Colonial Gothic is nearly complete!

[Urizen]

It is the eve of the American Revolution; colonial life is on the verge of drastic change. To some degree, many parts of the world shun folklore and Witchcraft in favor of so called rational thinking. Magic, in many people’s minds, is supposedly as dangerous as a child’s imagination. However, tucked between soldiers, trackers, and pioneers, there are those who believe they know the Truth. Magic, along with monsters, demons and other creatures, is real.
In Colonial Gothic you play a Hero who knows that Magic is real and the horrors that it can create in the form of monsters. These monsters could be anywhere. They could be witches cursing a settlement, vampires that followed European immigrants to the New World, or angry spirits terrorizing a Cherokee tribe. Whether you’re fighting in the frontier or you’re fending off a supernatural disease like Curse from the Grave you, along with others like you, will wage a hidden war because there is no one else brave enough to face the Devil’s minions, fight them and win?
Heroes, be warned: something waits for you in the dark.
And it is hungry.
Written by Richard Iorio, Monica Valenrinelli, Matt McElroy, James Maliszewski and Mathew Kaiser, this 130 page True20 conversion of the popular RPG published by Rogue Games takes you deep into the heart of Colonial America and provides you with everything you need to run a supernatural campaign series during the American Revolution. Painstakingly researched, Colonial Gothic also makes it possible for you to fight the war for independence and take part in the events which shaped the birth of the nation.

Inside you will find:
An in-depth look into life in Colonial America.
Information about each of the colonies
Detailed information on the native tribes of the region
New Backgrounds
Rules for Rituals and Sanity
New Creatures and suggestions for using existing horrors such as ghouls, spirits and werewolves.

The Revolution is about to begin. Will you join the fight?

-----------------

I expect to have this awesome book ready for release tomorrow!

I'll be putting up a preview later today, so stay tuned!

 

[Crothian]

Are you looking at PDF or print release? Does this include items from the Secret book? If not are you going to put out suppliments that do cover other Colonial Gothic material?

 

[Urizen]

I'll be doing both pdf and print. The print version will likely be ready in a week and a half, while I hope to get the PDF out by tomorrow.

Creatures from the secrets book are in this one. Rich and I want to continue to do these conversions though, so yeah, you'll be seeing more Colonial Gothic supplements for True20 from me.

 

[jdrakeh]

Does the True20 version contain more setting information? This (i.e., setting information) seemed to be sorely lacking from the original game based on all of the non-anonymous (and therefore, more credible) reviews that I could find online.

[Edit for Clarity: By "more setting information" I allude to more information specific to the alternate reality setting that the game is supposed to take place in, not simply more data that can be gleaned from history books.]

 

[Urizen]

I think there's a wealth of information about Colonial America in the book. Is there information regarding, say, a specific city, like Boston? No. You won't see detailed write-ups about specific places. We cleaved very tightly to the original book.

That said, there's enough material here about the colonies (and colonial america in general) that it will be very easy to get an authentic game expoerience.

 

[jdrakeh]

I think there's a wealth of information about Colonial America in the book. Is there information regarding, say, a specific city, like Boston? No. You won't see detailed write-ups about specific places. We cleaved very tightly to the original book.

That said, there's enough material here about the colonies (and colonial america in general) that it will be very easy to get an authentic game expoerience.

Yes, but is it information about colonial America (as it actually existed) or about the occult-infested colonial America (the setting that Colonial Gothic ostensibly takes place in). The reason I ask is because all of the reviews I've read gave the original game low marks for well. . . I guess it's probably best to let the reviews speak for themselves:

In the end, Colonial Gothic does not feature either a setting or a system that supports its design goal of portraying a world where larger than life heroes battle a darker, malicious, and purposeful force.

I want “Colonial Gothic” to be more than it is, and I actually consider that to be a compliment. The setting is cool, the idea is awesome, but the execution stumbles a little. I am looking forward to seeing what supplementary products come from Rogue Games to help support this line, because I feel, with a little bit of work, this could be a very cool RPG. The foundation is solid, but the story and the setting definitely need built upon, and I am eager to see how that happens over the next several years.

If you want a game with a very simple roll under system that requires little effort to work with then Colonial Gothic is a fine choice. There are no setting focused mechanics and no bells and whistles other than rolling under one of the few Skills your character has. The overview of the era is adequate, if uninspiring, and provides a fine foundation for games set in this time period. All that said, the magic system, disease rules, and use of Fate Cards are all excellent additions that integrate the rules and setting together. I just wish there were more mechanics like these, more GM support, and more inspiring material to make me want to play Colonial Gothic rather than return it to my shelf.

