Fonts used in Mystara products - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Fonts used in Mystara products

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
thorf
Feb 08, 2005 23:34:28 I'm sure we all know that the font used for titles in the Gazetteers, as well as on all the maps from GAZ1 until Poor Wizard's Almanac II, is known as Feinen Bold. The excellent TSR & WotC Font FAQ has limited information on old D&D fonts, but it does point us to an affordably priced (US$12) "clone" of Feinen Bold, known as Baldur. (Feinen Bold itself is only available from www.datascan.co.uk , and costs close to 200 British pounds.)

Recently, while reading A Hat Full of Sky, a new Terry Pratchett book, I noticed that they used Feinen for the chapter titles. This is rather interesting, and it made me wonder if anyone else has spotted this font outside of TSR/WotC products.

The other reason for this topic is that the aforementioned TSR Font FAQ doesn't really give much info on OD&D/Mystara other than telling us about Feinen. Has anyone worked out what fonts are used in, for example:

- Gazetteer series normal text
- Champions of Mystara headings
- Champions of Mystara text
- Poor Wizard's Almanac cover title
- Poor Wizard's Almanac headings
- Poor Wizard's Almanac text
- later maps

This is not a complete list of the different fonts used in OD&D/Mystara products, because I'm not home to check right now. Also, some of these may overlap, I'm not yet sure.

The only one that I am sure of so far is the later maps, which use ITC Korinna. This font is mentioned on the TSR Font FAQ page, and I was already familiar with this particular one.

Does anyone have any ideas?
#2
gazza555
Feb 09, 2005 3:54:24 Can't help specifically, but you could try this identification service:

http://www.fontexpert.de/feforme.htm

You need to give it file(s) of individualy scanned characters.

Regards,
Gary
#3
thorf
Feb 10, 2005 9:57:56 Thanks. I tried it out, but it couldn't identify most of the fonts. Plus you have to pay $5 each time you want to see the font name, so even those it could identify I couldn't find out the name.

The whole fonts business seems to be quite inaccessible to normal people who don't have a ton of money to throw around.
#4
katana_one
Feb 10, 2005 12:01:18
The whole fonts business seems to be quite inaccessible to normal people who don't have a ton of money to throw around.

Unfortunately, that's the way it works. Font files are copyright protected works, just like any other piece of software, and distributing them without permission is just as illegal as any other form of software piracy (and just like any other form of piracy, it happens anyway).

Occasionally, you get lucky and can find a clone of the font on a free font directory (or an actual copy unwittingly posted on a site by someone unfamiliar with the legality of doing so).

I don't think I have any of the Mystara fonts, but I like to use American Uncial for my own Mystara-related projects.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 thorf Feb 08, 2005 23:34:28	I'm sure we all know that the font used for titles in the Gazetteers, as well as on all the maps from GAZ1 until Poor Wizard's Almanac II, is known as Feinen Bold. The excellent TSR & WotC Font FAQ has limited information on old D&D fonts, but it does point us to an affordably priced (US$12) "clone" of Feinen Bold, known as Baldur. (Feinen Bold itself is only available from www.datascan.co.uk , and costs close to 200 British pounds.) Recently, while reading A Hat Full of Sky, a new Terry Pratchett book, I noticed that they used Feinen for the chapter titles. This is rather interesting, and it made me wonder if anyone else has spotted this font outside of TSR/WotC products. The other reason for this topic is that the aforementioned TSR Font FAQ doesn't really give much info on OD&D/Mystara other than telling us about Feinen. Has anyone worked out what fonts are used in, for example: - Gazetteer series normal text - Champions of Mystara headings - Champions of Mystara text - Poor Wizard's Almanac cover title - Poor Wizard's Almanac headings - Poor Wizard's Almanac text - later maps This is not a complete list of the different fonts used in OD&D/Mystara products, because I'm not home to check right now. Also, some of these may overlap, I'm not yet sure. The only one that I am sure of so far is the later maps, which use ITC Korinna. This font is mentioned on the TSR Font FAQ page, and I was already familiar with this particular one. Does anyone have any ideas?
#2 gazza555 Feb 09, 2005 3:54:24	Can't help specifically, but you could try this identification service: http://www.fontexpert.de/feforme.htm You need to give it file(s) of individualy scanned characters. Regards, Gary
#3 thorf Feb 10, 2005 9:57:56	Thanks. I tried it out, but it couldn't identify most of the fonts. Plus you have to pay $5 each time you want to see the font name, so even those it could identify I couldn't find out the name. The whole fonts business seems to be quite inaccessible to normal people who don't have a ton of money to throw around.
#4 katana_one Feb 10, 2005 12:01:18	The whole fonts business seems to be quite inaccessible to normal people who don't have a ton of money to throw around. Unfortunately, that's the way it works. Font files are copyright protected works, just like any other piece of software, and distributing them without permission is just as illegal as any other form of software piracy (and just like any other form of piracy, it happens anyway). Occasionally, you get lucky and can find a clone of the font on a free font directory (or an actual copy unwittingly posted on a site by someone unfamiliar with the legality of doing so). I don't think I have any of the Mystara fonts, but I like to use American Uncial for my own Mystara-related projects.