Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Spam from Tunnels & Trolls's Favorite Outlaw, James Shipman

Having unfortunately done business with James Shipman, Thief of Art and Tunnels & Trolls Content, in the past, my email was apparently on his list.

He spammed me today, and -- silly boy -- cc'ed everyone else he was spamming with that particular email (a couple dozen out of 150 addresses, alphabetically "e" through "h"), so I could do a "reply all" to everyone on his spamlist.

This is what he sent:

Hello
Everyone,

Welcome to
the Outlaw Press Tunnels & Trolls E-mail Sales. If you wish to opt out of
our free monthly e-mail featuring New & Old T&T items, just return this
e-mail with the words “Remove Me” in
the subject line and we will smite you from this list.

We are open
to all suggestions, including rule / articles discussions and may include them
in future e-mails, or even publish them in future issue of The Hobbit Hole
magazine. If you would like to see a specific T&T items profiled here, let
me know.

OP
Publisher,

James ~

BRAND NEW T&T ITEMS:

Special: A couple years ago we purchased the rights to Deliamber’s Delight and
Andy promised us it would be a multi level series. Below is the second solo in
the series and there are still two more levels to go. As always, Andy Holmes is
a great solo writer and we expect great things from the final two solo’s in the
series.
DELIAMBER’S DELIGHT – LEVEL TWO (Full Solo): Cost: $14.00

Written by A.R Holmes, but published in the USA by Outlaw Press as a 24 page full
sized solo, and the 2nd in the series. This solo previously appeared
in The Hobbit Hole #17. “When you discovered the way down to Level Two of this
dungeon, your heart leaped with joy and excitement. Now you do not feel quite
so euphoric. The door opened easily, and you have stepped through and entered a
circular chamber, from which a single corridor, directly opposite the entrance,
extends into the gloom. This dungeon level is lit here and there by torchlight,
constantly casting eerie shadows within the tunnels and chambers, which could
hide any number of ghastly creatures.” Suitability:
One character of level 1 to 3 with no more than 50 personal adds. Pre-generated
character provided (No). Blank character sheet provided (Yes). Kindred type
used in this solo (Any). Class type used in this solo (Any). Magic Matrix (No).

BEST SELLING T&T ITEMS:

TUNNELS AND TROLLS CAMPAIGN SETTINGS (T&T settings): Cost: $18.00

Within this 6-by-9 sized, 216+ page, bound Campaign
book you will find; Campaign Setting #1: Gamma-Trollworld–Have you ever wanted
to play Tunnels & Trolls in a true post-apocalyptic setting? Now for the
first time ever you have the chance to do so, with two ready-to-run GM
adventures (Truck Stop Blues & Death Dwarves Attack) and one mini-solo.
Campaign Setting #2: Superheroes Power Trip–BAM! Power Trip is an all new hard
hitting, mind bending, super power flinging, action oriented thrill ride of a
T&T Supplement that is fully Tunnels & Trolls 7.5v Edition compatible.
It also comes with two ready-to-run GM adventures. Campaign Setting #3: New
Khazan–Now have the chance to play (and GM) in a true sci-fi setting using the
Tunnels & Trolls rules. It has been written in a way to be easily
compatible with all editions of T&T. The New Khazan Supplement doesn’t just
leave the GM with nothing to start with. Included in this rules supplement you
will find a Solo and a GM Adventure to help you jump start your very own
T&T sci-fi campaign (on any number of planets).
TUNNELS AND TROLLS CAMPAIGN SETTINGS
#2 (T&T
settings): Cost: $14.00

Within this 60 page, 6-by-9 sized, center stapled
book you will find; Campaign Setting #1: Adapting Discworld Characters With
Tunnels & Trolls Character Generation–Yes, there are trolls, dwarfs, a
sapient pear wood chest, an orang-utan and assorted other misfits but the human
character is the most common on the Discworld. Campaign Setting #2: The
Discworld Meets Tunnels & Trolls–The setting that follows is not intended
to reveal the Discworld to the uninitiated. Rather it is aimed at regular
visitors to Pratchett’s wonderful world who wish to add a little of that land’s
own magic to their T&T games. Campaign Setting #3: Ice Age Setting: Clan of
the Cave Troll–The following setting discusses a radically different setting
for your Tunnels and Trolls campaign. The characters in this game are Ice Age
adventurers (hunters) owing allegiance to clan and tribe as they struggle for
survival against the elements and creatures of a still earlier age.

