AEG Empire, how is it?

[Voadam]

Anybody got AEG's Empire by Mike Mearls?

Tunning kingdoms and power groups is an interesting topic and I was wondering if anybody has seen it and could give a quick evaluation about it.

Thanks.

 

[johnsemlak]

I have it but havne't had time to look at it yet; other than to note it has a new Noble Core Class.

There was a discussion of Empire and some related products here:
http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=67365&highlight=empires

Note that the author responded to this thread with some useful feedback

 

[Tyler Do'Urden]

Anybody got AEG's Empire by Mike Mearls?

Tunning kingdoms and power groups is an interesting topic and I was wondering if anybody has seen it and could give a quick evaluation about it.

Thanks.

In a nutshell-

The system for domain management scales well and is rather interesting- in theory. In practice, it's too sketchy, disorganized, and unbalanced to really make a dominions game viable. The organization is a mess, many actions and offices are ill-defined, resources are unbalanced, it doesn't match up with the assumptions of the DMG terribly well, and many of the new class ruling abilities are extremely unbalanced (such as the Druidic food-production ability). The outcome of many of the mechanics, especially recruitment and economics, doesn't seem to work the way it should to simulate a core D&D world, such as Forgotten Realms or Greyhawk.

On the other hand, the mass combat system isn't bad, if less complete than Cry Havoc!

My advice is that unless you're desperate for a quick-and-dirty system for realm management, you skip this and wait for Mongoose's book on the same subject, or pick up Cry Havoc! if you need a system for mass combat.

 

[Voadam]

I have it but havne't had time to look at it yet; other than to note it has a new Noble Core Class.

There was a discussion of Empire and some related products here:
http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=67365&highlight=empires

Note that the author responded to this thread with some useful feedback

Thanks for the link!

 

[Vrylakos]

In a nutshell-

The system for domain management scales well and is rather interesting- in theory. In practice, it's too sketchy, disorganized, and unbalanced to really make a dominions game viable. The organization is a mess, many actions and offices are ill-defined, resources are unbalanced, it doesn't match up with the assumptions of the DMG terribly well, and many of the new class ruling abilities are extremely unbalanced (such as the Druidic food-production ability). The outcome of many of the mechanics, especially recruitment and economics, doesn't seem to work the way it should to simulate a core D&D world, such as Forgotten Realms or Greyhawk.

On the other hand, the mass combat system isn't bad, if less complete than Cry Havoc!

My advice is that unless you're desperate for a quick-and-dirty system for realm management, you skip this and wait for Mongoose's book on the same subject, or pick up Cry Havoc! if you need a system for mass combat.

What about Eden's Fields of Blood?
Is that out yet?

Vrylakos

 

[johnsemlak]

What about Eden's Fields of Blood?
Is that out yet?

Vrylakos

No

It has a late November or Demember Release at this point I believe, but no announcement of it's release has been made I'm aware of. There are some threads discussion FoB in the d20 Publisher's Forum (go back a few pages)

 

[Psion]

I ask again: why is fields of blood, a book by a company less well heeled than either Malhavoc or AEG, the one everyone seems to be holding their breath for.

Not that I mind Eden, mind you. I think their monster book was great. But I find it odd that given their sparse track record with d20, this is the one so many people are banking on.

 

[Vrylakos]

I ask again: why is fields of blood, a book by a company less well heeled than either Malhavoc or AEG, the one everyone seems to be holding their breath for.

Not that I mind Eden, mind you. I think their monster book was great. But I find it odd that given their sparse track record with d20, this is the one so many people are banking on.

Please, O Might Psion, judge me not!
Here's the deal: I'm not eagerly expecting it as others may be. I only ask now because the products that have come out dealing with this subject have less me feeling less than well-girded for doing dominion-running type games.

Dynasties and Demagogues is GREAT for doing politics and giving systems for it.
Empires looked neat, but seems a bit less-than-complete, not quite polished enough. YMMV.
The Mongoose book I haven't heard much about, but I am leery of Mongoose stuff of late, and REALLY need to hear great things about them from multiple sources to get me to buy them.

Eden's book I am actually hoping benefited from the long delay. I am hoping it's what I want in a kingdom-running book, and I want it to work with Dynasties and Demagogues. I didn't buy their Monster book, but I want to give the FoB a look and see if it what I want.

That fair?
BTW: Are you the same fellow who did a free space rpg a few years back?

Vrylakos

 

[Psion]

That fair?

Sure, not judging you, just baffled.

BTW: Are you the same fellow who did a free space rpg a few years back?

Yep. Starfarer. One of those back burner projects that never took off. It still had some nice ideas in it I would like to revisit one day. But alas, I find that I enjoy gaming more than making games, and it's been d20 primarily for me these days.

Perhaps I'll adapt my setting ideas to T20.

 

[Vrylakos]

Sure, not judging you, just baffled.

I admit I had noted a long tradition of FoB inquiry and anticipation, and wasn't sure why. For me it's sort of the "last chance to get the subject in the way I want".

Yep. Starfarer. One of those back burner projects that never took off. It still had some nice ideas in it I would like to revisit one day. But alas, I find that I enjoy gaming more than making games, and it's been d20 primarily for me these days.

Perhaps I'll adapt my setting ideas to T20.

Whoo... Traveller d20 was my first exposure to Traveller, and it seemed awesome... and dauntingly BIG. Perhaps I showed my fellow gamers the T20 book too soon after they had some bad experiences with HERO 5th, and the similarity in their Text-book sized RPG-ness put them off.

Hm, did the revised T20 ever come out?

Vrylakos