Ooooo! I have so long wished for this day [wipes away tear]. I'd like to thank everyone who helped me get here!
So, right back at ya!
Just wait until it comes back from the printers. Myself and everyone else involved are going to storm the GG offices and carry off contributor copies like virgins to the sacrifice!
Dontcha just love those little "Emoticons"? Talk about a palette for creativity...
jason.richardson wrote:Thanks for the reply toper.
Can you tell us what the scale is on the poster maps provided? Maybe how many miles to the inch?
I'm hoping they aren't something like "100 miles to the inch", because that's too large for useable gameplay. Sure, you get a nice visual of the over-all world, but adventures don't happen at that level.
To be honest, I'm one of those DMs that was hoping for the "very simple, almost vector-ish, Greyhawk-style", because they are very practicle and useable at the table.
Yea, you can't make everyone happy with the style you choose, but that's part of the beauty of this sort of thing, everyone has their own vision and that's cool.
As to scales, my man, I gotta remind folks that once you've got a copy in your hands, it's your map! If the scale doesn't work for you, no problem! Just change it to whatever you need. There really is no reason or compulsion of necessity anywhere within the information gathered here that would prevent that. And if you're going to map a whole world with vast oceans, unexplored land masses, every climate represented, entire belts of lost civilizations and cheek-by-jowl kingdoms and principalities then it's gotta be sort of big, if you think about it.
But like I said, the beauty is that none of this is gospel. It's your world, at the end of all the hype, you can do what you want with it, everything is just guidelines! Have fun with it! It's a palette for your GM's creativity, more than anything else.
Hey, thanks for the reply toper, I'm sure I'll be very happy with this setting come September, maps and all.
I always like to use a homebrew setting, but this may change that. So far, I'm very happy with what I'm seeing and hearing.
Any chance of some more sneak previews? Bigger map? Maybe a few pages from the guides? Huh huh?
I have to say that I'm quite enthusiastic about this product! It looks like it will be great fun to read, let alone use for a campaign.
And because it cannot be stated enough times: thank you for including separate DM and players maps!
Although the authors have mentioned Greyhawk and Forgotten Realms in previous posts, one thing that strikes me about this setting -- at least based on the promotional blurb -- is what a strong 'Known World'/'Mystara' vibe this product has.
That cover could easily have graced a classic D&D 'Gazetteer'! And the name 'Known Realms' is, well, pretty close to 'Known World'.
Did you create a new cosmology for this world or can I use the D&D Cosmology as presented in Core Rule Book II?
Nope, no new cosmology. The whole setting is meant to be pretty adaptable. Everything in the core rulebooks still holds true here. It just has plenty of plot hooks and ideas.
There are only brief references to the Hells, etc. And the Transitive Planes (Astral, Ethereal), the Inner and Outer Planes are the only others really mentioned, and then only briefly. Those things are OGL.
Did you create a new cosmology for this world or can I use the D&D Cosmology as presented in Core Rule Book II?
Nope, no new cosmology. The whole setting is meant to be pretty adaptable. Everything in the core rulebooks still holds true here. It just has plenty of plot hooks and ideas.
There are only brief references to the Hells, etc. And the Transitive Planes (Astral, Ethereal), the Inner and Outer Planes are the only others really mentioned, and then only briefly. Those things are OGL.
Oh, and Toper: there's more where that came from:
Well damn. I was hoping you wouldn't say that. I keep trying to get you guys to say something that will turn me off of this setting so that I can save my money.
Question: How much 'game-specific' 3e material will be in the Gazetteer? I understand that the adventures, of course, will have the necessary 3e statblocks, but beyond that, how much of the books will devoted to 3e rules material?
The reason I ask is that I'm tempted to use this setting with Castles & Crusades, and the less '3e-specific' material in the Gazetteer (i.e. the more it simply sticks to general, edition-neutral 'D&D-isms'), the more likely I will give in to this temptation!
Thanks for any information the authors might have!
Akrasia wrote:Question: How much 'game-specific' 3e material will be in the Gazetteer? I understand that the adventures, of course, will have the necessary 3e statblocks, but beyond that, how much of the books will devoted to 3e rules material?
The Player's book is entirely setting --- you could pick it up and use it with any game engine.
The GM's books is about 1/2 crunch, that being new monsters, spells, and magic items.
It needs to be said that the non-crunchy parts in the GM's book are really cool: NPC personalities, pantheons, world history and myths. The sort of stuff sages should know and GMs can twist to their wicked ends.
Akrasia wrote:Although the authors have mentioned Greyhawk and Forgotten Realms in previous posts, one thing that strikes me about this setting -- at least based on the promotional blurb -- is what a strong 'Known World'/'Mystara' vibe this product has.
Well, I did crack open my old Mystara material when I began laying out the setting. And them when Jeff, Joseph and I met in a bar at last GenCon to go over the proposed work, I had a photo copy of the Mystara map, the Expert Edition D&D map, the Greyhawk map (and maybe the FR map... I can't remember), and Robert E. Howard's map with me when we made the pitch.
Heh. If anyone had been hanging out in the booth behind us, they would have heard two feverish writers extremely excited about this world.
Harley Stroh wrote:Heh. If anyone had been hanging out in the booth behind us, they would have heard two feverish writers extremely excited about this world.
Oh, to be a barfly on that wall....
This is one feverish purchaser who is extremely excited now, too. It won't arrive soon enough! (drools)
Harley Stroh wrote: ... The GM's books is about 1/2 crunch, that being new monsters, spells, and magic items. ...
Well that kind of stuff should be relatively easy to convert. I was worried about a plethora of new feats, prestige classes, and other (useless IMO) 'crunch'.