NEWLY REPRINTED T&T ITEMS:

TNT ZINE Nos. 15-18: Cost: $12.00

This is the
most influential Tunnels & Trolls fanzine ever printed. It was published by
Ken St. Andre back in the 1980s. Within this 54-page 6-by-9-inch
black-and-white book with center stapled binding, you will find a reprint of
issues Nos. 15-18. The articles included in this book are: The Abolition of the Wizards’ Guild, Pointblank Perfection, Wizard Guilds in T&T, Children in
Tunnels & Trolls, The Wizards’ Guild in Lingusia, A Savage Killing,
A note to human readers of TnT, Batsignals, Character Conception, World
of Power Trip, Superheroes and The Quick Fix. Just because it is so
rare, TnT is a must buy for T&T collectors who may otherwise never get to
see Ken’s TnT Zine.

TNT ZINE Nos. 25-26: Cost: $11.00

This is the most influential Tunnels & Trolls fanzine ever printed, and its very last
double issue to come out. It was published by Ken St. Andre back in the 1980s.
Within this 32-page 6-by-9-inch black-and-white book with center stapled
binding, you will find a reprint of issues Nos. 25-26. Included within its
pages are the following articles: More Lore of You Know What, Dungeon of the
Gray Lords (This T&T Dungeon is extremely tough – for character levels
7-12), and Fantastic Fantasy Book reviews. Just because it is so rare, TnT is a must buy for T&T collectors who may otherwise never get to see Ken’s TnT Zine.

MURDER ON THE LATONA / HEDRIEN ELIXIR (Full Dual Solo): Cost: $16.00

Written By Tim Labor. This is a new full length
nautical solo. It is 88 pages, printed in a 6 by 9 sized bound book format. “Breathless
and drenched, you cross the threshold of Galutha House. Your elf friend Jurl,
supported by his wizard compatriot Churang, Molaton of Masatl, and the birdlike
Giko, a khodaga from Hamon’s Lair barely draw the attention of the seaport inn’s
jaded clientele. After a few ales and plates of fish stew you regain your
strength and renew your efforts to find a ship to take you north. “Captain
Redslate,” the bartender points to a surly dwarf in the corner, “He’s the best.”
“Not rare enough!” Servants cringe as they place plate after plate of spring
lamb in front of Redslate’s blood-spackled beard. Beggars can’t be choosers.”
Suitability: 3rd to 5th level character (One character).
Pre-generated character provided (Yes). Kindred type used in this solo (Any).
Class type used in this solo (Any). Magic Matrix (No). Hedrien’s Elixir: “Emeralds
worth 1850 in gold… 2000 if you fence them in Masatl. It’s the easiest money
you ever made,” the oily voice of the wizened dwarf wizard, Grappa, wheedles as
he shuts a small wooden box containing the emblem of the house of Khatau. From
behind him on a bed in the crude Crabbe Inn, Lord Hedrien emits a pained wheeze
as he clutches a pendant engraved with an arcane symbol. Those gems could solve
a lot of problems…” Suitability: 1st
level or newly-created character (One character). Pre-generated character
provided (Yes). Kindred type used in this solo (Any). Class type used in this
solo (Any). Magic Matrix (No).

ESCAPE FROM GA-‘TYR (Mega Solo): Cost:
$18.00

By Tim Labor. This 6-by-9-inch solo is huge at 100
plus pages. “You thought the sleepy seaside village of Haro’s Port was the safest in Ilesia, but the shockingly violent sack of the town by pirates shortly after your
arrival proved you completely wrong. The evil band, under the command of the
inexperienced but brilliant rogue Kasatar, a former Ilesian lieutenant, was
cruel and virtually unstoppable. You were bound, blindfolded and beaten until
sleeping potion could be forced down your throat. That is the last thing you
remember.” This solo is heavily illustrated throughout. Not only is it a
Tunnels & Trolls solo, but it has also been designed for used with both the
D20 System and RuneQuest. Suitability: 1st level (One or two characters). Pre-generated character provided (Yes, 6 pre-rolled characters). Kindred type used in this solo (Any). Class type used in this solo (Any). Magic Matrix (No).


