Kenzer and Company Product Update 02/13/02

[ShaneHenry]

New KenzerCo customer

"B1: Quest for the Unknown" is the first KenzerCo product I've ever bought. I picked it up simply because I am a Mystara fan, and I wanted to see a gonzo take of a classic Mystara adventure. I enjoyed B1, and I intend to buy "B2: Little Keep on the Borderlands" when it comes out. I will also be interested in any future Mystara-related releases (including maybe a Garweeze Wurld version of "X1: Isle of Dread", and/or a spoof a la "Robinloft"). I think the offended Mystaraphiles who posted here didn't understand the harmless nature of KenzerCo's plans.

 

[Hard8Staff]

Some answers

OK, let's see if I can do this in one post and only PO a few of you.

<<So Noah mislabeled that B1 was a 1e module, instead of stating that it was for original/Basic D&D. Big deal. >>

I found this error especially funny. At the risk of personally embarrassing him (OK, so I really ENJOY it, but that's beside the point), I think B1 was written BEFORE NOAH WAS BORN! oD&D/1e is some kind of fairy tale for recent college grads. I think he saw his first 1e books in my basement (our offices at the time). I'm sure he didn't mean offense. He's a good kid.

ShaneHenry - glad you liked B1. B2 will be even better. It's 96 pages (so far - we've just added ANOTHER level that runs UNDER the ravine entirely). It's wicked-kewl and probably 5 times bigger than the original.

Robinloft is on the schedule for late in the year....I think November, but I'd love to see an October release of that for obvious reasons. Brian Jelke's working on that one. He played in my original game (1984?) when I ran Ravenloft. When he requested to do it I asked, "have you even read that module yet?" and he said: "Read it? I LIVED IT!" You wanna talk 1e? THAT'S a 1e answer! (incidently, his writing of the "Icon of Ravenloft in 2 mm high letters on the party's treasure sheet was the inspiration for part of the famous "Five Green Towels" KODT story. (The other half was inspired by B3 where they did indeed find green towels).

Bolen asked: <<First let me say I am a huge Kalamar fan. >>

Thanks, me too!!

<<Have you guys given thought to releasing a D20 magic system which is similar to the one which soverign stone uses (ie a point based magic rather then a fire + forget. >>

Honestly, no (well, maybe someone else has, but not me). We'll make sure to look into it (right now, one of my projects is the Spellslinger's Guide to World Domination for HM so I'm sort of in the "magic mode" anyway).

<<also I would rather you focus on books which explore a region of Kalamar in detail then the adventures (which are all good but more general info would help me more. >>

I Can't agree more. I think we only have 3 or 4 adventures slotted for this year. The rest are all world supplements of one type or another. Geanavue is something you might like (rumor has it - pun intended - that we're getting them in next week). The Kalamar atlas is fleshing out nicely, and the maps are OUTSTANDING. My only concern on that is that it might get pricey. We're looking at a very expensive book on our end...but high quality? Better than anything yet if we go with the current form-factor.

<<Third, could you give us a "sneek peek" as to what "the Rumor Quest Encounter System" is?>>

I will post separately on this and give a sneak peak.

<<are there any plans for releasing a all in one version of the comics (ie in graphic novel format) >>

We're looking at this, but I cannot announce anything yet.

 

[Hard8Staff]

RumourQuest(tm) system Preview

OK, this is from an old edit copy (don't have the final with me):

"Introduction

Urban areas are perhaps the most challenging fantasy environments to DM successfully. Stepping into a new city presents players with an overwhelming array of people, places, items, situations and events. Detail is what breathes life into such environments, but presenting the dizzying amount of creative detail necessary to bring a city to life in an entertaining and manageable fashion is one of the toughest challenges facing a Dungeon Master.

RumourQuestÔ encounter system solves this problem. It is a new method of immersing players in detailed, true-to-life urban environments. Players will receive possible encounters and information, overheard bits of news, gossip, etc., as they mingle through the city’s streets and taverns, just as they would in real life. Buried in these rumours are tidbits of history, opportunities to buy, sell, gamble, pickpockets and other minor encounters, and the critical information that attentive players will use to launch them on the path to adventure.

The key to the RumourQuestÔ encounter system is allowing players to make connections. A casual comment overheard days ago together with a strange tidbit heard this morning and a whispered comment over dinner will combine to create sudden and exciting insights, exposing the players to adventure hooks, intriguing mysteries and the true richness of the urban setting. With this kind of interaction, the players will soon find themselves completely at home in their new environment."

A sample rumor:

“— everything been quiet in your side of town then, Otoo?”
“Yes… but I’m a little concerned about the weekly street reports. A lot of thefts this past week.”
“Thefts? I hadn’t heard that. Anything valuable?”
“Just the opposite. Fish!”
“Someone’s stealing fish?”
“Yes. Not much, but a little each day. Five different vendors hit in the last week alone, always by the same band.”
“Odd…”

And another:

Two young boys are talking loudly as they pass you.
“— I don’t believe it! There’s no such thing as a rat that big!”
“I saw it myself. One of Raadurar’s men fished it out of Daaraun Pool. As big as a dog!”
“Was it dead?”
“Of course it was dead. It had teeth as sharp as a blade. It would have chewed his arm off if it wasn’t.”
“Eeeugh! Do you think there are more, under the city?”
“Hundreds, probably. Old Fadeer said the goblins ride them, through the old sewer runs…”


I'll not post any of the encounters for obvious reasons...

