Double-check my plans, please. NPC, Treasure, and Monster cards for Z.

RangerWickett

RangerWickett

Legend
Our Kickstarter just reached the stretch goal where we'll add a set of NPC, Treasure, and Monster cards as an option, and I want to make sure the price is accurate. The price to print a set depends on how many cards we have, so I could use some help making sure I have an accurate count.

First question, is it better to have the cards with a blank back face, so the PCs can deface the cards with notes? To have a ZEITGEIST logo? A bit of personal information? Should the cards have the people's names? Basically, would you keep them for yourself as reference, or use them as hand-outs to the players (in which case they shouldn't have spoilers).

Second question, did I forget anything?

Note that we're only doing stuff from Act One - the Player's Guide, GM Guide, and adventures One through Five.

NPCs
  1. Alexander Grappa, the Mindmaker
  2. Asrabey Varal
  3. Assistant Chief Inspector Stover Delft
  4. Brakken of Heffanita
  5. Brianne "Bree" Kaldeckis
  6. Caius Bergeron
  7. Captain Rutger Smith
  8. Cardiff Hengehill
  9. Cillian Creed
  10. Damata Griento
  11. Doctor Wolfgang von Recklinghausen
  12. Duchess Ethelyn
  13. Eberardo
  14. Ekossigan
  15. Hana “Gale” Soliogn
  16. Geoff Massarde
  17. Grundun Zubov
  18. Principle Minister Harkover Lee
  19. Heward Sechim
  20. Isobel Travers
  21. Julian LeBrix
  22. Kaja Stewart
  23. Kasvarina Varal
  24. King Aodhan
  25. Kvarti Gorbatiy
  26. Lady Inspectress Margaret Saxby
  27. Leone Quital, the Steelshaper
  28. Lieutenant Hessar Marseine
  29. Lorcan Kell
  30. Lord Inspector Nigel Price-Hill
  31. Luc Jierre
  32. Lya Jierre
  33. Malia Baccarin
  34. Mister Mapple
  35. Morgan Cippiano
  36. Nathan Jierre
  37. Nicodemus
  38. Nicholas Dupiers
  39. Nilasa Hume
  40. Olivert Boone
  41. Ottavia Sacredote
  42. Quentin Augst
  43. Governor Roland Stanfield
  44. Mayor Reed Macbannin
  45. Rock Rackus
  46. Sijhen
  47. Skyseer Nevard Sechim
  48. Sokana Rell
  49. Sovereign Han Jierre
  50. Thames Grimsley
  51. Tinker Oddcog, the Gearbuilder
  52. Valando
  53. Verzubak Tantalovich
  54. Xambria Meredith

Treasure - There are far too many for me to think people really want them all. I think we'll have just the really interesting and plot-relevant stuff. Of course, some items don't exist in both PF and 4e, but my plan is to have stats for each game on opposite sides of the card.

  1. Messenger Wind
  2. Cracked Cauldron
  3. Canary in a Coalmine Pendant
  4. Amulet of the Ancients
  5. Staff of the Ancients
  6. Blade of the Ancients
  7. Golden Icon of Apet
  8. Golden Icon of Avilona
  9. Golden Icon of Nem
  10. Golden Icon of Urim
  11. Razorburst Weapon
  12. Distinguished Top Hat
  13. Coat of the Genteel Butcher
  14. Figurine of Wondrous Power: Mechanical Carriage
  15. The Hurricane Violin

Would you change some of these?

Monsters - I'm not quite sure how many critters warrant cards. Complicated ones? Boss battles? Fights where you might need to refer back and forth? Allied soldiers and officers? Care to help me make this list? I'll come back with more after I get dinner.
 

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V

vvZODvv

Villager
My first thought on it would be no to the names and have room for writing but not totally blank. Something like the back of the Paizo cards (but perhaps a bit more room for notes) with an appropriate Zeitgeist border- even the one from the book. Perhaps a single sentence or two about the immediately obvious mannerisms and physical characteristics like the GM cheat sheet in the adventures. Visually, I think the ideal would be for the area to write in to be a very light off color white or tan.
 

