Man, I miss TSR...

Harry Joy · Post by **Harry Joy** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 3:11 am

At my local FLGS, they keep box after box of old books under the rows of tables holding old comics. I often rummage through them, looking to fill holes in my collection, or looking for a good deal, or often just browsing. Most of the books are used, usually minor abuse, sometimes they are new, but not often.

Today, I picked up the Amazing Engine System Guide. I know nothing about the game, and was interested. And it was cheap. Picked up the Bughunters book, too.

Turns out that both of these books are absolutely mint. Untouched. Encased in plastic for over 15 years. Never been opened, never been read. Mint.

When I opened the System Guide, a small catalog fell out. It was the 1993 TSR Summer/Fall catalog. I know that the heavy release schedule is what helped kill TSR, and the "balkanization" of the catalog, but still.....

TSR - SUMMER/FALL CATALOG 1993

DragonStrike, a video game

DragonQuest board game

Greenfire

The Book of Stones

The Dungeons and Dragons Game [introductory]

The Fall of Magic

In The Phantom's Wake

Champions of Mystara

The Poor Wizard's Almanac

The Book of Artifacts

Cardmaster

1993 Fantasy Collector Cards Set

1993 Fantasy Collector Cards Part III

City of Lankhmar

Cleric's Challenge

Tales of Enchantment

The Complete Ranger's Handbook

The Glory of Rome sourcebook

Monstrous Manual

Players Guide to Dragonlance

Players Guide to the Forgotten Realms

Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 2ed

Forgotten Realms -The Code of the Harpers

Forgotten Realms -Starless Night

Forgotten Realms -The Legacy

Forgotten Realms -Prince of Lies

Forgotten Realms -Pool of Twilight

Forgotten Realms -The Doom of Daggerdale

Forgotten Realms -Soldiers of Ice

Forgotten Realms -The Dalelands

Forgotten Realms -Volo's Guide To the North

Dragonlance -Dwarven Kingdoms of Krynn

Dragonlance -Hammer and Ice

Dragonlance -The Swordsheath Scroll

Dragonlance -Leaves from the Last Inn of Home

Dragonlance - New Tales: The Land Reborn

Dragonlance -The Book of Lairs

Dragonlance -The Black Wing

Dragonlance -Emperor of Ansalon

Al-Quadim City of Delights

Al-Quadim Secrets of the Lamp

Spelljammer The Astromundi Cluster

Spelljammer The Ultimate Helm

Dark Sun - The Complete Gladiators Handbook

Dark Sun - The Elves of Athas

Dark Sun - Merchant House of Amketch

Dark Sun - Marauders of Nibenay

Dark Sun - City State of Tyr

Dark Sun - Earth, Air, Fire and Water

Dark Sun - The Cerulean Storm

Dark Sun - The Outcast

Ravenloft - I, Strahd

Ravenloft - Castles Forlorn

Ravenloft - House of Strahd

Ravenloft - Web of Illusion

Ravenloft - Dark of the Moon

Ravenloft - Van Richten's Guide to Werebeasts

Ravenloft - Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium

Ravenloft - Carnival of Fear

Amazing Engine - For Faerie, Queen and Country

Amazing Engine - Magitech

Amazing Engine - Galactos Barrier Universe

Amazing Engine - Bughunters

Buck Rogers - High Adventure

Buck Rogers - War Against The Han

Gamma World - All Animals Are Equal

Gamma World - Home Before The Sky Falls

Greyhawk - Border Watch

Plus, advertisement for Amazing Stories, The RPGA, and Dungeon and Dragon magazine.

serleran · Post by **serleran** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 3:18 am

I have almost everything on that list. Still missing two Amazing Engine books, though.

Harry Joy · Post by **Harry Joy** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 3:21 am

There are times that I fervently hope to see this type of schedule coming from Troll Lords, and imagine that they are just building up steam.

serleran · Post by **serleran** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 3:23 am

That would be interesting news, to be sure. Well, hell, if they could get the Yggsburgh stuff all done up and bundled, that's 24 products right there. They do have a very massive schedule of stuff to work on, some of it mentioned off and on, but with the need to promote themselves (something every small press needs to do), they just don't the time, and cash flow, to crank out that much at once. I think.

But, I'm also torn... do I want TLG to make hundreds of products, or do I want them to make 10? I guess it depends on quality. I know I'd like to see more... but I don't think I'd like to see them the size of TSR, ever (well, except TSR in the OD&D days.)

g026r · Post by **g026r** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 11:28 am

Greylock wrote:
Dark Sun - The Cerulean Storm

Dark Sun - The Outcast

I always find it interesting to look back at these catalogs and wistfully see what might have been/never was. (On the other hand, it means I have to spend less time and money trying to complete collections. So there's a trade off, I guess.)