Specifically, the complaints seem to be that the setting information did did not address the occult/supernatural aspects of the game, nor did the rules support the premise of fighting supernatural evil. Both pretty big failings, in my estimation, given that the game is supposedly set in a supernatural colonial America and about fighting supernatural evil.

Now, that said, I see that the True 20 conversion seems to address this last complaint in some ways, but your answer above seems indirect and does not inspire confidence that the former complaint has been addressed. I mean, I'm all for good historical setting info, but I can get that at the local library and use it in any system.

I'm hoping that the True 20 conversion may have leapt this hurdle, given the fact that it was cited as an issue in almost all of the reviews that I can find of the original product. Like many of those reviewers, I feel that the concept of a supernatural colonial America rife with evil in need of fighting is great -- but only if it is supported in the product itself.

 

[Urizen]

Ah ha, I see what you're saying now.

I'll agree with the reviews to the extent that this book (and my conversion) could have used more extrapolation on supernatural elements. Why didn't I go forward and add to it, you ask? Because we were restricted to a certain extent, as to what we could do with the book. I'm going to presume this is because the great guys at Rogue Games are working on addressing the supernatural subject matter in future supplements.

Our focus with this book was to convert the system for True20. That said, I didn't want to continuously reference other books such as the True20 Bestiary for creatures, so I got permission to add those in from the secrets book. Consequently The true20 version has more supernatural elements in it than the core book did.

My HOPE, in continuing this line, is that I may be able to do some writing on new stuff, because this setting is immensely inspiring to me.

Here's a link to the demo of the PDF. I hope it addressess some of your issues.

http://realitydeviants.net/cg/

 

[jdrakeh]

Ah ha, I see what you're saying now.

I'll agree with the reviews to the extent that this book (and my conversion) could have used more extrapolation on supernatural elements.

Why didn't I go forward and add to it, you ask? Because we were restricted to a certain extent, as to what we could do with the book.

Oh, I didn't mean to insinuate that you had a choice in the matter I assumed that you were bound by a contract, I just wondered if that contract allowed you to smooth out some of the often criticized rough spots in the original product. Sadly, it seems like the answer is "no"

I'm going to presume this is because the great guys at Rogue Games are working on addressing the supernatural subject matter in future supplements.

Unfortunately, great supplements don't make the original product any better

Our focus with this book was to convert the system for True20. That said, I didn't want to continuously reference other books such as the True20 Bestiary for creatures, so I got permission to add those in from the secrets book. Consequently The true20 version has more supernatural elements in it than the core book did.

Well, at least they let you sneak some supernatural in

My HOPE, in continuing this line, is that I may be able to do some writing on new stuff, because this setting is immensely inspiring to me.

I agree that the concept is great, it's just that so many other games tackle the same subject matter and provide a wealth of setting support in the core volume. I just can't understand why Rogue Games didn't take this opportunity to put all of the supernatural setting stuff in the core book, which is really where it belongs. Seems like a missed opportunity to me.

Here's a link to the demo of the PDF. I hope it addressess some of your issues.

http://realitydeviants.net/cg/

Thanks, I'll check it out!

 

[HalWhitewyrm]

James, make sure you drop by the Rogue Games website and let them know your thoughts as well. Ultimately, David was only doing a conversion, not a rewrite, so it was expected for him to stick to the same fluff material. What you seem to be wanting is a Revised edition of Colonial Gothic, and I'm sure Richard and James would like to know what the customers are thinking and desiring so they can shape their future plans.

 

[jdrakeh]

James, make sure you drop by the Rogue Games website and let them know your thoughts as well.

I think they already know, as the issue has been discussed at length on Story Games and RPGnet (I have not participated in those discussions, though I'm fairly certain that the authors have). I'll shoot them an email just in case, however.

Ultimately, David was only doing a conversion, not a rewrite, so it was expected for him to stick to the same fluff material.

Yep, I understand that, however some publishers use conversions as an opportunity to introduce new material or rectify past criticisms. I was simply hoping that Rogue Games had granted David some leeway in this regard, as it seemed like an excellent opportunity to address the issue in question.

What you seem to be wanting is a Revised edition of Colonial Gothic, and I'm sure Richard and James would like to know what the customers are thinking and desiring so they can shape their future plans.

Well, a Revised Edition would be okay, but what I'd really like is a True 20 version with more/better setting support than the original (the system seemed to be the least spectacular part of the original CG, to me). And, of course, a Reality Deviants logo on the cover