Subject: MYSTARA-L Digest - 25 Feb 2003 to 26 Feb 2003 (#2003-58)
From: Automatic digest processor <LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM>
Date: 27/02/2003, 19:00
To: Recipients of MYSTARA-L digests <MYSTARA-L@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM>
Reply-to: Mystara RPG Discussion

There are 16 messages totalling 852 lines in this issue.

Topics of the day:

 1. Hacklopedia Mystarica - The Guide to the HackWurld              of
 2. Hacklopedia Mystarica Provisos (Jenni)
 3. Global Interaction (3)
 4. Hacklopedia Mystarica: The Guide to the HackWurld              of Mystaros
    (3)
 5. Marco's Questions
 6. Hacklopedia Mystarica: The Guide to the HackWurld of Mystaros (2)
 7. Meghala and Meghalaya? (2)
 8. Orcs (2)
 9. Quality of ESDs

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Date:    Wed, 26 Feb 2003 02:57:25 -0600
From:    Magister Mystaros <mystaros@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: Re: Hacklopedia Mystarica - The Guide to the HackWurld              of

Jenni Said:

<< <<And in a case of fantasy being mocked by reality being mocked by
fantasy, the Great School of Magic in Glantri will be, well... wait till you
see.>>

[JenniM] "Oh my," she says, as visions of broomsticks, blodgers and snitches
dance in her head...

Now if that is even *vaguely* in the direction you're heading my eyes are
sparkling even brighter in anticipation.  But do be oh so careful about the
copyright issues (though, as a parody of one source placed inside a parody
of another source you might just have a bit more leeway than normal
there...)>>

Let's just say it won't be anything blatant, like the Elfquest knockoff in
Alfheim, but, it will certainly capitalize on the growing awareness of the
concept of "schools of magic" and so forth. Oh, maybe, you never know, I
might sneak a young student from Blackhill into the mix, a fellow with an
interesting history and a "fireball" shaped scar on his forehead... (^_^).

<<  By the way - I also approve of the Merry Ierendi Pirate Isles.  I too,
have merged Green Ronin's Freeport setting into my Ierendi as it certainly
fits the mold (and you totally have my permission to rip and rend anything
you like out of my merged history!)>>

Freeport itself won't be there, due to licensing concerns. However, the
history of the Ierendi Isles will be such that it will readily fit...
remember, I will be using my Nithian history in this, and the Ierendi Isles
are the remnants of Set's old Isle of the Serpent...

<<  However I am wondering - you've made frequent mention of the "tourist
trap" and "80's TV show references" issues of Ierendi, but none whatsoever
of the other elements, so I pose the following questions:
 In the Hackwurld of Mystaros, what will become of the following?>>

Lot's of questions here, somoe of which I cannot answer yet (as I want there
to be *some* surprises, after all)...

<<*  Government:
 * Still a Kingdom with King, Queen and nominated Tribunal?
 * Does the Castle of Ierendi still exist?>>

Still a Kingdom, with a Queen. The Queen is young, not yet married, and
still lives in the beautiful Castle Ierendi. Royalty is hereditary in this
Ierendi, not determined by Royal Tournament.

<<* Adventurers:
 * Does the Adventurers' Club still exist?
 * Is there still a Royal Tournament of Adventurers?
   * Is it still responsible for the selection of the King & Queen?
 * Are "help/jobs wanted" postings still found somewhere
  (on "The North Wall of the castle" or otherwise)>>

Adventurers are plentiful in Ierendi; the Merry Pirates are not the only
roguish types found in the islands. Ierendi City will be extremely
cosmopolitan, and the "place to find heroic types." There is still a Royal
Tournament, however, the winner becomes a Peer of the Realm (a Knight), not
King or Queen. Peerage is for life, provided the Peer doesn't screw things
up. The North Wall will be there; in order to get invited to compete in the
Royal Tournament (yest, you ahve to be invited to compete), you must have
come to the attention of the Queen and the Peerage through past heroics.

<<* Religion:
 * Does "The People's Temple" still exist?>>

Not as such, though there is an informal religion, sort of like a
combination between the Traladaran faith and "Wicca," as presented in
fantasy novels. It is an outgrowth of the original Traldar religion and the
rustic faiths brought in by Kerendan, Hattian, and other settlers. It will
be called "The Faith" by adherents, and "The People's Temple" by upper-class
detractors. The "Royal Church of Ierendi" (RCoI) will be similar to the
Karameikan Church and the Church of Darokin, in that it is formal, with
formalized ritual and canon.

