(Small publishers collaboration) d20 Future setting? (UPDATE 8-21-04)

I was interested in creating a d20 Future setting with other small publishers.

To be honest, my specialty has always been flavor text and stories. Also, an entire setting, complete with several star systems and major places of interest take a larger amount of resources than a single-person publishing house has.

In the final run, I believe we could also get such a product into print, either using POD or traditional printing methods.

Keep in mind, I'm not sure of the profit/cost ratio of a project created in this way, but you have to admit...

It would be cool...

If any publishers are interested, post to this thread for the moment. It may be a pipe dream, but the only way to find out is to try...

Thanks for your time,
John Bowden

E.N.Publishing will be releasing a series of Tech Supplements for the future rules that lead into our Progress Level 6 future setting. The goal of these first supplements is to both provide new material for -any- d20 future game, while also laying the groundwork to give our cyberpunk setting ("New Tribes") some visibility in the market before we release the actual setting book.

Now, the issue with a collective setting is the tech level, of course. I would love to do something like this, but some poeple like their science fiction to be very hard-science ultra-high-tech, while others like space opera and a mix of tech levels, and others (like myself) want a near-future gritty cyberpunk setting.

So, if there is going to be such a collective work, what -kind- of future setting are we looking at?

I can see two basic ways of trying to cover everything.

First off, have a big, big, setting. Like a galactic empire. You can have higher tech, core worlds, and out on the frontiers, it would be lower in tech.

Or do it on a lesser scale. 2300 from GDW, Earth being high tech (and somewhat cyberpunky), other colonies being lower tech.

Secondly, the when of the setting could change from product to product. I've never liked this idea, but some settings have had part of it in the past. Traveller has done this. So has Star Wars (the Sith era).

What kind of setting?

The kind that allows the largest audience.

The common setting could be a star-spanning base, allowing all kinds of worlds and possible microsettings to be internalized within it.

Differant regions (probably based on a single or small group os steller systems) would allow differant play options. Allow differing tech levels by offering regions that are not as advanced as others.

Allow differant styles of play by offering differant cultures...


I could blather on, but I think you get the idea... Many overall concepts would have to become solid, but even some of these my only be based on regional areas.

I'll toss my hat in the ring.

And in terms of tech level / crunchyness, there are lots of options, and this should be a brainstorming item for the people that are interested, I would guess.

An idea: the old amalgum of "a long time ago" with some lost tech remnants and some new tech in different avenues.

Another: the old dune "no thinking machines" thingy, turning the tech medieval-esque

Another: the old ST thingy with different cultures with different tech they jelously guard or are too alien to use / understand.

etc etc etc

Evan

Remember: It will need an overall plot device, otherwise it's just a bunch of unrelated settings...

Nobody else?

I was hoping for a bit more enthusiasim... Perhaps I'll try again after Gen-Con has fallen by the way-side.

StoryART and Dirty Rotten Bastards d20 Sci Fi



Hey there,

I represent one of those small publishing groups you are wondering about. I know this to be a fact because...

1. We are just starting up. We've been working hard on preparing a fantasy and a science fiction book line for the d20 OGL.

2. I'm writing this on my lunch break at my office, my home office, where I spend all day crunching out material for playtesting, editing and going over material with our artist and cartographer folks.

At any rate. StoryART is preparing a science fiction RPG campaign series that we hope to get out into the ePublishing world by winter of 2004 along with our first in our fantasy book series. We plan to enter in on the ePublishing market for about three months prior to kicking things up into hard cover books and national book distribution.

As the crazy lunatic founder of this venture I am looking for one or two more enthusiastic, talented, reliable people to work on some of the writing, game play pieces parts and art / maps and such for the books.

As I am sure everyone here can attest to putting together a decent book for publication is a huge undertaking.

Oh. Our website should be up soonish. We are loading everything up onto our domain and will be testing. So not tomorrow or the next day but maybe in the next ten to fourteen days. www.storyart.com

Happy to meet other creative people that are enthusiastic about RPGs.

Edward Kann
StoryART

Edward Kann@StoryART said:

Hey there,

Click to expand...

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Soooooo...

Does that mean you're interested? Or are you just saying 'Hi'?

I'm interested but too many cooks can spoil the broth, or delay it until the next morning's breakfast.