Man gygax androids would be pretty cool (although i assume he meant robots a gygax android would just be gygax brought back to life with robotics)

Hm lets see construct obvisuly i guess i just need to choose a construct type

Be right back stating gygax

Quote from: One Horse Town;802366Considering that he only posted it to fuck with you, 4 out of 10 is a pretty good score!

Hmm, hadn't thought of that.

Not being 'au fait' with the usual protocols and norms, may I ask a few questions?

1] What is the 'EoPT(ODD)' edition being referred to in this posting? I am not aware of any ODD version of what I assume is Prof. Barker's "Empire of the Petal Throne", originally published by TSR. Phil's game, which I have in both manuscript and play-test versions, as well as the published (TSR, Gamescience, Different Worlds, Tita's) is much more in line with Dave Arneson's work in "Adventures in Fantasy", as well as the earlier "Beyond This Point be Dragons", which has been extensively discussed by both D. Boggs and J. Peterson in various on-line fora.

2] Is the original poster aware of these earlier works? And of the comments made by G. Gygax and D. Arneson on the subject of Prof. Barker's work?

If I may add a few personal observations, based on my time in the game industry and hobby, we stand on the shoulders of giants; for example, the original poster might want to look into the genre of the 'Braunstein", first elaborated by Maj. D. Wesely in his activities in the Midwest Military Simulation Society, back in the late 1960s and early 1970s. I think that the original poster might note some items of interest therein.

I have a copy of "Arrows of Indra"; I bought it - my first RPG purchase in years, I might modestly note - simply because it works as a game and as a evocation of an alien world-setting; alien to most gamers, I think, because of the setting being in classical India. I bought "AoI" for my Tekumel game campaign because it is a good, solid game, and it works quite well for running games set in Tekumel - especially the Tekumel I experienced both in playing in Prof. Barker's original Thursday Night Group over fifteen years and what I published as his publisher, first at Adventure Games and then as a free-lancer.

Phil - he asked me to call him that, as he thought that 'Mohammed Abd Rahman' might be too much for my American tongue to have to deal with, and using the name of the Blessed Prophet in casual usage smacked of disrespect - was never shy about giving credit for the inspiration and ideas that both Dave and Gary provided him; "EPT", he told me, could never have been done without them.

"AoI" builds on the thirty-five years of game development and game-running we've had since those far-off days of yesteryear, when "we made stuff up and had fun". "AoI" builds on the work of the pioneers of the hobby, and does a good job of it, in my opinion, as "AoI" accomplishes exactly what it says it's going to do - provide an OSR-styled RPG set in classical India. The game will port over into the world of the Petal Throne quite nicely, and I bought it on those merits. I've really enjoyed reading it, and I'd be happy to suggest it to players.

- chirine

Quote from: RPGPundit;802335No, its a hate-blog created by an SA-Goon

I don't think there is a Something Awful connection at all. Don't make the mistake of conflating your enemies just because you have a lot of enemies.

Quoteusually filled with 4chan-levels of profanity and adolescent dirty-jokes, that attacks OSR games and game designers.

I think of it as how the The Daily Show is a comedy show, but ironically has some of the better news coverage...imagine if the Daily Show only reported on the OSR, and also Jon Stewart was high from sniffing glue. Hence, "biggest OSR news site." Seriously, it gets the kind of traffic that most OSR bloggers would give their favorite neckroll for.  

QuoteThey have for a long time had a hate-on for Zak, Raggi, and myself in roughly that order (but they often branch out to attack other OSR designers).

I think you might be rating yourself too high; Jmal and that Brave Halfling guy are more on their radar, it's just that those dudes have been really quiet lately.

As someone very fond of rolling 2d6 and getting 8+, as well as interpretative dance and shiny beads, as well as DCC and 5e D&D I suggest you leave it here. The review was trolling and rude. However that is your style as well, so you have made your reply, now walk away.
My disappointment with AOI was that there was too much OSR D&D and not enough of the Indian legends that I know you have from your blogs. That didn't mean it was a bad game since you had clear design goals and a target audience. However it doesn't suit all. I would have liked much less system, a lot more India, some adventures, and better art.
Sometimes this reviewer edged towards that but riling you was the real purpose for him.

Or her..

