My Bad

So, a week or so back I made what was supposed to be the first of two teaser posts leading up to a discussion of ne of my favorite pieces I worked on from back in my TSR days. Re-reading my post now I see my phrasing led folks to think I was trying to identify some old art when I actually just wanted to share a relic of the past (particularly, my past). So thanks to Allan (grodog) and Dick McGree and apologies if they put in any time on this.

That said, here are two more pieces from the same little stash, the first of which is definitely from THE GATES OF FIRESTORM PEAKE; it's by Arnie Swekel (as were at least two of the three pieces in my last post) and cost the kingly sum of $3. The second I'm think is unassociated: simply something I picked up at artists' row outside the GenCon dealers' room circa 1996 or 1997.

While gaming professionals put in the work on every project, or should, we all have a few favorites, and this is one of mine. Aside from being a really good module, it stands out in a number of ways. For one thing it was Bruce Cordell's first publication after he came on-staff and, because of TSR's shut down for the first half of 1997, was the only one of his pieces to see print for quite a while (his first year or so at TSR)—after which came a healthy flood that included impressive works such as the Award-winning RETURN TO THE TOMB OF HORRORS: designed (by Bruce) and partially edited before the break (by me), editing completed during the hiatus (by Steve Winter), published after the move out to Renton.

I cd be wrong on this, but I think GATES OF FIRESTORM PEAK marked the first appearance of The Far Realm, bringing a Cthuhoid touch to D&D (which to my way of thinking was all to the good).

Less successful was the mandate that this adventure use the new PLAYER'S OPTION rules -- a venture best described by Skip Williams, I think it was, as 'making D&D more like the games we'd been outselling for twenty years'.* It did I think have the positive effect in that it can be seen as a dry run for Third Edition. The lack of enthusiasm with which it was greeted probably played a role in ruling out that path as the way to go --first for late-stage TSR and then for early work on 3e Wotc.

So there it is: I count it as one of the high points of the fifteen years I spent at TSR / WotC / Hasbro that I got to edit Bruce Cordell's first TSR module. 

--John R

--current gaming: 

D&D Fifth Edition: FORBIDDEN CAVERNS OF ARACHAIA (Monday night group)

CALL OF CTHULHU Seventh Edition: BERLIN, THE WICKED CITY (Saturday night group)

*have to say I liked the PLAYER'S OPTION: SPELLS & MAGIC book in itself, just didn't think it was a good direction for the mainline of the game.

Again, apologies for not getting this follow-up posted in good time.

--John R.