Kalamar - first published 4e setting?!?

[Ruin Explorer]

4E Kingdoms of Kalamar PDF campaign setting released
http://www.kenzerco.com/forums/showthread.php?p=678068#post678068

501 page pdf! GSL or not?
http://www.kenzerco.com/product_info.php?cPath=25_26_33&products_id=625

By this cover, I'm guessing not.

I love that cover, really do. I like the idea of a realistic medieval setting a lot, and often like settings other people consider "dry" (like Taladas in 2E), so I may have to give this a chance.

 

[Ktulu]

Looking at the preview, it looks like it will have maybe a Dragon article's worth of 4E material with the other 495 pages of the $25 PDF taken up by an amalgamation of the KoK setting fluff and the KoK Atlas.

This. The original didn't have many rules in it, so I'd really be surprised if anyone who's already a fan needs this. Besides, $25 bucks for a .pdf is pretty ridiculous.

 

[Ktulu]

I love that cover, really do. I like the idea of a realistic medieval setting a lot, and often like settings other people consider "dry" (like Taladas in 2E), so I may have to give this a chance.

It's a re-used cover from their lands of mystery adventure pack.

 

[Wyrmshadows]

Kalamar is certainly one of the most well realized fantasy RPing settings I have ever encountered. A bit dry, perhaps do to the writing style used ( a bit textbook like to me), but nothing that a decent DM couldn't add some pizzaz to. You can't go wrong with Kalamar as a traditional D&D setting. It has all you expect from a traditional D&D setting (elves, dwarves, orcs, etc) but unlike many settings it is very well written. The creators really care about their work and it shows.

The ONLY downside to the setting IMO is the naming conventions. Wow, Kalamar has some jarringly difficult to pronounce names. Names that are strange sounding for the sake of being strange sounding...kind of like the way a less than steller fantasy author would create. I'm not insulting the creators, but one of my peeves is naming conventions and Kalamar's naming conventions are IMO some of the worst. I am however very picky about such things so you can't necessarily judge using my point of view.

Give it a try.



Wyrmshadows

 

[Ruin Explorer]

This. The original didn't have many rules in it, so I'd really be surprised if anyone who's already a fan needs this. Besides, $25 bucks for a .pdf is pretty ridiculous.

It is ridiculous if you are already a fan, I agree, because KoK is a setting-setting, not a rules-heavy piece (and always has been, since it was system free back in 2E days), but it doesn't seem unreasonable for 500 pages to me.

 

[thundershot]

Now that wasn't expected.. hm... I wonder how much for just the classes, races, monsters, and equipment?

Better yet, someone PLEASE give me a 4E Goods & Gear. That book was great.



Chris

 

[catsclaw227]

Very interesting. I wonder what the fluff:crunch ratio will be like. Though, with half the book being the atlas, then not as much crunch as I would like.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Very interesting. I wonder what the fluff:crunch ratio will be like. Though, with half the book being the atlas, then not as much crunch as I would like.

It's interesting how preferences vary. I personally love setting books with between 0 and 15% crunch. More than that is taking away valuable setting information. Yet some people seem to prefer "setting books" which are basically 50%+ crunch (like some 3E FR books), and I have a hard time understanding how those aren't just crunch books with a bit of fluff.

 

[Vanuslux]

Very interesting. I wonder what the fluff:crunch ratio will be like. Though, with half the book being the atlas, then not as much crunch as I would like.

This is the whole list of crunch in the book, according to its table of contents:

You can find rules set apart in sidebars, or in
sections of their own, as follows:

Animals (Mounts)
Gaketan Mare p66
Drhokkeran Charger p103
Highland Dancer p151

Equipment
Brigandine Armor p96
Sittik Venom p117
Lamellar Armor p131
Cord Armor p155

Feats
Channel Divinity feats p233

Magic Items
Edarn’s Ring of Vanishment p34
Kargi Mourn p115
Mother of Pearls p132

Races
Half-hobgoblin Racial Traits p153

Wizard Spells
Shathy’s Pestilence p108

As I said, it looks like about a Dragon article worth of crunch.

 

[The Lost Muse]

Just did a quick skim through, there's no mention of the GSL. They do have Dungeons and Dragons mentioned on the front cover, and a line stating that Dungeons and Dragons is a trademark owned by Wizards of the Coast.

Edit: This is pretty much the campaign setting + the atlas. It's a sweet package, and I'm wondering how much it'll cost to get printed and bound. OTOH, in digital form, I can just print off the stuff I want if I need it.