OpenQuest 3rd Edition Current Status

[Newt]

Crikey, couple of days has become a couple of weeks! How time flies.

Ok short version:

OpenQuest 3 after a pause is being worked on. I was hoping to have it done by now but I got engrossed in updating the Organisations chapter - which is all the rules/info for what other games call Cults or Factions. There's the unified magic list needs trawling through as does the monster chapter, which may ore may not get a radical overhaul. Then I'll have a playtest version which I push out and we will have an open playtest, which will probably last until the summer when I take the game to Kickstarter. 

OQ will still be Legend OGL based. I briefly flirted with the idea of it going BRP-OGL, but decided against throwing 2 years worth of work under the bus. Also OQ3 has diverged quite significantly from BRP that it wasn't a straightforward "engine" switch, of taking out the core mechanics of OQ and switching in the equivalent BRP-OGL. 

As well as OQ continuing to be Open Gaming Content, I've looked at how I support 3rd Party publishers. Since OQ2 Refreshed came out in 2016 I've been swamped with other work and life stuff, and haven't really been as supportive as I feel I should have been. So when OQ3 comes out there will be a freely available SRD and a website to support it (check out openquestrpg.com if you want a sneak peak :). 

As well as OQ3, I'll be publishing stuff like Skyraiders of the Floating Realms using an even more striped down D100 system, that I'm causally calling the D101-System. This won't be OGL, I wrote it from scratch - and while it has ideas from OQ its its own system. D101-system releases will be even more experimental than OQ, which is partially why I'm making its own thing.  Also since after 10 years of publishing my goals as a publisher have changed. 

I've also got a Mythras Gateway license which I'm going to be putting out an adventure/setting book called the Isle of the Dead later this year. I'm also looking and doing other bits and bobs for it.

This means the OpenQuest RPG Adventures Patrenon has got a name change to D100 RPG Adventures , since I'll be using it to support not only OQ, but also Skyraiders and Mythras adventures. if you are a Patron I'll be doing a furher update about how this changes what I'll doing for it. Which is big news in itself

[Prinz Slasar]

23 minutes ago, Newt said:

I've also got a Mythras Gateway license which I'm going to be putting out an adventure/setting book called the Isle of the Dead later this year. I'm also looking and doing other bits and bobs for it.

For me, this is the most interesting part. I hope we'll see a couple of Mythras supplements from you and other writers via the Gateway License.
The Isle of the Dead is an instant buy for me and for all the other Mythras fans.

[Jakob]

Looking forward to all of this! To be honest, OQ3 is what I'm most on the fence about; I have the feeling that the Skyraiders will hit my sweet spot for rules lite better, and any version of OQ would probably sit a little uncomfortable between that and Mythras. But I'm not kidding myself - I'll end up buying all of it, anyway ... Anyway, I'm very happy that the Patreon encompasses all three now!

[Runeblogger]

Looking forward to this. BTW, I included D101 games in my report on the D100-related news compilation on my blog (you can use the translation gadget on the right to translate the text from Spanish into English).

https://elruneblog.blogspot.com/2020/04/noticias-de-abril-sobre-runequest.html

[Newt]

I've blogged about where I'm up to with OpenQuest 3 over at the new site for the game openquestrpg.com.

Its a somewhat rambling post, but basically I got stuck on the last draft, went back to OQ2, decided to do a tidied up version of that with bits of the last draft incorporated into it.  The post itself also breaks down chapter by chapter what the changes are from OQ2. 

• OpenQuest 3 current status

Looking to have it done by end of June, and out to Kickstarter by Aug/Sept to coincide with 1st Anniversary of its release

[Jakob]

I think this makes sense - I must confess, I'm looking forward more to the Sky-Raiders system, but that's quite fine!

[Newt]

Skyraiders is up first, I'm working on layout of Zero Edition now. And t answer @el_octogono 's early question up thread, it will be available in pdf/print+pre-order when its done :)

I'm very happy that the dichotomy of having a big book/old school d100 OQ and a little book (6x9) new school(ish) D100 system has worked itself out, and I can do both :) 

[Newt]

OK we now have a cover courtesy of Jon Hodgeson (of Handiwork games fame, previously Cublicle 7 One Ring, Lonewolf etc). 