<<  * What of the Utter Island Albino's and their sandcastle religion?>>

Utter Island will make the conversion mostly intact, it is too cool not to.
The changes that will be made will be based on the history of what went on
around them, plus, more about their own history.

<<* How about the Whitenight Druids on White Island?>>

White Island will now be the home of the White Island Wizards, descended
from Alphatian emigres. The WIW are more generalist magic-users, versus
their competitors, the Honor Island Mages, who are fire elementalists.

<<Education & Training:
 * Ierendi Public Schools?
 * Ierendi School of the Arts?
 * Ierendi Naval Academy?>>

Education and training is a core concept to HackMaster, and this element
will not only be there in full in Ierendi, it will be expanded upon
throughout the HackWurld.

<<* Aloysius island:
 * Is it/was it a penal colony?
   * Is there still a penitentiary there?
 * Will there still be gold and gem deposits there?
   * Have they been found?
   * If found, have dwarves flocked to the island to craft them?
 * Do Mau-mau mosquitoes still exist?>>

Aloysius Island will change significantly. This is partly because the
islands will not be jungle-clad tropical islands (though they will still be
forested). Aloysius will still have a dwarven population, and still be a
source of gold and gems.

<<* The Makai:
 * Will the natives themselves still exist?
   * What of their "ancient magics" (_Doze_ breadfruit and _Mau-mau bane_)
   * Are their "ancient burial grounds" on Elegy Island?>>

Yes and no. I'm holding this one close to my chest.

<<* Miscellaneous
 * What's up with Honor Island and the Honor Island Mages?>>

They will still be there, and expanded upon.

<<  * Is Fletcher Island still famous birds and feathered art?>>

Yes and no. (^_^)

<<  * Bargle the Wizard, Jr. (nephew of Ludwig's hireling) still be
around?>>

Yes. (^_^)

James

******************************
James "Mystaros" Mishler
Freelance Writer and Troubleshooter
mystaros@earthlink.net

------------------------------

Date:    Wed, 26 Feb 2003 03:01:47 -0600
From:    Magister Mystaros <mystaros@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: Re: Hacklopedia Mystarica Provisos (Jenni)

<< << Yes, that is another of the fixes. As I mentioned in my earlier
Westerlands posts, the Atruaghin get fixed a bit...>>

 Oo. Ooo.  Oooooo!

 Did I just hear you say the "Westerlands" and the revised Atruaghin, per
your recent email messages (much of which I have already selflessly begun to
purloin for my own 3E campaign) will be an official part of the Hackwurld?

 I never thought I'd see the day I'd be salivating over a *HackMaster*
supplement of all things, but... well...  <droo-oo-oo-ool>

 {Oh dear, sorry 'bout that.  Didn't mean to get all your keyboards wet....
Here, let me get a napkin...}>>

Quite all right. We WANT people salivating over this. Drool on! (^_^)

<< << Thanks Andrew! I will NOT disappoint you! You should definitely pick
up HackMaster. Use the bits you like, don't use the bits you don't. Unlike
certain other editions of D&D, which shall remain nameless (cough... 3E...
cough), you CAN do that. (^_^)>>

 Not intended as flame bait or anything, but you can disregard bits of (and
even add bits to) 3E if you choose.  The DMG is full of variant rule
options, and usually includes reasons why they weren't selected as a core
rule and what kind of impact they might have on a campaign as a whole.
Realistically, any DM can pick up almost any RPG and choose to "Rule Zero"
something.  :-) >>

Yes, when DMing one's own game, it can be done. When designing for
publication, however, it is another matter entirely...

However, 3E D&D, I still believe, is one of the most difficult to do this
in, and still maintain internal consistency.

<< By the way - will I *need* whatever the core HackMaster books are to
understand the "Hackwurld of Mystaros" if all I want to do is borrow the
ideas and port it into a 3E campaign, and what are they, exactly, if I do
need them?  (Just want to know what kind of fiscal layout I'll need to
calculate into my "RPG Budget" for the end of the year...)>>

No, you will not need HackMaster to play. However, I guarantee you, you will
eventually WANT to play it with HackMaster, as that will be the best way to
get maximum utility out of the setting in this design...

