Material dating back to 1971; over 10 years of auction scans; close to 3 years in production. Lots of history for this historical project. It's used through a web-based browser and is not system specific. The DVD is formatted for both MAC and PC drives with an optional flash drive choice for laptops, etc.
Nothing like this has ever been attempted (or accomplished) in the history of our industry. Three Line Studio is very proud of the result and the new line of adventure books it launches, all aimed at original D&D style play and design.
In the near future Nathalie and I will be setting up a purely Q&A blog or forum to expand on questions pertaining to the files and information on the DVD.
Here are some FAQs we are gathering right out of the gate:
(A growing FAQ will be posted to the web site, but here are answers to some initial questions)Q1: Is the USB able to be added to the DVD purchase for an incremental cost, or is it a full $160 additional?
A1: Yes, it can be added, simply add a Standard Edition to your order selecting the USB Flash Drive variant above the purple "Add to Cart" button. The price will be $89.99.
Your order would look something like this:
El Raja Key Archive Collector's Edition $159.99
DVD
SKU: 1004
El Raja Key Archive Standard Edition $89.99
USB Flash Drive
SKU: 1002usb
...or
El Raja Key Archive Deluxe Edition $119.99
DVD
SKU: 1003
El Raja Key Archive Standard Edition $89.99
USB Flash Drive
SKU: 1002usb
Q2: Is it possible to see the full listing of included files for each version of the archive, or at least to get a count on the number of files for each?
A2: The Standard Edition is organized into 295 subject pages with 1045 scans. The Basic Edition is organized into 108 subject pages with 420 scans. As an example: the Dark Druids subject page includes two levels: a 1st level with 1 map and 6 pages keys and Level 2 with 1 map and 5 pages of keys.
Thus, one subject page has 13 scans. A comparative list of the subject pages for the Basic and Standard Editions can be found at this link:
www.tlbgames.com/pages/archive-subject-page-list It will also be available in the FAQ (coming soon) on the TLBgames.com website.
Q3: What are the differences between the three printed K1 adventures?
A3: The First Print is 40 pages and is over 18,000 words - that is a little larger than G3 Hall of the Fire Giant King which comes in at 16 pages and 17,000 words. The Deluxe and Collector's Prints include an all new encounter area, Tower of Night! The additional encounter area adding about 1,000 words. Additionally, the Collector's Print is both signed and numbered by Rob Kuntz.
Q4: How big are the K1 module booklets, and do they include the maps and keys?
A4: Physically, the booklets have 40 pages and measure 4 3/4 by 7 1/4 inches. The adventure contains the keys and a diagram but the high resolution scans of Rob's original hand-drawn map and legend that go with it ar only in the the Archive. However, you can purchase K1 Sunken City: First Print without any edition of the Archive and then purchase the Map Pack download. As more and more modules come out it will soon be apparent that the Archive represents quite the bargain.
Q5: Are there any sample files available to view/read to help know what they look like (and if they are even readable)?
A5: Find below an image snippet of a map.
[image to appear in FAQ]: also see:
lakegenevaoriginalrpg.blogspot.fr/2016/08/el-raja-key-archive-sample-image.htmlQ6: Are there any samples available to view/read the historical commentary, to see how much value that adds to the Standard edition of the archive?
A6: The Basic Edition contains 50+ maps and and some keys for about 40 adventures and dungeon levels, plus about 20,000 words of historical commentary.
The Standard Edition contains all of that... PLUS about 50 more maps (including dozens of regional and area detail maps), dozens of original PCs and NPCs, campaign notes, 100+ magic items, timelines for both Greyhawk and Kalibruhn campaigns, historical documents, memoirs of game play, Rob's resume of work, several beautiful pieces of full-color artwork, plus an additional 20,000 words of historical commentary.
There is no difference in the commentary on the overlapping subject matter between the two editions, i.e., the adventures.
Q7: Are any of the files complete adventures that can be run immediately, or will they require the DM to do additional work beyond reading the files?
A7: Many of the adventures can be run from what is included on the Archive using Old School DM'ing, as Rob often wrote detailed keys but you won't find 4-page stat blocks for the monsters. An example is included below.
[image will appear in FAQ]; also see:
lakegenevaoriginalrpg.blogspot.fr/2016/08/el-raja-key-archive-sample-image.htmlQ8: Do the scans include transcriptions?
A8: No these are Rob's original, 1975, hand-drawn maps and hand-written notes. However, a substantial amount of interesting details are written up in the commentary, and it is this commenetary that is indexed and cross-linked. That is over 7,237 linked entries and 1,541 index entries.
Q9: What are PC/Mac program/system requirements to use the Archive contents?
A9: The Archive is viewable with any reasonably modern Web Browser on any reasonably modern system (including Tablets, Smart Phones, Etc.). Some of the maps are quite large (76 MB, 7461x9185px, 300dpi) and could strain really old systems.
Q12: How is fulfillment and shipping being managed.
A12: Fulfillment and shipping are being handled by The Collector's Trove in the United States. The Collector's Trove has a very high reputation among collectors and provides quality packaging and quick shipping.
Q13: How much is shipping to non-US destinations?
A13: It would depend upon what was being purchased, but as an example: K1 Sunken City alone or the Basic or Standard Edition would cost $15.00 USD each, and the Deluxe and Collector's Editions would cost $25.00 USD each. The difference is based strictly on weight.
Q15: Can the Archive files be printed?
A15: Yes. The files can be printed, although Rob used color-coding on most of his maps, so printing them off in black and white will make them difficult to read.
Q16: Can the Archive files be moved off of the DVD/USB and stored on a computer?
A16: Yes and this will actually speed up the performance of the Archive for most users. Instructions on how to do this are included on a technical sheet enclosed with each copy of the Archive.
Q17: At what resolution are the documents scanned?
A17: The original documents have been scanned at 300 dpi. That means they have the same resolution as the original.
Q18: When I copied the Archive to my hard drive, the thumbnails appear fine, but I am getting 404 Errors from my browser when trying to access the full size images.
A18: The Archive structure uses long paths that when combined with being copied into a deep directory location, e.g. c:\my stuff\gaming\role playing\old school\el raja key archive\, cause the Archive code that manages accessing the full size images from within the thumbnail carousel to operate improperly due to Operating System limitations. If your situation seems to match this, try moving the Archive closer to the root directory.
