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Post by nebless on Apr 13, 2023 8:50:45 GMT -5
I've always thought it a bit odd that you have to buy a club, it ought to be something most adventurers could make for themselves. If you have any kind of wood skill you could crave / wittled out a statue, but would it be of Venus de Milo quality? I'd say that yes anyone could just pick up a fallen tree branch to use as a club, but if someone that knows what they're doing makes a club you've a much better chance at it being balanced, made for your arm length / size and the proper weight for you to use. Bottom line, if you have the skill to make a club or weapon than it should be just as good as one you'd buy. If you don't have the skill, than unless you want an 'unimproved' one with lower stats, you buy.
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viva
3rd Level Troll
Posts: 111
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Post by viva on Apr 13, 2023 9:52:54 GMT -5
3. Harkening back to the email T&T newsletter I ran (enlisting Ken for star power and subscriptions) I'm curious: Besides the Trollbridge, where else are you seeing M!M! (and T&T too) news and content? Steve's KS updates? One of the two Facebook groups (are there more? There's a ton of overlap...)? Somewhere else? Anyone ever see the games run at conventions? ( And speaking of the newsletter, does anyone remember it? Of those, anyone subscribe--and actually open the emails, let alone read the content?)David This is the first I recall hearing about the T&T email newsletter. Not sure I can do much with it as far as my collection (maybe I need to include a "digital archives" section) but seems like something I would want nonetheless!!! If you still have those emails and can dig that stuff up, please add me to the list to forward to at some point.
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mosker
5th Level Troll
Posts: 532
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Post by mosker on Apr 13, 2023 15:25:34 GMT -5
3. Harkening back to the email T&T newsletter I ran (enlisting Ken for star power and subscriptions) I'm curious: Besides the Trollbridge, where else are you seeing M!M! (and T&T too) news and content? Steve's KS updates? One of the two Facebook groups (are there more? There's a ton of overlap...)? Somewhere else? Anyone ever see the games run at conventions? ( And speaking of the newsletter, does anyone remember it? Of those, anyone subscribe--and actually open the emails, let alone read the content?)David This is the first I recall hearing about the T&T email newsletter. Not sure I can do much with it as far as my collection (maybe I need to include a "digital archives" section) but seems like something I would want nonetheless!!! If you still have those emails and can dig that stuff up, please add me to the list to forward to at some point. viva-- If you still want them after reading the description below, DM me your email and I'll hunt them down. The newsletter was just news, no actual playable content. It was a collection of new T&T releases and status updates of works in progress--both sometimes with art,links to blog articles, etc. about T&T, and any sightings of T&T in the wild (i.e. convention games anywhere) and/or at least Rick Loomis'/FBI appearance schedule.
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apn
5th Level Troll
Posts: 578
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Post by apn on Apr 14, 2023 0:11:18 GMT -5
I don't have too much of an interest in Monsters! Monsters! yet until I properly read it. Might drag my tired carcass (been on night shifts, it's 6am and I need to go to bed) to the book press and finish off the M!M! book I printed off in the week then I can have a proper look. In terms of 'zine name how about...
Monster Mash! Monstrous Musings Monsters! Monsters! Mail Monstertalk
I think you can tell I'm tired and blathering now. Think I'll go to bed...
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trolletgunnar
4th Level Troll
A Swedish player who holds the Tunnels and trolls banner high.
Posts: 381
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Post by trolletgunnar on Apr 17, 2023 4:02:14 GMT -5
The thing a miss the most in Monster! Monsters! is the Monster rating; it is such an elegant way to come up with opponents on the fly. Never seen the first edition, but in M!M! 2.x the "Mankind Rating" is basically the same thing except for a tiny difference in the calculation. NPCs can still be given a MR if you want. It's also why I proposed handling warships abstractly by means of a "Maritime Rating"... or MR for short... I suspected that later versions had something similar to MR; either way it is not hard to transfer whatever between the games.
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mosker
5th Level Troll
Posts: 532
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Post by mosker on Apr 20, 2023 16:07:35 GMT -5
Not snark, but a thought experiment...
With all of the discussion as to how similar or not M!M! is to T&T and how narrow its focus actually is, I was hoping that a throwing out a contrast to the blissfully broad-scope of Trollszine might inform our thinking (Along the lines of the I Love Lucy episode where Lucy wants to become a writer, and they want to use her work in a book about writing in the chapter "Don't Do This"...) This may have some potential, but as you'll see, elsewhere
Monsters!Monthly! An official TrollGodfather Press DriveThru RPG/PDF product.
