Len Lakofka and The Companions - more details? • Collecting General

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Len Lakofka and The Companions - more details?
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grodog
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Posted: Tue May 27, 2008 3:37 am

While organizing stuff to sell over the weekend, I noticed that Len Lakofka is listed as a playteser in The Companions adventure The Curse of Hareth. Does anyone know more about Len's involvement with The Companions?

All I was able to find on the site was this snippet from four years ago: viewtopic.php?t=988&highlight=lakofka+companions

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Badmike
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Posted: Tue May 27, 2008 8:46 am

grodog wrote:While organizing stuff to sell over the weekend, I noticed that Len Lakofka is listed as a playteser in The Companions adventure The Curse of Hareth. Does anyone know more about Len's involvement with The Companions?

All I was able to find on the site was this snippet from four years ago: viewtopic.php?t=988&highlight=lakofka+companions

I know Len has a connection with Dragonsfoot since he is working on the Project-with-No-End (publication of L4 and/or L5, now in it's 5th year) with volunteer work from Dragonsfoot members. Maybe if you posted over there although I don't know if he has a specific thread dedicated to his stuff.

Mike B.

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Mars
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Posted: Tue May 27, 2008 10:39 am

Badmike wrote:I know Len has a connection with Dragonsfoot since he is working on the Project-with-No-End (publication of L4 and/or L5, now in it's 5th year) with volunteer work from Dragonsfoot members. Maybe if you posted over there although I don't know if he has a specific thread dedicated to his stuff.

From what I recall, Len has made very few posts himself and only seems to show up briefly maybe once a year?

Sir Clarence
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Posted: Tue May 27, 2008 10:44 am

Allan, if you wish I could forward your question to Len.

grodog
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Posted: Tue May 27, 2008 2:43 pm

That would be great, Sir C., since Len's never answered any emails I've sent to him, even when former players of his wanted to get back in touch.

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Sir Clarence
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Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 9:07 am

Len is a very private and reclusive person as far as I can tell, and he only rarely visits the internet, let alone messageboards. The only place where he sporadically logs in is Dragonsfoot.

When I forwarded other questions to him in the past, he often wanted to respond to the persons in private, so perhaps it would be a good idea if you would PM me your email addy.

grodog
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Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 11:31 am

It's grodog@gmail.com. Thanks!

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Sir Clarence
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Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 11:49 am

Done! I' hope you'll hear from him.

Sir Clarence
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Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 1:23 pm

Here's Len's answer, Allan:

"Well that's not exactly true. Unless it was 25 or more years ago.

Are The Companions based in Maine? Then I might know who they are. John............. I can't remember his last name, was in my game in Chicago and then moved to Maine. I have not heard from him in over 20 years.

John also ran a game in Chicago for a short period of time and I played in it. I don't know that that game had a title. Maybe it did.

Saying I playtested the module is a stretch in any case but I might let it ride if it's who I think it is."

Hope that helped.

grodog
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Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 3:55 am

Thanks, it does help a lot, Sir C: The Companions were based in Maine for sure, and the primary author was Wm. John Wheeler.

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jamesmishler
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Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 5:41 am

Wow, this makes some things click together. Wheeler and Lakofka were from the same original group; the L series and the Companion books always seemed to have a similar "style" and assumptions about the way the world felt socially and otherwise. The L books always seemed, to me at least, to be more Companions-like than TSR-like. Now I know why...

I wonder what other products are out there from the "Chicago School" of gaming?

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Badmike
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Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 11:56 pm

jamesmishler wrote:Wow, this makes some things click together. Wheeler and Lakofka were from the same original group; the L series and the Companion books always seemed to have a similar "style" and assumptions about the way the world felt socially and otherwise. The L books always seemed, to me at least, to be more Companions-like than TSR-like. Now I know why...

I wonder what other products are out there from the "Chicago School" of gaming?

I talked to one of the "original" Companions group online several years ago. Wish I still had this contact, because apparantly there is a World outline that the Companions guys would hand out to their players, as well as many unpublished items. The Companions stuff was always of the highest quality.

For some reason a lot of the Companions stuff reminded me of Harn products, that kind of grim low magic high realism type of world.

Mike B.

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Sir Clarence
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Posted: Fri May 30, 2008 2:54 am

Well, I told Len that name of the guy is John Wheeler, and here's what he replied:

"Yes, John Wheeler. So I do know who that is.
My playtest envolvement was mininal but certainly not an outright lie.

Oh well.

The companions did some excellent hex sheets as a product. I suppose they are out of circulation ages ago.
I still have a few of the sheets I think. I'll scan it in. I wonder if they copyrighted it? It might be a good thing to offer but it would have to be for FREE."

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