Unfortunate gaming news
Feb. 2nd, 2008 10:53 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pyatBob Bledsaw, the founder of Judges Guild, has terminal cancer. Judges Guild was the first outfit to publish supplementary material for RPGs, starting just a few months after D&D was released in 1974. Their products were quite well known and widely distributed until the early 80s.
His family released this statement:
"Dear Guildmembers and Fellow Gamers,
It is with deepest regret that I announce that the Judges Guild's President, Bob Bledsaw has been struggling against terminal cancer, and has but a short time left with us. He is in good spirits, with house in order, and is ready to begin "the Great Adventure," as he calls it.
For those of you who have been awaiting new products; it may take some time. The Guild will go through some changes as it is passed to his three sons. They have only begun to go through his writings and unfinished works, which there is much of. They do not plan to close or reduce the Guild, and will do their best to honor any existing contracts, and persue new product ventures, as time allows.
Calls, cards and flowers are not needed, but prayers for Bob, or a pause for reflection on a time when the Guild brought you some joy, is very much appreciated. Bob loved to see happy faces around the game-table, and doesn't wish to sadden anyone with his passing. His family and friends wish to thank everyone for all the support offered, but nothing can help this situation.
As Bob would say, "Sometimes even the Dungeon Master could use a Saving Throw."
With Regards,
Maed Makistakator
Bob Bledsaw Jr."
I'm tempted to make Rat-on-a-Stick for tonight's game session!
And, a gallery of representative covers. They were usually published on pulpy newsprint. And, YES, one of the books is called "Glory Hole Mine," and another has a picture of Luke Skywalker with a sword on the front. There's a reason they were so affordable and memorable.
His family released this statement:
"Dear Guildmembers and Fellow Gamers,
It is with deepest regret that I announce that the Judges Guild's President, Bob Bledsaw has been struggling against terminal cancer, and has but a short time left with us. He is in good spirits, with house in order, and is ready to begin "the Great Adventure," as he calls it.
For those of you who have been awaiting new products; it may take some time. The Guild will go through some changes as it is passed to his three sons. They have only begun to go through his writings and unfinished works, which there is much of. They do not plan to close or reduce the Guild, and will do their best to honor any existing contracts, and persue new product ventures, as time allows.
Calls, cards and flowers are not needed, but prayers for Bob, or a pause for reflection on a time when the Guild brought you some joy, is very much appreciated. Bob loved to see happy faces around the game-table, and doesn't wish to sadden anyone with his passing. His family and friends wish to thank everyone for all the support offered, but nothing can help this situation.
As Bob would say, "Sometimes even the Dungeon Master could use a Saving Throw."
With Regards,
Maed Makistakator
Bob Bledsaw Jr."
I'm tempted to make Rat-on-a-Stick for tonight's game session!
And, a gallery of representative covers. They were usually published on pulpy newsprint. And, YES, one of the books is called "Glory Hole Mine," and another has a picture of Luke Skywalker with a sword on the front. There's a reason they were so affordable and memorable.
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no subject
Date: 2008-02-02 04:24 pm (UTC)I remember when you could get JG stuff *everywhere* back in the early 1980s. Sure, most of JGs stuff was crap, but it was also pretty cheap, and there was a certain charm with all those typos, awful art and grey newsprint that led you to think, "...hey, I could do better than this!" I think the first dungeon I went into was "The Dragon Crown" and had a cover that evoked the old blue-cover edition of D&D that I started playing close to a century ago.
I still have a lot of Judges Guild stuff at home that I picked up for Traveller (their green Referee screens, the Astrogator's Chartbook, Ley Sector, etc.) some adventures) and for (A)D&D (Village Books, Castle Books), along with a few copies of their magazines "Judges Guild Journal" and "Pegasus". Some of JG's output were classics of their own kind, such as "Tegal Manor", "Dark Tower", and their City State campaign setting.
::B::
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Date: 2008-02-02 04:24 pm (UTC)::B::
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Date: 2008-02-02 04:27 pm (UTC)Tonight is a Castle Falkenstein game for the "other gamers."
Rat-on-a-Stick would probably go better with WHFRPG, come to think of it.
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Date: 2008-02-02 04:28 pm (UTC)...blue-cover edition of D&D that I started playing close to a century ago.
You're even older than I thought!
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Date: 2008-02-02 04:40 pm (UTC)Bledshaw's products shaped the Old Skool at least as much as TSR's. He was one of the driving forces in our hobby.
JG's "City-State" series pretty much INVENTED the idea of "published D&D setting". It was around and established years before TSR decided to produce an "official" world. Empire of the Petal Throne might predate it, but it didn't have nearly the amount of material.
I rather wish more companies would follow the JG precedent of Big Cheap Poster Maps, though.
Our thoughts are with you, Bob.
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Date: 2008-02-02 05:01 pm (UTC)::B::
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Date: 2008-02-02 06:02 pm (UTC)...and realized I'd been an active, con-going fan for almost half of that time (thirty-two years).
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Date: 2008-02-02 07:45 pm (UTC)It's actually kind of frightening how much JG stuff I have floating around. City State of the World Emperor (books and country maps only - I would KILL for a replacement city map), Tarrantis, Spies of LightElf, all the village books (wonderfully useful things when the party passes through a village and asks you "what does it look like?" - bastards! :) ) and all kinds of modules...
I even have the first half of Hell that they started but never finished. You should see the *TREASURE* Charon has!!
Yea, a sad day indeed.
May he rest in peace/
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Date: 2008-02-03 04:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-03 04:20 pm (UTC)