cjbowser

I receive periodic updates on how my monographs are selling. Print and PDF are calculated separately, but those two figures are added together to achieve the value for total copies sold. When my monograph came out in PDF (after three years as a print version) it sold enough to bump me over the threshold again and soon thereafter I received another check.

My friend runs a bindery and prints my pdfs bound in buckram for $10. Admittedly, that is something of a special case.

Dustin said to look for a print copy in April. Hopefully since they've used all this art before they won't run into the same problem with their printer that delayed Ashes to Ashes.

The big difference between a monograph and a full distribution book is that a monograph doesn't enter the full distribution chain. Monographs are only available from Chaosium's webiste, and even though Chaosium may grab stock art (art that they have on hand, not necessarily clip art) and do a small amount of layout, it usually doesn't get original art or a thorough proof reading and trip through the content editing cycle.

3rd party support will still be dependent upon the Licensee contract that Chaosium enforces. The number of products that can be released is limited. While that is in no way a guarantee of quality, it at least puts the kibosh on a single 3rd party flooding the market with tons of derivative material like happened during the d20 boom. Chaosium is also enforcing a certain level of quality control. Again, that's no guarantee on exactly how things will play out, but if enforced as written will give Chaosium the opportunity to stop really dreadful works from hitting the market.

I just picked this one up, too. If I can find it, I may send you a Cthulhu Rising con scenario I wrote a while back.

What dragonnewt said.

I learned BRP through CoC, so I stick with the die based modifers.

Would contributors get a copy of the book, even if they were not able to attend (and lived in a completely different country)?

Actually, that could be legit... Go ahead... find a time.

Thanks, Adam. I must have misread that section of Countdown back when I read it.

Oh... and I should probably apologize now for the somewhat pedestrian nature of my scenario...

I was just getting ready to post that...

I will write this as a closed skill setting, but what individual GMs do with it is up to them.

I plan on creating genre skills, ones that are high level umbrella skills along the line of Craft and Knowledge. Other skills will be renamed to be apropos to the genre that came in from cold... There will, of course, be extensive playtesting required. Hopefully some of you will be willing to lend a hand.

Excellent point Nick. My tradecraft example was used because it was the only printed case I could think of. As mentioned in my other post, I'd prefer not to add skills. Although new specializations in Craft, Research, Knowledge, and Science type skills are ok in my mind.

Good point. I thought of this option about an hour ago and figured somebody would already have brought it up. That might be the way to go.

Thanks for all the replies everyone. Rappelling was just an example of several such skills that I plan on rolling into other skills, most likely using a combination of the tiered method Nick mentioned and the in-game training method Soltakss mentioned.

That was my thought as well, but I'm writing this for you guys first and myself second, so I wanted to get a general feel of your feelings.

Thanks for the feedback, SD. Adding it to an existing skill but stating modifiers in text wasn't something I had considered. Now I have something else to consider.

Byron, sorry about that. Here's a definition from dictionary.com

I wanted to get the group's opinion on something else skill related as well. How do you feel about making multiple skill rolls to achieve a single result? The best example I can think of can be found in Delta Green Countdown. It adds the Tradecraft Skill. In and of itself, Tradecraft does little. However, if you want to plant a bug, you must first succeed at a Tradecraft roll and then a Surveillance roll. If the character makes the Tradecraft roll, but fail the Surveillance, the bug isn't planted. If the character fails the Tradecraft roll, but makes the Surveillance, the bug is planted. However, it might be easily spotted or in a sub-optimal position to capture conversations in the room. If both fail, the bug's not planted. If both succeed, the bug's planted and works as expected. Does this complicate matters unduly or does it add to the experience? In the above example, would a single Surveillance roll be enough to succeed, in your opinion?

I'm looking for opinions on whether you, as GMs and players, prefer a new skill to fit a concept or have that concept melded with an existing skill. For example, rappelling. It is a somewhat specialized skill and requires some specific knowledge to do it safely and quickly. If I were to produce a supplement that had characters rappel would you like to see a Rappel skill (or a generic mountaineering skill) or have rappel be handled by a Climb or Jump check?

At least in my experience, Chaosium contracts state the author is to produce a work between X and Y word count for Z dollars, not a per word count. If it were a flat, you get .02 a word, then going of the limit would probably be easier for them to handle. In the end, though, it does mean that Charles has enough material to get started on the next supplement.

Thanks for letting me know. I'll pick this one up in a few days.