Progress Update

Fritz Leiber's Lankhmar setting, home to the legendary Fafhrd and Gray Mouser, is the first officially licensed setting for the DCC RPG.

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michaelcurtis
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Progress Update

Post by michaelcurtis »

Not everyone attended Gary Con and it may be a bit before the video gets uploaded, so here's the highlights on DCC Lankhmar:

* It will be published this year. We're looking to have it out by end of the year, sooner if possible. It will be Kickstarted.
* The boxed set will hold three booklets: a players guide containing optional and alternate DCC RPG rules for running "literary style" Lankhmar adventures, a judge's book detailing Nehwon and containing new magic, patrons, advice, campaign building, etc.; and a Lankhmar City book designed to be used to run urban-based adventures in Lankhmar. This is part city book, part at-the-table reference for the judge to help him create new NPCs, plots, random happenings, unexpected buildings, etc. at the table. All of the information in the boxed set can be transported into a "core" DCC RPG game and vice-versa. Also, expect at least a city map and a Nehwon map in the boxed set.
* Free RPG Day 2016 will feature a DCC Lankhmar and a MCC adventure. These are two separate adventures, not a cross-over event!
* The plan is to release the boxed set which will cover getting a DCC Lankhmar campaign running and setting adventures in Lankhmar City proper. Later releases will move beyond the walls of Lankhmar, adding additional material via adventures and supplemental material. We might release an Ilthmar book next that also covers Ningauble's Cave, then move on the Quarmall, then to the Forest Lands, etc.
* Some material from the three preview releases of 2015 will appear in the boxed set, but they will not be reproduced in their entirety. Some information will be expanded on, while other material will be cut. A new adventure will be included and "Masks of Lankhmar" will likely never be reproduced in the Lankhmar line as part of another book. Pick that one up if you want to include its contents in you DCC Lankhmar collection.

The video will have some more snippets I'm probably forgetting right now, but that's the gist of things. I hope that covers the majority of people's questions on the state of DCC Lankhmar at the moment.
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jeffcrowson
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Re: Progress Update

Post by jeffcrowson »

That sounds great! I played in your Gary Con Lankhmar game and it was a blast!
Have you, or do you plan on referencing any previously published material such as the Lankhmar modules published by TSR back in the day? I don't mean using that material, but just checking in to what was previously done and how it was put together.
Miker601
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Re: Progress Update

Post by Miker601 »

This sounds terrific. Thank you for the update. I was just flipping through Masks of Lankhmar recently and it struck me how many times little references were made to DCC Lankhmar's upcoming rules (ie. the concept of "Agency" and the role Luck will play in healing) and I am excited to see how these concepts are fully fleshed out. Glad you clarified Masks not getting a reprint for those who might not have grabbed it yet.

I'm glad to hear we will be getting another Lankhmar "teaser" product for Free RPG Day.

The plans for the format of the boxed set sound well developed. I imagine additional setting and adventure material will become a part of the Kickstarter stretch goals (like it was for Epsilon City). If so, consider not tying the delivery of stretch goal content to delivery of the core boxed set. It would be worth it to pay for additional shipping if it meant getting the box set in our hands a little sooner. Then we can get Lankhmar campaigns up and running, knowing that stretch goal content would be coming down the line when it was ready.

This might not be a question you are equipped to answer but between core DCC, and the upcoming MCC, and Lankhmar what will the yearly release calendar look like to fully support 3 different subsets of the game? I like how the Shudder Mountains and Purple Planet get digest sized expansion materials. I hope that can continue even when MCC and Lankhmar begin ramping up.
michaelcurtis
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Re: Progress Update

Post by michaelcurtis »

Miker601: I don't anticipate additional adventure/setting books being rolled into the Kickstarter. They'd come as separate releases in the months and years to follow. We're dedicated to putting out quality Lankhmar product and slapping them onto the Kickstarter would not only delay fulfillment of the boxed set, but likely result in material I wouldn't be 100% happy with. Doing it as an incremental release would be far too much of a headache to be feasible from a distribution and production side--or at least it would given the resources Goodman Games can draw upon. Don't worry, though: there will be plenty in the boxed set to keep a DCC Lankhmar campaign humming along until the next release.

As for support, we're all committed to putting out more material, but schedules aren't set in stone. I've got more Shudder Mountain material in the pipe and another Purple Planet digest was just released, so expect more of those in the future, likely to coincide with convention dates. I can't comment on plans for MCC simply because I'm not privy to those plans.
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Miker601
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Re: Progress Update

Post by Miker601 »

Thanks for the information.
I'm glad to hear a return to the Shudder Mountains is on the horizon.

I'm glad to hear the initial Lankhmar kickstarter will be a very focused boxed set release and won't fall into delays which can accompany a successful series of stretch goals.

