DCC World

bobrunnicles · Post by **bobrunnicles** » Fri Sep 01, 2006 1:20 pm

Hmmm....does Goodman Games make as much money when selling via Amazon as opposed to via a regular store? I don't know, that's why I'm asking - if they do then this would be hard to resist, apart from the desire to try and keep my FLGS in business by buying there instead.....

jason.richardson · Post by **jason.richardson** » Fri Sep 01, 2006 1:37 pm

bobrunnicles wrote:Hmmm....does Goodman Games make as much money when selling via Amazon as opposed to via a regular store? I don't know, that's why I'm asking - if they do then this would be hard to resist, apart from the desire to try and keep my FLGS in business by buying there instead.....

I do support my LGS, I just can't afford to buy a game product for $70, so this time they lose out.

superfan · Post by **superfan** » Fri Sep 01, 2006 1:52 pm

Apologize to Hj for not being able to provide a comprehensive review. I admit my bias off the bat...I'm the superfan. I would love a piece of twine wrapped around a half eaten Snickers bar if Harley Stroh would autograph it for me!

Also, Harley wrote my character of 2 years, Prester "Trapmaster" Ungart into module 35B. How could I not like it! Now that's showing the fans some love!!!

I have yet to delve very thoroughly into the "nitty gritty" of the Atlas, but from what I've read so far, it feels well written, descriptive, and well suited for creating campaigns. I'm more of a module guy at heart, so don't create a lot of free form campaigns, so I can't evaluate it from that perspective.

Let's just say that if you don't like it, I, Superfan, will allow you to belt me in the chops in punishment, or will pay you cover price for your copy!

This is good %^%*$(#%*

Ben "superfan" Waxman

p.s. And from the point of collecting, as fewer copies were likely released than the modules, this will only increase in value. A good investment, especially if you pester Harley to sign it at the next convention!

Treebore · Post by **Treebore** » Fri Sep 01, 2006 2:18 pm

Harley signed mine, in the GM's Guide.

All I can say is I like it. Harley broke some conventions by making other races equal to, and probably even dominant, to the human races. Plus using the naga and yuan-ti races as being such a dominant power.

Its a good, solid setting. Lots of things to do with it and it has its own "flavor". IT doesn't move to the top of my list as favorite, but it is a "Top 5" in my book. Behind Wilderlands, Erde, Greyhawk, and Oathbound.

Maliki · Post by **Maliki** » Sat Sep 02, 2006 1:40 pm

jason.richardson wrote:
bobrunnicles wrote:Hmmm....does Goodman Games make as much money when selling via Amazon as opposed to via a regular store? I don't know, that's why I'm asking - if they do then this would be hard to resist, apart from the desire to try and keep my FLGS in business by buying there instead.....
I do support my LGS, I just can't afford to buy a game product for $70, so this time they lose out.

I normally try to support my FLGS as well, a dollar or two on on module is not worth me ordering online, but this is a pretty big discount, if I didn't already have this ordered at my FLGS I would go the Amazon route myself. (I did the same thing when I ordered my Wilderlands products)

bobrunnicles · Post by **bobrunnicles** » Sat Sep 02, 2006 2:32 pm

Maliki wrote:I normally try to support my FLGS as well, a dollar or two on on module is not worth me ordering online, but this is a pretty big discount, if I didn't already have this ordered at my FLGS I would go the Amazon route myself. (I did the same thing when I ordered my Wilderlands products)

Just to make it clear I'm not trying to cast aspersions at all here, I was just curious - if G-G make as much themselves if we buy it from Amazon as if we buy from a store then the Amazon deal is very tempting....although I will admit I've bought so much stuff over the years from my FLGS that I get a discount there too. Which is why I'm asking - ultimately I want the lion's share of the loot to go to G-G

Treebore · Post by **Treebore** » Sun Sep 03, 2006 12:08 am

I believe Goodman sells to distributors the same way as anyone else. So yes, they get as much money if you buy from your LGS or Amazon.

Wal Mart may be a different story.

