Wherein I will discuss all aspects of my small (read: tiny) pdf publishing company, The Fantasy Cartographic.
The Future and a Request
Posted 15th October 2008 at 05:01 PM by The Cartographist
If you’ve been reading this blog to this point, you’ve been reading about my roleplaying history and how that eventually led to me starting my own small rpg pdf publishing company. While that story is not yet finished, I wanted to take a break and jump to The Fantasy Cartographic’s future for this post.
The team and I are working on our next few products, all of which are geared for 4E release under the GSL. Rather than the fluff and maps that all of our previous products have consisted of, the next several are going to be crunch-heavy with very few (if any) maps.
Our very next release is approaching completion. We have a new logo. We have full color cover art as well as several interior pieces. Most of the text is written and the editing has commenced. But there is a catch: We don’t yet have a title. Actually, that’s not quite right, but you’ll see what I’m getting at.
The product is a pdf detailing a new character class for 4E. I believe that, if 4E goes the way that 3.X went, you’ll be seeing lots of these products. Feudal Classes: Noble from the Alea Publishing Group, the Advanced Player’s Guide from Expeditious Retreat Press, and Forgotten Heroes: Fang, Fist, and Song from Goodman Games are three products out there right now. What I think makes our product unique is that it details a fighter-like class that is all about weaponless combat. He uses his hands, his elbows, his head, his feet, and only rarely picks anything up. But he’s not a monk, or a ninja, or anything Eastern or Oriental. He’s more like a street tough who has taken his thuggery to impressive levels of mastery (thus leveling all the way to 30th in 4E).
So what is the problem? Well, we’re not sure what to call the class. Here’s what we’ve been thinking:
Fighter = Strong guy in armor swinging a sword.
Cleric = Slightly less strong guy in armor swinging a mace and healing his ally.
Wizard = Weak guy hiding behind the stronger ones throwing magic missiles at you.
Rogue = Slightly less weak guy trying to steal something from you or stab you in the back.
WHAT = Strong (or maybe agile) guy wearing little or no armor who is kicking your butt with his bare hands and his feet. He punches, he throws, he drops you on your head.
Why am I sharing this with the (few hundred) people who seem to be reading my blog? Because surely there is someone out there who can make a suggestion or two. I’m looking for help. And, of course, if we were to choose your suggestion, you would be credited in the finished product.
Here are some of the things we’ve looked at:
Boxer, but that isn't fantasy enough.
Pugilist, but that’s more of the same.
Grappler, but we don't like that either.
Martial Artist, but that is too blah.
Ninja, but we don’t like the associated baggage or the Oriental flavour.
Shinobi, same as with Ninja.
Monk, but there is too much baggage associated with monks and besides, it is not an Eastern or Oriental-flavored character. The class is almost like a fantasy European street fighter (One who might know savate or some other non-karate-like martial art.).
So, if anyone has an idea, throw it up as a Comment to this post. The entire team at The Fantasy Cartographic would be grateful.
The team and I are working on our next few products, all of which are geared for 4E release under the GSL. Rather than the fluff and maps that all of our previous products have consisted of, the next several are going to be crunch-heavy with very few (if any) maps.
Our very next release is approaching completion. We have a new logo. We have full color cover art as well as several interior pieces. Most of the text is written and the editing has commenced. But there is a catch: We don’t yet have a title. Actually, that’s not quite right, but you’ll see what I’m getting at.
The product is a pdf detailing a new character class for 4E. I believe that, if 4E goes the way that 3.X went, you’ll be seeing lots of these products. Feudal Classes: Noble from the Alea Publishing Group, the Advanced Player’s Guide from Expeditious Retreat Press, and Forgotten Heroes: Fang, Fist, and Song from Goodman Games are three products out there right now. What I think makes our product unique is that it details a fighter-like class that is all about weaponless combat. He uses his hands, his elbows, his head, his feet, and only rarely picks anything up. But he’s not a monk, or a ninja, or anything Eastern or Oriental. He’s more like a street tough who has taken his thuggery to impressive levels of mastery (thus leveling all the way to 30th in 4E).
So what is the problem? Well, we’re not sure what to call the class. Here’s what we’ve been thinking:
Fighter = Strong guy in armor swinging a sword.
Cleric = Slightly less strong guy in armor swinging a mace and healing his ally.
Wizard = Weak guy hiding behind the stronger ones throwing magic missiles at you.
Rogue = Slightly less weak guy trying to steal something from you or stab you in the back.
WHAT = Strong (or maybe agile) guy wearing little or no armor who is kicking your butt with his bare hands and his feet. He punches, he throws, he drops you on your head.
Why am I sharing this with the (few hundred) people who seem to be reading my blog? Because surely there is someone out there who can make a suggestion or two. I’m looking for help. And, of course, if we were to choose your suggestion, you would be credited in the finished product.
Here are some of the things we’ve looked at:
Boxer, but that isn't fantasy enough.
Pugilist, but that’s more of the same.
Grappler, but we don't like that either.
Martial Artist, but that is too blah.
Ninja, but we don’t like the associated baggage or the Oriental flavour.
Shinobi, same as with Ninja.
Monk, but there is too much baggage associated with monks and besides, it is not an Eastern or Oriental-flavored character. The class is almost like a fantasy European street fighter (One who might know savate or some other non-karate-like martial art.).
So, if anyone has an idea, throw it up as a Comment to this post. The entire team at The Fantasy Cartographic would be grateful.
Total Comments 10
Comments
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How about Brawler? Simple, gives impressions of living on the street, fits fantasy nicely.Posted 15th October 2008 at 06:11 PM by Toriel
- Scrabbler could also be used but I personnaly find it less inspiring.Posted 15th October 2008 at 06:20 PM by Toriel
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Even if it's been said already, I'll throw my hat in the ring for Brawler. It certainly calls to mind the kind of person who will clear out a tavern.Posted 15th October 2008 at 06:41 PM by RukiTanuki -
Bruiser...there you go.Posted 15th October 2008 at 07:03 PM by ChampionoftheTriad -
Scrapper, battler, streetfighter, contender, street warrior, basher, hurler...Posted 15th October 2008 at 08:22 PM by Smart - Gladiator
Martialist
Warrior
Thug
Striker
Vindicator
Ruffian
RoughneckPosted 15th October 2008 at 08:30 PM by mdpotter - Pankrationist
The pankration was a combat sport in ancient Greece that was mostly focused on grappling but which allowed more or less anything. There is a modern pankration league that uses rules similar to UFC or pride, but with more emphasis on grappling.
I also like some of the above suggestions like "brawler," and "bruiser," but they might be hard to copyright (then again, "pankrationist" might cause some problems in that direction, as well). "Tough" and "Hooligan" are another couple of possibilities along the same lines. "Regulator" and "Enforcer" elicit a bit of a modern organized crime feel.Posted 15th October 2008 at 10:56 PM by lucasjung -
Wrestler
Puncher
Mangler
CripplerPosted 16th October 2008 at 05:30 AM by Kaladhan -
freefighterPosted 16th October 2008 at 10:15 AM by AddizAbeba - Everyone - Thanks for the suggestions. I think the one I end up using is already posted. HOWEVER, if there is anyone out there with any other suggestions, please throw them up.Posted 16th October 2008 at 09:30 PM by The Cartographist
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