Austin

15 hours ago, Squaredeal Sten said:

While the premium color  print price looks high, that is basically because Ships and Shores is a very large book. We also have to consider both the facts that

-  this is Print On Demand (a print run of one just for you or me)

- and  the number of pages to be printed.  Ships and Shores is 397 pages including cover in its PDF version 18.  Compare that to 168 pages for The Lightbringers print version, which Chaosium prints in a long print run and sells for $39.99...

So for the hard copy only, comparing premium color POD to Chaosium's and treating each cover as just another page,

Ships and Shores is  24 U.S. cents  per page in premium color

and The Lightbringers is  24 U.S cents per page print industry standard professional 4-color process color printing,

Plus shipping in both cases if you mail order it.  (And I don't have a local game store that sells Chaosium's Runequest line on the shelf, so that's not an option for me.)

I am getting a great price for a POD.

Huh, I never thought to compare the two. Thanks! This is interesting and useful information.

And line edits are wrapped up! Now to get all that blue ink into the Word document of my next draft… 😅 Still, working by hand helps me think!

Once I've got my third draft collated, my next task is graphic design to prep for art direction and layout. I'm going to be using Affinity Publisher for the first time on this project—finally trying to divest myself of Adobe—so I'm choosing to build a template file from the ground up to help me get to learn the program. The template file ought to be useful for future projects too, of course. (Well, so long as I do it right.)

On 5/3/2024 at 8:02 PM, Akhôrahil said:

Gagarth-adjacent, then? I had to more or less improvise a Wild Hunt situation in my campaign.

Yup! One of this work's sections is a bestiary collection (kind of MOTM style) describing luparths, the cult spirits of Gagarth which hunt on the Spirit World's winds. In addition to the adventure I hope that section will be easy to grab and use for GMs as they see fit in their own campaigns.

On 5/3/2024 at 10:07 PM, Squaredeal Sten said:

Did you have a question we could answer. or is this just a teaser?

Nah, I'm just teasing the next thing I've got coming along. 🙂 

Thanks for offering advice! I've made enough stuff that I do have this handled, but I appreciate the helpful spirit. 😄 As I mentioned in the OP, it's hard to define a timeline until I've completed the edit. After that, the schedule just depends on how busy I am (or am not) with other stuff.

On 4/26/2024 at 10:03 PM, metcalph said:

I did have the idea that a Lunar would be defined by the cult *and* the phase of the Moon.  Thus a Dying Yanafali would look very different to a Full Half Yanafali.

Huh, I like that quite a bit. Intriguing idea.

Thanks for the update MOB. It's much appreciated.

For what it's worth, I do hope Chaosium continues to provide target release windows for new books. I hoped to hear information sooner (even just "it's on a boat and out of our control, sorry!"), but I do still like knowing what future releases are intended. Missing the target isn't the end of the world—I feel it's the "not knowing" which causes frustration.

Here's hoping everything reaches AU without further issue! 🙂 

Hey all, I shared these on social media then realized I should probably share here for those folks who choose to avoid those platforms. 😄 

I'm about halfway through line editing my next JC thing. It's tentatively titled Howl of the Wild Hunt. (There may be some additional stuff involved, but I don't want to go further than vague hinting at this point, hah.) A release sometime this summer would be awesome, but right now I can't really estimate how long art direction & graphic design will take.

23 hours ago, soltakss said:

Are we there yet?

Are we there yet?

Are we there yet?

Are we there yet?

Are we there yet?

Are we there yet?

Are we there yet?

Don't make me turn this Bat around young man!

2 hours ago, Nick Brooke said:

Blasphemy! Idolatry! A grotesque misrepresentation!

Of all people, Nick, I figured you'd recognize the splendiferous multitudes of the Goddess's contradictory decrees. 😉 Repent!

8 hours ago, David Scott said:

There's new stuff coming out of the JC almost every hour (it seems like it anyway).