Ozric · Post by **Ozric** » Sun Sep 03, 2006 9:49 am

This product looks awesome and I wish I could own it right now. So far the only Goodman Games products I own are the two DCC's that were relased for Castles & Crusades, but this campaign setting is about to change that.

Brilliant idea, you guys P-)

Treebore · Post by **Treebore** » Sun Sep 03, 2006 5:28 pm

Ozric wrote:This product looks awesome and I wish I could own it right now. So far the only Goodman Games products I own are the two DCC's that were relased for Castles & Crusades, but this campaign setting is about to change that.

Brilliant idea, you guys P-)

I just hope I have seen you on the C&C messgaeboards. If not, then join!

Ozric · Post by **Ozric** » Sun Sep 03, 2006 9:03 pm

Treebore wrote:I just hope I have seen you on the C&C messgaeboards. If not, then join!

You might've seen me on Dragonsfoot from time to time, though I generally lurk more than I actually post. I also read the TLG boards from time to time, but can't remember if I actually registered there or not. I'll have to check.

Incidentally, is there a known release date for The Known World, or is it still just this month sometime?

Treebore · Post by **Treebore** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 2:09 am

Ozric wrote:
Treebore wrote:I just hope I have seen you on the C&C messgaeboards. If not, then join!
You might've seen me on Dragonsfoot from time to time, though I generally lurk more than I actually post. I also read the TLG boards from time to time, but can't remember if I actually registered there or not. I'll have to check.

Incidentally, is there a known release date for The Known World, or is it still just this month sometime?

Are you aware of the new board that started a couple of months ago? If not you can get to it by going to their website and selecting their forum button.

As for the Known world, I haven't seen/heard a actual date yet. I'll check the website.

Ozric · Post by **Ozric** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 7:38 am

Treebore wrote:Are you aware of the new board that started a couple of months ago? If not you can get to it by going to their website and selecting their forum button.

As for the Known world, I haven't seen/heard a actual date yet. I'll check the website.

I am. I'm assuming the new board was part of their recent website facelift, which is a spectacular improvement.

I think I read a post somewhere, maybe in this very thread, speculating a while back that The Known World might be generally available late this month, or perhaps even early next month, depending on how quickly the shipment arrives and passes through customs. I was hoping that something resembling an actual date was known so I know how much longer I have to wait. I'm pretty stoked about this product and am impatient P-)

I suppose in the meantime I can pick up a DCC or two and convert them to C&C...maybe even try to get a group together.

tacojohn4547 · Post by **tacojohn4547** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 9:36 am

Ozric:

This product looks awesome and I wish I could own it right now. So far the only Goodman Games products I own are the two DCC's that were relased for Castles & Crusades, but this campaign setting is about to change that.

Ozric:

I suppose in the meantime I can pick up a DCC or two and convert them to C&C...maybe even try to get a group together.

********* SHAMELESS ADVERTISING MODE ENGAGED **********

Ozric –

If you are playing C&C, or are planning on using it for an upcoming campaign, you should seriously take a look at the 1E compatible version of DCC #12.5 Iron Crypt of the Heretics. This 1E compatible module was done as a special GenCon release, and is a full conversion of the d20/3.5 version of the Iron Crypt.

Goodman Games is doing a second print run of the sellout 1E Iron Crypt since the demand was unexpectedly high. The Iron Crypt adventure is a sequel to DCC #12 The Revenge of the Blackguard, and is a mid- to high-level adventure.

Here is a link to the d20/3.5 version of the Iron Crypt:

http://www.goodman-games.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=550

Here are some links to discussion of the 1E (the second one contains a link to the online store, where the 1E module can be ordered until Sept 15):

http://www.goodman-games.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=929
http://www.goodman-games.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=947
http://www.goodman-games.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=970

********* SHAMELESS ADVERTISING MODE DISENGAGED **********

tacojohn4547

Ozric · Post by **Ozric** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 10:01 am

A 1E version of a DCC sounds just great and I probably will take a look at it. Thanks!

