Fantasy craft??? will you bother?

[AscentStudios]

We're listening.

Personally, and judging from what I'm hearing here, I think FantasyCraft will prove to be a bridge product for some groups, while addressing the single most requested addition to the Spycraft catalogue. Some may find it to be the replacement for 3.5, some may prefer to wait for 4e and choose - NBD, it was going to happen either way. The timing may indeed be odd - but then, none of us work at WotC and so had no idea about the 4e announcement (an inkling, sure, but no solid info). Life goes on, and no one gripes when given more options at the game store

Also of note is that FantasyCraft is an additional product to the schedule, and should not be pushing out other books on the schedule. We have taken many steps toward rectifying production issues; including recently adding a new partner to the company - Steve Hough, a 10 year vet of the industry whose primary job will be handling our biggest bottleneck (layout, graphic design and printing) - and have broadened our freelancer base to improve our production capacity. Now that Mongoose's presses are finally up and running at full steam, the flow of books can begin. There have been 2 in the can with the 'goose for months now, and it was just a process of getting the books and the printer to align properly. So...I daresay, the next 7 months should be an interesting and hopefully exciting time for everyone interested in our products.

 

[Wystan]

two words - HELL YES....

I love spycraft, look forward to this alot....

 

[Gundark]

So...I daresay, the next 7 months should be an interesting and hopefully exciting time for everyone interested in our products.

Looking forward to World on Fire

 

[AscentStudios]

Believe me, us too>

Please don't let me kill the debate, BTW. I tend for some reason to be lethal to ENWorld threads, so ignore that man lurking in the corner...

 

[trancejeremy]

How much support will it get? Adventures, setting, anything like that? Or is it just a one shot?

 

[AscentStudios]

How much support will it get? Adventures, setting, anything like that? Or is it just a one shot?

Right now, as with most Spycraft books, FantasyCraft is focused on being a toolkit - as we see from so many threads about 4e, people want to play in their own worlds. There will be 6-7 12-20 page campaign models included with the product, acting as both settings and subgenre demonstrations that show the toolkit at work (in the same vein as the genre overviews found in the 2.0 Rulebook, but with settings attached). So you get your sword-and-sorcery, high fantasy, asian fantasy, fantasy espionage, and a clutch of others with worlds to get started in. If players respond very positively to one or two of the worlds, we would be silly not to follow that up

Most noteably, however, is the support for one of the settings presented in the book - Wyrmstone, which will have support and organized play as a Living game and utilize the FantasyCraft rules. So you definately get your adventures, wiki, and a bunch of other cool things that crew has been building towards for the better part of this year already. That will launch approximately around the time that FantasyCraft streets.

 

[Armistice]

In a word...yes. Unique and interesting mechanical, character options that actually make a difference in play are one of the hallmarks of Spycraft in general. I'm eagerly waiting for this book to hit the streets. I'll most likely pick up 4D as well, but I'm much more interested in what the Crafty guys have come up with.

 

[Cergorach]

Ascent how is power distribution from 1st to 20th level handled in FantasyCraft? Is it comparable to D&D 3.5E? How are monsters handled, how many are there in the book, and how easy is it to convert the from other D20 (D&D 3.5E compatible) sources? How easy is it to integrate the SpyCraft 2.0 rules with the FantasyCraft rules? The reason i want to know is that i'm interested in running a Shadowrun like game with the SpyCraft/FantasyCraft rules, not to mention that a DragonStar like campaign would also be interesting with that rule combination. Is FantasyCraft a standalone product or will it need the SpyCraft 2.0 rulebook?

ps. I watched the Full Disclosure seminar on YouTube and actually watched all 76 minutes of it in one go, it was funny and very interesting. Good job!

 

[AscentStudios]

Holy cow! Good questions. I'll take each in order

Ascent how is power distribution from 1st to 20th level handled in FantasyCraft? Is it comparable to D&D 3.5E?

It is comparable to Spycraft 2.0, actually All classes and so forth work on the same core philosophy, so there's something interesting at each level for you to gain. We *don't* follow the DnD philosophy about gear (obviously), but a new "stockpile" gear system will allow you to keep your stuff from mission to mission, rather than turning it back to an employer as the core Spycraft gear system models.

How are monsters handled, how many are there in the book, and how easy is it to convert the from other D20 (D&D 3.5E compatible) sources?

Monsters are handled using an enhanced and expanded version of the Spycraft 2.0 NPC system, which is already being prototyped (I've used it for the upcoming Fragile Minds horror PDF). The book will also include a SRD > 2.0 conversion guide that should allow you to feed any d20 monster through and get a satisfactory Spycraft replica in the end (I also plan to upgrade this for 4e once the monster SRD appears on shelves). The number of monsters to appear in the book it TBD, but a bestiary will be included.

How easy is it to integrate the SpyCraft 2.0 rules with the FantasyCraft rules? The reason i want to know is that i'm interested in running a Shadowrun like game with the SpyCraft/FantasyCraft rules, not to mention that a DragonStar like campaign would also be interesting with that rule combination.

Integration should be a snap. Some classes, such as the Scout, Explorer, Soldier, etc. are perfectly functional in FantasyCraft as is! A sneak peek of classic fantasy races should be appearing ahead of FantasyCraft as well for those interested just in adding them to a game (or doing Shadowrun, say ). If you're interested in DragonStar, I'd encourage you to take a look at Wyrmstone, the organized play campaign to be overviewed in FantasyCraft and launched at approximately the same time the book hits - it may be just your thing

Is FantasyCraft a standalone product or will it need the SpyCraft 2.0 rulebook?

FantasyCraft will not be a standalone product, but rather an expansion of the 2.0 rulebook toolkit. No reason to make people rebuy the core rules yet again. We have anticipated the faint possibility some people might be using it for Shadowrun with d20 rules, in fact

ps. I watched the Full Disclosure seminar on YouTube and actually watched all 76 minutes of it in one go, it was funny and very interesting. Good job!

Thanks! We love doing the seminar every year - always a show highlight. It's good to hear people have been able to join us through the magic of the interweb!

 

[GlassJaw]

FantasyCraft will not be a standalone product, but rather an expansion of the 2.0 rulebook toolkit. No reason to make people rebuy the core rules yet again.

But what about people who don't own Spycraft or those that don't want to have to consult another book? Not making it stand-alone is annoying and a big negative in my book.