"Apprentice Version" Sorcerer

[Finarvyn]

Please don't scream at me for this, but in searching I didn't find much about the "Apprentice" version of Sorcerer.

I have the main rulebook, all of the paper supplements, and the PDF mini-supplements but was trying to answer these questions to a friend and wasn't able to explain it to my satisfaction.

I know that it's a "historical doc" and not really Sorcerer, but I was wondering:

1. What are the differences between "Apprentice" and the "Real Thing"?

2. Is "Apprentice" complete and sort of like a "basic rules" edition? Could I play it without needing the rest of the rules?

[Ron Edwards]

The Apprentice is the very worst thing you could either use to play with, or to give to a friend to familiarize yourself with the game. It was a failed experiment. It was, at the time, a very handy device for convention play, but the rules-set actually pre-dates the book by a considerable amount, and does not have the power of the current design. Complex conflict is a mess.

It's only available on-line for the reading pleasure of people who'd like to see what the process of design can look like, including the half-baked steps it can go through. The original 10-page document from late 1994, which is kicking around on some people's shelves still I believe, was actually a better game than the 1998 version (the PDF), and the Apprentice was an attempt to get a quick jump into the 1998 rules.

So enjoy it as an artifact, but don't for a moment consider it to be a useful tool at present.

Best, Ron

[greyorm]

I actually still have a version of the old .txt doc somewhere. I gussied it up for printing with text formatting, demonic fonts for the headers, and nicely-spaced columns. Now I'm curious to see the changes in design between versions and wonder where my printed copy has gone off to (I'm certain I lost the .txt file in a hard drive crash/transfer/something between then and now, but the hardcopy should still be lying around).

[Finarvyn]

The Apprentice is the very worst thing you could either use to play with, or to give to a friend to familiarize yourself with the game. It was a failed experiment.

Thanks, Ron. That seems pretty definite!

I'll have to adjust my plan because the last thing I want to do is to steer someone in one direction then have to somehow make them forget and learn the right way.

(Greyorm, from a historical prespective it would be interesting to see what you had, even if it's no longer valid.)