Thanks for your reply, Harley.
Since GG is publishing some C&C material (two modules so far), it would be great if some kind of 'conversion document' were made available at some point. (If I really dig the Known Realms, I'd be tempted to do something along those lines myself.)
Oh, nonsense. It was mostly so we could get our bearing on the project and to get to know our boss. Thanks again for that, Joseph.
Although I will say, watching Harley jump up from the table and animatedly unfold a bunch of maps certainly was entertaining. If the restaurant wasn't immediately adjacent to GenCon and Indianapolis wasn't accustomed to having geeks running about at that time of year, it might have been a pretty odd spectacle. As it is, I think we fit right in.
Akrasia wrote:Well that kind of stuff should be relatively easy to convert. I was worried about a plethora of new feats, prestige classes, and other (useless IMO) 'crunch'.
One very savvy team member made it explicitly clear that prestige classes had no place in the boxed set.
(I think that, done well, a prestige class is a useful way to add defintion to an organization, but presently very few products do that. Consequently we have products like A Billion and One Prestige Classes that come with no grounding in any actual setting. Anyone remember “kits” from 2nd edition? Gag.)
Anyhow, no fear. We have many secret societies, cults, knightly orders, brotherhoods and companies in the boxed set, but no prestige classes.
*Rolls Will Save to resist the temptation to buy DCC World*
*Gets a natural 1*
CURSE YOU GOODMAN GAMES!
I was surfing the net, minding my own business when someone provided a link to the DCC World preview. I'm hooked. I must have it.
I was already a fan of the DCC series (I own Dragonfiend Pact, looking to buy Blackguard's Revenge and flipped through some others). I thought in the past, "man, some of these adventures can be linked together in a campaign in a cohesive world. That would be cool." But I never thought you'd read my mind and actually make a campaign world. And to make it like the world in which I first encountered D&D? Yes, I must buy now. I must buy.
Seriously, though, this is a good idea that was a long time coming. I think the reception it gets will exceed your expectations. And I'm not saying this as a fanboy. There are just a lot of us out there who enjoy old school D&D every now and then. And we actually have the money to spend now .
There are just a lot of us out there who enjoy old school D&D every now and then.
Gosh, I feel really old! I enjoy old school [A]D&D every time we play, not just every now and then. Some of us have been playing old school [A]D&D for 25 years or more and actually prefer it to new school D&D.
I'm not trying to hijack this thread or turn it into yet another D&D version warzone. I just thought I'd point out that the DCC world gazetter might also have some appeal to gamers that still prefer the First Edition ruleset over later versions.
I'll probably pick it up even though I need another campaign setting about as bad as I need 5 more DCC-like modules! (At last count, I have 11 campaign settings on hand, even though I still only use my D&D compatible Wilderlands of High Fantasy by Judges Guild, and somewhere north of 250 adventure modules).
There are just a lot of us out there who enjoy old school D&D every now and then.
Gosh, I feel really old! I enjoy old school [A]D&D every time we play, not just every now and then. Some of us have been playing old school [A]D&D for 25 years or more and actually prefer it to new school D&D.
I'm not trying to hijack this thread or turn it into yet another D&D version warzone. I just thought I'd point out that the DCC world gazetter might also have some appeal to gamers that still prefer the First Edition ruleset over later versions.
I'll probably pick it up even though I need another campaign setting about as bad as I need 5 more DCC-like modules! (At last count, I have 11 campaign settings on hand, even though I still only use my D&D compatible Wilderlands of High Fantasy by Judges Guild, and somewhere north of 250 adventure modules).
I say "to each their own, but I prefer AD&D".
tacojohn4547
You're not that old, I'm sure. I've been playing for about 20 years myself. I favor the current ruleset and enjoy their options, but I don't knock anyone for playing the older versions. If that gives you enjoyment, more power to you. It's just good to see that a product like this can have widespread appeal. That makes it more likely to succeed, eh?
Akrasia wrote:Question: How much 'game-specific' 3e material will be in the Gazetteer? I understand that the adventures, of course, will have the necessary 3e statblocks, but beyond that, how much of the books will devoted to 3e rules material?
The Player's book is entirely setting --- you could pick it up and use it with any game engine.
The GM's books is about 1/2 crunch, that being new monsters, spells, and magic items.
It needs to be said that the non-crunchy parts in the GM's book are really cool: NPC personalities, pantheons, world history and myths. The sort of stuff sages should know and GMs can twist to their wicked ends.
//H
Sold! Hopefully this will be THE setting I've been looking for. It sounds great, can't wait to get a look at it.
Akrasia wrote:Well that kind of stuff should be relatively easy to convert. I was worried about a plethora of new feats, prestige classes, and other (useless IMO) 'crunch'.
One very savvy team member made it explicitly clear that prestige classes had no place in the boxed set.
(I think that, done well, a prestige class is a useful way to add defintion to an organization, but presently very few products do that. Consequently we have products like A Billion and One Prestige Classes that come with no grounding in any actual setting. Anyone remember “kits” from 2nd edition? Gag.)
Anyhow, no fear. We have many secret societies, cults, knightly orders, brotherhoods and companies in the boxed set, but no prestige classes.
//H
No Prestige classes!
I agree that if done right and use properly prestige classes can enhance a setting, but the flood of prestige classes in 3E just turned me off to them completly.
I agree that if done right and use properly prestige classes can enhance a setting, but the flood of prestige classes in 3E just turned me off to them completly.
I've got the entire group ready and raring to go for some excellent d20 gaming ahead. I'll be using DCC #35 with only the three core books and perhaps some material from Unearthed Arcana. No slew of feats, no 101 prestige classes just oob D&D (and maybe a psionicist:) ).