There any description included for these two?

Edit: Wait, those are the novels, aren't they? Heh. Now I'm embarrassed.

Brutorz Bill · Post by **Brutorz Bill** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 12:45 pm

Good Stuff!

Good memories!

moriarty777 · Post by **moriarty777** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 1:00 pm

Meh...

It was shortly after that time I started getting fed up with their insane release schedule. It was the beginning of the end for me.

Although I would be happy to see the Trolls with some solid releases every month, I would hope that they never end up with *that* kind of release schedule. If they did, it might affect the sort of material that they put out (and I don't mean in a good way).

Of course, looking at the list, I notice the large numbers of pulp fantasy novels which helped put a few nails in TSR's coffin.

Moriarty the Red
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Yamo · Post by **Yamo** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 1:52 pm

I miss 1974-1985 TSR...

Prince of Happiness · Post by **Prince of Happiness** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 2:32 pm

14 years after the fact, what's the verdict on the "Amazing Engine" system? I never owned it, played twice (for "Bughunters" - Whee!)

Omote · Post by **Omote** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 2:35 pm

Ha! Ive got that very same catelogue that came in another product if I remember correctly. Fond memories indeed, going through that list eagerly awaiting many of those products. Good times, good times.

-O
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Aladar · Post by **Aladar** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 5:36 pm

That does bring back a lot of memories! I have all of the Al Qadim and Lankhmar books.

Does anyone remember the old City of Greyhawk boxed set? I have been trying to find one (other than through Amazon) for a while. I was hoping that WotC might put it up in their archive downloads section one of these days.
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Julian Grimm · Post by **Julian Grimm** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 6:27 pm

I miss them in a nostalgia sense and there are a few things that are worth having. But, time has moved on and so have they. Long live the memories so we don't forget where we came from but the past is past and I look to the future.
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Omote · Post by **Omote** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 6:41 pm

Despite what the City of Greyhawk box set might have changed, it's was a damn good box set and a lot of fun to campaign with. Played in a City of Greyhawk campaign where the PCs barely ever even left the city. The City of Greyhawk box set and Saga of Old City was indespensible.

.................................................Omote

FPQ
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Telhawk · Post by **Telhawk** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 6:46 pm

That list does indeed pull the nostalgia strings. My own fondest memories from that era are the Dark Sun works - that setting, while it may be of limited appeal for some, had an atmosphere and cache to it (not least of which was due to Gerald Brom's excellent cover paintings and inside art) that resonates to this day. l still recall the long and rather fun hours that Jungger and I spent with the Dark Sun: Shattered Lands PC game back in '92-93 (never picked up Wake of the Ravager; simply far too many stories about a horrifically and irreparably bugged game engine to waste the cash on it).

I do agree that the list of upcoming products went way overboard, but still, there was quality in there if you were willing to sift through the dross for it. TSR itself, though, I really hold no love lost for, especially after having been enlightened as to the reasons why Mr. Gygax was unceremoniously ejected from the corporate home that he had built. In my opinion, it really wasn't the same company - regardless of how much regard I might hold AD&D 2.0 in - after he left in '85.

Omote · Post by **Omote** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 7:00 pm

Thw first Dark Sun PC game was so awesome. Great times, and it was that game that actually got me to play the paper & pencil version of the RPG. Very fun, and it totally got the feeling of the setting down pat.

Good call.

-O
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Fat Dragon Games · Post by **Fat Dragon Games** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 7:52 pm

Yamo wrote:
I miss 1974-1985 TSR...

Ditto.
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Yamo · Post by **Yamo** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 8:13 pm

Omote wrote:
Despite what the City of Greyhawk box set might have changed, it's was a damn good box set and a lot of fun to campaign with. Played in a City of Greyhawk campaign where the PCs barely ever even left the city. The City of Greyhawk box set and Saga of Old City was indespensible.

.................................................Omote

FPQ

I thought it was a decent take on a fantasy city. I wouldn't use it as-is, though, because the general tone and the references to things like the Carl Sargeant era Circle of Eight diverge too much from the Lankhmarian feel of Gygax's novels.

Lots of the individual NPCs, locations and encounters are great, though, so it's still worth cherry picking.

Catweazle · Post by **Catweazle** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 8:15 pm

Prince of Happiness wrote:
14 years after the fact, what's the verdict on the "Amazing Engine" system? I never owned it, played twice (for "Bughunters" - Whee!)

