Monday, March 3, 2014

Thrift Store Haul - A Bit Of Palladium Gamer Remembrance with Erick Wujick


I walked into a thrift store today and bought someone's old Ninja's and Super Spies campaign apparently. Here was an assortment of old school games from the old days at only 2.00 dollars each. It was a colour code day today at said thrift store chain. So I snatched these guys up faster then a quick how do you do. 
We've got Ninjas and Super Spies which came out in 1988 and this edition covers a pretty solid gamut of the Old School Holly wood style martial's art's genre. Big Trouble In Little China is the order of the day with a bit of super spies ala The Roger Moore era of  Bond. Mystic China picks up where Super spies leaves off and gives Erick Wujcik's Eastern And Chinese insights mixed in with the Hong Kong action genre done with a side of new character classes and whatnot mixed in with the powers of the Yama Hells thrown in for good measure. 
The Compendium of Weapons, Armor, and Castles is a mix of all of the early 80's Palladuim material culled from their early 80's books that used to advertised in Dragon magazine in one handy little book. We get a solid overview of all of the 'real world weapons, armor, castles, as well as a few adventure hooks in one book. This one covers everything from stone age and ends right at the doorstep into black power fire arms. This is a book that I've seen time and gain used right along the AD&D DM's Guide first edition. This one is also is a great bench mark for post apocalyptic games. 
The Compendium of Contemporary Weapons is way, way, out of date but everything old is new again and this book makes a great bench mark book for Mutant Future or any post apocalyptic game. It contains weapons from many countries and also a wide variety of fire arms. This one has been used time and again by DM's running Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles back in the day. This one goes right along with the Deluxe Revised Recon which covers an alternative world 'Nam and back in the day was sitting right along with Twilight 2000. The illustrations are solid, and the game covers a wide variety of 1960's through 1970's era Vietam weapons. All in all not a bad haul for less then ten dollars. 


Sadly I'm reminded off the loss of Erick Wujick who passed on June 7th of 2008. I met the man three times and he was an amazing game designer and a very nice person. He is missed and this find is a bitter sweet thing in some ways. I believe that the best way to remember folks is to play the games and enjoy as well as share their creations with others.

All my respect and friendship to Mr. Wujick as well as his family. 
To learn more about the life of  Erick Wujick please go HERE

4 comments:

  1. Thanks infocyde! And more coming up!

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  2. Met him at Powells Books in downtown Portland years ago. He had not said his name yet but he struck up conversation with me and an employee at the gaming aisle of the store. He was talking about being in town for a convention. He was pointing out books he had written. (All ones I was not familiar with at the time.)
    Downtown you get people who talk bull a lot. I rolled my eyes thinking "ugh, another one of these guys..."
    That was until he handed me his business card and I changed my tune. Was in shock that I almost laughed in the face of my favorite Palladium book writer at the time.
    I did not even know he had passed until four years later.

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  3. That's a great story Maedar Antocus, Eric was a great guy and a solid writer, as well as one of the back bones of Palladium books and games. I really wish I had gotten to know him way back when.

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