Ajar

Ajar

Explorer
I'd say no on the names. Since my game is online, I won't be handing the cards out, but not having the names on them gives DMs the option. I can always write the names and my notes on the cards myself if I keep them behind the screen.

My players would love for the badger gun and/or the steam suit to be on the item list. Preference probably goes to the steam suit, which I'm about 100% certain they're going to requisition when they find out it could be available.
 

RangerWickett

RangerWickett

Legend
The main factor is that each card is 10.5 cents to print. We're up to 65 just from the lists above, and I was hoping to add some spare illos for red herring style NPCs. Plus monsters. I wonder whether people will want to spend $15 or $20 on cards with no real gameplay element, just a prop.

Also, the Monster Card idea works best for 'common' foes, not boss fights. I can't imagine fitting the stats for The Thing From Beyond onto a card, not in any font size I'd want to read.
 

Ajar

Ajar

Explorer
That reminds me, I don't even know if I'll end up with cards! My group and I are the Grand Design pledgers. Not sure if cards are included in that bundle or not. :p I'm hoping to get some use out of the foam Coaltongue by enticing the rest of the group to come visit us later next year. And maybe by then we'll have some of our Bones minis from the Reaper Kickstarter painted... :D

Anyway, here are the rest of my thoughts on the cards:

I don't think monster cards would be super useful, simply due to the length of stat blocks. For live DMs, allied soldiers and whatnot would probably be helpful -- just give them to the players and let them run the allies.

I don't recognize a lot of the names on the NPC list, so I'm assuming they come from future adventures (we're still on #3). But I notice that some of them are only one-offs, like Eberardo and Valando, and Grappa (since his construct's head is what matters). Maybe prune that list down a bit and make up the difference with fake NPCs?
 

Siberys

Siberys

Adventurer
For NPCs, what about doing different NPCs on each side, to "double" the space"? Might be problematic to just hand out, though... Either way, I wouldn't put names on the cards. Personally, I dislike the idea of writing space - I've run two separate (failed due to scheduling) ZG campaigns, and I wouldn't have wanted a prop ruined such that I couldn't use it for another go!

For monsters, I'd only want to see stuff the Players would need to see. Allied soldiers, Badgers for the Badger Gun, B-Team, Ship Stats, &c.

For items, I'd go with anything "custom" that appears in the books - Diamond Encrusted Piece, several cards for the Xambria artifact, the Martial Scientist bonus powers, whatever. Stuff that's from the books, just leave out, unless it's custom for one edition but not for another, in which case put full-size art on the opposite. :p

Also, I'm kinda in agreement with Ajar, but I wouldn't want to stop a DM from using a short-appearing NPC to expand the AP on their own...
 
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Morrus

Morrus

Well, that was fun
Staff member
I personally like the way the To Slay A Dragon cards worked. Picture and name on the front. Spoiler-free description on the back (basically it says how the PCs know this person).

No name - that wouldn't work for me. That means GMs have to spend time matching up faces to text in the book.
 

RangerWickett

RangerWickett

Legend
Yes, but it kind of ruins the point of having miscellaneous faces for new NPCs the GM creates, since those would have no name. Like, if the GM wants to create a red herring, it's pretty obvious that someone isn't key to the plot if they don't have a name, but everyone else does.

To Siberys, at least in the 4e version, we don't include any loot that already exists in 4e. I figure if we're going to put in some treasure, it should be novel. The character builder and compendium makes it easy enough to find existing stuff if you want it. (Though honestly, both 4e and PF are just bloated with magic items.)

Hrm. Now, what monsters are there?
Docker toughs
Sokana, her halfling buddy, engineers, fire sprites
Axis Island elementals
Guards, wizard, his pet
Gillie Dhu
Asrabey x2

Shadow man, 5 monsters on Cauldron Hill, Kell guild folks, smugglers, steam construct, flayed jaguars

Aberrant monsters x6 or 7, gunslinger and minions, etc. etc.

Yeah, okay, I think the 'monsters' should only be things PCs get their hands on. I can't imagine people want to spend $5 just for reprinted stats from the books.
 

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