James

******************************
James "Mystaros" Mishler
Freelance Writer and Troubleshooter
mystaros@earthlink.net

------------------------------

Date:    Wed, 26 Feb 2003 11:05:09 -0000
From:    Colin Davidson <cabd2@BIOTECH.CAM.AC.UK>
Subject: Re: Global Interaction

----- Original Message -----
From: "Magister Mystaros" <mystaros@EARTHLINK.NET>
To: <MYSTARA-L@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM>
Sent: Tuesday, February 25, 2003 6:55 PM
Subject: Re: [MYSTARA] Global Interaction


> When you are talking about continents separated widely by oceans,
histories
> don't generally cross in broad patterns except every couple of millennia.
> Remember, there was a 10 to 15 thousand year gap between the last major
> cultural influx from Eurasia to North America and the current one. That's
> about the same amount of time for the differentiation between surface
elves
> and Drow in most campaign settings, and that period of time, even for the
> elves, was long ago and mostly forgotten.

We're not looking at real world civilisations, though. Alphatia has
interested adventurers (such as Haldemaar) who have practically
curcumnavigated, and has extended it's grasp as far a the Hollow World. The
Heldannic Knights, with their capacity to go out through the world shield
and extend their sphere of influence as far as Oostdok in the Hollow World
and Matrera off world, could not conceivably be unaware of any other major
world power, or without ambition to bring outlying targets under their
sphere of influence.

> <<How would you reconcile the presence of such globally important powers
as
> Alphatia having little interraction with regions that would be in the
> Greyhawk setting?>>
>
> This actually is not much of a worry. Just look at Mystara's own history
to
> see why. Alphatia may indeed be a global power, however, the direct
> influence she has had over other nations of Brun has been spotty. Alphatia
> has been around for 2000 years, yet Norwold, which is just a hop, skip,
and
> a jump across the water, is still as barbaric as ever. Thyatis, yes, she
had
> a great influence on. Ylaruam less, the Northern Reaches barely at all.
Then
> look to her eastern borders, and she only recently had any affect on
> Skothar.

Yes, Alphatia has been unwilling due to her prevailing pacifist philosophy
to extend into other territories, but were they to be aware of any major
civilisations on the planet with major magical ability they couldn't fail to
be interested; she doesn't reach far into Skothar because the people there
are good only for slaves, she doesn't put more effort into Norwold because
that turbulent region isn't civilised enough to interest her (Alphatia isn't
a civiliser). But in a few short years after finding out that the rumours of
a Hollow World are true she extended her influence as far as that; it seems
self evident that were there any major civilisations on the world with which
Alphatia had either common magical or cultural interest she would strive to
deal with them.

> << How could the relatively magic-rich setting of Mystara fit in with the
> somewhat lower magic settings?>>
>
> Now, if you are talking about "basic magical energy" versus "use of
magic,"
> that can be simply explained with the flow of magic being stronger on one
> continent than another. If it is with "use of magic," like with Alphatians
> versus all others in the Known World, magic-use would simply be
genetically
> more common among certain people than others, or the tradition would be
> older, and it would be a cultural thing.

So more magical items and superconstruts such as Floating Ar, flying ships,
etc, stem from Alphatia because it's magically favourable land and because
the Alphatians are genetically predisposed towards magic? Yes, I can see
that working.

------------------------------

Date:    Wed, 26 Feb 2003 13:04:49 +0100
From:    Giampaolo Agosta <agathokles@LIBERO.IT>
Subject: Re: Hacklopedia Mystarica: The Guide to the HackWurld              of
        Mystaros

Chris Furneaux wrote:

>> To be honest, that's not the best argument, but I do know that I will
>> be watching the sales to see if it would be worth the money to potentially
>> invest in Mystara for other products. I doubt anyone could please you
>> crazy hardcores though. :)
>
> It's ironic, as Mystaraphiles go, we tend to grab anything Mystarian on the net
> and praise it, but the thought of a new *PUBLISHED* Mystara seems to be a
> delicate topic. I don't understand it myself. If you can make use of it, it is
> a good product IMO. If not ignore it and everyones happy.

Yes. We probably tend to think that a published Mystara item involves some sort of responibility towards the setting, while this responsibility is not so big when the item is just put in the Vaults.
Basically, what we produce for the Vaults is aimed at ourselves, while anything that is published aims, at least partially, to the (slightly more) general public.

> I for one don't mind if Mystara is published again or not. While I would be
> thrilled to see it published I still have plenty of stuff to work from and the
> output from the net comunity could keep you going for years.

