tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4727301007280965202.post5517228990946052999..comments2024-02-25T08:15:34.559-05:00Comments on The Society of Torch, Pole and Rope: Proto BECMI?Michael Curtishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13217338828086458862noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4727301007280965202.post-27901331889863696312009-03-09T20:30:00.000-04:002009-03-09T20:30:00.000-04:00Thanks for the Dragonsfoot info. I'll have to mose...Thanks for the Dragonsfoot info. I'll have to mosey over there and take a gander at it myself.Michael Curtishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13217338828086458862noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4727301007280965202.post-36199575330811359552009-03-09T19:46:00.000-04:002009-03-09T19:46:00.000-04:00Worth noting as well is that (unsurprisingly) some...Worth noting as well is that (unsurprisingly) someone over at Dragonsfoot have decided to compiling notes for such a Companion volume. I have no idea how far they have come, though.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4727301007280965202.post-78586846526658189752009-03-09T18:47:00.000-04:002009-03-09T18:47:00.000-04:00I think on Dragsonsfoot, Frank Mentzer said that T...I think on Dragsonsfoot, Frank Mentzer said that TSR needed to put out product with higher art values to stay on big store shelves (Toys'r'Us, etc.). While I think Otus is the pinnacle of D&D art, I understand where the merchants were coming from. That was part of the motivation.<BR/><BR/>In his Q&A thread, Dave Cook said the original Companion was planned, but never got beyond that stage. What you find in the Expert book is pretty much all they had at that point. He also said he doesn't remember who came up with the idea of the 36th level cap, or why.KenHRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11613789646908929989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4727301007280965202.post-70845195819360335372009-03-09T17:32:00.000-04:002009-03-09T17:32:00.000-04:00Ah, thank you, James. Somehow I figured if anyone ...Ah, thank you, James. Somehow I figured if anyone had at least part of the story, it'd be you.<BR/><BR/>I know I read that post on Grognardia but, since I hadn't started delving back into Moldvay/Cook at that point, it probably passed under my radar.Michael Curtishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13217338828086458862noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4727301007280965202.post-82432503194255943482009-03-09T17:28:00.000-04:002009-03-09T17:28:00.000-04:00I wrote a brief blog post about the never-written ...I wrote a brief blog post about the never-written <I>D&D</I> Companion that would have followed the Moldvay/Marsh/Cook rule books: http://grognardia.blogspot.com/2008/11/four-d-products-that-never-were.html<BR/><BR/>As for why it never happened, I've never seen a satisfactory explanation, although I do know Gygax never liked the B/X books and specifically tasked Frank Mentzer with doing a "better" version of same, during the brief time after he wrested creative control of the company from the Blumes but before Lorraine Williams launched her own coup.James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.com