Find of the Week (3/17/13 - 3/23/13)

Dragonlance: Fifth Age

Value: $60 (used) on Amazon

Actual Cost: $15 (new, but with fading and shelf wear on corners)

I saw this at the local comic shop a while back. It piqued my curiosity, but I forgot to research it when I got home. I finally got around to checking it out a few weeks later. This game gets much critical acclaim, so I figured I couldn't pass it up. The good deal (this thing goes for $240 dollars new!) was icing on the cake.

Dragonlance: Fifth Age is made by TSR and set in the Dragonlance D&D setting. This is not a D&D module or expansion. This is a role playing game that uses the SAGA rules system. SAGA uses card based mechanics, as opposed to dice. I read through the basic rules. It definitely sounds fun!

I'm gearing up to play Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 2nd Edition, so I probably won't play this anytime soon. I will definitely try it later on down the road. When I do, you'll definitely hear about it.

My secondary find of the week goes to a book I bought at the same comic shop.

Greyhawk Adventures

Value: $10 on Amazon

Actual Cost: $5

Greyhawk Adventures is an adventure module/campaign supplement for AD&D 1st and 2nd editions. I kinda regretted buying this for a minute. Then I read the awesome details given for the "House of Cards." The House of Cards is a casino location you can run in Greyhawk or any other D&D setting. It gives some ways to simulate gambling with dice (nothing too fancy, but it gives me an idea on how to quickly determine a poker game without actually pulling out cards). I definitely plan on using this in my upcoming Spelljammer campaign!

Find of the Week (3/3/13 - 3/9/13)

Fay's Fairy Tales: Little Red Riding Hood

Value: $0.01 on Amazon

Actual Cost: $1

This week was not a great week for finds. The most interesting thing I purchased was this children's book from a local library. I payed a dollar since it was hardcover. Amazon has multiple copies for a penny, but I ultimately avoided having to pay the $3.99 shipping costs.

I'm a huge fan of William Wegman, the author and photographer. You probably have seen his acting weimaraner dogs on shows like Sesame Street. He's also done quite a few short films and a few books. Little Red Riding Hood is part of the Fay's Fairy Tales series. I really hope to get the others from this series, as well.

The actors, of course, are Fay and her lovable children. The writing is clever, as per usual with Wegman. I imagined his dry voice narrating the entire thing. Some of the photos are absolutely amazing, even if they're a bit samey overall. Seeing dogs dressed up as people never gets old. Here's a shot of the big bad wolf.

The only distinguishing marks are his snarl and bushy tail.

I love Wegman, and I love fairy tales. Naturally, I also loved this book. Your mileage may vary.

Tuesday on Tape #13 - Jury Duty

#13 - Jury Duty (12/18/12)

Tuesdays on Tape Rating Scale™

Previews: 0/1
Soundtrack: .5/.5
B&T: .5/1.5
Graphics: 1/1
Sound Effects: .5/.5
Likable Characters: .5/1
Memorable Moments/Quotables/Emotion: 1.5/1.5
Total: 4.5/7

Rent or Buy?: Buy

Personal Thoughts: Jury Duty is a solid movie. The tape rating suffered a lot due to lack of previews and B&T. Otherwise, it was good stuff. Pauly Shore carries this movie, but he wasn't as likable as he usually is. Pauly just wasn't in full "Weasel" form in this one. He's definitely not as out there as he was in Encino Man or Bio-Dome. Don't let that deter you from watching if you're a fan of Shore or early 90s comedy in general.

Jury Duty was the final tape of the 2012 season. We took the next week off for Christmas but did watch a tapette during our Christmas party. What is a tapette again?


Tapettes
tapette - A VHS tape that fulfills one of two conditions: a) it is a short film that is under 50 minutes in length, or b) it is a compilation tape with episodes of a TV show or short films that total under 50 minutes each. [In case (b), each episode will be considered a separate tapette.]

Ok, I apologize for not updating regularly about the tapettes we watch. I maintain the Tuesday on Tape online presence through our Facebook page and this blog. Sometimes I fall behind. I find it easier if I don't have to worry about taking pictures of the short tapettes every Tuesday night. So rather than updating all the time, I'll probably just give you a list of a bunch of tapettes recently watched.

Here's a list of the tapettes watched in 2012:

- Monster Rancher: Let the Games Begin (Episode 1) - Avoid
- Hardly Boys in Hardly Gold - Buy
- Fay’s 12 Days of Christmas - Buy
- Jackie Chan Adventures: Friend or Foe (1/8/13) - Rent


The first meeting of 2013 was the annual awards ceremony. Tapes are awarded for excellence in the individual ratings categories, as well as for Tape of the Year. So what won what? Check out my next post to find out! 

Find of the Week (2/24/13 - 3/2/13)

Monstrous Compendium Appendices

(Spelljammer I & II, Ravenloft I & II, Dark Sun, Al-Qadim, Outer Planes)

Value: $266 total on Amazon

Actual Cost: $37.50 total

AD&Dmania continues! This week I bought some Monstrous Compendium appendices from the local comic book shop. Monstrous Compendium stuff, unlike most AD&D 2e books (except box sets with low print runs like Planescape), has actually increased in value over the years. The reason being that they came in folios full of loose sheets to be added to a binder. I guess it became harder to find them complete. These things came in the packaging but with a bit of shelfwear to the covers. Otherwise, the sheets are fine.

I already added these to my Monstrous Compendium binders. I suppose I might not ever actually get around to using some of them (like Dark Sun), but I figured it would be a wise investment in case I ever wanted to in the future.