It's the same for me, though it would still be a shame to see a bad Mystara-related product.

> The one thing I am really keen to see is some of the net stuff formatted such
> that it looks like a published work. Nice artwork and layout and such in a PDF
> format. Having an artwork team for the MA has definatly helped IMNSHO. But
> theres still a way to go yet, and I'm not sure if the artwork team can keep
> pace with the writers. I have been most imprest with OD&DITIES in this regard I
> must say. And the Newbie guide should be good when it's finished.

Have a look at the discussion on the MMB, then.
Me, I rather think that one of the things that characterize the Mystaran fan base is the focus on the written material rather than the artwork.

Bye,
-- 

    Giampaolo Agosta

http://digilander.iol.it/agathokles

------------------------------

Date:    Wed, 26 Feb 2003 06:06:29 -0800
From:    Kar Ess <kar_ess@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: Marco's Questions

Don't got a lot of $$ free, but I used to proofread, so can volunteer
that. I got a brother-in-law that just got a Heroes supplement published,
so think we can round up some illustrators, etc.

And I can get you good prices on printing. Plus they told me I'd get a
commission on any job I brought them. GRIN!
KS

SNIP
"then you also have to pay people to write(That might be free for you),
illustrate, edit and proofread and then the layout. If the book is
anywhere near the common Sovereign Stone books or others, you would be
looking at about another $8-10K for those things."

__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, more
http://taxes.yahoo.com/

------------------------------

Date:    Wed, 26 Feb 2003 15:20:23 +0100
From:    =?iso-8859-1?q?Havard=20Faanes?= <havardfaa@YAHOO.NO>
Subject: Re: Hacklopedia Mystarica: The Guide to the HackWurld of Mystaros

--- Chris Furneaux <c_furneaux@PARADISE.NET.NZ> :

> It's ironic, as Mystaraphiles go, we tend to grab
> anything Mystarian on the net
> and praise it, but the thought of a new *PUBLISHED*
> Mystara seems to be a
> delicate topic. I don't understand it myself. If you
> can make use of it, it is
> a good product IMO. If not ignore it and everyones
> happy.

You have a good point. I do understand scepticism
coming from many of the fans on this list, but I must
say that from reading this thread I have become
convinced. I will give this book a chance. Ofcourse,
seeing Mystara in Hardcover is a dream come true. And
even better, it might lead to more (Hackmaster
sourcebooks, or even D20 products..)

I find many of James' ideas interesting. I dont mind a
few changes here and there, and if it turns out that I
dont like them nothing stops me from using my old
gazetteers instead. And hopefully, this book will
bring more people to this list aswell! Now James, you
said summer right?

Looks like we'll have alot of new fun stuff coming out
for GenCon. Not only D20 Blackmoor, Hackmaster
Mystara, but Dragonlance D20 was also planned to be
released around this time when I last checked. Looks
like its gonna be an expensive summer...

Håvard :-)

______________________________________________________
Få den nye Yahoo! Messenger på http://no.messenger.yahoo.com/
Nye ikoner og bakgrunner, webkamera med superkvalitet og dobbelt så morsom

------------------------------

Date:    Thu, 27 Feb 2003 08:03:07 +1300
From:    Chris Furneaux <c_furneaux@PARADISE.NET.NZ>
Subject: Re: Hacklopedia Mystarica: The Guide to the HackWurld              of
        Mystaros

> Have a look at the discussion on the MMB, then.
> Me, I rather think that one of the things that characterize the Mystaran
> fan base is the focus on the written material rather than the artwork.

And that is definatly NOT a bad thing. Artwork is not actually terably useful,
it's just really nice to have. I would not wish for the writers of the MA to
focus there efforts on artwork instead of writing as that would be hugely
detrimental to the product. It would just be nice to have some more artists.

------------------------------

Date:    Wed, 26 Feb 2003 14:06:22 -0600
From:    Magister Mystaros <mystaros@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: Re: Hacklopedia Mystarica: The Guide to the HackWurld              of
        Mystaros

Havard Said:

<<I find many of James' ideas interesting. I dont mind a few changes here
and there, and if it turns out that I dont like them nothing stops me from
using my old gazetteers instead. And hopefully, this book will bring more
people to this list aswell! Now James, you said summer right?>>

Yep, that's the plan. Fingers crossed...

