keep my Legend of the Five Rings collection up-to-date: The only things I'm missing are the 9 4th edition limited clan books and Imperial Histories. The clan books I don't have yet because for some reason the AEG webshop didn't accept my VISA-card. Luckily for me, the local game store owner has just been able to track down a copy so you'll see them appear in an update somewhere this year. Imperial Histories has only just been released a few days ago and has been ordered already.
    • Keep my Godlike collection up-to-date: Still missing the GM's Screen and Black Devils Brigade. They are available at Arc Dream's webshop, I just haven't bought them yet.
    • Keep my Fading Suns collection up-to-date: This should be pretty easy since I'm only missing The Shards Volume 1. Apparently that was released in both a hardcover and softcover version, and as a completist that sucks. As a completist I also have to get a new copy of Arcane Tech since the one I have had a printing mistake where the top of the pages were incorrectly cut off.
    • Keep my Delta Green collection up-to-date: I picked up the recently released limited edition of Under a glass darkly already. There will most likely also be an unlimited softcover released by Pagan so when that comes out...
    • Keep my Pagan Publishing collection up-to-date: Bumps in the Night has been pre-ordered for quite some time now so when it's actually published, it'll arrive in the mail.
    • Keep my Frog God Games collection up-to-date: Bill Webb has been a great guy and I completely support this publishing company. I'm a bit behind on the release schedule but we'll work that out.
  • Midterm goals
    • Pick up the easy-to-find Cthulhu books I'm still missing
    • Complete the Forgotten Realms and associated settings like Kara-Tur and Al-Qadim
    • Pick up Pathfinder stuff regularly
    • Pick up missing DCC modules
    • Collect everything Necromancer Games. Biggest challenge will be finding Rappan Athuk Reloaded (1000 copies) cheap since many collectors are after this boxed set.
  • Life long goals
    • Find the rare Call of Cthulhu stuff
    • Collect everything Pagan Publishing
    • Collect everything D&D
    • Collect everything TSR

I'm not at all saying these are goals I'm able to accomplish but now that they are defined, I actually have something to work on.

Now how about a look at where I'm at right now. I'll try and list different items which are in my excel sheet and how many books I have.

  • Birthright: 4 books
  • Call of Cthulhu: 204 books
  • Dark Sun: 8 books
  • D&D (including a handful of small press items): 329 books
  • DCC: 59 books (and more in the mail)
  • D20: 131 books
  • Dragonlance: 30 books
  • Dragon Magazine: 91 books (incomplete data)
  • Dungeon Magazine: 85 books (incomplete data)
  • Eberron: 16 books
  • Fading Suns: 42 books
  • Forgotten Realms (and associated campaign settings): 182 books
  • Frog God Games: 29 books
  • Godlike: 8 books
  • Greyhawk: 12 books
  • Hollow World: 1 book
  • Iron Kingdoms: 44 books (includes WM, Hordes, and No Quarter)
  • Judges Guild: 20 books
  • Kingdoms of Kalamar: 8 books
  • Lankmahr: 6 books
  • Legend of the Five Rings: 99 books
  • Mystara: 1 book
  • Paizo: 71 books
  • Planescape: 1 book (Well, it's the Planescape Conspectus but I count it anyway)
  • Ravenloft: 17 books
  • 7th Sea: 30 books
  • Spelljammer: 9 books
  • Spycraft: 19 books
  • TSR Non-D&D: 6 items (Boardgames, Boot Hill, Indiana Jones, Marvel Superheroes, ...)
  • Unknown Armies: 11 books
  • White Wolf: 16 books
  • Others: 32 books (Ars Magica, Free RPG Day, Lamentations of the Flame Princess, OSRIC, Qin, ...)

So that's over 1600 books and doesn't include books for which I have doubles or things I'm not interested in which I picked up cheap for resale eventually.

donderdag 19 januari 2012

Wizards of the Coast reprints 1st edition AD&D


Wizards of the Coast's production release schedule shows three very interesting items for release in April.

In honor of Gary Gygax, Wizards of the Coast will reprint the 1st edition AD&D core books in a limited edition run. The books will be published with the original content and art but a new cover. Proceeds will go to the Gygax Memorial Fund.


