Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved

[Gez]

The "Arcana Modern" idea has been ruled out since page 1, 5th post.

I'm playtesting Arcana Evolved but I am under a NDA. Rather than say what it is, I will say what it is not.

It is not AU 'Modern', as some have speculated

It is not an AU 'Unearthed Arcana' compilation of variant rules, also speculated.

It is not AU 'Steampunk'....someone is bound to conclude this based on the 'Evolved' part of the title. But, no.

Sorry to be such a tease, but I do take my NDA seriously.

More information will come out in a upcoming issue of 'Sword and Sorcery Insider'.....though what issue, I don't know.

 

[jsaving]

Considering how much this book is slated to cost, it can't be a modern book or a variant-rule book or an epic book -- those would appeal to too small a slice of the AU community to merit a high-priced hardback. I think it's most likely to be an enormous enhancement/splatbook for AU -- something that provides many new ideas and options for all AU campaigns and "takes them to the next level" (hence the evolved part of the title). Could be some epic rules within it though...

What would be fun is if the new options were predicated around some sort of earth-shattering change to the AU world, so that some of the "event book" mentality established in previous Malhavoc products would be in AE as well.

 

[HiLiphNY]

Whatever it is, it is sorely needed and eagerly awaited! I have been running an AU campaign with my group in NYC for the last 9 months or so. We're constantly starved for Diamond Throne ideas and source, and were thankfully sated at this year's GenCon with Children of the Rune.

Basically, I couldn't care what the new AU book is, as long as it has some great AU content. I'm always looking for ways to incorporate flashier TPK's, single player deaths, player mind controls, player killing player scenarios, and such. Oops - guys, are you reading this thread?!?!? What I meant was, um, ways for the PCs to get more EPs and magic items. . .yeah, that's what I meant.

Monte, nice meeting you again at the con!

 

[Henry]

What would be fun is if the new options were predicated around some sort of earth-shattering change to the AU world, so that some of the "event book" mentality established in previous Malhavoc products would be in AE as well.

No, no Time of Troubles for Serran or the lands of the Diamond Throne, please.

I certainly wouldn't mind a magnifying lens on the existing world, though - expanded info for races, feats, skills, PrC's, etc. On the other hand, I'm involved with so many games now that I can't even squeeze in an Arcana Unearthed right now; but next year, for certain.

 

[Varianor Abroad]

...seriously, though, I'm not certain what a century or two of history would mean for the lands of the Diamond Throne.

I'm not sure what it would mean to Monte, but I've got some ideas that are going into a convention adventure sometime in the next year. I'll definitely run a one-shot for next year's GenCon set in the future.

Cue evil laughter!

 

[SJ]

jsaving, that's the best guess I've heard yet. I've been trying to think about what I wish it is and not so much what I think it is. All I've come up with is that it offers additional material, classes, prc's, feats, spells, maybe races or racial levels alternatives.

I'm not looking for an earth-shattering event to the setting tho, it's only been a year!

One thing I will hope for is just some good old fluff. Rules are great but I wouldn't mind some deeper campaign info too. One thing I expect is that Monte will have given something a fresh look; a new approach to a part of the game that we've all just assumed only works one way. And like the other books, it will add distinct flavor to the game, but still be rules-tight.

--Shana

 

[Staffan]

I harbor a foolish hope that Mike or Monte is working on Darkspace...but realise it's foolish because (re?)acquiring the license probably would have generated some news or a press release.

IIRC, Monte found out a while ago that the rights to Dark Space had reverted to him when ICE filed for bankruptcy, so he's been using elements of it here and there (mostly those creatures behind chaositech so far).

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

What is this Dark Space? I am intrigued.

 

[2WS-Steve]

IIRC, Monte found out a while ago that the rights to Dark Space had reverted to him when ICE filed for bankruptcy, so he's been using elements of it here and there (mostly those creatures behind chaositech so far).

Oooh, that would be very cool. I hope you're right. It might also explain why he didn't respond to the Dark Space part of the post. Excuse me while I confer with Oliver Stone and the gangs of people at RPG.net speculating about Mongoose neither confirming nor denying the Dune license...


JQM: Dark Space was a sci-fi setting (sourcebook) for the old Space Master game, published by I.C.E. I think it was something along the lines of go into space, battle Cthulhoid monsters with massive lasers, and find out how pointless puny human technology still is. I actually never owned the book since my player group didn't care for the rules-set, but I came awfully close several times to picking the thing up despite that. I thought I read somewhere that Monte wrote the whole thing.

 

[Staffan]

What is this Dark Space? I am intrigued.

Dark Space was a setting for Rolemaster and Spacemaster (yes, both of them) that combined fantasy and sci-fi. It had overtones of both Dune and Cthulhu - Dune in that there was this religious purge of certain technologies (and replacing them with biotech), and Cthulhu in that it had weird things man was not meant to know. It was pretty small for a sci-fi setting - most space settings have far-flung empires of thousands of worlds, but Dark Space only had twenty, which allowed them to include basic info on all of them in the basic book (not that I know if there ever were any supplements).