Out-of-Print RPG Homage Page
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There are many, many RPGs
that have been published since role-playing first appeared. Doubtless all
of these have been responsible for numerous successful campaigns and a
great deal of enjoyment. It pains me when I notice, however, that many
of the (in my view, at least) most beautifully designed games are now out
of print.
TSR is the biggest culprit
in my view. Although some of their out-of-print games have seen new editions,
been resurrected as supplements for other games, or been published on the
net, it often seems to me that (with the obvious exception of whatever
the latest incarnation of D&D is) TSR acquires great game concepts,
publishes them, gathers a cult following for them, and then drops them.
Cries from fans for re-printing or additional supplements fall on deaf
ears.
If anyone from a company
that publishes role-playing games should ever read this, consider this
fact: yes, in order to keep people buying games, you have to keep publishing
new games; this is because the increase in the gaming demographic is insufficient
by itself to keep cash rolling in on a single product, since gamers only
need to buy a rulebook once. However... gamers are fanatics, usually about
one (or more) games. They will latch on, and keep writing articles, buying
adventures, and playing games. Don't drop a game product just because it's
not selling as much as it once did; it doesn't mean people don't like it
anymore, just that not as many new people are liking it each year as they
did earlier. Please, don't ignore all those customers who have already
shelled out their $19.95 (or whatever) and become devotees of your product.
It'll cost you in the long run.
I have selected four of
my favourite out-of-print games for detail below. Three of the four are,
in fact, related, and not just because they're all from the TSR stable.
Metamorphosis
Alpha
The world's first science-fiction
role-playing game, with a system derived from the original D&D and
a concept taken from Brian Aldiss' excellent novel Non-Stop. Written
by James M. Ward, published by TSR. It has been out of print for so long
that I've never had the honour of actually seeing a copy in person. It
doesn't help that I live in Australia, of course, because there wasn't much
of a role-playing demographic here when MA was in print.
It would be awfully kitsch
now, especially compared with hard sci-fi games like R.Talsorian's Cyberpunk
and Fantasy Games Unlimited's Aftermath, but no less
fun for all that. I've been on the lookout for a copy of MA for more than
a decade now... and if anyone knows where I can buy a copy, *please* email
me.
The Book of
Mars
An amazing stand-alone combat
system (not a full role-playing system, really, although expanding it or
integrating it is easy) in a single soft-cover book, usable for classic
role-playing or table-top miniatures, covering the gamut of combat from
bare-handed or sword vs. fang to machine guns and beam lasers. Written
by David Tennes, published by Fasa in 1981 and never (to my knowledge)
re-printed. No supplements or adventures were ever produced and my enquiries
with Fasa have revealed that David Tennes departed after producing that
one game, for parts unknown. The system uses only 10-sided dice.
This system is outstanding
for two reasons: 1) it is extremely realistic in the way it deals with
damage and weapons and 2) despite the complexity which is a necessary result
of its realism, it is dealt with in such an organised manner that understanding
and finding any specific rule is very easy.
I do get the impression
that it was released before the author was completely finished with it.
There are one or two references to Chapter 17, but the book has only 16
chapters.
I integrated this combat
system into several campaigns and many, many shorter games I've run over
the last 16 years. It was always popular with myself and my players for
its gruesome results and ease of play. If anyone knows what David Tennes
has been up to since '81, or if he's published anything else, please email me.
Gamma World
I'm talking about the original
Gamma World here, written by James M. Ward and Gary Jacquet and published
by TSR in 1978. It is the direct descendant of Metamorphosis Alpha (described
above), and as far as I know appeared right after MA went out of print.
Like MA, it is kitchy to
look at now, but no less excellent for all that. The original Gamma World
had an exciting, baroque feel which I've not seen captured by any other
role-playing game. The game mechanics were derived loosely from D&D,
and could (with a little fudging) be integrated, but like MA had some game
concepts totally unlike D&D. The chief difference was that (apart from
equipment) a starting GW character was hardly different at all from an
experienced one. This gave GW a more realistic, "man-to-man" feel in keeping
with a post-holocaust setting, where one man with an advanced weapon might
slay many more poorly armed warriors, but where a swordsman either developed
the sense not to attack an outnumbering group or was removed from the gene
pool.
This game went out of print,
was revised and re-released under the same title (but I refer to it as
"Gamma World 2nd Edition" or just GW2) in 1983. GW2 kept most of the original
structure and added a lot of material, but it lost something in the sense
of atmosphere that the original had supplied.
Gamma World,
3rd Edition
Gamma World was again revised
and released under the same title (but I refer to it as written above or
just GW3) in 1986. Again it was James M. Ward and Gary Jacquet, together
with David James Ritchie who had also co-authored GW2. The game felt new
for two reasons: 1) the entire game mechanics were new, original, and totally
incompatible with D&D, and 2) the "feel" of the game had changed again
- to something new and exciting. Unashamedly I stopped playing the original
GW (I'd bought GW2, experimented with, and then put it aside) for GW3.
The heart of the new mechanics
was the Action Table, on which all actions, from driving a car or applying
first aid, using telepathy or trying to hack someone to death were resolved.
It used percentile dice to produce a result in one of several coloured
bands, indicating a result ranging from critical success through somewhat
less amazing success to simple failure and a fumble or "bad news" result.
An almost identical system was published for the TSR game Star Frontiers
in the supplement Zebulon's Guide to Frontier Space... something else which
just had time to be published before being canned.
GW3 was the best of the
Gamma World editions. GW4 (when it was published in 1992 in *another* complete
rewrite) was a let-down for me. My players and I continue to enjoy GW3,
and I've tracked down copies of nearly all the out-of-print adventures
now too. However, if anyone knows where I can buy a copy of GW10: Epsilon
Cyborgs, please email
me.
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