1. Produced on a strict monthly schedule. 2. Produced with Steve Crompton designed templates so it has the look at feel of other Zimrala products. 3. Not free, but really cheap. $12-25 max for 12 issues, with individual issues and subscriptions given away along with M!M! products, KS tiers. Those who pay for subscriptions should qualify for TrollGodFatherPress discounts--at least on PDFS. 4. Containing in every issue: a. A "lair": an adventure stub for plundering or defending. b. Rules Q&A, as in old SA's, Patrice Gelle's interview with Ken (in one of the Trollszines as Patrice was translating 7.x into French) and/or surveys from players (e.g. Do you, how do you incorporate the chaos factor?) c. Monsters, obviously. I like the idea of a mortuary or mausoleum where people submit fully statted ones complete with a few lines of where and how they died. d. Updates on third-party works in progress and releases--even if not Zimrala related. e. Whatever those doing the lion share of the work (or paying the artists) want. f. Spells, stunts, something else readers can incorporate into their own games.
Thoughts?
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Post by zanshin on Apr 21, 2023 2:21:51 GMT -5
Sounds great. Most I could do to that timescale would be produce the occasional article. But if you want a job as editor for it, it's a great pitch (and thats not snark - I would love this and buy it)
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darrght
4th Level Troll
Wow, I'm a 4th Level Troll!
Posts: 446
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Post by darrght on Apr 21, 2023 5:26:00 GMT -5
Well mosker , That sounds FANTASTIC, but I agree with zanshin the 'strict monthly timescale' would make it a real challenge for the 'keen amateur' like myself and many others here to keep the material being submitted plus all the other jobs that would need doing; editing, artwork, layout etc... I wonder if a less ambitious production schedule; say bi-monthly or even quarterly would stand a better chance of being achievable? I would gladly throw my hat into the ring as the section editor for lairs/solos if you want a hand mosker
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order99
7th Level Troll
Coffee-fueled Carrion That Walks Like a Man
Posts: 1,039
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Post by order99 on Apr 21, 2023 22:27:21 GMT -5
No reason not to go quarterly or even "whenever" like the previously-mentioned Trollzines?
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mosker
5th Level Troll
Posts: 532
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Post by mosker on Apr 21, 2023 23:43:07 GMT -5
No reason not to go quarterly or even "whenever" like the previously-mentioned Trollzines? Fair question, especially as I should have been more clear. This is explicitly not (I will not go all-caps) the successor to Trollszine. It is a dream of a house organ* that would be staid, stable, official, dependable, regular, and a little bit corporate that would nicely complement the wild brilliance of the Next Trollszine/One Trollszine/[Do your own WOTC whatever pun]. Consider these features of the thought experiment: 1. The frequency. It's small enough to be regular. 2. The fact that I stressed it was a Trollgodfather Press production. Ken and Steve would not only need to approve, but buy in to this in many ways--including the DriveThrough and website home, the discounts etc., the KS connections, the promotion, the "house look and feel" template, the input on rules... 2a-10. The price. Trollszine's free content--specifically the rules variants (spells, combat, advancement) articles, fiction--was better than much of what people paid for from that company+ . Why mess with perfection? 11. The Zimrala slant... The diversity of Trollszine's tone, setting, approach was freaking joyous...can't lose that in the successor. All that said, let's keep talking. Maybe the troll brass or a few more noticeably quiet creators will chime in. --Dave *The need, demand for which is based entirely on supposition and what I've seen other RPGs do, and what stands out most in terms of as of yet unfulfilled potential in the current M!M! world. That's for another post.
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Post by alkazar on Apr 22, 2023 1:40:57 GMT -5
Well mosker , That sounds FANTASTIC, but I agree with zanshin the 'strict monthly timescale' would make it a real challenge for the 'keen amateur' like myself and many others here to keep the material being submitted plus all the other jobs that would need doing; editing, artwork, layout etc... I wonder if a less ambitious production schedule; say bi-monthly or even quarterly would stand a better chance of being achievable? I would gladly throw my hat into the ring as the section editor for lairs/solos if you want a hand mosker I agree, bi-Monthly or quarterly would probably be preferable and certainly easier. Also setting a lower page count as a standard would probably help immensely. I imagine it would be pretty nightmarish trying to format an 100+ page issue. Maybe set the standard page count to 32 pages and allow for no more than 10 pages over, even if we have enough material for an issue with 100 pages, lets hold the rest back for another issue. We should also try to standardize the format too, like say, we use Georgia 10 pt font for the main body of every articles but choose a handful of different flashy but legible fonts for the headings which would be at 25. There is a really fascinating free book on drivethru called A Brief Study of TSR Book Design which explains the design standards of TSR from the 70's and 80's. Not that we should copy the look of old TSR, but maybe use this book as a guide and develop a publishing standard of our own. I also think we should have 2 issues done before releasing the first one, so we can have a buffer just in case anything happens. Just a thought. Also I think it should be free
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sscrompton
4th Level Troll
One of the members of the Fellowship of the Troll. Worked on dT&T with Ken, Liz, Bear & Rick.
