I love this interview - one of the few first-hand sources we have regarding what actually happened to Holmes's manuscript after he handed it over to TSR. Also it shows how his own idea evolved (although we don't really know at what point he started thinking magic books were pointless, for example).
Yep, I don't know about that either, I think spell books are one of those great things that make magic-users really concerned for the safety of the backpack (or the safety of their hideout/tower/castle/whatnot). I like that kind of paranoia. :-)
This is a key paragraph on Monsters as Characters: "Character classes: Player characters are restricted to being a Fighter, Cleric, Thief, Magic-User, Elf, Halfling or Dwarf. This probably covers the roles most beginning players want to try, but I am personally sorry to see the range of possibilities so restricted. The original rules (the three little brown books) specifically stated that a player could be a dragon if he wanted to be, and if he started at first level. For several years there was a dragon player character in my own game. At first level he could puff a little fire and do one die of damage. He could, of course, fly, even at first level. He was one of the most unpopular characters in the game, but this was because of the way he was played, not because he was a dragon. I enjoyed having dragons, centaurs, samurai and witch doctors in the game. My own most successful player character was a Dreenoi, an insectoid creature borrowed from McEwan’s Starguard. He reached fourth level (as high as any of my personal characters ever got), made an unfortunate decision, and was turned into a pool of green slime."
I love this interview - one of the few first-hand sources we have regarding what actually happened to Holmes's manuscript after he handed it over to TSR. Also it shows how his own idea evolved (although we don't really know at what point he started thinking magic books were pointless, for example).
ReplyDeleteYep, I don't know about that either, I think spell books are one of those great things that make magic-users really concerned for the safety of the backpack (or the safety of their hideout/tower/castle/whatnot). I like that kind of paranoia. :-)
ReplyDeleteYeah, to me the non-manportable magic books represent one of the quintessential features of Holmes (and it doesn't appear in any other versions).
ReplyDeletePeter Froehlich Thanks for posting that. I forgot it was transcribed there. Required reading for Holmes fans!
ReplyDeleteThis is a key paragraph on Monsters as Characters: "Character classes: Player characters are restricted to being a Fighter, Cleric, Thief, Magic-User, Elf, Halfling or Dwarf. This probably covers the roles most beginning players want to try, but I am personally sorry to see the range of possibilities so restricted. The original rules (the three little brown books) specifically stated that a player could be a dragon if he wanted to be, and if he started at first level. For several years there was a dragon player character in my own game. At first level he could puff a little fire and do one die of damage. He could, of course, fly, even at first level. He was one of the most unpopular characters in the game, but this was because of the way he was played, not because he was a dragon. I enjoyed having dragons, centaurs, samurai and witch doctors in the game. My own most successful player character was a Dreenoi, an insectoid creature borrowed from McEwan’s Starguard. He reached fourth level (as high as any of my personal characters ever got), made an unfortunate decision, and was turned into a pool of green slime."
ReplyDeleteI just added a permanent link to this article on the left.
ReplyDelete