Re: Greyhawk Grumbler

Re: [greytalk] Greyhawk Grumbler
Monday, November 16, 2009 10:37 AM
From: "Chris Anderson"
To: "Mark Carscadden" Cc: "greytalk"

Just so we're clear... the first printing presses were simply weights pressing wood block type down onto paper. I think that's well within Greyhawk's technical base.

Later on, the screw was introduced... so that you could screw a flat plate down against the woodblock, against the paper.

-- Chris

On Sun, Nov 15, 2009 at 1:45 PM, Mark Carscadden wrote:

I think a printing press is something that would be a better fit in the FR setting, IMO. Gygax would have certainly at least briefly mentioned something as significant as a printing press if it existed in his setting. But as always, that's the way it will be in MY Greyhawk campaign...
----- Original Message -----
From: Wade Nolen
To: 'greytalk'
Sent: Sunday, November 15, 2009 1:36 PM
Subject: RE: [greytalk] Greyhawk Grumbler

Insisting that the print run of the Grumbler is more than the population of the Free City of Greyhawk itself is the utmost sheer folly.

And beyond that … the “single guy” is doing the same thing in CoGH … no one said that these things are everywhere. No one said that there are more than just the Grumbler (although we know that there are two.) This is a localized thing, specific to Greyhawk City, and what’s more, there’s nothing (of which I am aware, other than the author’s post-script here) that it’s not wood-block printing, or something other than the “mechanized” stuff that you insist on. There were printing presses long before Industrialization or the Mechanized era.

Wade K. Nolen
aka "Icarus "

I'm off to gallivant among the clouds!
" ... and he did fly, and he was seen on the wings of the wind."

From: CJ MacLean [mailto:icar@shaw.ca]
Sent: Sunday, November 15, 2009 2:57 PM
To: 'greytalk'
Subject: RE: [greytalk] Greyhawk Grumbler

I'm not talking about a single guy with bits of clay producing 20 copies of something. I am talking about the level of mechanization society has to have for a press run of 5000-30,000 (or more).

From: Vest III, Robert W [mailto:rvest@ius.edu]
Sent: Sunday, November 15, 2009 1:15 PM
To: 'greytalk'
Subject: RE: [greytalk] Greyhawk Grumbler

There is actually a canonical precedent for having printing presses in the Flanaess. See the Age of Worms backdrop article on Alhaster (Dungeon 131), which mentions an underground broadsheet in Alhaster called The Sinchaser Report.

Re: Greyhawk Grumblers (was Re: Details of City of greyhawk in the 590s?)

RE: [greytalk] Greyhawk Grumblers (was Re: Details of City of greyhawk in the 590s?)
Friday, November 13, 2009 12:20 PM
From: "CJ MacLean"
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To: "'greytalk'"

I am pretty sure that newspapers weren't used until the 17th century, does this fit well with the material previously presented?

The number of scribes it would take to produce this material versus the cost of the paper 1cp/issue and the cost of a scribe is 15gp/month is prohibitive. The cost of the paper (papyrus et. al) per sheet is more than the 1cp price of the paper. The cost of using magical spells to do this is also prohibitive versus the cost of a paper. No one would be able to afford a paper if it were created using the rules of any version of D&D.

Apart from these obvious complaints. The idea of printing presses has never been shown in any published material despite some great detail of Greyhawks locations.

CJ

From: kruch7@cox.net [mailto:kruch7@cox.net]
Sent: Friday, November 13, 2009 10:49 AM
To: greytalk
Subject: RE: [greytalk] Greyhawk Grumblers (was Re: Details of City of greyhawk in the 590s?)

What do you mean previously written, I see nothing previously written that says Greyhawk wouldn't have a new paper, and I know of no evidence of an army of bards roaming the city either as for town criers we do know they are in the city. If there is a reference some where that states there no possibility of a news sheet with all the scribes they have and magic users I will believe you. have to reread my gord the rogue books and see if there is a reference in them

Ken
Gygax is to Gaming What Kirby was to comics
Alas poor Elric I was a thousand times more evil then you
WWBYD What would Brigham Young do

On Fri, Nov 13, 2009 at 12:40 PM, CJ MacLean wrote:
I am sure some people have loads of horseless carriages, gun powder, and teenage mutant ninja turtles, it doesn't mean that it fits with what has previously been written. As I said I am not commenting on the ideas presented, only in the concept of a newspaper in the world of Greyhawk.

Did you have something you wanted to add to this topic?

CJ

From: kruch7@cox.net [mailto:kruch7@cox.net]
Sent: Friday, November 13, 2009 9:44 AM
To: greytalk
Subject: RE: [greytalk] Greyhawk Grumblers (was Re: Details of City of greyhawk in the 590s?)

every one has their own vision of greyhawk city, even Gary imagined it different them most run it

Gygax is to Gaming What Kirby was to comics
Alas poor Elric I was a thousand times more evil then you
WWBYD What would Brigham Young do

On Fri, Nov 13, 2009 at 11:36 AM, CJ MacLean wrote:
There are many reasons why they shouldn't be canon, and none of them have to do with the content. The Grumbler is whimsical and kind of cute but I have issues with the concept. The city of Greyhawk shouldn't have printing presses, or armies of scribes, or magical devices to mass produce newspapers. The idea of a newspaper is a way to get information to players in the RPGA but is not legitimate for a medieval fantasy setting. Town criers, bellmen, bards or bulletin board postings are more in keeping with the setting.

While a good portion of the city is literate a larger portion of it is not. Why can't the Greyhawk Grumblers be a group of bards? a printing press sets a bad precedent.

CJ

From: Samuel Weiss [mailto:samwise1@msn.com]
Sent: Wednesday, November 11, 2009 1:00 PM
To: GREYTALK List
Subject: Re: [greytalk] Greyhawk Grumblers (was Re: Details of City of greyhawk in the 590s?)

>Those Greyhawk grumblers aren't for real (canon) are they?<

Why wouldn't they be?