Hjorimir · Post by **Hjorimir** » Wed Sep 06, 2006 8:41 am

goodmangames wrote:Hi Hjorimir,

I'll be posting some PDF previews of the boxed set as it gets closer to release. Are there any topics in particular that you're interested in seeing?

-- Joseph

Hi Joseoph-

Maybe a brief "tour" of some of the nations. I'm not askig (or advising) that you give away the farm, so to speak, but something to paint a picture. If you really want to go over the top, it could be "in character" from a bard or something just giving some flavor.

Thanks!

-Hjorimir

Post by **Harley Stroh** » Wed Sep 06, 2006 8:51 am

Speak of the Devil. No bardic flavor, yet, but I'll work on that for the next one.

I’ll post these in installments so that it doesn’t take up too much space.

I’m starting with some of the themes/design goals that I tried to get at in the Northlands. Jeff and Mike can speak more succinctly to their work in the Lost and Southlands, so I’ll give them the space to answer you, themselves.

CRIESTE: This is the foundation empire of the North. At the time of the gazetteer, Crieste is emerging from a 300-year interregnum. Without an emperor, the nation sank into a dark age, causing many of the other kingdoms and free cities in the North to declare their freedom from the old Empire.

Pressed for an emperor, the barons of Crieste placed a child on the throne and appointed a wicked vizier to ensure that the boy remain but a figurehead that wouldn’t interfere with their plots. Fortunately, the child-emperor is served by Captain Sentri, a loyal servant of the throne who works to ensure that the emperor, the of the empire, stay true to the cause of Good.

Enter the PCs. Sentri needs agents and brave souls to counter the Vizier’s schemes. This is sourced from Dumas’ “The Three Muskateers,” in that PCs – serving as knights and agents of the Sable March – find themselves pitted against the Crieste’s Imperial Army. The adventures range from courtly intrigue to back alley duels, to being ambushed by the Vizier’s agents as the PCs emerge from dungeons laden with treasure.

Despite 300 years of decline, Crieste still exerts control over a great deal of territory. There are two capitols, Winter and Summer palaces, respectively. Kassantia, the Winter Palace (appearing in an upcoming DCC), is a Mecca for Áereth’s wizards. Home to the prestigious Royal Academy of Sorcery, and the mysterious Ordo Arcana, the city is can rightly be said to be the Gem of Crieste. Wondrous sights and sounds abound in the city’s shops, archmages can be seen arriving astride pegasi and enormous rocs, and the brightly armored knights of the Sable March patrol the well-cobbled streets.

The Summer Palace (Archbridge, as found in DCC #1)is home to the the Imperial Army and their chief rival, the Order of the Sable March. Archbridge is a city ruled by Crieste’s warrior class, men and women famed for their honor and martial pride. Status in the Imperial Army is determined by noble birth, while in the Sable March rank is accorded by honor and bravery. It follows them that the Army and the Knights of the March are bitter rivals, each striving to outdo the other on the field of battle. Too often these tensions boil over, resulting in a deadly back alley duels and running street battles. Officially, the generals of the Army and the Sable March refuse to condone the duels, but high-level commanders can be often seen returning to their barracks late at night, sporting bloody wounds and ferocious grins.

Many aspiring young warriors make pilgrimages to the city, hoping to join the ranks of the fabled March or the Imperial Army. Those that fail quickly find their way to the city’s taverns and gambling dens, where they nurse their wounded pride with liquor and brawling. It is said that Archbridge is a city of warrior-lords, but this only partially true; for every knight there are a dozen pretenders hoping to catch the Emperor’s eye.

The majestic city is built atop the ruins of a previous acropolis, and Archbridge’s vast undercity is notorious for its ancient passageways, forgotten tombs and secret corridors. The Imperial Army sends regular expeditions into the undercity, but – of course – few return.

More coming soon...
//H

Jeff LaSala · Post by **Jeff LaSala** » Wed Sep 06, 2006 9:06 am

Hjorimir, page 3 of this very thread began a few teasers of the setting. If you haven't seen them yet, you can get a feel of the Northlands and the Southlands. I can't remember, offhand, if Mike Ferguson provided a summary of the Lostlands on another page.

