tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239062544101975016.post6442081265744230437..comments2024-03-28T14:05:25.134-07:00Comments on Sacnoth's Scriptorium: A Certain Resemblance (a Tolkienesque cover)John D. Rateliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12324926298336489295noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239062544101975016.post-80505993009607820852017-05-07T18:23:08.073-07:002017-05-07T18:23:08.073-07:00Dear Jeff
Thanks for presenting the opposite case ...Dear Jeff<br />Thanks for presenting the opposite case so eloquently. <br /><br />I enjoyed the chance to look over Spahn's book, which strikes me as very much in the tradition of a DM printing his or her home-rules version of D&D. But my heart's still with the old game his version derives from.<br /><br />--John R. John D. Rateliffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12324926298336489295noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239062544101975016.post-1264249210644131082017-05-07T18:19:16.813-07:002017-05-07T18:19:16.813-07:00Dear JH.
Unlikely, I shd think, since it doesn'...Dear JH.<br />Unlikely, I shd think, since it doesn't use the word 'Tolkien' or 'hobbit' or 'ring' and, more importantly, it's a rulebook, not a novel. Thus it's not likely to be mistaken for a Tolkien book, which I gather is one of their big rules-of-thumb. But I'm no lawyer.<br />--John R. John D. Rateliffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12324926298336489295noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239062544101975016.post-2742066957267663202017-05-03T19:00:23.895-07:002017-05-03T19:00:23.895-07:00As the person who lent you the text, I must respec...As the person who lent you the text, I must respectfully disagree. I think the cover is more in category of loving homage than blatant rip-off, and a welcome change from a lot of OSR material that seeks to closely evoke the trade dress of early D&D material. The back cover has an art piece of Gary Gygax turned into the Dungeon Master from the D&D cartoons. <br /><br />I found the contents to be very tightly organized, and while a group could go out and find the originals in a used bookstore, there is always the challenge of one more book being needed (indeed, the original AD&D had its Unearthed Arcana. While people have been "fixing" D&D almost immediately upon its original publication, the OSR (Old School Revival/Renaissance/Reformation)seeks to return to those thrilling days of yesteryear with the wisdom gained since. My greater concern, going through the text, is not how much came from the various early incarnations of D&D, but how much came from other OSR versions.<br /><br />I liked the contents - they were tidy and concise. Various evolutions and house rules are presented as boxed options within the game. If I had to toss a single volume at a first time DM, this would be a good call (I am a fan of the D&D Cyclopedia, but recognize that even that might be a bit much).<br /><br />I will say homage, and given the storied relationship between Tolkien's works and Gygax's, an amusing one. Jeff_Grubbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16326936187418519745noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239062544101975016.post-2394088886009319982017-05-02T21:56:08.787-07:002017-05-02T21:56:08.787-07:00Of course the question is how likely is it (unless...Of course the question is how likely is it (unless previous permission is granted) that the Tolkien estate will sue? And if so how likely are they to win?John Hancockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10783549653748382008noreply@blogger.com