Below Frank Mentzer, known from the D&D Basic Rules Set 1 a.k.a the red box, talks about Gary.

zaterdag 14 januari 2012

Collection Update : Pathfinder

It's discount season but instead of buying new shoes, which I definately need, I went to the local gaming store where nice discounts were being handed out and I got some Pathfinder books.

Jade Regent



When a decades-old secret is exposed, an unassuming local tavern-owner and a close friend of the PCs discovers her birthright is to rule one of the ancient Dragon Empires of Tian Xia—the empire of Minkai. Yet the current ruler of this empire, the mysterious and increasingly cruel Jade Regent, has no intention of giving up his hold over the throne. In order to save Minkai from a would-be tyrant, the PCs must not only escort their friend from Varisia to Tian Xia, braving the frozen horrors of the Crown of the World, but must aid her in gaining the trust and support of a nation on the edge of anarchy.

These are the first three books of the Jade Regent Adventure Path. Still missing are Forest of Spirits, Tide of Honor, and The Empty Throne.

Serpent's Skull



The Serpent's Skull Adventure Path takes players from a shipwreck on the dangerous shores of the pirate island called Smuggler's Shiv to the deep forests of the Mwangi Expanse, and into a lost city where an ancient and powerful race of serpentfolk seeks to resurrect their dead god.

These are five of the six books. Book 1, Souls for Smuggler's Shiv, is still missing.

Kingmaker



The Kingmaker Adventure Path takes the heroes from encounters with mysterious bandit lords and barbaric raiders through the trials and tribulations of developing and defending their new settlement in the notoriously lawless River Kingdoms. Yet when war comes to the Stolen Lands in earnest, it's up the heroes to take up a mystical blade and stand tall against the horrors of man, beast, and strange creatures more dangerous than either...

These are the last four books of the Adventure Path. I'm still missing Stolen Land and River Runs Red.

zaterdag 7 januari 2012

RPG Goodies December

Another month has passed and again several releases have piqued my interest.

Goodman Games



  • GMG5065 - DCC66 The Vampire’s Vengeance is a story in four parts as a simple treasure-hunt uncovers evidence of Elziba Caulwik's scheme. Before the heroes can mete out justice to the crone of Tanglethorn Manor, they'll have to rescue their kin from a burning guard tower, assault a stronghold of marsh-bound freaks, and navigate the sewers of their dying city. Heroes should be warned: old Elziba is not the mere crazed botanist she once was. Her pawns are many, her fangs are sharp, and her thirst for vengeance is not easily thwarted!

Paizo Publishing



  • Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Bestiary 3 is the third indispensable volume of monsters for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and serves as a companion to the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook and Pathfinder RPG Bestiary. The Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 3 includes: More than 300 different monsters, hordes of new creatures you can construct, grow, or summon to aid your party in its adventures, new player-friendly races to let you adventure as canny ratfolk, genie-blooded sulis, and more, new familiars, animal companions, and other allies, and much more...


  • Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Dragon Empires Gazetteer which covers the continent of Tian Xia stretches from the polar ice in the north to well south of the equator—a realm where honorable samurai, devious ninja, martial artistry, strange spirits, and imperial dragons rule. This broad overview of Tian Xia presents details on more than two dozen regions inspired by the mythology of Japan, China, Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, and other Asian touchstones, as well as brand new realms like Wanshou (a swamp nation of slaves ruled by a kraken), the hobgoblin nation of Kaoling, the tengu homeland of Kwanlai, the monster-infested Valashmai Jungle, and the underwater locathah enclave of Xidao. The 64-page Dragon Empires Gazetteer also presents five new player character races—the birdlike tengus, reptilian nagaji, shapechanging foxlike kitsune, reincarnated spiritualists known as samsarans, and the shadowy masters of trickery called the wayang. An overview of life in the Dragon Empires offers a look at a new core pantheon (including more than a dozen brand-new deities), several new factions, and the challenges faced by a land recovering from the recent fall of a continental empire. Grab your katana, ready your best kung fu, and prepare to discover a whole new world of exciting adventure!


  • Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Mythical Monsters Revisited is a 64-page book which takes a detailed look at ten of the most well-known and well-feared monsters from mythology. Within these pages you'll find entries on creatures from the old world to the new, including the chimera, couatl, griffon, harpy, hydra, kraken, medusa, phoenix, sphinx, and wendigo. With each monster getting a chapter of their own, details about history, ecology, lairs, variants, and even their real-world roots provide all the information you'll need to bolster these classic monsters in your game.

Wizards of the Coast



  • 34416000 - Book of Vile Darkness features a detailed look at the nature of evil and the complex challenge of confronting the many dilemmas found within the deepest shadows. The book includes a 32-page facsimile of the Book of Vile Darkness, filled with malignant secrets and musings that can inspire adventures or entire campaigns, a 96-page game supplement that provides Dungeon Masters with sample roleplaying encounters, adventure hooks, skill challenges, rituals, and lore for some of the most despicable creatures to infest any campaign world, new character options for players who like to flirt with evil, and a full-color, double-sided poster map presenting iconic evil sites for heroes to explore.

Chaosium



  • CHA23112 - H.P. Lovecraft's DREAMLANDS provides everything needed for Call of Cthulhu investigators to travel down the seven hundred steps, through the Gate of Deeper Slumber, and into the land of dreams. It includes a travelogue of the Dreamlands, a huge gazetteer, statistics for over thirty prominent non-player characters, a bestiary of over sixty creatures, information on the gods of the Dreamlands and their cults, a colorful fold-out map, and more. Also present are six adventures to help get keepers started adventuring in the land of Dream.

H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society



  • The Whisperer in Darkness DVD expands on Lovecraft's original tale while still bringing you unparalleled authenticity. Horror and science fiction collide in the adventure of Albert Wilmarth, a folklore professor at Miskatonic University, as he investigates legends of strange creatures rumored to dwell in the most remote mountains of Vermont. Wilmarth’s investigation leads him to a discovery of horrors quite beyond anything he ever imagined, and ends in a desperate attempt to escape the remote New England hills with his life and sanity intact.

Pathfinder becomes a comic book

Paizo Publishing is on a roll! 2010 saw the release of a Pathfinder Fiction line, 2011 saw the release of the Pathfinder Battle Pre-painted miniatures line and the announcement of Pathfinder Online, and it seems there's even more to come...

Coming in 2012 will be the release of the Pathfinder Comic book line as Dynamite Entertainment, known for comics such as Army of Darkness, Battlestar Galactica, A game of thrones, The Green Hornet, Red Sonja, and Vampirella, has been granted a license by Paizo.

zondag 1 januari 2012

Collection update : Call of Cthulhu (3)

Let's start the year in good fashion with another update of my Call of Cthulhu collection.


  • MRP0017 - Horror for the holidays: This is a horror fiction anthology published by Miskatonic River Press containing works by H.P. Lovecraft, Ramsey Campbell, Scott David Aniolowski, Robert M. Price, W.H. Pugmire and Kevin Ross just to name a few. The theme of this anthology is obviously holidays and celebrations and you can find works on Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, even Valentine's Day...
  • MRP0015 - Dissecting Cthulhu: This is another Miskatonic River Press anthology, this time of essays on the Cthulhu Mythos, written by the likes of Richard L. Tierney, Will Murray, Robert M. Price, and S.T. Joshi himself, a well-known expert on Lovecraftian lore, who also edited this volume. My copy is signed by S.T. Joshi as was the case for the first 50 pre-ordered copies.


  • Graham Walmsley - Stealing Cthulhu: This is a book about taking elements, monsters, and plotlines from H.P. Lovecraft's stories and using them in your Call of Cthulhu games. This book was initially started as a fundraiser on IndieGoGo. I have both the unannotated softcover edition (500 copies made), and the limited annotated hardcover edition (200 copies made) including several postcards showcasing the interior artwork. My name is also in the thankslist of the book as one of the fundraiser supporters. Writer Graham Walmsley confirmed to me that the softcover version is likely to be reprinted.

- Previous collection updates -