James

******************************
James "Mystaros" Mishler
Freelance Writer and Troubleshooter
mystaros@earthlink.net

------------------------------

Date:    Wed, 26 Feb 2003 14:04:23 -0600
From:    Magister Mystaros <mystaros@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: Re: Global Interaction

Colin Quoth:

<<We're not looking at real world civilisations, though. Alphatia has
interested adventurers (such as Haldemaar) who have practically
curcumnavigated, and has extended it's grasp as far a the Hollow World. The
Heldannic Knights, with their capacity to go out through the world shield
and extend their sphere of influence as far as Oostdok in the Hollow World
and Matrera off world, could not conceivably be unaware of any other major
world power, or without ambition to bring outlying targets under their
sphere of influence.>>

Yes, exploration is another matter. Note, however, that Haldemaar, the first
Great Explorer of Alphatia in this vein, did not set out from Alphatia until
1964 AY. In the first issues, Haldemaar notes quite frequently that the
Alphatians are quite unaware of what extends beyond the Known World and the
Alphatian Territories.

As for the Heldannic Knights, they do indeed seem to have their fingers in
just about every pie. However, they are almost completely ineffectual as far
as overpowering the "enemy" they encounter. In fact, the most successful
they have been to date has been with the Gnomes of Oostdock... and there
they can't even eliminate the Fifth Column! Gnomes! In the case of their
"global power bid", I've always viewed the Heldannic Knights as being a
"poor man's Scarlet Brotherhood." Perhaps, if/when Greyhack happens, we
might tie the two organizations together "in brotherhood," as their goals
are remarkably similar. However, again, even with the Heldannic Knights,
their exploration (and sad attempts at conquest) have all been within living
human memory...

<<Yes, Alphatia has been unwilling due to her prevailing pacifist philosophy
to extend into other territories, but were they to be aware of any major
civilisations on the planet with major magical ability they couldn't fail to
be interested; she doesn't reach far into Skothar because the people there
are good only for slaves, she doesn't put more effort into Norwold because
that turbulent region isn't civilised enough to interest her (Alphatia isn't
a civiliser). But in a few short years after finding out that the rumours of
a Hollow World are true she extended her influence as far as that; it seems
self evident that were there any major civilisations on the world with which
Alphatia had either common magical or cultural interest she would strive to
deal with them.>>

Indeed, however, unless there is a society in the core Garweeze Wurld
equivalent to Alphatia, there are no such societies extant on Aldrazar.
Let's take a look at all the other TSR worlds that might (note: might)
someday apply, and be adapted to HackMaster:

Greyhawk: Greyhawk, for all that it is a fantastical setting, has nowhere
near the magical concentration in any one nation that Alphatia does. The
only nation that ever had such magical power was that of the old Suel
Empire, which was destroyed in the Rain of Colorless Fire almost a thousand
years ago. Now, it would be very well likely that they did, at one time,
have connexions in those ancient days, however, today, the Alphatians would
avoid that region like the plague! Perhaps some slight trade, once explorers
reach the region.

Birthright: Like Greyhawk, a median-range magical setting, with little to
make it worth the Alphatian's Imperial Interest. Stong enough to resist, not
rich enough to be worth the effort. Perhaps some slight trade. Perhaps some
slight trade, once explorers reach the region.

Dark Sun: Yes, there is always the possiblility of them converting Dark Sun
to HackMaster. I wouldn't want to be the one to do it, though. If they did,
I seriously doubt that Alphatia would be interested in conquering anything
here; way too poor, and those psionic powers are way too effective for
resistance. I doubt there would even be any trade, save perhaps between
Blackheart and certain specific kings.

Ravenloft: Already been done, to an extent (the module Robinloft is a parody
of the original module, and is set in Garweeze Wurld), and that's probably
as far as it will go, due to the licensing of the setting to White Wolf.

Forgotten Realms: The Realms has several magically powerful nations, notably
Halruaa, Lantan, and Gond. These, were Alphatia aware of them, would
definitely be trading partners. Conquest would be out of the question, as
their power, due to FR magic inflation, would be on-par with anything the
Alphatians could actually get around to organizing. Again, it just wouldn't
be worth it.

Kara-Tur: The Empires of Kara-Tur would be on-par, if not greater than
Alphatia. The Alphtians would more than likely let sleeping dragons lie, and
simply open up trade with the mandarins and the daimyo.