Don't tempt me. I don't have the drugs required for THAT sort of pace. 😉

Plus it definitely wouldn't have any art, and I know y'all love art. Me too - making pretty things is very rewarding.

7 hours ago, M Helsdon said:

That's reliant upon sales. I have a number in mind, and when that is reached, I will generate the poster.

Good way to do it!

Thanks for the thoughts + suggestions on the Wolf Pirates. Much appreciated! Will continue to chew on them as we make the crew community.

On 4/14/2024 at 5:23 AM, M Helsdon said:

Preparation for the POD continues.

Very exciting to hear. 😄 This looks like a really excellent book, and I'm looking forward to exploring it.

I'm putting together a RuneQuest campaign playing the Wolf Pirates during the circumnavigation of the Homeward Ocean. Do you have any general advice/pointers for playing the Wolf Pirates pre-Dragonrise? I've wandered through the Guide, the Glorantha Sourcebook, and the Ygg cult in the Lightbringers book, so I do own a fair bit of the published information. I admire the attention to detail in your work, which is why I wanted to ask if you had any quick tips.

Please don't feel I'm asking you to share large chunks of what's in your book about the Wolf Pirates or anything like that—I can't really afford new gaming stuff right now but once I can Ships & Shores is pretty much at the top of my wishlist. Your writing & research is awesome and I don't want to devalue your work.

18 hours ago, Rick Meints said:

I expect all of the books you mention above will be available soon, but that's all I can say at this time.

Thanks for giving us an update! 🙂 Even just hearing "we're still working/waiting on it" is helpful to know. Much appreciated.

Thanks Metcalph, this is helpful. Looks like I probably don't need a copy of the new edition. Still, I'm glad Chaosium's making sure it's available in print for new customers.

On 4/6/2024 at 11:11 AM, Nick Brooke said:

Simplest explanation: the Lanbril cult steals already-sanctified holy places that belonged to other gods.

Ooh, I like that. Yoink!

Is there any chance we could get a more substantial preview on Chaosium's storefront or over on DriveThruRPG? The five preview pages are from the front matter. If this edition's new content is mostly artwork, I'd love to be able to see some of it so I can decide if I want to upgrade. 😅 Right now I can't really see enough information to know whether or not I should plan to get the book. Thanks!

And it's now available in POD! If you're interested in hearing me ramble and/or seeing my reaction to the book, I filmed the unboxing for funsies. It's over on YouTube. (I hit the age-restrict option because I used a few four-letter words, so figured better safe than sorry. 🙂 )

The Print on Demand edition is imminent!

The POD coupon is up if you previously purchased the PDF. It'll be in "My Library" on DriveThru (you should also receive an email notification from them). The PDF looks like this, but if you click the "Click Here" button it'll actually add a discounted POD order to your Cart.

If you don't already have the PDF, you'll have to wait until tomorrow cuz I ought to force myself to stop doing work things for the evening. It'll go live (along with an unboxing video) tomorrow!

Considering all the amazing stuff which came out on the Jonstown Compendium last year, I figure y'all should know that this year's "Creator Recognition in TTRPGs" (CRIT) awards includes a category for 3rd-party content!

Whether you're into swashbuckling along Genertela's coast, scheming in Nochet, praising the Red Moon in Tarsh, or in love with another part of the last year's labors there's plenty of folks in our community who deserve recognition. 😁

https://www.critawards.org/

16 hours ago, Mugen said:

May I suggest writing an article about the number of attacks and parries one can make, and how it works with dual wielding rules ?

I'm not sure if that's an "unwritten rule" but I can definitely add it to my "article ideas" list! 😄 Some of those more unusual combat situations definitely become complicated.

26 minutes ago, Shiningbrow said:

I just tried to comment on your Trickster animism post, and contrary to "Log in or provide your name and email to leave a comment", it didn't let me leave a comment without logging in  😞

… Huh. I have no solution, but I'm sorry to hear that. Something something Wordpress gone wrong, probably?