Pretty good system, with a lot of potential. Sadly, as often happened with TSR, that potential was largely wasted. Still, it's a good generic that an enterprising GM can use for pretty much anything.
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DangerDwarf · Post by **DangerDwarf** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 8:15 pm

What strikes me most?Not a single "Complete Book of l33t P0warz!!1" is on the list.

A day when items bearing the D&D logo were actually interesting to browse through at the game store.

Yamo · Post by **Yamo** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 8:17 pm

Quote:
I do agree that the list of upcoming products went way overboard, but still, there was quality in there if you were willing to sift through the dross for it.

Sure, there were still a lot of talented and dedicated gamers trying to provide their best work. They were mainly thwarted by draconian family-friendly content restrictions that clashed with the swords & sorcery genre and release schedules that were far too hectic for a lot of projects to recieve the attention they needed and deserved prior to shipping.

Matthew · Post by **Matthew** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 11:51 pm

I also have this catalogue and a number of the items. I have to point out, though, that DragonStrike was not a Video Game, it was a Hyper Reality Board Game (and if you could get past the video, not actually that bad...).

I don't think I would ever be interested in Castles & Crusades novels (or HyperReality Videos... well, maybe), but I would like to see more quality product.
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Tadhg · Post by **Tadhg** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 1:16 am

Wow, I just remembered and pulled out my Full Catalog from 1993 - over 100 pages of all the TSR stuff. Great color and descriptions of all their releases. Even a large tear out calendar in the back. Very interesting. I'll have to read through this in the next few days.

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serleran · Post by **serleran** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 1:38 am

Quote:
it was a Hyper Reality Board Game

If you've not watched in from a Hi Def DVD on a widescreen hi def plasma TV, you ain't seen hyper reality.... I did that just this last weekend. SWEET!

Heheh.

Harry Joy · Post by **Harry Joy** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 3:29 am

Catweazle wrote:
Pretty good system, with a lot of potential. Sadly, as often happened with TSR, that potential was largely wasted. Still, it's a good generic that an enterprising GM can use for pretty much anything.

That's what actually intrigues me about the game. The book says that you can take a character made using the system from one game "Universe" to another, and grow him along the way.

Jyrdan Fairblade · Post by **Jyrdan Fairblade** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 1:36 pm

Mmmm, delicious Nostalgia....

I loved those TSR catalogs. I always thought it was neat to compare some of the preview / temp / unfinished covers of products to the final covers.

Matthew · Post by **Matthew** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 3:20 pm

serleran wrote:
If you've not watched in from a Hi Def DVD on a widescreen hi def plasma TV, you ain't seen hyper reality.... I did that just this last weekend. SWEET! Heheh.

How on earth did you get a copy on a High Definition DVD? I would have thought the original would not be improved by a transfer from video to DVD... interesting...
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serleran · Post by **serleran** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 3:24 pm

Quote:
How on earth did you get a copy on a High Definition DVD?

Friends in the broadcasting field. Transfer and a little cleaning up via reworked (that is, re-digitized) CGI.

Prince of Happiness · Post by **Prince of Happiness** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 3:54 pm

Matthew wrote:
I also have this catalogue and a number of the items. I have to point out, though, that DragonStrike was not a Video Game, it was a Hyper Reality Board Game (and if you could get past the video, not actually that bad...).

I don't think I would ever be interested in Castles & Crusades novels (or HyperReality Videos... well, maybe), but I would like to see more quality product.

I see from the video that in those days, heroism was directly proportional to the size of your perm. PERMAMANCER!!!11

Matthew · Post by **Matthew** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 4:06 pm

serleran wrote:
Friends in the broadcasting field. Transfer and a little cleaning up via reworked (that is, re-digitized) CGI.

Next you'll be telling me you have some suped up version of the Audio CD from First Quest...

Prince of Happiness wrote:
I see from the video that in those days, heroism was directly proportional to the size of your perm. PERMAMANCER!!!11

Nah, it was directly proportional to the size of your moustache or, failing that, the horns on your helmet. Only the ladies had perms, that Barbarian guy is some sort of abberation.
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serleran · Post by **serleran** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 4:09 pm

No, I don't have that CD, or the box. Can't say I want it, either. I did have some self-modified stuff pulled from the Red Steel box set CD, though, back when I was messing with CD rippers and things like SoundForge. Those were lost though, and never any good (except to my ears because they were funny... to me.)

Troll Lord Games

Man, I miss TSR...

Man, I miss TSR...

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