How did the decision to seek the Lankhmar license come about? Did you approach Goodman Games with the suggestion or were you recruited to develop the product after the license was secure? Were any other literary licenses considered was was Lankhmar the setting you "knew" was the right one to adapt into the DCC rule set?
michaelcurtis
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Re: Progress Update

Post by michaelcurtis »

Miker601 wrote:How did the decision to seek the Lankhmar license come about? Did you approach Goodman Games with the suggestion or were you recruited to develop the product after the license was secure? Were any other literary licenses considered was was Lankhmar the setting you "knew" was the right one to adapt into the DCC rule set?
Those are all questions for Joseph to answer. I don't have all the details and I'm not sure how much behind the scenes stuff Joe wants to reveal. Sorry about that!
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Miker601
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Re: Progress Update

Post by Miker601 »

Fair enough! Fans are certainly not entitled to the inside baseball stuff of business deals.

Let me ask you this instead if you don't mind: What do you think separates a good DCC Lankhmar adventure from a good DCC adventure? What qualities do you find in the Newhon/Lankhmar setting that you don't find in Aereth/Punjar? What has been the biggest challenge so far in taking the DCC ruleset and applying it to Lankhmar? What has been the modification or innovation you have created for Lankhmar rules that you would most like to see become part of the "core" DCC game rules?

Thanks for the interaction!
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catseye yellow
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Re: Progress Update

Post by catseye yellow »

michaelcurtis wrote:Not everyone attended Gary Con and it may be a bit before the video gets uploaded, so here's the highlights on DCC Lankhmar:

* It will be published this year. We're looking to have it out by end of the year, sooner if possible. It will be Kickstarted.
* The boxed set will hold three booklets: a players guide containing optional and alternate DCC RPG rules for running "literary style" Lankhmar adventures, a judge's book detailing Nehwon and containing new magic, patrons, advice, campaign building, etc.; and a Lankhmar City book designed to be used to run urban-based adventures in Lankhmar. This is part city book, part at-the-table reference for the judge to help him create new NPCs, plots, random happenings, unexpected buildings, etc. at the table. All of the information in the boxed set can be transported into a "core" DCC RPG game and vice-versa. Also, expect at least a city map and a Nehwon map in the boxed set.
* Free RPG Day 2016 will feature a DCC Lankhmar and a MCC adventure. These are two separate adventures, not a cross-over event!
* The plan is to release the boxed set which will cover getting a DCC Lankhmar campaign running and setting adventures in Lankhmar City proper. Later releases will move beyond the walls of Lankhmar, adding additional material via adventures and supplemental material. We might release an Ilthmar book next that also covers Ningauble's Cave, then move on the Quarmall, then to the Forest Lands, etc.
* Some material from the three preview releases of 2015 will appear in the boxed set, but they will not be reproduced in their entirety. Some information will be expanded on, while other material will be cut. A new adventure will be included and "Masks of Lankhmar" will likely never be reproduced in the Lankhmar line as part of another book. Pick that one up if you want to include its contents in you DCC Lankhmar collection.

The video will have some more snippets I'm probably forgetting right now, but that's the gist of things. I hope that covers the majority of people's questions on the state of DCC Lankhmar at the moment.
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catseye yellow
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Re: Progress Update

Post by catseye yellow »

just another quick one: was there some lankhmar art by doug?
michaelcurtis
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Re: Progress Update

Post by michaelcurtis »

catseye yellow wrote:just another quick one: was there some lankhmar art by doug?
No, Doug didn't have any art for Lankhmar at the panel, but it was an art-light session all around.
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michaelcurtis
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Re: Progress Update

Post by michaelcurtis »

Miker601 wrote:Fair enough! Fans are certainly not entitled to the inside baseball stuff of business deals.

Let me ask you this instead if you don't mind: What do you think separates a good DCC Lankhmar adventure from a good DCC adventure? What qualities do you find in the Newhon/Lankhmar setting that you don't find in Aereth/Punjar? What has been the biggest challenge so far in taking the DCC ruleset and applying it to Lankhmar? What has been the modification or innovation you have created for Lankhmar rules that you would most like to see become part of the "core" DCC game rules?

Thanks for the interaction!
That's a lot of deep questions, Miker, and I don't have concise answers for them. Some of it is still not ready to be discussed (rules innovation questions), while the answers to others are simply "I know it when I see it." Rather than try to answer them in a short forum post, I'll wait for the inevitable appearance on a podcast to discuss them in depth. I ask your patience in the meantime.
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Miker601
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Re: Progress Update

Post by Miker601 »

No problem! I will look forward to hearing your thoughts on these topics on some future podcast. Let us know where we will be able to hear you.
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catseye yellow
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Re: Progress Update

Post by catseye yellow »

michaelcurtis wrote:
catseye yellow wrote:just another quick one: was there some lankhmar art by doug?
No, Doug didn't have any art for Lankhmar at the panel, but it was an art-light session all around.
yes i saw it. unfortunately it was also sound-light recording :D
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Re: Progress Update

Post by Blood Axe »

From what I can see of the Lankhmar Patrons book, I like it! I've read some Lankmar stories and had the old D&D book.
I'm waiting for the dead tree book instead of buying the pdfs, since there is only like a $2 difference.
I can see the first few pages of the patrons, spellburn, taint, invoke patron etc. They don't each have 3 spells each, so that cuts out a lot of space. I feel that some patrons could use existing spells, like fire spells for a fire related patron.
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catseye yellow
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Re: Progress Update

Post by catseye yellow »

from doug kovac's g+ feed

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