SORCERER’S APPRENTICE MAGAZINE
ARCHIVE No. 1: Cost: $16.00

This 36-page 8-by-11-inch full-sized center stapled book with full-color (inside and out) covers is the complete archive of the long out of print magazine Sorcerer’s Apprentice No. 1. The magazine has been scanned and reproduced exactly as it was printed.
Inside it you will find Kingmaker (a T&T solo) by Mike Stackpole, Firearms in
T&T by Ken St. Andre, Know Your Foe 101 by Mike Stackpole, Weapon
Experience by Gregory Courter, Heroic Fantasy by Ken St. Andre, Midnight
Sun (a poem) by Karl Edward Wagner and Brother to Ghosts by Robert E. Vardeman. If you were to find the original publication on E-bay, it would cost you well over US$100. It has been reprinted in such a way that if you wish to do so you can easily remove the first and last two pages, leaving a perfectly reprinted Sorcerer’s Apprentice No. 1 magazine.


NOT YET RELEASED T&T ITEMS:


The Hobbit
Hole #19 is still being put together, so some things may change before it is
printed.
THE HOBBIT HOLE No. 19:

This issue is 80-pages in length and features covers by Jeff Freels. REGULAR FEATURES: Of Hairy Feet and Taters…
Editorial – By James L. Shipman II. T&T ARTICLES: A Monkey Throwing Stones at Monsters – By Paul Ingrassia,
Kindred Dice: Fantastic Armies – By Ken St. Andre & James L. Shipman, Ken’s
Original Trollworld / Khazan Map – By Ken St. Andre, The Hierarchy of Trolls –
By Bill Ferrero, The Wizened Wizard’s Wrath – By Bill Ferrero & David O’
Donnell, Exotic Mounts – For when a horse is just not… – By Justin T. Williams.
SOLO / GAMING: The Depths of
Kerak-Ban: Level 8 – By Gianmatteo Tonci
(A Tunnels & Trolls GM Adventure — The Hidden Treasury), Figurine of the
Death Goddess – By David Eber & James L. Shipman (A large Tunnels &
Trolls Solo for all the major kindred types), Rage Over Rjeng-Hang – By A. R.
Holmes (A mini-scenario for Tunnels & Trolls role-playing within a city). FICTION: Monsters! Monsters!: (Agents
of the Death Goddess) – By Ken St. Andre (This follows the adventures of Gnnarggh), Grumlahk’s
Fish Tale – By Jeff Freels (A short but exciting tale of Grumlahk’s fishing
adventure), Monsters! Monsters!: (Agents of the Death Goddess) – By Ken St. Andre (This follows the adventures
of Pnak). OTHER: Comic: Comic: Troll
Trouble, Comic pg47 – By James L. Shipman, Comic: Starfaring – By Paul Hogan, Troll Limricks: – By Trollhalla People.
New T&T Dice

Based on the game rules Kindred Dice: Fantastic Armies – By Ken St. Andre & James L. Shipman

PAYING & SHIPPING:

For all USA customers, shipping is FREE! You simply PayPal the total to this e-mail (Hobbit_King@Yahoo.com) and your items will be shipped Priority Mail. Large orders will be shipped slower.

For all OVERSEAS customers, please add $13.00 for shipping. Total your order, and then add $13.00 for shipping. Most overseas orders take from 7-14 days to arrive
(just as guess). This is the only rate offered with overseas orders.

Note: Some items can sell out (if all of you order the same item), but all items will be restocked within one week and shipped immediately. Every order sent to us will be filled and shipped. We also offer Tracking ($1.00 extra) for any USA customer. Tracking is not available for overseas orders. Special packing with added cardboard can be added to items shipped if requested.

Some of you on this mailing list are Hobby Shop owners, and we do appreciate your large orders. Discounts will continue to be offered when purchasing 5 or more copies of each item.

All items profiled here, new or reprinted are in mint condition when shipped.

This mailing list has 149 members as of this e-mail, all of whom are T&T fans
and have purchased something from Outlaw Press. You can also read this in the attached MS Word file.

An Official Publisher of Tunnels & Trolls.Outlaw Press Inc.