This is just the front cover, the final book will feature it in its full wrap around glory :) 

[groovyclam]

I love that there is a duck on there

[Jakob]

That party looks like they had a rather bad argument - that guy with the scrolls looks a little abashed, probably from being berated by the Duck!

Oh, yes, I like it!

[Shawn Carpenter]

That looks great! 

I might bump the size of the title up a bit, though.

[Al.]

On 6/25/2020 at 2:27 PM, Newt said:

OK we now have a cover courtesy of Jon Hodgeson (of Handiwork games fame, previously Cublicle 7 One Ring, Lonewolf etc). 

This is just the front cover, the final book will feature it in its full wrap around glory

 

That fourth party member looks a little bit overpowered.

[Jakob]

3 hours ago, Al. said:

That fourth party member looks a little bit overpowered.

Well, d100 games are traditionally not that much about balancing.

EDIT: At least, she's not a Melnibonean.

Edited June 28, 2020 by Jakob

[ORtrail]

Great cover, the kind that makes you feel like there is a story there just based on body language and facial expressions.  Also, agree that the title needs a size increase. 

[Newt]

Well the 1st draft is now finished, all the tweaks and changes I wanted to do are in place.  Now going through the hole 220+ page first draft and doing a through self-edit  

When I'm done I'll post up a full list of changes and highlights of the new edition.

In other news, there won't be a version of OpenQuest Basic for this edition. There will however be a Quickstart called the Lost Garrison This will be available before the Kickstarter.

[Newt]

OK I'm a bit behind on getting the Quickstart done, so instead I'll be making the first two chapters, the Introduction (which gives a good run down of the contents) and the Characters chapter (which is complete character generation and advancement, and a quick run down of the skills) as a preview.  Just tidying this up now and contacting various collaborators. with the aim of opening the Kickstarter on Tuesday Sept 1st  

 

[Newt]

OpenQuest 3rd Edition is going to Kickstarter Tuesday 1st September. Here's the pre-launch page if you want to know when it goes live https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/645319106/openquest-3rd-edition

[craigm]

Here's a non-Facebook encumbered link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/645319106/openquest-3rd-edition

[Ravenheart87]

Hello! I'd have a few questions which I couldn't find answers for on the blog or in this topic. 

Will we get an option for working from single pool of skill points at character creation, or it's still by categories?

Will skills based on a single characteristic still start at 10 + characteristic value, or will they get something else (eg. 2 x characteristic)?

Where will be the new eidition printed? Will it have a normal print run, or print on demand, or both?

And finally: will the magenta/pink titles and boxes remain?

Edited August 28, 2020 by Ravenheart87

[Newt]

Still by categories, but its easy enough to add up the skill points and let the players do it completely free form.

Skill bases are unchanged from OQ2. 

Print will be Print on Demand, with the option of me sending it to you directly. I may if the numbers warrant it look into doing a print run.

The book will be black and white through out. 

[Ravenheart87]

1 hour ago, Newt said:

Print will be Print on Demand, with the option of me sending it to you directly. I may if the numbers warrant it look into doing a print run.

The book will be black and white through out. 

So basically shipping won't cost me an arm and leg. That's good news! Thanks for the answers.

[Newt]

Just had a magic moment on the prelaunch page....

[Newt]

I'll be posting a 20+ page preview PDF of the first two chapters later today. It will contain the Introduction that gives an overview of the contents of the book, and the Characters chapter which contains all the information about character generation and advancement, with a bit explanation about how the system works. 

I'll also be posting on openquestrpg.com a list of everything that has changed from the last release for those people who are interested. 

[Newt]

OpenQuest 3rd Edition Preview pdf of the first two chapters now up (Kickstarter opens tomorrow).

• OQ3 Preview Pdf

[Jakob]

The Layout looks great - simple but stylish!

Skimming through the text, I feel that there is one thing that should be clarified in random character generation - it is actually the same problem that crops up in "Skyraiders": I f you re-roll all ones and twos, that would mean that with random characteristics, you can't end up with any stats below 9 (or below 12 for INT and SIZ), and even those values are extremely unlikely ... I suspect the intention is that you re-roll 1s and 2s once, but keep them if they come up again? If that's the case, that should be clarified.