Zakhara: Bad mojo here, with the Sha'ir's being as powerful in their own way
as the Alphatian wizards. Another hornets nest that the Empire would want to
leave alone, save for some slight trade.

But again, remember, except in the case of the long-lost Suloise Empire in
Greyhawk, most interaction would entirely be extremely recent... so
culturally speaking, there would ahve been next to no influence either way.

As far as the Hollow World interaction goes, well, I gotta say, I always
felt it was contrived, and merely done to help establish Alphatia in the
Hollow World after the writers destroyed it! After all, there were plenty of
other primitive regions on the surface world that would have been a lot
easier to conquer more profitably.

James

******************************
James "Mystaros" Mishler
Freelance Writer and Troubleshooter
mystaros@earthlink.net

------------------------------

Date:    Wed, 26 Feb 2003 14:36:16 -0600
From:    Magister Mystaros <mystaros@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: Meghala and Meghalaya?

An interesting bit of weirdness...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2800585.stm

Obviously, the name of this region in Indian was the inspiration behind =
the naming of the Meghala Kimata Plains and Meghales Amosses Desert on =
Davania.

I wonder, however, does this mean there are there are cultural ties in =
the region to Sind?

It would make some sense. The Milenians are descended from Traldar, the =
Hinterlanders from Neathar and Antalians, Garganin was founded by people =
from Hule, and there is even a city named "Telos Taksidhi."

Perhaps, during the troubles of the 5th century, a number of folks fled =
from Sind and settled in the plains and wastes of Davania...

Or maybe the Nithians also took a couple of clans of far-ranging Urduks =
to Davania as slaves, and they were left to their own devices after the =
fall of the Empire in 500 BC.

Or, even more improbably (though it being Mystara, making it more =
probable), after the fall of the Red Orcs in Atruaghin in 800 BC, some =
of them fled to Davania on stolen Traldar vessels, taking with them a =
host of Atruaghin and Sindhi slaves. They were then driven into the =
deserts by the native Milenians, where they founded their own mixed race =
and culture, the Meghala Half-Orcs.

What does everyone think?

James
=20
******************************
James "Mystaros" Mishler
Freelance Writer and Troubleshooter
mystaros@earthlink.net

------------------------------

Date:    Wed, 26 Feb 2003 22:40:29 +0100
From:    Giampaolo Agosta <agathokles@LIBERO.IT>
Subject: Re: Hacklopedia Mystarica: The Guide to the HackWurld of Mystaros

Chris Furneaux wrote:

>> Have a look at the discussion on the MMB, then.
>> Me, I rather think that one of the things that characterize the Mystaran
>> fan base is the focus on the written material rather than the artwork.
>>
>>
> And that is definatly NOT a bad thing. Artwork is not actually terably useful,
> it's just really nice to have. I would not wish for the writers of the MA to
> focus there efforts on artwork instead of writing as that would be hugely
> detrimental to the product.
>
Exactly. And even a lot of good artwork can be detrimental to the
product if it is used in a bad way---e.g., the crowded backgrounds of
some of the more graphics-oriented official fan sites.

> It would just be nice to have some more artists.
>
Of course.

GP

------------------------------

Date:    Wed, 26 Feb 2003 12:48:09 -0800
From:    Joe Kelly <joe_kelly@DAVIS.CA>
Subject: Re: Global Interaction

Hey Mystaros, are you going to include a race of Orcs that would actually =
pose a threat? Like the Scro in Spell Jammer?

JK Wolf

------------------------------

Date:    Wed, 26 Feb 2003 15:41:59 -0600
From:    Magister Mystaros <mystaros@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: Re: Orcs

Joe Said:

<<Hey Mystaros, are you going to include a race of Orcs that would actually
pose a threat? Like the Scro in Spell Jammer?>>

Beastmen will be addressed in several ways:

1) Game Masters will be given a LOT of detail on which regions are
controlled by or otherwise inhabited by Beastmen races, where those groups
raid into, their strength and numbers, etc.

2) The Broken Lands will remain essentially the same, organizational wise,
though they will be more "serious" in tone, and thus, more deadly.

3) There are a lot more new and interesting races from HackMaster that will
be ported over.

4) Let's just say there is a reason why the Great Escarpment ("Upper
Thothia") of the Isle of Dawn has never been conquered...

5) Mmmm... Denagoth!

6) Hint: Find my information on the Pantheon of Great Hule.

7) Hyboria. 'Nuff said!

