Judges Guild - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Judges Guild

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
zombiegleemax
Sep 06, 2004 14:24:33 I am a common Ebayer for OoP D&D and I came across something i never have heard of before.

They were two Judges Guild books (treasure maps 1 and 2) They seem to have been printed around the time of OD&D. Even after all the reasearch I have done on OD&D Judges Guild was something only vaguely mentioned.

Can anyone tell me more about them or what products they produced?

IMAGE(http://i18.ebayimg.com/03/i/02/59/04/ef_1_b.JPG)

Here is a picture if it helps
#2
blackprinceofmuncie
Sep 06, 2004 15:07:12 Judges Guild was an independent company that produced adventures and supplements "approved for use with" D&D, AD&D, Traveller, Runequest and maybe a few other game systems. They produced A LOT of stuff, some of it really good, others OK to really bad.

Their most famous product is obviously the City-State of the Invincible Overlord set.

I have the Book of Treasure Maps written by Paul Jacquays (it's JG-113, doesn't have a specific series number on it, so I'm assuming it's book 1). It's excellent! It's basically a book of mini-adventures reminiscent of the dungeon geomorphs and monster and treasure assortment supplements of OD&D.

Many of their adventures were crafted along the lines of B2 - Keep on the Borderlands, where the adventure is really more of a mini-campaign setting rather than a simple one-plot adventure. Frontier Forts of Kelnore is a good example of this.

I'm not an expert on the JG stuff though. If you're really interested in collecting the old JG stuff (some of which is really rare) I'd recommend asking around over at the Acaeum forums for price info. If you just want to know what was good and what wasn't, I'm sure someone here or at Dragonsfoot would be able to help. The three things I mentioned above (Book of Treasure Maps, Frontier Forts of Kelnore and City-State of the Invincible Overlord) are the only JG products I own. I can highly recommend all three if you're interested in old-school gamist-type roleplaying.
#3
zombiegleemax
Sep 06, 2004 15:37:33 Thank you very much. I'll definately check into those places for more info. And yes I do love the more olde school style than anything especiall as of late. (my new campaign is dripping with it actually)

While it may be a bit off topic I did come across a company that does some similar things as well (mainly maps) the link to it is here.

One other question was there any other independant companies like this at all. I know most had to have been wiped out in the Willams days but it seems like there were others now that I think about it.
#4
blackprinceofmuncie
Sep 06, 2004 15:56:31 The only other independent D&D compatible line I can think of is "Role Aids" by Iron Crown Enterprises (I.C.E.), makers of Rolemaster and the original Middle Earth Roleplaying (MERP) game.
#5
chatdemon
Sep 06, 2004 16:48:58
The only other independent D&D compatible line I can think of is "Role Aids" by Iron Crown Enterprises (I.C.E.), makers of Rolemaster and the original Middle Earth Roleplaying (MERP) game.

Flying Buffalo (http://www.flyingbuffalo.com/) also had a piece of the early "compatible with D&D" pie.

Their Catalyst series included the Citybook line, which were books very similar in substance to TSR's City Sites product, lots of random, but loosely connected locales to drop into a city.

They also did the infamous Grimtooth's Traps series, the Lejentia campaign setting series, and a couple volumes of Map collections.

Most of it is still available too!
#6
zombiegleemax
Sep 07, 2004 8:53:39 Actually, there was a ton of AD&D/OD&D compatable materials published back in the day. Most of it was "system neutral" as we didn't live in the world of the OGL and d20 and if they came right out and said that it was for AD&D, they'd get their pants sued off. However, it was generally made with the intention that people use it for D&D. Judges Guild was the big exception; they had a license. Here's a big list of non-TSR D&D products with some commentary:

http://www.stud.uni-hamburg.de/users/afterglo/rpg/nontsr.html

R.A.
#7
chatdemon
Sep 07, 2004 14:33:55
Here's a big list of non-TSR D&D products with some commentary:

http://www.stud.uni-hamburg.de/users/afterglo/rpg/nontsr.html

R.A.

Wow, great list. Lots of stuff there I had no idea existed. I'll have to start lurking around ebay again.
#8
Elendur
Sep 07, 2004 17:43:17 There was a vendor at GenCon who had a ton of Judges Guild products that he found in some warehouse. It was all undistributed, so essentially new, and he was selling it at cover price!