This is what I sent to everyone *except* him:




Everyone, things to think about before doing business with James Shipman of Outlaw Press:

http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?t=483885
http://eposic.net/blog/archives/298
http://falckart.blogspot.com/2009/12/stolen-art.html
http://mxyzplk.wordpress.com/2009/12/11/outlaw-press-aka-jim-shipman-is-a-big-crook/
http://mxyzplk.wordpress.com/2010/01/19/outlaw-pressjim-shipman-sinks-to-demented-pathetic-new-lows-in-art-theft-scandal/
http://mxyzplk.wordpress.com/2010/01/07/outlaw-press-thieving-update/
http://timbrannan.blogspot.com/2010/01/more-from-outlaw-press.html
http://unclebear.com/2009/12/putting-the-outlaw-in-outlaw-press/
http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/269217-outlaw-press-stolen-artwork-accusations.html
http://forum.rpg.net/showpost.php?p=11324399&postcount=843
http://rpg.brouhaha.us/?p=1998

I found this one especially interesting at http://eposic.net/blog/archives/298

Ken St. Andre
Phoenix, Arizona, 85008.
September 8, 2010

James,

I received your package yesterday with some surprise. Received six copies of the revised Gristlegrim Dungeon. This dismays me, as I told you to quit publishing it back in January of this year when I broke with you. If this parcel was an attempt at a reconciliation between us, then I appreciate the effort you took, but I reject it. Our friendship and partnership is broken and done forever. I do not wish to collaborate on Gristlegrim or any other project with you. Not now! Not ever again! You had no right to add your material to my work. You have no right to continue publishing and selling it. Please stop!

James, you no longer have any right to publish or sell my works. We have no written contracts. We have no formal accounting of royalties. Your habit of sending money and or copies of the items is no longer good enough. Any informal agreements we may have made in 2009 and earlier are terminated on my side of the deal. I no longer wish to associate with you, either professionally or informally.

Find some other outlet for your creativity. Leave me, and leave Tunnels and Trolls, alone. I am rejecting any further association with you.

I hope this is clearly understood. Do not publish anything with my name on it as author. Do not presume to collaborate with me on my projects. Do not keep attempting to infiltrate trollhalla.com under false names–you are banned and unwelcome on that site. Do not attempt to rewrite the history of Tunnels and Trolls on Wikipedia or any other online sources. Do not send me money. Do not send me product. I do not want it from you. However, I am under no legal obligation to send back things that arrive unsolicited in the mail. I won’t waste the money or the effort to send them back. I am not interested in theatrical gestures. I simply wish to terminate our association and to move on with other things in life.

I hereby reclaim my rights to anything I ever gave you to publish. In particular, I assert my right to the novel Griffin Feathers which consists entirely of my own work with some input in the short sections of the book from the members of Trollhalla.

I am forwarding the “royalties” that you sent me to Jeff Freels, the artist whose work you have re-used to illustrate this version of Gristlegrim. He deserves compensation for his work.

James, I am not angry at you, and I do not hate you. I simply will not associate with you ever again. For several years we were, I thought, very good friends. Outlaw Press did a lot for Tunnels and Trolls. You know why that time has ended. Let it go. Move on.

James, I will be publishing this letter in open forums on the internet, so that all the world can see how I feel, and how I react to what I can only believe are attempt s to manipulate me and to gain control of Tunnels and Trolls. If you have no ulterior intentions, then forgive me for being suspicious, but I no longer feel that I can trust you.
James, you have your own unique style of creativity. Please go and do your own thing, and stop messing with me and with Tunnels and Trolls.

Sincerely,
Ken St. Andre


Please, anybody who's reading this who knows how to get ahold of anybody who Shippy may be ripping off here (including the estate of Karl Edward Wagner!) please send them a copy of this email or a link to this blog.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

15 games in 15 minutes: Ed Edition

"The rules: Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen roleplaying games you've played that will always stick with you. List the first 15 you can recall in no more than 15 minutes."

1. Tunnels & Trolls
2. First Edition Gamma World
3. First Edition Top Secret
4. Villains and Vigilantes
5. Fantasy Hero (first ed.)
6. Traveller (little black books)
7. Ninjas & Superspies
8. Talislanta (various editions)
9. NightLife
10. The Fantasy Trip
11. AD&D
12. Space Patrol / Star Patrol by Gamescience
13. Runequest (when it was still Glorantha)
14. Call of Cthulhu
15. Sorcerer (which stands in some way for the whole indie thing, but is also one of my favorite manifestations thereof)

Joe, you want to chime in?