I quite frankly can't wait to get started on my 2e game. It's been my main interest as of late. I've amassed a good deal of books: the core rulebooks, optional splatbooks, and a few settings boxsets. I am all set to go with materials (including a battlemap and cardboard minis), and have familiarized myself with all the rules in the PHB and Spelljammer. Now all I have left to do is finish reading the DMG!

Tuesday on Tape #12 - Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders

#12 - Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders (12/11/12)

Tuesdays on Tape Rating Scale™

Previews: 0/1
Soundtrack: .5/.5
B&T: 0/1.5
Graphics: 1/1
Sound Effects: .5/.5
Likable Characters: .5/1
Memorable Moments/Quotables/Emotion: 1.5/1.5
Total: 4/7

Rent or Buy?: Rent

Kudos:

• Guy breathes fire
• Really cool dog
• Best climax ever
• Monkey toy is despicable antagonist

Personal Thoughts: The ratings might not be give the impression that we liked this movie, but we had a hell of a time with this one. I personally loved it. Essentially, Merlin's Shop was just an excuse to make use of a unreleased short horror film from the 80s (based off of Stephen King's "The Monkey") by adding some low budget 90s footage. To be honest, we picked this one because fellow committee member Sean and myself are on a quest to watch movies from the IMDb Bottom 100 movies list. Is it that bad?

Not at all. It's a good movie. It's not even so-bad-it's-good. It's just good. There are some ridiculous effects in the first tale (the guy breathing fire), but that's about it. The only incompetent part of the whole thing is the first ten minutes being a REALLY slow start. But it picks up speed quickly, leading to one of the best climaxes I've ever seen in a movie ever. I literally jumped out of my seat and screamed in joy. I kid you not.

I understand this was riffed by MST3K but I'm not entirely sure why. Of course, I didn't think Manos: The Hands of Fate was that bad either. Pick this up, but do yourself a favor and watch the original version first!

Find of the Week (2/17/13) - (2/23/13)

Last week was totally devoid of finds. This week, though, I went book shopping in Grand Rapids. I found a ton of awesome AD&D 2nd Edition stuff. Yeah, I know it's not really hip, but that's the edition I'm into, so I was super excited. Let's break down the major finds.

Planescape Box Set

Value: $90 on Amazon (in good condition)

Actual Cost: $6.95 (in acceptable condition, missing monster sheets)

Here's the campaign setting box set for Planescape. Released in the mid-90's, this thing fetches a fair penny online. At its cheapest, it costs $90! Unfortunately, my box isn't in great condition and the Monster Compendium supplement were removed (probably placed in the original owner's binder). The actual contents of the box are in awesome shape, so I don't mind much. Awesome value, as I actually plan on running Planescape someday. It's the most interesting D&D setting after Spelljammer.

Planes of Conflict Box Set

Value: $270 on Amazon (good condition)

Actual Cost: $4.95 (box in poor condition, missing monster supplement)

This box is in similar condition to the first Planescape box. The books inside are fine. It's missing the monsters and has a bad box. This box is more beat up than the last and is actually held with tape at the corners. Oh well, with the cheapest alternative at $270, I'm not complaining.

Planes of Chaos Box Set

Value: $37 on Amazon (good condition)

Actual Cost: $6.95 (box in poor condition, missing monsters and posters)

This box set is in the worst shape of them all. The box is really beat up. It's missing not only the monsters, but also 4 of the 5 posters. This is okay by me, considering this is the least valuable of the box sets.

Hellbound: The Blood War Box Set

Value: $85 (good condition

Actual Cost: $6.95 (acceptable condition)

This was the last Planescape setting box set I was able to pick up. I sadly could not find Planes of Law or Primer to the Outlands. This one is in the best shape. The box has a little tearing at the bottom but is still strongly holding together. There's no tape or anything. All the contents are included too!

Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendices (I, II, and III)

Value: $60 (good condition) 

Actual Cost: $9.90 total (poor condition)

Ok, these books are pretty beat up. There's water damage wrinkles and even one page where a picture has been cut out. Oh well, at least I can get the monster info from them!

Dragon Magazine #159 & #180

Value: $4 on Amazon

Actual Cost: $7

Okay, so I lost $3 on this transaction (not so if I factor in shipping and handling costs, a-ha!). These issues of the official D&D magazine are kinda cool. #159 has a bunch of Spelljammer articles, while #180 has a neat random encounter table. I read these on the bus headed home from Grand Rapids!

Overall, I got some pretty good deals, even if they're not exactly analogous in condition to items found online. $546 worth of AD&D junk for $42 bucks. Not so bad, if I do say so myself. 

As for whether or not I'll actually use this stuff, I guess only time will tell. I do plan on running a Planescape campaign someday, but right now I'm all about Spelljammer. Even if I never actually play them, I will enjoy reading them, so it's worth it.

Tuesday on Tape #11 - The Cat From Outer Space

#11 - The Cat From Outer Space (12/4/12)

Tuesdays on Tape Rating Scale™

Previews: 0/1
Soundtrack: 0/.5
B&T: 0/1.5
Graphics: 1/1
Sound Effects: .5/.5
Likable Characters: .5/1
Memorable Moments/Quotables/Emotion: 1/1.5
Total: 3/7

Rent or Buy?: Rent

Kudos:

• Horse-racing scene
• Proto-E.T.
• Excellent stunt driving
• Masterful animal acting

Personal Thoughts: Ok, we got ourselves into this one. The Cat From Outer Space is obviously a bad 70's Disney talking-thing movie (like the old crappy Herbie movies), but we watched it anyway. In this one, an alien cat recruits a quirky scientist to help him find gold to power his dead spaceship. I don't really have a lot to say about this one, I guess. I didn't like it as much as the rest of us did, but I suppose you might, if you like cheesy old family movies.