From: pound@ruf.rice.edu (Christopher Brian Pound)
Subject: Re: RPG's That Belong on Every Gamer's Shelf
Summary: Supplements 
Organization: Rice University
Date: Sat, 21 Nov 1992 20:44:20 GMT

GAME SUPPLEMENTS that belong on every gamer's shelf:

1. Central Casting  --  Heroes of Legend
                    --  Heroes for Tomorrow
                    --  Heroes Now!

   Pick one, at least, depending on the genre of the game you play most.  Going
all the way through the character generation process can often produce virtually
unplayable characters; use the tables selectively.  This doesn't beat making
creative players write up at least a screenful of text about their character,
but I think these books are still *very* useful.

2. Campaign Classics -- Mythic Greece/Robin Hood/Pirates/Vikings/Mythic Egypt

   I think some of these (Greece?) are out of print.  They're all pretty good;
some are terrific.  Any would be good material to appropriate for a non-
historical fantasy setting.  Mythic Greece and Pirates are my faves.

3. Photocopies from Megatraveller World Builder's Handbook (SF)
                 or [Harnmaster] Pilot's Almanac (Fantasy/Medieval)

   Both are easy to criticize for having too much CRAP in them to be at all
useful DURING a game; plus, I think the WBH is out of print, and the PA is
too damn expensive.  However, they've both done plenty for me in the way of
providing realistic detail ...

4. A book of Weapons/Armor; the ones I have are:
   _WEAPONS: An International Encyclopedia from 5000 B.C. to 2000 A.D._
	by The Diagram Group, $17.95.
   _A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armor_
	by George Cameron Stone, (I got mine for $14.98 new at one of those
	bookstores that get new bargain hardbacks; originally priced at $50)

   Useful for game/setting design and for settling petty arguments.  Why
carry a dagger when you can carry a Pesh-Kabz? :)

5. A game setting you've been meaning to re-write for your favorite game
   e.g.  Empire of the Petal Throne (!)
         Dark Sun (just the boxed set; the art is cool as are many of the
            monsters & their environment; the figs are great)
         Aesheba: Greek Africa (well, *I* like it; figs of Greeks and Zulus
	    are easy to come by too)

   Practically anything ever published for EPT could be great to steal from
if you (insanely enough) don't want to run a game set on Tekumel.  I've always
wanted to run a pre-cataclysm sci-fi game.  :)
   Dark Sun has some pretty spiffy art; the cities of Tyr are for the most part
inspired by Earth historical settings, but the setting totally defies any
rational world system analysis (I think of this as a 'minor flaw').  It's
really annoying that the setting came out for AD&D, but luckily, the book
describing most of the setting is TOTALLY systemless (except for a couple pages
of monster descs in the back)!!!
   Aesheba: Greek Africa is a pretty quirky, underdeveloped setting that I just
like to think about running a game in (one attempt so far was a miserable
failure).  But, I can dream, can't I?

Oh well.

-- 
Christopher Pound	+	I am human by my hands and my feet, my guts,
Anthro Grad Student	+	my meat heart, my stomach whose knots fasten
pound@ruf.rice.edu	+	me to the rot of life.	   -- Antonin Artaud
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.advocacy