Re: [RPG]: Gary Gygax's Castle Zagyg: The Upper Works, reviewed by Will Mistretta (4/
Very impressive job, Will! I've found that reviewing adventures can be a tricky matter, since taking the "Here's what's there and here's what I think about it" approach leads to a spoiler-filled review applicable only to GMs. You managed to encapsulate what makes this dungeon something special without having to get into the minutia, only giving examples to highlight your points. Well done!
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Re: [RPG]: Gary Gygax's Castle Zagyg: The Upper Works, reviewed by Will Mistretta (4/
This sounds like a module that would be fun to read even if I never actually ran a group through it. The zany aspect of it is bringing back memories of my early days when I thought the Endless Quest choose-your-own-path books were the coolest thing ever.
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Re: [RPG]: Gary Gygax's Castle Zagyg: The Upper Works, reviewed by Will Mistretta (4/
Good review
... how easy is it to convert to 4e D&D? Not that I'm opposed to C&C, just interested in knowing your thoughts on that.
Laz
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Re: [RPG]: Gary Gygax's Castle Zagyg: The Upper Works, reviewed by Will Mistretta (4/
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lazarus
Good review
... how easy is it to convert to 4e D&D? Not that I'm opposed to C&C, just interested in knowing your thoughts on that.
Laz
Hmm. I got it and here's my idea on that:
I don't actually know anything about 4E (WotC lost me as a customer permanently with 3.0), but C&C is based closely on old-school (pre-WotC) D&D and AD&D versions with a few 3.0-isms thrown in (like ascending AC values), so CZ should be more or less exactly as tough to translate as your average product from those earlier editions.
Re: [RPG]: Gary Gygax's Castle Zagyg: The Upper Works, reviewed by Will Mistretta (4/
Quote:
Originally Posted by Evan Waters
Solid review- you make it sound pretty appealing. I don't own C&C, but maybe this can be easily ported elsewhere.
Well I'm currently running a game of this here on RPG.net and I'm using 1ed AD&D as the operating system and I've have no problems porting anything over. It's a great product and if anybody wants or needs an old-school dungeon crawl they really should stop looking any further. This is what they are looking for.
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Re: [RPG]: Gary Gygax's Castle Zagyg: The Upper Works, reviewed by Will Mistretta (4/
Thanks for a great review; others have noted it, but you did a nice job of getting across the essence without giving away the farm.
I have played a little C&C and enjoyed it greatly; it feels like the version of D&D I should have been playing for the last 30 years. Anyway, I recently started a new campaign set in and around Yggsburg (or whatever it is called; I don't have the book in front of me!) and I have ordered the Upper Works so we'll have a mega-dungeon to be the anchor of the setting. The first session, run in the Outs Inn and the city proper, left everyone really stoked to run/play in CZ. I'm a little curious about distribution; the Troll Lords are a small company and can be a little dodgy with shipping schedules, etc. I don't really hold it against them, but I am wondering whether orders placed now get shipped promptly, or are they still digging out from under the pre-orders. Anyone know?
Also, I have first printings of both the PH and MM. Are the changes in the more recent printings worth the purchase?
Re: [RPG]: Gary Gygax's Castle Zagyg: The Upper Works, reviewed by Will Mistretta (4/
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!
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