I didn't have a chance to go through it thoroughly, but there was a lot of neat stuff. The only thing I picked up was a map of some ship layouts and a mod called "Rat on a Stick". Which isn't even for D&D, its for Tunnels and Trolls, a game I had never heard of. Anyway it has 10 dungeon maps and is pretty funny to read, so that makes it worth the $4 cover price for me.

If anyone knows who this vendor is please tell me! I wish I had spent more time there but I was kinda in a daze(GenCon can do that to you).
#9
zombiegleemax
Sep 08, 2004 9:18:30 That sounds like Bob Bledsaw himself! He'd mentioned on the JG board that he had a pack o' stuff from the old days...
#10
zombiegleemax
Sep 08, 2004 16:55:31
There was a vendor at GenCon who had a ton of Judges Guild products that he found in some warehouse. It was all undistributed, so essentially new, and he was selling it at cover price!

I didn't have a chance to go through it thoroughly, but there was a lot of neat stuff. The only thing I picked up was a map of some ship layouts and a mod called "Rat on a Stick". Which isn't even for D&D, its for Tunnels and Trolls, a game I had never heard of. Anyway it has 10 dungeon maps and is pretty funny to read, so that makes it worth the $4 cover price for me.

If anyone knows who this vendor is please tell me! I wish I had spent more time there but I was kinda in a daze(GenCon can do that to you).

Yeah, I saw the booth at GenCon. Of course I'm kicking myself now for not buying anything from it. I was going to get a fewTraveller adventures but talked myself out of it. And of course now I wish I at least got a business card from them.
#11
zombiegleemax
Sep 08, 2004 17:59:22 Well, I just won treasure maps II off ebay so I'll let you know what I think of it in a couple weeks...
#12
zombiegleemax
Oct 09, 2004 10:18:52 I finally got it and I'm amazed. I am also quite suprised to learn that Judges Guild is back up and running...
#13
zombiegleemax
Oct 09, 2004 20:09:41
The only thing I picked up was a map of some ship layouts and a mod called "Rat on a Stick". Which isn't even for D&D, its for Tunnels and Trolls, a game I had never heard of.
If anyone knows who this vendor is please tell me! I wish I had spent more time there but I was kinda in a daze(GenCon can do that to you).

Tunnels and Trolls was put out by Flying Buffalo Inc.
http://www.flyingbuffalo.com/tandt.htm