James

******************************
James "Mystaros" Mishler
Freelance Writer and Troubleshooter
mystaros@earthlink.net

------------------------------

Date:    Wed, 26 Feb 2003 14:14:01 -0800
From:    Darth Darknerd <darknerd2k@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: Quality of ESDs

> Date:    Tue, 25 Feb 2003 08:06:54 -0500
> From:    Chris Cherrington <inour12@BELLSOUTH.NET>
[snip]
> > I've heard from direct sources that TSR didn't
> upgrade from early
> > proprietary systems to newer, cross-platform
> systems until way late in their
> > history, and they lost a lot of data and stuff in
> that upgrade.
> >

> Is that when they moved from the Apple Lisa to the
> Macintosh systems, in 1989?

Uh... Right...

Um... Apple Lisa was more like 1983 or '84, and I
believe it was only a development machine.  The
Macintosh was released in '84, and then later with the
introduction of the Macintosh Plus, they had
AppleTalk, LaserPrinters, and the desktop publishing
industry was born...

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------------------------------

Date:    Thu, 27 Feb 2003 00:09:36 +0100
From:    Thibault Sarlat <thibault.sarlat@WANADOO.FR>
Subject: Re: Meghala and Meghalaya?

i like this idea of half orc in the davanian desert...
i might include it in the 112 events i already wrote for the 1019
almanach.....

thanks james

any other suggestion?


Thibault Sarlat.
Techniques de l'Ingénieur
Port: 06 84 92 32 55
Fax:  05 56 96 85 24
www.techniques-ingenieur.fr

ICQ 16622177.
Personal homepage  http://www.mystara.fr.st
thibault.sarlat@wanadoo.fr
----- Original Message -----
From: "Magister Mystaros" <mystaros@EARTHLINK.NET>
To: <MYSTARA-L@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM>
Sent: Wednesday, February 26, 2003 9:36 PM
Subject: [MYSTARA] Meghala and Meghalaya?


An interesting bit of weirdness...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2800585.stm

Obviously, the name of this region in Indian was the inspiration behind the
naming of the Meghala Kimata Plains and Meghales Amosses Desert on Davania.

I wonder, however, does this mean there are there are cultural ties in the
region to Sind?

It would make some sense. The Milenians are descended from Traldar, the
Hinterlanders from Neathar and Antalians, Garganin was founded by people
from Hule, and there is even a city named "Telos Taksidhi."

Perhaps, during the troubles of the 5th century, a number of folks fled from
Sind and settled in the plains and wastes of Davania...

Or maybe the Nithians also took a couple of clans of far-ranging Urduks to
Davania as slaves, and they were left to their own devices after the fall of
the Empire in 500 BC.

Or, even more improbably (though it being Mystara, making it more probable),
after the fall of the Red Orcs in Atruaghin in 800 BC, some of them fled to
Davania on stolen Traldar vessels, taking with them a host of Atruaghin and
Sindhi slaves. They were then driven into the deserts by the native
Milenians, where they founded their own mixed race and culture, the Meghala
Half-Orcs.

What does everyone think?

James

******************************
James "Mystaros" Mishler
Freelance Writer and Troubleshooter
mystaros@earthlink.net

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------------------------------

Date:    Wed, 26 Feb 2003 20:22:15 -0500
From:    Christopher M Cherrington <inour12@BELLSOUTH.NET>
Subject: Re: Orcs

> Behalf Of Magister Mystaros
>
>
> 4) Let's just say there is a reason why the Great Escarpment ("Upper
> Thothia") of the Isle of Dawn has never been conquered...

IMC there is a breed of half goblin/elf that lives upon the plateau, closest
thing to a Drow for me (remember Night's Dark Terror?).

>
> 5) Mmmm... Denagoth!

Remainders from the Oghriz.

>
> 6) Hint: Find my information on the Pantheon of Great Hule.

I'll need to look this one up!

>
> 7) Hyboria. 'Nuff said!

Hyboria had always been interesting to me.  This is where I stuck a
Gargantuan Hyborean Troll, named Bamala the Huge.  Nothing worse than
seeking immortality and finding an intelligent 20HD troll blocking your path
with an army of hungry 'regular' Hyborean trolls and orcs and goblins, oh
my!

------------------------------

End of MYSTARA-L Digest - 25 Feb 2003 to 26 Feb 2003 (#2003-58)
***************************************************************