War of the Burning Sky Hardcover Preview Images

Morrus · Oct 2, 2008

Here are a few preview shots of some pages from the WotBS hardcover.

We're working our way through it, and so far we've included the two guides plus adventures 1-8. That leaves four adventures plus a massive appendix for all the creatures, spells, items, feats, NPCs, etc.

The pages below are from various parts of the book, and various adventures. You'll note that we've kept the general colour scheme of each adventure, with the outer page borders in that colour, in order to make it easier to find your place in the book.

Our page limit is 800-pages. If we come in under 800 pages, we will add some bonus material; we don't know what pagecount we're going to come up with yet, though - we'll see what we're at when we've got all 12 adventures and the appendix in.

WotBS #12 will come out before the hardcover (expect that in the next couple of weeks), and we estimate the hardcover will be 4-6 weeks after that.

Pricing? Yikes! We haven't set the price yet, but it's gonna cost us over $100 to print each one, not counting development costs (layout, new art, new material, etc.) So bear in mind this monster of a book will be HIDEOUSLY expensive. It is, very definitely, a luxury item!

cougent · Oct 2, 2008

I know you don't want to get pigeon holed on price, but can you give us a "ballpark" number of like $200, $250,... $500 (you did say hideously expensive after all) I know for myself, this is probably a Christmas 2009 present in any case (to keep peace in the family), but I just want to know roughly how much I need to start squirreling away for it.

Morrus · Oct 2, 2008

OK, I'll ballpark it at about $200, but please don't hold me to that! We still don't even know if we'll be payng for bonus material for it (depends on where the 12 adventures and two guides come in at, pagecount-wise - if there's space, we'll add stuff, our hard limit being 800 pages), plus Lulu's printing prices are changing.

So, regard that as the vaguest ballpark figure you ever saw!

Morrus · Oct 2, 2008

What I AM considering is a not-as-deluxe black-and-white version, which will be significantly cheaper. Probably about half the price of the colour version. It's the inerior colour pages which rack the costs up.

amethal · Oct 2, 2008

Morrus said:
OK, I'll ballpark it at about $200, but please don't hold me to that! We still don't even know if we'll be payng for bonus material for it (depends on where the 12 adventures and two guides come in at, pagecount-wise - if there's space, we'll add stuff, our hard limit being 800 pages), plus Lulu's printing prices are changing.

So, regard that as the vaguest ballpark figure you ever saw!

Any chance it'll be out for my birthday on Monday

Seriously, can we expect it before Christmas? Everyone is always saying they never know what to get me ....

Morrus · Oct 2, 2008

amethal said:
Any chance it'll be out for my birthday on Monday

Seriously, can we expect it before Christmas? Everyone is always saying they never know what to get me ....

My guesstimate is late November. But again don't hold me to that!

WotBS #12 has to come out first. We're damn close now - all the art is in, most of the maps, and the manuscript is being finished up. I'm really excited about it!

Then, of course, we're simultaneously rewriting the adventures for 4E, which we'll release in the same way as we did the 3.5 versions, but without the delays (we won't start releasing until we're several adventures in).

Followed by the 4E hardcover compilation.

And there's a full-colour map book planned. All the maps, a full page each in full colour.

cougent · Oct 3, 2008

$200 would be great, $250 would still be good, even $280ish, anything that starts with a 2 is MUCH easier to say than...

"Honey, I want to buy a new gaming book for $X00" (X being 3 or higher)

I do enjoy sleeping INDOORS!

catsclaw227 · Oct 3, 2008

Morrus said:
Then, of course, we're simultaneously rewriting the adventures for 4E, which we'll release in the same way as we did the 3.5 versions, but without the delays (we won't start releasing until we're several adventures in).

Followed by the 4E hardcover compilation.

And there's a full-colour map book planned. All the maps, a full page each in full colour.

Dang..... I may have to wait on the full-color hardcover for the 4e version, but that will be an auto-buy. I already have the 3.5 series in PDF, with all the gorgeous maps and art.

The 4e series in PDF is an auto-buy too.

Failed Saving Throw · Oct 3, 2008

huh?

I'm confused about something. Didn't you guys say at point that War of the Burning Sky has sold rather poorly? If so, why are you going to go through the trouble of producing an extremely expensive book that will cost you $100 a copy to produce? I can't imagine that people are going to be all that enthusiastic to spend that much money on a giant hardcover book of a 3.5 adventure path.

catsclaw227 · Oct 3, 2008

Failed Saving Throw said:
I'm confused about something. Didn't you guys say at point that War of the Burning Sky has sold rather poorly? If so, why are you going to go through the trouble of producing an extremely expensive book that will cost you $100 a copy to produce? I can't imagine that people are going to be all that enthusiastic to spend that much money on a giant hardcover book of a 3.5 adventure path.

I believe he stated that it would be a Print-On-Demand product, so they don't have to produce 100 or 1000 and pray that they will sell. The POD cost to the publisher will be pretty high, what he described as Ptolus++ and so with a bump for profit, the book will cost us consumer-types quite a bit. I imagine that it will be very niche, for those that want a single, do it all campaign. It's got lots of 1" battlemaps available and I think there's some neat fan stuff done as well.

I'm gonna get the 4e version, but not not sure about the 3.5 hardcover. I have all the PDFs so far ('cept of course, #12)