Mike_Ferguson · Post by **Mike_Ferguson** » Wed Sep 06, 2006 9:33 am

I think I posted more generally about the Lostlands earlier - however, in the meantime, here's a new sample from the Lostlands to whet your appetite:

The Vermilion Tribes: A loose confederation of warrior nomads, these Tribes claim the harsh Vermilion Steppes as their homeland. For the past several centuries, there have been anywhere from three to eight tribes, each ruled by a chieftain or khaine. The most powerful of the khaines, known as the Malkhaine, is chosen in a blood duel between the khaines to lead all of the Tribes.

The Tribes are comprised mostly of wild elves, born to hunt and to fight. Tribal warriors are legendary masters of the longbow, and are also masters of riding a creature known as the shadroquus, a strange hybrid of horse and dragon.

All warriors hold themselves to a code of honor, though this means little to their enemies – respect and honor is held only for other tribesmen. This combination makes the hordes of the Vermilion Tribes one of the most feared fighting forces in the entire world – extremely disciplined, ruthless, and able to strike with deadly force at lightning speed. Since the Tribes have little natural resources in the barren Steppes to call their own, it is up to these warriors to raid the surrounding regions of the Lostlands for fortune and glory, and to demand tribute from their fallen enemies.

The remainder of the Tribes consists of the farmers, the tradesmen, and others who maintain the home cities for the tribal warriors. These individuals tend to be those who are too old or too frail for battle. Also, those not of pure elven blood – mostly outcasts from other nations in the Lostlands – serve and live in the cities as well. These are the few who actually live in the cities on a permanent basis – for the most part, the warrior hordes roam the Vermilion Steppes and the surrounding regions of the Lostlands, and only return to the home cities of their tribes for festivals, or after long military campaigns.

At the time of the Gazetteer’s writing, Malkhaine Svyato is one of the strongest leaders to rule over all the Vermilion Tribes in nearly five hundred years. He also possesses a perspective that most of his fellow Tribesmen do not – his father was a merchant who once traveled to the faraway kingdom of Crieste, which exposed him to other cultures and customs of the DCC World. He believes that it is his destiny to spread the influence of the Tribes beyond their traditional homeland – whether this is through warfare or peaceful means, though, no one knows for sure.

Jeff LaSala · Post by **Jeff LaSala** » Wed Sep 06, 2006 10:30 am

So here's my teaser: (note that this is a summary, not a quote from the book)

The Southlands are the collection of islands and connected continents westward across the Empyrean Sea (click here for general map) that serve, in essence, as the Aéreth’s counterpart of the Americas. The majority of it remains wild and untamed, drawing explorers and treasure hunters from all corners of the world—but most of them come from the Northlands.

Let me introduce you to the centerpiece of the Southlands: The Xulmec city-states, first referenced in DCC #4 (Bloody Jack’s Gold) and then again in DCC #16 (Emerald Cobra), they are finally fleshed out in the boxed set. So what are they? A civilization of human city-states loosely but heavily inspired by the various Mesoamerican cultures before the conquistadors brought them to ruin.

Xulmec city-states

Xulmecs (pronounced SHOOL-mec) started off as primitive human tribes traipsing about various regions of the Southlands, some nomadic, some not. Then rose the powerful Naga Empire, Zimala, who subjugated these tribes and made them their servants. In the early days, this was a peaceable relationship. The humans were as apprentices to the mighty nagas, and even now the Southland humans owe their sophistication to their serpentine masters of old.

But in time, after war and civil unrest battered Zimala, the nagas tightened their coils about their human servitors until the latter become no more than slaves and test subjects. The drakon race (human and serpentine hybrids) was spawned at this time, and soon after they turned on their masters in a bid for power. The humans took the opportunity to slip their bonds and travel north, to the peninsula called Xulmec. There they fractured into eight tribes. One of these tribes was annihilated by the drakon when the drakon were finished laying the naga empire to ruin. Seven remained, and each founded a city-state of its own and is still there today, thousands of years later.

