|
|
Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Jan 12, 2021 17:12:24 GMT -5
About a year ago I obtained the first 40 issues of Alarums and Excursions from Lee Gold. I am going to be over the next few weeks and months providing information about those issues and discussing them. It will be at least a week or two before that starts. As I want to get The Strategic Review and The Dragon threads well started first. You patience is appreciated.
|
|
|
|
Post by simrion on Jan 24, 2021 18:55:04 GMT -5
Cannot wait for the reviews. Always been fascinated by the fanzines just can't justify cost for the scans, mostly because I'd have to have them all lol
|
|
|
|
Post by Gar Guz on Jan 30, 2021 22:30:34 GMT -5
This is what I am looking forward too! Love to learn about these, the granddaddy of all fan publications.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dartanian on Jan 31, 2021 15:36:32 GMT -5
I too am really looking forward to learning about Alarums and Excursions, now this is a public service.
|
|
|
|
Post by hengest on Mar 2, 2021 16:27:40 GMT -5
I bought a few of these from Lee Gold some years ago. Scans. Yeah expensive but she's been storing a major part of the history of this hobby in boxes for decades so I think it's fair. Anyway I have lost the files she sent me but from what I remember it was a real time travel experience. Like going back and seeing the signers of the Declaration of Independence having breakfast together a couple days later. Edit: apparently I was impressed enough to start a thread: ruinsofmurkhill.proboards.com/thread/727/alarums-excursions |
|
|
|
Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Mar 2, 2021 21:44:28 GMT -5
I bought a few of these from Lee Gold some years ago. Scans. Yeah expensive but she's been storing a major part of the history of this hobby in boxes for decades so I think it's fair. Anyway I have lost the files she sent me but from what I remember it was a real time travel experience. Like going back and seeing the signers of the Declaration of Independence having breakfast together a couple days later. Edit: apparently I was impressed enough to start a thread: ruinsofmurkhill.proboards.com/thread/727/alarums-excursionsI am really sorry that you have lost those files. I don't know how I missed commenting on that thread, I see as the Admin at the time, I did like it, but I'm surprised I did not comment. They are pricey, but I think I have most of the ones with OD&D stuff in them. I have looked through them and now and then you run into stuff that is too faint to read. But you would need to work with the original and be skilled at restoring documents to do much about that. But they are a treasure and once I get through a couple of other things I want to work my way though all the copies that I have. |
|
|
|
Post by hengest on Mar 2, 2021 22:01:10 GMT -5
I am really sorry that you have lost those files. I don't know how I missed commenting on that thread, I see as the Admin at the time, I did like it, but I'm surprised I did not comment. They are pricey, but I think I have most of the ones with OD&D stuff in them. I have looked through them and now and then you run into stuff that is too faint to read. But you would need to work with the original and be skilled at restoring documents to do much about that. But they are a treasure and once I get through a couple of other things I want to work my way though all the copies that I have. And I just found them with almost no effort. I have a lot going on including my own little posts, but I will try to read through an issue or two and post. WHo knows what I will have to say, but I will try. |
|
|
|
Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Mar 2, 2021 22:15:29 GMT -5
I am really sorry that you have lost those files. I don't know how I missed commenting on that thread, I see as the Admin at the time, I did like it, but I'm surprised I did not comment. They are pricey, but I think I have most of the ones with OD&D stuff in them. I have looked through them and now and then you run into stuff that is too faint to read. But you would need to work with the original and be skilled at restoring documents to do much about that. But they are a treasure and once I get through a couple of other things I want to work my way though all the copies that I have. And I just found them with almost no effort. I have a lot going on including my own little posts, but I will try to read through an issue or two and post. WHo knows what I will have to say, but I will try. Awesome! How many issues do you have? Maybe some of the faint parts we can combine our ideas of what it says. |
|
|
|
Post by hengest on Mar 2, 2021 22:32:31 GMT -5
And I just found them with almost no effort. I have a lot going on including my own little posts, but I will try to read through an issue or two and post. WHo knows what I will have to say, but I will try. Awesome! How many issues do you have? Maybe some of the faint parts we can combine our ideas of what it says. The first 5. Let me know if you want to look at some page together. |
|
|
|
Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Mar 2, 2021 22:40:16 GMT -5
Awesome! How many issues do you have? Maybe some of the faint parts we can combine our ideas of what it says. The first 5. Let me know if you want to look at some page together. I will do that once I get into them! Awesome! |
|
|
|
Post by hengest on Mar 3, 2021 18:50:54 GMT -5
[Examples below are from A&E 1]
Overall the atmosphere of Alarums and Excursions 1 suggests that the contributors were extremely into the game and had played a lot already, but also that they had no decades of lore and rulebooks to fall back on. They seem to alternate between (and there are bits of gatekeeping already!) a bit of worrying about what the books say and just making up new material wildly.
Example of "by the book": "You're making up your own rule interpretations. According to The Rules [...] If you wish to hold to your heresy, I suggest you look up the definition of 'complete' or else admit that you're running your own version."
Example of making things up: "Los Angeles Dungeons having head about how Magic-Users have come to show a tendency to take over the game elsewhere have adopted a number of methods to make sure it doesn't happen here." [there follow in-game wrenches and even the bizarre metagame anti-magic "typo" monster that converts an MU's SLEEP spell into SHEEP, etc.]"
Now I mention these two things just as examples of tendencies we see later, not to say that they are full-blown versions of those tendencies. In context, the aura of the whole thing is a kind of active cheerfulness that is really rare today, in my experience. (It strikes me that this is a hobby that takes time.)