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 zombiegleemax Sep 06, 2004 14:24:33	I am a common Ebayer for OoP D&D and I came across something i never have heard of before. They were two Judges Guild books (treasure maps 1 and 2) They seem to have been printed around the time of OD&D. Even after all the reasearch I have done on OD&D Judges Guild was something only vaguely mentioned. Can anyone tell me more about them or what products they produced? Here is a picture if it helps
#2 blackprinceofmuncie Sep 06, 2004 15:07:12	Judges Guild was an independent company that produced adventures and supplements "approved for use with" D&D, AD&D, Traveller, Runequest and maybe a few other game systems. They produced A LOT of stuff, some of it really good, others OK to really bad. Their most famous product is obviously the City-State of the Invincible Overlord set. I have the Book of Treasure Maps written by Paul Jacquays (it's JG-113, doesn't have a specific series number on it, so I'm assuming it's book 1). It's excellent! It's basically a book of mini-adventures reminiscent of the dungeon geomorphs and monster and treasure assortment supplements of OD&D. Many of their adventures were crafted along the lines of B2 - Keep on the Borderlands, where the adventure is really more of a mini-campaign setting rather than a simple one-plot adventure. Frontier Forts of Kelnore is a good example of this. I'm not an expert on the JG stuff though. If you're really interested in collecting the old JG stuff (some of which is really rare) I'd recommend asking around over at the Acaeum forums for price info. If you just want to know what was good and what wasn't, I'm sure someone here or at Dragonsfoot would be able to help. The three things I mentioned above (Book of Treasure Maps, Frontier Forts of Kelnore and City-State of the Invincible Overlord) are the only JG products I own. I can highly recommend all three if you're interested in old-school gamist-type roleplaying.
#3 zombiegleemax Sep 06, 2004 15:37:33	Thank you very much. I'll definately check into those places for more info. And yes I do love the more olde school style than anything especiall as of late. (my new campaign is dripping with it actually) While it may be a bit off topic I did come across a company that does some similar things as well (mainly maps) the link to it is here. One other question was there any other independant companies like this at all. I know most had to have been wiped out in the Willams days but it seems like there were others now that I think about it.
#4 blackprinceofmuncie Sep 06, 2004 15:56:31	The only other independent D&D compatible line I can think of is "Role Aids" by Iron Crown Enterprises (I.C.E.), makers of Rolemaster and the original Middle Earth Roleplaying (MERP) game.
#5 chatdemon Sep 06, 2004 16:48:58	The only other independent D&D compatible line I can think of is "Role Aids" by Iron Crown Enterprises (I.C.E.), makers of Rolemaster and the original Middle Earth Roleplaying (MERP) game. Flying Buffalo (http://www.flyingbuffalo.com/) also had a piece of the early "compatible with D&D" pie. Their Catalyst series included the Citybook line, which were books very similar in substance to TSR's City Sites product, lots of random, but loosely connected locales to drop into a city. They also did the infamous Grimtooth's Traps series, the Lejentia campaign setting series, and a couple volumes of Map collections. Most of it is still available too!
#6 zombiegleemax Sep 07, 2004 8:53:39	Actually, there was a ton of AD&D/OD&D compatable materials published back in the day. Most of it was "system neutral" as we didn't live in the world of the OGL and d20 and if they came right out and said that it was for AD&D, they'd get their pants sued off. However, it was generally made with the intention that people use it for D&D. Judges Guild was the big exception; they had a license. Here's a big list of non-TSR D&D products with some commentary: http://www.stud.uni-hamburg.de/users/afterglo/rpg/nontsr.html R.A.
#7 chatdemon Sep 07, 2004 14:33:55	Here's a big list of non-TSR D&D products with some commentary: http://www.stud.uni-hamburg.de/users/afterglo/rpg/nontsr.html R.A. Wow, great list. Lots of stuff there I had no idea existed. I'll have to start lurking around ebay again.
#8 Elendur Sep 07, 2004 17:43:17	There was a vendor at GenCon who had a ton of Judges Guild products that he found in some warehouse. It was all undistributed, so essentially new, and he was selling it at cover price! I didn't have a chance to go through it thoroughly, but there was a lot of neat stuff. The only thing I picked up was a map of some ship layouts and a mod called "Rat on a Stick". Which isn't even for D&D, its for Tunnels and Trolls, a game I had never heard of. Anyway it has 10 dungeon maps and is pretty funny to read, so that makes it worth the $4 cover price for me. If anyone knows who this vendor is please tell me! I wish I had spent more time there but I was kinda in a daze(GenCon can do that to you).
#9 zombiegleemax Sep 08, 2004 9:18:30	That sounds like Bob Bledsaw himself! He'd mentioned on the JG board that he had a pack o' stuff from the old days...
#10 zombiegleemax Sep 08, 2004 16:55:31	There was a vendor at GenCon who had a ton of Judges Guild products that he found in some warehouse. It was all undistributed, so essentially new, and he was selling it at cover price! I didn't have a chance to go through it thoroughly, but there was a lot of neat stuff. The only thing I picked up was a map of some ship layouts and a mod called "Rat on a Stick". Which isn't even for D&D, its for Tunnels and Trolls, a game I had never heard of. Anyway it has 10 dungeon maps and is pretty funny to read, so that makes it worth the $4 cover price for me. If anyone knows who this vendor is please tell me! I wish I had spent more time there but I was kinda in a daze(GenCon can do that to you). Yeah, I saw the booth at GenCon. Of course I'm kicking myself now for not buying anything from it. I was going to get a fewTraveller adventures but talked myself out of it. And of course now I wish I at least got a business card from them.
#11 zombiegleemax Sep 08, 2004 17:59:22	Well, I just won treasure maps II off ebay so I'll let you know what I think of it in a couple weeks...
#12 zombiegleemax Oct 09, 2004 10:18:52	I finally got it and I'm amazed. I am also quite suprised to learn that Judges Guild is back up and running...
#13 zombiegleemax Oct 09, 2004 20:09:41	The only thing I picked up was a map of some ship layouts and a mod called "Rat on a Stick". Which isn't even for D&D, its for Tunnels and Trolls, a game I had never heard of. If anyone knows who this vendor is please tell me! I wish I had spent more time there but I was kinda in a daze(GenCon can do that to you). Tunnels and Trolls was put out by Flying Buffalo Inc. http://www.flyingbuffalo.com/tandt.htm