Quote from: Molotov;802358Meh. I read, run (and review) everything from Fate to Holmes D&D. My name appears in the credits - twice - of an "rpg" (story game ... that's for Pundit ) that Pundit's said awful things about (Other Worlds). I've also bought, read and run AoI and find it a fun and worthy read and play.

The review's a hack job with an agenda, and not a particularly good one. Folks are entitled their opinion, and that's mine.

Hold on there, partner!

You mean it's actually possible to play and enjoy different kinds of games? And doing so doesn't mean you're a mental midget, or person of ill-repute? You mean that I can play OSR games one week, BRP the next, Fiasco one night, Fate the next, Microscope after that, and then bust out some WHFRP 1e the next day, and I'm not going to burn in hell for the cardinal sin of...

Liking Different Things!



The mind boggles...

Quote from: tuypo1;802368Man gygax androids would be pretty cool (although i assume he meant robots a gygax android would just be gygax brought back to life with robotics)

Hm lets see construct obvisuly i guess i just need to choose a construct type

Be right back stating gygax

*cough* Cyborg Commandos *cough*

I agree the review is pretty one-dimensional. However, once you look beyond the tone, there's a lot more going on here.

Basically the review is an over the top satire of Pundit's own reviews of certain OSR products in the past:

• Same level of vitriol,
• refusal to engage with the actual content once it's established between writer and reader that there's nothing in the product that repays attention, and
• an incessant reminder to reader that the product is entirely derivative, this being part of the creative bankruptcy of the OSR movement more largely, this
• making the review a foil for an assault on the OSR more widely.

What completes the satire is the author's rejoinder. Instead of being over and above the vitriol, as some of Pundit's victims have been, he nodges it up a couple of steps. Instead of saying how the work is not derivative, he switches to "but being derivative is what the OSR is all about", while offering some pretty irrelevant comments on what is or is not a retroclone (a term the review uses for any systems spin off). To top it off, Pundit has to

• initiate his rejoinder by telling the world that he is not financially as much in the straits as the review made it out to be,
• edit the review's title thread (pretty petty in my book) when that review, content wise, is really not that far from his own in the past, before he decided to jump ship with co-consultants (his overtures to Raggi the review alleges, if only half true, take the biscuit here), and thus
  
• admits that his own reviews, as they are on a par, just as much qualify as overt trolling by his own standards.

Any review that riles up the author, and in the final instance extracts an involuntary concession of moral hypocrycy, has clearly hit a nerve. The analogy to Jon Stewart is very well observed. Mission accomplished, I'd say.

Quote from: misterguignol;802417I think of it as how the The Daily Show is a comedy show, but ironically has some of the better news coverage...imagine if the Daily Show only reported on the OSR, and also Jon Stewart was high from sniffing glue. Hence, "biggest OSR news site." Seriously, it gets the kind of traffic that most OSR bloggers would give their favorite neckroll for.  

Please. You're not "the Daily Show", you're like a White Power Radio Show. Its not news, its just pure unadulterated hate mixed in with invariably asinine, offensive and unsophisticated humor by a gang of semi-illiterates.

QuoteI think you might be rating yourself too high; Jmal and that Brave Halfling guy are more on their radar, it's just that those dudes have been really quiet lately.

And it's pretty clear you're a huge fan of the site, so why stop pretending you're a neutral party in all this?

Quote from: Herne's Son;802436*cough* Cyborg Commandos *cough*

So YOU were the other guy that bought a copy?

Despite whatever information you feel you've picked up sixth hand from email forwards featuring humorous but resiliant cats, you fellas shouldn't talk about 4chan. It just makes you look old and ignorant.  Honestly, anytime anyone here says anything about it they look like someone's dad talking about hip- hop.


@the Butcher ydis guys are here all the time. Two regulars in this thread besides the OP.

I personally don't give two shits about whatever drama goes on between Pundit and his enemies, but I did find this very funny:

Quote from: PrinceofNothing;802169YDIS as a community does not condone the ..., very existence of [RPGPUNDIT]. .

"I don't believe in Pundit."
"It's OK, because he believes in you."

Quote from: Doom;802445So YOU were the other guy that bought a copy?

I still have my boxed set.

Quote from: Gib;802449@the Butcher ydis guys are here all the time. Two regulars in this thread besides the OP.

Glad to hear it.

Am I the only person who wants to buy Arrows of Indra because of this review?

Putting aside the polemic and bile and reading between the lines, this does sound like the kind of setting that I would enjoy.