I wanted to keep this quiet until I was sure that it wasn’t vaporware (vaporgame?). Well, it’s not; I have a prototype in my hand (sans the final cover art by one of the OSR’s premier artists who shall remain nameless for the nonce, but that’s on its way), and I feel confident enough to make the announcement.
Coming this October, just in time for the festive Halloween season; the first in a series of RPG supplements suitable for use with any game compatible with the original or Advanced versions of the world’s most popular role-playing game. Darker Paths I: The Necromancer.
The Necromancer is an optional character class suitable for either PC or NPC use, or the game master is free to simply take the spells included (more than 75 new spells!) and add them to the spell-lists of his magic-users or mages. The necromancer is a master of death and the undead; his spells are centered on dealing with crypts and tombs, creating and treating with the undead, as well as emulating some of the powers of the undead at higher level.
The Necromancer will be 20 pages of actual content (not including the covers, OGL, etc.) and will be available in pdf format. Pricing is still being determined, but it will be competitive with other, similar, offerings.
Announcement the second…
Along with this announcement, I am also pleased to announce that a new company has entered the game publishing arena; BRW Games. Naturally, the first product that BRW Games will produce is the Necromancer character class. In the future are planned the Adventures Dark and Deep fantasy role-playing game and a full line of games of various sorts (Euro-style games, wargames, and of course RPG supplements) set in the World of Erseta Fantasy Setting.
I’m probably crazy for setting off on this journey of creative endeavor and small-business formation all in the same step, but I’ve got a vision, and I realized that the best way to see that vision through was to do it my own way. Things might take a little longer this way than they might if I simply sold my stuff to an established publisher, but I think it’ll be worth it if the vision pans out.
Here… we… go!
Congratulations, Joe! Please keep me in mind for any cartography work… 🙂
Looking forward to this! Great to see new stuff coming out for the world's most popular role-playing game!
Congrats!
Word.
Good luck Joe. I'm confident you can excell at anything you put your mind to.
Good luck Joe!
Greatly looking forward to the necromancer! This is one of my favorite archetypes, and I don't think I have seen one for a basic-style game that I really like. The complete necromancer DM book for 2E was only okay, and I think that is the best I have seen.
Congrats and good luck. Looking forward to seeing what you put out.
I'm quite sure that the Necromancer will become a staple of many tables. Good luck, keep calm and carry on! 🙂
Best of luck with your new endeavor.
I'm hoping that, eventually, you'll be able to do a print run (including large fold-out maps) of your Castle of the Mad Archmage… because that would rock!
Chris: Did you know that Black Blade Publishing is putting together what promises to be a kick-ass edition of Castle of the Mad Archmage? Hardcover, slip-case, poster maps; the works!
Terrific news! Congrats!
Wow, a game that only exists because of the OGL and its 100% not open game content. How.. appreciative of the OGL! Umm not.
John, I'm pretty sure you made that same snarky comment before, and I answered it before, too.
The playtest documents are not open game content, because they're not in their final version (duh). The final versions will be.
Now go rain on someone else's parade, okay?
Probably obvious, but I have to ask: BRW = Board, Roleplay, & War Games?
Can't wait to see what you've put together.
No no, BRW = Bloch, Ruler (of the) World.
😉
Joseph: I don't recall posting about this before but it's certainly possible. If so, then I apologize for repeating myself. I downloaded the bestiary book and checked out the Product Identity declaration and found it 100% closed content. Then I looked at the BRW website and found the lovely "Legal Info" section. Sorry if I jumped the gun but really, why does it not being complete yet mean it needs to be non-Open? Who cares? Are you afraid someone else will reuse the content? I'll reply to your email also.
Thanks for responding, John. It's purely a question of version control. If I released the rules as-is as Open Game Content, then three years from now, someone could come out with a module that played by the rules "As of September 2011", rather than the actual rules. I just want people to know that when they get something "for use with Adventures Dark and Deep" it is consistent with a single set of rules, which has had the fullest possible extent of editing, playtesting, and the like.
But I didn't appreciate the implication that because an iterative version of the rules was not OGC I was somehow being unappreciative. It has been stated here, and on the ADD Forums, that the final version would be OGC.
And, I should point out in the legal section of the BRW Games website, I deliberately changed the boilerplate so that what people post in the forums (once they're opened) belongs to them, and not to me.
Hardly the act of a legalistic ogre, if I may speak in my own defense. 🙂
Joseph: Ok, I apologize for jumping the gun then. I look forward to seeing the completed product.
Congrats and good luck! I'm eagerly awaiting your future endeavors. I had no idea Black Blade was doing CotMA in a fancy way. Must have…