I just came across a very good series of articles about the history of Tolkien RPGs from John D. Rateliff - a former employee of TSR, Wizards of the Coast and Decipher Inc.

It's a really interesting read and includes many things that I wasn't aware of (such as both TSR and WotC going for the license at various points). Anyone who is interested in the history of RPGs and/or the Tolkien license in gaming will find it well worth the read.

Check it out at Sacnoth's Scriptorium

I'm starting to clear out a load of books and games that I can't ever really see myself using. I've got every single book that White Wolf has ever published and it strikes me as silly that I have pretty much the same book in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd edition of certain games that I haven't played in years. I'm not going to get rid of everything from the World of Darkness as I may one day play Vampire: The Masquerade or Dark Ages again, but I'll probably never play Changeling (for instance). I never have done and can't see myself doing so in the future. Thus - goodbye Changeling books and hello shelf space!

Of course Changelling is just one example. I'm going to be trimming my shelves fairly heavily over the next few weeks. Of RPGs, Board/Card Games, Comics, Novels, CDs, DVDs and Vinyl. I need some space in here!

I'm giving my LJ readers first refusal from my goldmine. Anything that is left over is going on ebay on fidning other avenues of sale. If there is anything you want please shout. You can either collect (I'm in Finchley, North London) or I can mail them out to you (obviously you'll have to pay postage). If you order more than £50 worth I'll throw in 10% discount.

So without further ado here is the list... (all are in mint condition unless stated)

HE was a mutant with a gift for the guitar and an eye for the ladies...

SHE was a hotrod-racing bombshell on the lookout for love...

IT crawled from the wastes of Nashville crater, seeking human victims...

THEY were trapped in a world they never made!

All the cool cats dig '45 daddy-o, are you hip to the scene?

Filmed on location in

IMAGINATOVISION®

• System - '45 uses the Xpress system, a dicepool system using d6's to determine task and combat resolution. Your natural talents - or abilities - as well as your learned skills affect your ability to complete a task. Skills can be tightened down using 'focus', a layered specialisation system that rewards specialisation. The version of the Xpress system presented here also allows for pulp style heroic action and more durable characters with self-created merits and flaws.


• Presentation- '45 contains artwork by many regular contributors to Postmortem Studios' work, as well as a couple of new faces! One of our shiniest looking books to date.


• Keynotes - A B-movie, psychobilly world of post-atomic wilderness, warring city states, hotrod themed battles on the roads of a ruined America and mutation, mutation, mutation.


• Design Notes - The Xpress system is here refined and updated with better examples and suitable expansions to the rules for the B-movie world including 'Heroics' - game influencing opportunities for over-the-top action - and rules for more cannon-fodder enemies. These rules changes can be easily imported into other Xpress games.