And there's so much on each typescript page. They really went all out and filled this thing up with material. Jokes, complaints, stories, tables. Few fancy print magazines have so much on offer today (maybe something like Shock Cinema). I noticed this years ago in comic books -- seemed that a superhero book (Spider-Man) from the mid-sixties had a lot more content per page than a similar book from the early 2000s.
|
|
|
|
Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Mar 3, 2021 20:24:18 GMT -5
[Examples below are from A&E 1] Overall the atmosphere of Alarums and Excursions 1 suggests that the contributors were extremely into the game and had played a lot already, but also that they had no decades of lore and rulebooks to fall back on. They seem to alternate between (and there are bits of gatekeeping already!) a bit of worrying about what the books say and just making up new material wildly. Amazing how quickly gatekeepers gather around anything and everything. It must be a genetic flaw or something.  Example of "by the book": "You're making up your own rule interpretations. According to The Rules [...] If you wish to hold to your heresy, I suggest you look up the definition of 'complete' or else admit that you're running your own version." Somehow the "by the book" fanatics failed to read this and other sentences in the original game: Example of making things up: "Los Angeles Dungeons having heard about how Magic-Users have come to show a tendency to take over the game elsewhere have adopted a number of methods to make sure it doesn't happen here." [there follow in-game wrenches and even the bizarre metagame anti-magic "typo" monster that converts an MU's SLEEP spell into SHEEP, etc.]" I have often wondered where that who "Magic-Users take over the game," comes from. I have speculated that it must be partially unique to Monty Haul games. I have never seen that happen in any of my games. I also think it would tend to happen if your more aggressive players are playing Magic-Users instead of Fighting-Men which seems terribly odd to me. Having your aggressive players play spell casters instead of the natural fit of fighters would seem like a min-max thing to me. All of that may be wrong, but I would really like to know how Magic-Users would dominate a game. Seems to me more like a referee problem. Now I mention these two things just as examples of tendencies we see later, not to say that they are full-blown versions of those tendencies. In context, the aura of the whole thing is a kind of active cheerfulness that is really rare today, in my experience. (It strikes me that this is a hobby that takes time.) I would have to agree. And there's so much on each typescript page. They really went all out and filled this thing up with material. Jokes, complaints, stories, tables. Few fancy print magazines have so much on offer today (maybe something like Shock Cinema). I noticed this years ago in comic books -- seemed that a superhero book (Spider-Man) from the mid-sixties had a lot more content per page than a similar book from the early 2000s. I agree with you hear and it seems to me as the kind of thing an aspiring fan magazine would want to emulate. |
|
|
|
Post by Thargym The Black on Apr 29, 2021 18:19:03 GMT -5
I am really up for these essays about these Issues. Hope to see you complete all 40 that you have.
|
|
|
|
Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Apr 29, 2021 19:43:56 GMT -5
I am really up for these essays about these Issues. Hope to see you complete all 40 that you have. I am hoping in May to get re-started on these projects. Time is going to be at a premium for me and I am spread a little thin. I have a lot of real world things to do, that cannot be put off. |
|
|
|
Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on May 26, 2021 16:55:59 GMT -5
About a year ago I obtained the first 40 issues of Alarums and Excursions from Lee Gold. I am going to be over the next few weeks and months providing information about those issues and discussing them. It will be at least a week or two before that starts. As I want to get The Strategic Review and The Dragon threads well started first. You patience is appreciated. I couldn't say it any better than Spock so I will just say, "Fascinating.". I'm really looking forward to this. |
|
|
|
Post by The Perilous Dreamer on May 27, 2021 15:09:28 GMT -5
About a year ago I obtained the first 40 issues of Alarums and Excursions from Lee Gold. I am going to be over the next few weeks and months providing information about those issues and discussing them. It will be at least a week or two before that starts. As I want to get The Strategic Review and The Dragon threads well started first. You patience is appreciated. I couldn't say it any better than Spock so I will just say, "Fascinating.". I'm really looking forward to this. I am still trying to get back to these projects. |
|
|
|
Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on May 27, 2021 16:43:23 GMT -5
I couldn't say it any better than Spock so I will just say, "Fascinating.". I'm really looking forward to this. I am still trying to get back to these projects. No worries. I'm here whenever it gets done. Lord knows I have plenty of projects myself. |
|
|
|
Post by The Perilous Dreamer on May 27, 2021 22:11:11 GMT -5
I am still trying to get back to these projects. No worries. I'm here whenever it gets done. Lord knows I have plenty of projects myself. I have projects enough to fill a thousand years. If I am really fortunate I may have 20 left, if I can lose the extra weight and keep it off. I do have male relatives that made it into their 90s, but they were shorter and slender. |
|
|
|
Post by Morose on Aug 6, 2021 3:03:08 GMT -5
I hope that you find time to get back to these, this is a real treasure trove.
Oh BTW this deserves honorable mention up in the California Connection.
|
|
|
|
Post by hengest on Aug 6, 2021 12:20:55 GMT -5
I hope that you find time to get back to these, this is a real treasure trove. Oh BTW this deserves honorable mention up in the California Connection. I have the first four or five of these issues, too, and keep meaning to dig into them a bit more. Fascinating material from those days. |
|
|
|
Post by Morose on Aug 6, 2021 20:30:47 GMT -5
I hope that you find time to get back to these, this is a real treasure trove. Oh BTW this deserves honorable mention up in the California Connection. I have the first four or five of these issues, too, and keep meaning to dig into them a bit more. Fascinating material from those days. If you get the urge and it coincides with some available time, please do. |
|
