The Lesser Known TSR Games

[Dumarest]

Speaking of "lesser-known" TSR games, after I get through Gangbusters I'm probably going to do another old TSR RPG. Does anyone have a preference on whether it's The Adventures of Indiana Jones, Marvel Super Heroes, or maybe Star Frontiers? Or maybe an FGU game like Bushido or Daredevils....

 

[David Johansen]

I'd say Boot Hill. Please compare and contrast mechanics.

On the other hand, whatever happened to Proton Fire?

 

[Tulpa Girl]

A 'let's read' of Marvel Super-Heroes could certainly be fun. Ditto Gamma World.

 

[Gabriel]

If it's the original yellow box Marvel Super Heroes, then that sounds good.

But Indiana Jones also sounds like a neat idea.

 

[Gabriel]

I got some old unopened Buck Rogers stuff today. Inside one of these was a 1991 Fall/Winter catalog. The most prominent Buck Rogers XXVc product advertised was the Technical Compendium which was never released. It may have morphed into the Hardware accessory as that supplement covers generally the same things that Technical Compendium says it does.

It looks like during 1991, TSR was planning one Buck Rogers supplement each month.

There's half a page of Marvel stuff. Nothing really notable. Everything else in the catalog is related to D&D in one way or another whether it be novels or setting calendars or just AD&D supplements. There weren't many eggs for anything other than D&D, and what few there were were token support for Marvel and trying to make Buck Rogers a hit.

The back of the main game booklet was pretty interesting too as it featured an advertisement for a Buck Rogers play by mail game. I never played a PBM. I had a friend named Jerry who used to play them, but not this one.

Rules, set-up, and three turns cost $20. You could sign up for a slow game (3 weeks per turn) or a fast game (2 weeks per turn). Conquer and rule the planets!

 

[TristramEvans]

I remember ads for tons of different PBM games back then, I think the Hyperboria one was the one I saw most often. Was always curious, but never took the plunge. I was skeptical as that was the decade of 1-900 number scams by the hundreds (even a Freddy Kruegar one)

 

[Endless Flight]

I was skeptical as that was the decade of 1-900 number scams by the hundreds (even a Freddy Kruegar one)

“Ask your parents for permission!!”

Suuuuuuuuure.

 

[Bunch]

“Ask your parents for permission!!”

Suuuuuuuuure.

"I'm just waiting to talk to you!..."

 

[TristramEvans]

 

[Oculus Orbus]

I got some old unopened Buck Rogers stuff today. Inside one of these was a 1991 Fall/Winter catalog. The most prominent Buck Rogers XXVc product advertised was the Technical Compendium which was never released. It may have morphed into the Hardware accessory as that supplement covers generally the same things that Technical Compendium says it does.

For what it's worth, the Hardware book was written by Dale Henson, same guy that wrote Treasures of the Ancients for GW. The similarity of those two books might shine a light on what happened with the Tech Compendium.