Green Ronin announces Testament Campaign Setting

[jaerdaph]

You know, speaking of Jesus and the New Testament (not to mention Charlton Heston ), a sourcebook set in the era of Ben-Hur would be something I'd really be interested in if someone were to publish one...

 

[HalWhitewyrm]

It's mostly based on the Tanak (the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament), but with some Apocrypha, and some amplification from sources like the Talmud when the mood struck us. The book also covers some of the history, culture and mythology of the cultures surrounding the Promised Land; after all, we have to give your Israelite PCs something to fight against.

This is absolutely brilliant. And the fact that you delved into Midrash and Talmud just makes it even more appealing to me. I can't wait for this book!

 

[Alzrius]

I must admit, the more I read and hear about this game, the more interested I get. That era of Earth is quite possibly the most mystical we ever had, so it'll be really exciting to play in it. Now that's what I call historical fantasy!

 

[HalWhitewyrm]

Our strategy for Mythic Vistas is to release each setting in one or two books. You'll likely see support in places like our website and the EN magazine, but we don't want to fall into the trap of continuously supporting a bunch of lines whose audience is limited to those who bought the associated campaign settings. Trying to support a bunch of campaign settings all at once is one of the things that caused TSR to go into a death spiral and we prefer a life spiral.

Totally correct that that was one of the reasons for TSR's demise. Now my question is this: Would you allow writers to create further support for the setting in the form of magazine articles, web-enhancements, or even having other companies publish the material (much the same way we are seeing companies pledge support for other's settings)?
I assume there'll be a lot of OGC, but unless the setting material is declared thus it'll remain closed or PI of GR so it would need the company's permission (plus it's always nice to ask).

Personally, I am incredibly interested in the setting, and would love to produce support material if I can; I am not alone on this (just from taking to a friend, and I doubt we're the only ones). Would this be something that could be feasible?

 

[MulhorandSage]

Spike Y Jones: Thanks for replying to the thread.

I imagine there could easily be some stats for the Romans as they were a rising power at the time of the Maccabees.

So, will there be any stats for named NPCs or will there perhaps be stats and character information for NPCs of different eras? (For example, a typical soldier in King David's Army.)

Bearing in mind that we're not through the editing stage yet, yes there's named NPC information in the book and a few sample NPCs. There's also sample units in the mass combat section.

Scott Bennie

 

[Katerek]

I have to admit that even being as godless as I am, this sounds pretty sweet.

I am sad to see that The Jesus wont be in there though, I was hoping to have a big Asmodeus vs Jesus throwdown/pay-per-view.

I am looking forward to this, thank you GR and Mr. Pramas for continually pushing the envelope!

 

[Pramas]

Totally correct that that was one of the reasons for TSR's demise. Now my question is this: Would you allow writers to create further support for the setting in the form of magazine articles, web-enhancements, or even having other companies publish the material (much the same way we are seeing companies pledge support for other's settings)?

Magazine articles, certainly. If any publishers want to do support product, they should contact me. I am open to the idea, but due to the nature of the OGL they'd need our permission to claim compatibility with Testament.

 

[HalWhitewyrm]

Okay. Thanks!

 

[Eridanis]

The 1611 King James Bible is public domain. For any of the other versions, look in the front cover for a copyright. Also, some publications of the 1611 King James have copyrighted notations in them, such as the Schoefield annotated KJV.

Dude, the King James Version is soooooo broken. Like, have you seen the online errata for the ten commandments and stuff? Daaang, but it's over the top! Gotta go with the NIV for modern proseletyzing.

(In all seriousness, this immediately goes on my list of books to look for. Good luck!)

 

[Ranger REG]

Um, one more (albeit delicate) question...

Since this game is based on the Old Testament, will this game be ... for lack of a better work ... suitable for anyone, whether they be Christian, Muslim, Jewish, etc.? Will your research includes the bibles of their respective religions?