Regards,

David

 

[Disciple of Darwin]

Not to beat a dead horse, but really trancejeremy, give it a rest. If you don't like the stuff Kenzer puts out (have you read it? How could you NOT like it!), just don't buy it. Dragonstar isn't my cup of tea, but that doesn't mean its not a good game or I need to belittle the company that makes it. I love the Kalamar stuff, which brings me to my next point . . .

Dave, thanks for the info on the rumor quest system, I can't wait to get my hands on Geanauve!

 

[bolen]

I have not gotten into Hackmaster, I know it is the game that the characters in your cartoon play so I thought it would be a parity of D&D. But looking at it it just looks like my old 1st edition rules.

So what are you targeting 1st ed fans who long for th good ole day or to spoof D&D?

Plus it takes time away from publishing more Kalamar stuff, so I dont like it Spend more time putting out Kalamar.

Also I killed my entire party in your "sometimes they come back module".(Does that mean I win??) I put the story on the main boards

 

[Ranger REG]

HackMaster is not Softcore...

Kidding aside, is there any plan to print HackMaster in standard hardcover format? And please do not give me that "limited edition, only 10,000 copies!" crap. It's either hardcover or nothing at all.

 

[Hard8Staff]

Right now we have no plans to print hackmaster as a hard cover. It was damn expensive to reprint the regular book, let alone slap a hardback on it. Most companies would have (and perhaps we should have, but we're a bit insane), charged about $50-60 for the size and content of both the GMG and PHB. So, I guess in short, I think doing a HC would have put us in a bad way financially.

As to Bolen's questions.

1) You killed them all in Sometimes? Heh. Most people don't expect the enemy to come back...

2) No question HM takes time from Kalamar projects and vice-versa. But they're like our children. If we were faced with Sofie's choice? We'd have kicked that nazi bastard in the groin, picked up his gun and shot the other ones (ok, so that's an obscure ovie reference...look it up). We have an agressive schedule for BOTH lines and are turning up the heat. I think we have 12-13 releases planned for each, so it should be ebough to keep fans of both lines happy.

3) What is HM? Is it a spoof of D&D or a target of 1e/2e fans? YES. It's both. WHile a funny romp through the rules, the game IS thoroughly playable. Even playable in a serious manner...there's just more opps for funny stuff to happen IN-game (mouthy NPCs, etc.) because of some of the new rules we've added. And to be perefectly honest, HM has a lot more to it than either 1e or 2e ever did. Frankly, it's a better game. Does it compete with 3e? Not really. they feel very different. Many of our fans play both. they provide a different experience.

Dave

 

[Hard8Staff]

The HM GM SHIELD has gone to press. Look for it in stores near the end of March/1st week of April.

It retails for $19.99 It has 32 panels (4 of art) but fits in the same table area as those namby-pamby 8 (4 art) panel screens.

How did we cram another 24 panels to make this thing 400% bigger than the rest? Engineering. This thing has flips, modes, meters and trackers.

AND it has more useful info useable for OTHER fantasy games than the screens for those games do!

Check it out:

Aside from all the relevant HM tables (saves, combat, initiative, saves for items, grenade-like missiles, all sorts of useful items for purchase and their frequency -- player's side -- complete crit hits table, complete list of monsters and their EP value, complete listing of honor awards, skill modiefiers, fumbles...I'm sure I'm leaving off several dozen things) it has:

Random generators: complete dungeon down to air scent, complete wilderness down to ruins/castles and their inhabitants, random town encounters, random bar generator, random rumor generator, random name generator, random barkeep name generator, NPC personality generator (including collections and interests)

Rules for intoxication

Alignment graphing/charting

Numerous places for notes, party listings, NPC listings (it's laminated so you can write your party's specifics

The famous pizza matrix

Smartass Smackdown Table

Random treasure tables

Numerical counters on all edges for keeping tabs on spell durations, combat rounds, time in the dungeon, miles traveled, hit points, whatever you need.

Hell, you could run an entire game on the fly from behind the screen with hardly another reference book!

It's 4 screens in one, organized and color-coded for easy reference!

You simply have to see it to believe it. The first retailer that saw it said (and I quote) "I wish [you] were charging $30 for this!".

 

[Hard8Staff]

Ed Greenwood's Geanavue is in!!

OK, I'm a bit winded from the last post, so I'll be brief.

Genavue is in. I had a chance to thunb through it last night, and I have to say, this may be the best d20 product since FR. It's huge -- 208 pages plus a color poster-map (2-sided - the back shows the sewer system/undercity on a "watermark" of the main city so entrances/exits can be easily referenced-back to the main map). 176 pages of info, 32 pages of card-stock RumourQUEST encounter system (100+ rumors for random deployment by the DM).

Just wait until you see this; at $24.99 this one's a steal.

David Kenzer

 

[Greatwyrm]

Glad to hear Genavue is on the way.

Any firm date for KoK Players' Guide available yet? Any chance at a sneak peek on the classes/PrCs/spells/feats? PLEASE, I'M BEGGING, JUST GIVE US ANYTHING!

Ahem... I'm sure it will be a fine gaming accessory.