Subject: MYSTARA-L Digest - 29 Jul 2004 to 31 Jul 2004 (#2004-153) From: Automatic digest processor Date: 01/08/2004, 17:00 To: Recipients of MYSTARA-L digests Reply-to: Mystara RPG Discussion There are 3 messages totalling 313 lines in this issue. Topics of the day: 1. Mystaran Immortals in Blackmoor 2. Isle of Dread "Backdrop" in Dungeon 114 (Sept 2004) (2) ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.dnd.starflung.com/ To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 31 Jul 2004 18:51:52 +0200 From: =?iso-8859-1?q?Havard=20Faanes?= Subject: Mystaran Immortals in Blackmoor Its been out a while, and I was just wondering if you guys have had a chance to look at Blackmoor Preview #2 yet? I was happy to see Mystaran Immortals in the Clerical Magic section. Those I noticed are Thanatos, Faunus, Hella (Hel?)and Terra, all of whom were probably around at the time of Blackmoor according to Mystaran History. The new Clerical domain of Entropy is also an interesting Mystara-like addition, and the Dragon Domains may or may not be connected with the Dragon Rulers... What do you think? Good or bad? :) Havard ===== *** Håvard R. Faanes www.stud.ntnu.no/~havardfa ______________________________________________________ Få den nye Yahoo! Messenger på http://no.messenger.yahoo.com/ Nye ikoner og bakgrunner, webkamera med superkvalitet og dobbelt så morsom ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 31 Jul 2004 16:42:24 -0700 From: "Jenni A. Merrifield" Subject: Isle of Dread "Backdrop" in Dungeon 114 (Sept 2004) MML'ers and M3E'ers: =20 So, I get Dungeon by subscription and #114 happened to come this Thursday. So I pick it up out of the mailbox and what do my little eyes = see but the following bold text on the cover: =20 "Isle of Dread Poster Map Inside!" =20 *Woohoo!* I think and immediately flip to the table of contents to see = what goes along with said poster map. What I find is a "Backdrop", or (as explained in the longish "From the Editor" in the same issue) a "fully detailed plug-and-play adventure setting that can be added effortlessly = to any D&D campaign" (one of the new features of the "new and improved" Dungeon). The table of contents explains this particular backdrop = thusly: =20 =20 --=3D+=3D-- Exploring the Isle of Dread =20 Detailed encounter charts, a poster map, adventure hooks, and places of mystery complete this overview of a dinosaur-ridden jungle island that = has spelled doom for thousands of D&D players. Suitable for any campaign. --=3D+=3D-- =20 I pull out the poster map and then flip forward to page 40 and start reading. At the end of the introduction it says: =20 "This article is a re-imagining of the classic setting described in = the 1981 module X1: Isle of Dread, by David Cook and Tom Moldvay." *Right = On!* I think and continue reading. "It places the legendary Isle of Dread in = the default D&D setting: the World of Greyhawk, but it can easily be adapted = to a remote tropical region in another world." *sigh* =20 =20 Aye, there's the rub. Why do they keep DOING that? I mean, if the = best old modules are all Mystara's, why can't they just stay in Mystara? Why = do they keep being ported to {shudder} Greyhawk? {pout} It's just not = fair, is it folks? [Yeah, yeah. Preaching to the choir and all that. I know.] =20 Nonetheless, despite the inevitable Greyhawk contamination, the = article is pretty choice and takes up a full 26 pages (p40-66). Not to mention = that the poster map is SWEET! =20 Every died-in-the-wool Mystara fan with even the smallest interest in = D&D 3e5 ought to check it out. :-) =20 Jenni A.M. Merrifield -=3D> strawberryJAMM <=3D- -- Jenni A. M. Merrifield Software User Experience Professional Designing to Requirements and walking on Water is EASY. . . . . . So long as both are Frozen. ---------- E-Mail & WinIM: [strawberry @ jamm.com] Blog: [http://strawberryjamm.blogspot.com ] --=20 =20 ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 1 Aug 2004 01:13:27 -0400 From: Donald Eric Kesler Subject: Re: Isle of Dread "Backdrop" in Dungeon 114 (Sept 2004) Hello, There was quite a bit of discussion on this very issue on the Wizards.COMunity Boards. One may find the thread here. http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=273214 The thread starts with the following written by Erik Mona. Greetings, Known Worlders. The next issue of Dungeon (#114) will contain an adventure set on the infamous Isle of Dread, of X1 fame. It also contains a poster map of the locale and a short gazetteer of the archipelago filled with adventure hooks, encounter charts, and more. I wanted to drop you guys a line to let you know about it not only because you probably have a natural interest in the Isle of Dread, but because in putting together the issue I made the difficult decision to present the Isle as a location in the core Dungeons & Dragons world, rather than in Mystara/the Known World. I did this for a number of reasons (not least of which being that Mystara is no longer actively supported by Wizards of the Coast), but the main one is that I believe an Isle of Dread detached from the continuity of an out-of-print world would be more appealing to the majority of my readers than one explicitly tied to a long-out-of-print campaign setting. Secondly, I am not an expert on Mystara, and am leery of introducing "official" Mystara continuity that might upset long-suffering Mystara fans due to errors of exclusion and ignorance. Mystara and the core D&D world (Greyhawk) have an interesting set of common features. Both worlds boast alternate versions of the Land of Blackmoor. Both feature Keeps on the Borderlands. Both of these ties date back to the early 1980s, so it seemed a natural to suggest that both worlds feature an Isle of Dread. The idea of a dinosaur-ravaged island with native tribes is an excellent setting for