[tylermo]

Good review. I bought my copy at GenCon. Haven't had a chance to run it, or any of the other related Castle Zagyg products. I've thread through parts of Upper Works, and skimmed others. So far, I like what I've seen. Gygax(and Talanian) have done a fine job. I'm not just saying that because it's a Gygax project. Let's face it, Gygax is like anybody else(Stan Lee, George Lucas, John Williams, Elton John, etc). They all have some big hits(so to speak), then later projects can be good, bad, or ugly. Not everything Gary did after D&D was instant gold. That said, the intial Castle Zagyg:Yggsburgh hardcover, and the Upper Works appear to be what some of us old schoolers need in this world of 3.5and 4E. As for pre-order shipping, (I'm NOT with the company), but I believe some people who pre-ordered have received their copies(at least according to some customers at the Troll Lord forums). There were some "Ike"-related power outages in Little Rock(home of Troll Lord Games), but I think power was restored recently. With regards to questions about 1st vs. 3rd printings, I know they changed the poison rules, and corrected some errata. A change was made to glossy pages, but will go back to normal in upcoming printings. Go to trolllord.com for official info. As for C&C, I do consider it to be D&D for the modern day. It's very similar to old pre-3rd edition D&D, but takes away some of the clunky bits. Other than playing lots of Savage Worlds, C&C is my primary fantasy game these days. In closing, Gary's Castle Zagyg will live on in the hands of a trusted writer, Jeffrey Talanian, and his associates at Troll Lord Games. They're releasing city district expansions, and another boxed set down the road. Top notch stuff. Can't wait to run it!