Posts: 417
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Post by sscrompton on May 9, 2023 1:52:13 GMT -5
Hello all - if you wish to continue your fine publication might I suggest that you base it on the games of Ken St Andre? you could still write about T&T but only from a historical standpoint. You could no longer do solo or gm adventures for T&T, but you could do them for Monsters! Monsters! Humanoid type characters are allowed in M!M! You would need to avoid mentions of any locations or things specific to T&T, but you could make your locations either in Zimrala or "a generic fantasy world."
I'm sure Ken would be happy to write a piece for you every issue and we'd be willing to trade advertising in your publication in exchange for art or material from us. You can put the pub on our Drive-thru page, your drive thru page or both - your choice.
If you are interested in something like this, just let us know. The Monsters!Monsters! RPG network is growing and you all could be a main source of news and exchange for that network if you wish...
Maybe you could call it TrollgodZine and start with issue 1...
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Post by rashathetimid on May 9, 2023 3:03:55 GMT -5
Hello all - if you wish to continue your fine publication might I suggest that you base it on the games of Ken St Andre? you could still write about T&T but only from a historical standpoint. You could no longer do solo or gm adventures for T&T, but you could do them for Monsters! Monsters! Humanoid type characters are allowed in M!M! You would need to avoid mentions of any locations or things specific to T&T, but you could make your locations either in Zimrala or "a generic fantasy world." I'm sure Ken would be happy to write a piece for you every issue and we'd be willing to trade advertising in your publication in exchange for art or material from us. You can put the pub on our Drive-thru page, your drive thru page or both - your choice. If you are interested in something like this, just let us know. The Monsters!Monsters! RPG network is growing and you all could be a main source of news and exchange for that network if you wish... Maybe you could call it TrollgodZine and start with issue 1... That could be great indeed
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Post by zanshin on May 9, 2023 4:40:39 GMT -5
Hello all - if you wish to continue your fine publication might I suggest that you base it on the games of Ken St Andre? you could still write about T&T but only from a historical standpoint. You could no longer do solo or gm adventures for T&T, but you could do them for Monsters! Monsters! Humanoid type characters are allowed in M!M! You would need to avoid mentions of any locations or things specific to T&T, but you could make your locations either in Zimrala or "a generic fantasy world." I'm sure Ken would be happy to write a piece for you every issue and we'd be willing to trade advertising in your publication in exchange for art or material from us. You can put the pub on our Drive-thru page, your drive thru page or both - your choice. If you are interested in something like this, just let us know. The Monsters!Monsters! RPG network is growing and you all could be a main source of news and exchange for that network if you wish... Maybe you could call it TrollgodZine and start with issue 1... Thats a really positive post, thank you Steve. Will see what is organizable.
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trolletgunnar
4th Level Troll
A Swedish player who holds the Tunnels and trolls banner high.
Posts: 381
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Post by trolletgunnar on May 9, 2023 7:10:30 GMT -5
Hello all - if you wish to continue your fine publication might I suggest that you base it on the games of Ken St Andre? you could still write about T&T but only from a historical standpoint. You could no longer do solo or gm adventures for T&T, but you could do them for Monsters! Monsters! Humanoid type characters are allowed in M!M! You would need to avoid mentions of any locations or things specific to T&T, but you could make your locations either in Zimrala or "a generic fantasy world." I'm sure Ken would be happy to write a piece for you every issue and we'd be willing to trade advertising in your publication in exchange for art or material from us. You can put the pub on our Drive-thru page, your drive thru page or both - your choice. If you are interested in something like this, just let us know. The Monsters!Monsters! RPG network is growing and you all could be a main source of news and exchange for that network if you wish... Maybe you could call it TrollgodZine and start with issue 1... Thanks for the post. I have adapted the solo that I wrote for t&t, so that it would fit Monsters! Monsters!, having humanoid charcters in mind, and it work fine. So for the next one I will do what you suggest. And hopefully it will work seamlessly for both systems. Even the one that cannot be named.
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