Thoughts on Kalamar

[catsclaw227]

There are definitely many plots taking place throughout the world (hobgoblins building for invasion, Kalamar warring with Pekal and others, dwarven slaves plotting an uprising, elves battling Brandobians, psionic characters still being persecuted, and so on), but we've long ago proclaimed that we're not going to publish a product that advances the timeline. That's up to each DM's individual campaign. (If we publish novels, even those will be set in the past.)

So there's no worry that a KenzerCo metaplot in a new product might derail your campaign.

This is very good to know.

You know, a lot of the older adventures are just as cheap in print as a PDF version would be....

Now, this just isn't fair. It's times like these when I am weak that companies get my bucks. I need to see what adventures I have, and what I am missing. I expect that I'll fork out some cash this weekend.

 

[Wraith101]

Dynaj is one of those places that sparked my imagination as well. My current Kalamar game had the PC's running for their lives after they pissed off one too many of the Talsaara. Looking for a place to hide they stumbled across some info in the Player's Primer about Dynaj!

They looked at me and just said "That is soooooooo cool, we go there now!"

 

[Voadam]

You know, a lot of the older adventures are just as cheap in print as a PDF version would be....

I know, but even though cheap prices for good quality stuff is important and really appeals to me as a consumer, there is also a format issue. I don't buy print rpg books anymore. And I want the ones I do have in print as pdfs as well for cutting and pasting in running my online games. I just bought five old edition D&D books and one issue of Dragon as pdfs from Paizo this week, four of those were things I have in print. Its been more than a year since I've bought any rpg books in print (though I still have a bunch on my wish list at amazon for potential birthday gift ideas for family). I spend my monthly rpg budget entirely on pdfs.

So I'll reiterate my hopes to see Kenzer stuff for sale as pdfs.

 

[catsclaw227]

I know, but even though cheap prices for good quality stuff is important and really appeals to me as a consumer, there is also a format issue. I don't buy print rpg books anymore. And I want the ones I do have in print as pdfs as well for cutting and pasting in running my online games.

I do the same thing. I own a lot of print books, and many of these I also own in PDF form, but the most important are monster books, settings and adventures. I also use them for my games, but I use a laptop for gaming and capture information in DM Genie. I even copy stat-blocks for the encounters and use them in game.

Having these in PDF help A LOT.

I think Kenzer should do a Print/PDF combo sale for those buying direct from their store. Buy the print at full pop and get the pdf for free.

 

[Mark Plemmons]

No worries - you'll be seeing more new and reprinted PDF products in the future. However, our Kingdoms of Kalamar, HackMaster and other lines will still be primarily print products.

 

[saturnin55]

Been a player into the Kingdoms of Kalamar for the last two years, and I have to say we had a blast so far. Our DM really immersed us in the world of Kalamar and added regional tidbits that make Kalamar specials. So far, we played the Coin's Triology, a little bit railroaded adventure but still fun to play. We then play Deathright which is a site-based adventure. Lot of fun there too. We are now currently heading for the Tomb of Kruk-Ma-Kali.... our DM warned us before that it is a very brutal adventure. We're just beginning to enter the valley and we're already wetting our pants after that nasty 'welcome' encounter.

As a player I'd say the Kingdoms of Kalamar are very interesting and there's a lot of differents races and flavor you can use. The setting is very detailed and 'accurate'. That Atlas book looks awesome. Every setting should have an atlas book like this one!

Also, I recommend the Player Primer a lot to help fleshing out PCs for the KoK.

 

[Voadam]

No worries - you'll be seeing more new and reprinted PDF products in the future. However, our Kingdoms of Kalamar, HackMaster and other lines will still be primarily print products.

Good to hear! I know that pdfs are a tiny fraction of the rpg market and that my consumer tastes are in the minority but it is great to see the stuff I want made available.

 

[Mark Plemmons]

You're half right. There are just over 40 deities, and each of those has different names among different cultures and races to add even more flavor than 40+ deities already provides.

Yep - 43 is the exact number. One of the main differences (which may have already been mentioned) is that there's no "god of the elves," "god of the dwarves," etc.

Certain gods may strongly influence a certain race (the Church of Endless Night is the state religion of the hobgoblins of Norga-Krangrel, for example), but that same god is still worshipped by many other peoples and races.

 

[Talic]

Yep - 43 is the exact number. One of the main differences (which may have already been mentioned) is that there's no "god of the elves," "god of the dwarves," etc.

Certain gods may strongly influence a certain race (the Church of Endless Night is the state religion of the hobgoblins of Norga-Krangrel, for example), but that same god is still worshipped by many other peoples and races.

And that's my only minor problem with the setting. It makes for awsome flavor and some great dynamics, but thats alot of dieties to keep track of. As others have pointed out, other settings may have similar numbers of dieties, but the Kalamar Dieties are basically all on equal ground. There are no minor pantheons for races, or for various aspects of battle, or any other idea. They're pretty much all equally common.

As I said, excellent flavor and feel, but it can easily be confusing for players especially, who may have more limited access to the setting. Just something to be aware of.

Everything else about the setting is excellent. The setting is aranged beautifully and feels very plausible. Each nation/major city has excellent little writeups giving a broad view of the area and including some great little hooks for a DM to build on. Every time I read a section, I get a dozen Ideas to compliment the writen hooks for a location. I absolutely love that in a book.

 

[seskis281]

That was always my only problem as well - info overload. As a basic setting it was the 1st that really sparked my attention since Greyhawk, but in some ways they did TOO good a job making it a complex, realistic world - and it becomes just TOO.... I will say the last two years of my previous gaming group, we did run Kalamar, and we had a blast, but it was certainly relegated to very small regions and I didn't expand and have the group travel the way I did when I played a Greyhawk campaign.

JMW