adventure, and I think spreading it across a couple of mutually friendly campaign settings makes a lot of sense. It keeps the place fresh and top-of-mind. For new readers, the upcoming articles will offer a window into Mystara, which may even drum up some interest in the setting. All that said, it will be _extremely_ easy to use the adventure, background article, and especially the poster no matter which campaign setting you use. While I've got you, anyone interested in pitching a "Monsters of Mystara" article that updates some classic Known World beasties will find a very receptive staff on the other end of the dungeon@paizo.com email address. Thanks, and I hope you guys enjoy the issue! --Erik Mona Editor-in-Chief Dungeon In any event, I share your pain. It seems quite clear that we can't expect a revival of Mystara to come from Wizards of the Coast anytime soon. Regards and Best Wishes, Donald Eric Kesler http://www.geocities.com/heroclixleagueofathens/ > From: "Jenni A. Merrifield" > Reply-To: Mystara RPG Discussion > To: MYSTARA-L@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM > Subject: [MYSTARA] Isle of Dread "Backdrop" in Dungeon 114 (Sept 2004) > Date: Sat, 31 Jul 2004 16:42:24 -0700 > MIME-Version: 1.0 > Received: from mc12-f13.hotmail.com ([65.54.167.149]) by > mc12-s7.hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC(5.0.2195.6824); Sat, 31 Jul 2004 > 17:06:11 -0700 > Received: from oracle.wizards.com ([209.221.142.150]) by > mc12-f13.hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC(5.0.2195.6713); Sat, 31 Jul > 2004 17:06:10 -0700 > Received: from lotus (10.12.8.13) by oracle.wizards.com (LSMTP for Windows > NT v1.1b) with SMTP id <0.012D2B73@oracle.wizards.com>; Sat, 31 Jul 2004 > 17:05:23 -0700 > Received: from ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM by ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM (LISTSERV-TCP/IP > release 1.8d) with spool id 39610146 for > MYSTARA-L@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM; Sat, 31 Jul 2004 16:42:28 -0700 > Received: from zeus.rsmnetworks.net (66.14.132.104) by oracle.wizards.com > (LSMTP for Windows NT v1.1b) with SMTP id > <0.012D2B3B@oracle.wizards.com>; Sat, 31 Jul 2004 16:42:27 -0700 > X-Message-Info: 820stLNiepRW/LOyMukJuLqNy0mfqJpsj75HAlu45lA= > X-MS-Has-Attach: > Content-class: urn:content-classes:message > X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft Exchange V6.5.6944.0 > X-MS-TNEF-Correlator: > Thread-Topic: Isle of Dread "Backdrop" in Dungeon 114 (Sept 2004) > Thread-Index: AcR3V/zXa04sVOjTTQe/5nyZbFhTmw== > Message-ID: <75EB2407D134C942A9AA6518C4B853A2024445@zeus.rsmnetworks.net> > Comments: To: Mystara 3E Project > Return-Path: owner-mystara-l@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM > X-OriginalArrivalTime: 01 Aug 2004 00:06:11.0007 (UTC) > FILETIME=[5A11ECF0:01C4775B] > > MML'ers and M3E'ers: > > So, I get Dungeon by subscription and #114 happened to come this > Thursday. So I pick it up out of the mailbox and what do my little eyes > see > but the following bold text on the cover: > > "Isle of Dread Poster Map Inside!" > > *Woohoo!* I think and immediately flip to the table of contents to see > what > goes along with said poster map. What I find is a "Backdrop", or (as > explained in the longish "From the Editor" in the same issue) a "fully > detailed plug-and-play adventure setting that can be added effortlessly to > any D&D campaign" (one of the new features of the "new and improved" > Dungeon). The table of contents explains this particular backdrop thusly: > > --=+=-- > Exploring the Isle of Dread > > Detailed encounter charts, a poster map, adventure hooks, and places of > mystery complete this overview of a dinosaur-ridden jungle island that has > spelled doom for thousands of D&D players. Suitable for any campaign. > --=+=-- > > I pull out the poster map and then flip forward to page 40 and start > reading. At the end of the introduction it says: > > "This article is a re-imagining of the classic setting described in the > 1981 module X1: Isle of Dread, by David Cook and Tom Moldvay." *Right On!* > I > think and continue reading. "It places the legendary Isle of Dread in the > default D&D setting: the World of Greyhawk, but it can easily be adapted to > a > remote tropical region in another world." *sigh* > > Aye, there's the rub. Why do they keep DOING that? I mean, if the best > old modules are all Mystara's, why can't they just stay in Mystara? Why do > they keep being ported to {shudder} Greyhawk? {pout} It's just not fair, > is > it folks? [Yeah, yeah. Preaching to the choir and all that. I know.] > > Nonetheless, despite the inevitable Greyhawk contamination, the article > is > pretty choice and takes up a full 26 pages (p40-66). Not to mention that > the > poster map is SWEET! > > Every died-in-the-wool Mystara fan with even the smallest interest in > D&D > 3e5 ought to check it out. :-) > > Jenni A.M. Merrifield > -=> strawberryJAMM <=- > > -- > Jenni A. M. Merrifield > Software User Experience Professional > Designing to Requirements and walking on Water is EASY. . . > . . . So long as both are Frozen. > ---------- > E-Mail & WinIM: [strawberry @ jamm.com] > Blog: [http://strawberryjamm.blogspot.com > ] > -- > > > > ******************************************************************** > The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp > The Mystara Homepage: http://www.dnd.starflung.com/ > To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM > with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. > _________________________________________________________________ Discover the best of the best at MSN Luxury Living. http://lexus.msn.com/ ------------------------------ End of MYSTARA-L Digest - 29 Jul 2004 to 31 Jul 2004 (#2004-153) ****************************************************************