27 minutes ago, Shiningbrow said:

What if the spells were Glamour and Charisma?

The "order of operations" remains the same. Using two spells affecting characteristics doesn't seem to alter the bonus stacking rules. Charisma doubles Final, and then Glamour is added atop. So for Illostan we have

Base 18 × 2 (Charisma) = Final(1) 36
Final(1) 36 + 8 (Glamour) = Final(2) 44

This is one I actually do all the time in our campaign. 😅 Nothing quite like walking into a king's hall with CHA 44 to grab everyone's attention!

30 minutes ago, Shiningbrow said:

the distinction between Category and Experience is artificial, and purely a game construct.

I mean, isn't it all a game construct? 😄

I get what you're saying, though. Right now I'm not aiming at some type of simulation or realism in how Total is calculated. Whether or not "work experience" and "basic talent" are related in a meaningful way doesn't seem relevant to how bonuses are stacked. The rules say Total includes both, so for this discussion I'm taking that position.

That said, it did take me a bit of digging to find a passage which explicitly included Category as part of Total. I believe that was only explicitly stated in the "Adventurer Creation" chapter passage I cited. In the "Game System" and "Skills" chapter it was clear that Category improved your chance to roll, but wasn't clear whether you did A or B:

A) Base + Experience = Total; Total + Category = Final
B) Base + Experience + Category = Total

Using A instead changes the results of bonus stacking because Category then is not multiplied by spells like Clever Tongue or Arrow Trance. Option A is basically how I learned to play RQ3 in college, and a campaign I'm in with those folks still uses that order. Ex. when my spy sorcerer casts Higher Mastery to double my dagger skill, I double my Final(A) and then add my Category modifier for attack skills atop it.

If someone really feels strongly about A or B, I don't think the game is "right" or "wrong" if you use one or the other. It changes the math, but that's not a big deal. The most important thing is to be consistent in application of however a table chooses to use these types of rules. I find consistency is doubly important in a game like RuneQuest due to how dangerous combat is. Fairness in the sense of "both players & NPCs have access to the same abilities & follow the same rules" improves player satisfaction because they understand how a combat might play out. (Note, however, that doesn't mean that all NPCs should fight fairly—and neither should the players.)

I did another one of these on bonus stacking.

The last piece of art is in the updated PDF! You can find the new file in "My Libary" on DriveThruRPG. 😄 @Lordabdul's done a brilliant job with it, don't ya think?

Also, I've submitted the POD files for Treasures of Glorantha 2! It's basically impossible to predict when it'll be available, but the process is under way.

11 hours ago, Nick Brooke said:

So in case anyone’s interested, I made the individual map sections by adding a dozen or so opaque white masking layers on top of the original map in Photoshop, naming each for a quarter of the city (or whatever), and having only one of them set to be visible at any time. Each section was then made by “erasing” the white bits from part of a layer, letting selected bits of the map underneath show through. At the edge of the mask, limited use of transparency meant the map edges “faded away” onto the page. It was pretty obvious, worked well, and meant Simon could make late changes to the underlying map without me needing to redraw all of the extracts every time (because the shapes of the masks stayed the same: it’s just some of the details showing through them that might change).

That's an extremely useful tip. Thank you!

19 hours ago, Nick Brooke said:

over half a gigabyte and 7,156 x 10,120 pixels!

Goddamn.

1 hour ago, Agentorange said:

I'm not joking. the Hyalors fields section ( p30 ) i am literally using a magnifying glass to make out some of the names. So maybe for a future edition these names could be increased in size just a tad ?

I believe this is because the maps were made with intent for poster resolution (kinda like how the Argan Argar Atlas looks wonky but the maps in the Guide to Glorantha read fine).

https://www.redbubble.com/i/poster/Furthest-Crown-Jewel-of-Lunar-Tarsh-a-Gloranthan-city-Map-by-Sbrayarts/150652747.G7H47