A short description of each of the seven city-states...

Amoya: A city built upon a mountain. People who revere and preserve their dead, pray to the goddess of the violet moon, prize silver above all physical materials, and are ruled by a mummy lord. The Amoyas are peaceful but stern, always vigilant against those who would steal from their hallowed tombs.

Athua: Located on the eastern coastline, the city of Athua is a brother to the sea itself for its people adore the water more than the land.

Chuzec: Situated between active the active volcanoes that buried it more than a thousand years ago in molten lava and ash, Chuzec was reborn with religious devotion to a god of fire. More than any other, the people of Chuzec practice human sacrifice in zealous devotion to their bloodthirsty god.

Darawan: Nestled in the southwestern corner of the peninsula and against the borders of the drakon nation of Ssorlang, Darawn is the most mystic of the Xulmecs. Their boatmen are peerless, their esoteric ways misunderstood by even other Xulmecs. They are the only ones willing to trade openly with the arrogant drakon.

Kaatlan: A city in the heart of Xulmec, Kaatlan is dual-natured. When the king is devoted to the rain goddess, they are benevolent and kind. Yet when the warlike tenets of Coatlimict (DCC #4) holds greater sway, the people set out to capture and sacrifice their enemies.

Maras: Located in the southeast corner of the peninsula amidst a region of natural sinkholes (called (cenotes), the people of Maras revere the Black Jaguar god who guides them, and work to defend all of Xulmec from the evils that creep up from the Underworld (better known to Northlanders as the Underdeep).

Teotcoatlan: The most powerful of the Xulmec city-states, Teotcoatlan is built upon an island in a vast lake, boasting the largest pyramids and the most numerous temples. The most tolerant of the Xulmecs and the most willing to treat with foreigners, Teotcoatlan is ruled by an adolescent king and queen. The people are also the most famous riders of the huezcatla (detailed in the monsters chapter!), horse-sized rodents and cousins of the dire capybara.

Post by **goodmangames** » Wed Sep 06, 2006 4:05 pm

Hi guys,

To answer a couple questions that came up:

Amazon.com, distributors, and local game stores: Goodman Games makes the same amount from a sale to Amazon.com as a sale to any other retailer. I am firmly in favor of local game stores. It was Sword of the Phoenix in Lenox Mall (Atlanta, GA) that first introduced me to D&D so many years ago. Without local stores like them (and so many others), there would be far fewer people entering this hobby. Of course, some folks don't live near a local game store, so I can understand there are different factors behind each decision.

DCC World release date: The boxed set is on US soil but currently in customs. Customs is a completely unpredictable process. Once the boxes clear customs I'll be able to advise a firm in-store date.

-- Joseph

bobrunnicles · Post by **bobrunnicles** » Wed Sep 06, 2006 6:41 pm

goodmangames wrote:DCC World release date: The boxed set is on US soil but currently in customs. Customs is a completely unpredictable process. Once the boxes clear customs I'll be able to advise a firm in-store date.

Awesome! Better hurry up though, the puddle of drool here is now increasing at an exponential rate

Renshai · Post by **Renshai** » Thu Sep 07, 2006 8:02 am

Thanks Jeff, that looks great. I wish they'd clear customs already, I'm ready for my DCC World!

Ozric · Post by **Ozric** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 12:22 pm

Yeah, I'm a bit impatient for it myself. But today my order for DDC #29 and DDC #1 arrived from Nobleknight, which I can start converting to C&C. These, plus the official ones that GG has released for C&C, should tide me over for a while.

Jeff LaSala · Post by **Jeff LaSala** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 10:39 am

It's funny. I helped write this thing, I have a copy in my possession, but I'm just as eager as everyone else to see it hit the stores. It's very exciting just knowing that people will put your game ideas to use in their own campaigns. The ultimate honor for longtime D&D fans.

Eryx · Post by **Eryx** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 11:04 am

My FLGS has #34 coming in this week but our suppliers have no release date (other than September) for the campaign world. Is there a definate release date yet?