Frank Mentzer Reveals More About World of Empyrea

Frank Mentzer's Worlds of Empyrea Kickstarter has been announced for Monday, 2nd October. I initially covered this a few weeks ago -- he is planing a 5E and Red Box compatible setting based on the same world as Greyhawk, and is inviting a group of TSR-era artists to join the project.

Loxley, 01 Sept: Empyrea Kickstarter Announced

Frank Mentzer's Empyrea begins on Monday 02 October—a Kickstarter for a boxed campaign set usable with multiple fantasy RPG systems.

This set is the first big step, created with the help of many friends. Watch for details coming throughout September.
The core set has a lot to cover, and must be brief. The ambitious Empyrea product line will eventually include adventures, novels, details of all cities and major areas, and other supporting products.

Empyrea Online is a future Community project, where many fans can design the details of the Realm. We hope to make parallel-world Empyreas available for most popular RPG systems. We'll need your help describing it… that’s a lot of real estate! The gateway has opened; throw your hat in the ring at http://worldofempyrea.com/.

This is thrilling! Lots more news to come. Thanks very much for your interest.

—Frank Mentzer

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[EthanSental]

Even more excited about the potential of this!

 

[ExTSR]

Heya again. In a nutshell:
I just wanted to publish my ol' campaign, somehow. But a lot of my health is behind me. :/
So I asked a few friends to help, do a little art, write a few small bits...
It escalated. Everybody said yes. Hadn't planned for that. So I (suddenly We) revised the Plan, broadened our sights to some Possibilities, and are working and planning (and expanding) accordingly.
This is getting Big, and very quickly. Hanging onto the reins loosely, finding the right amazing people, and building the Team first, people first. As long as it doesn't lose money, I'm good. With that basis, the sky's the limit.
Sure hope I don't screw up. So to prevent that, as I said... now it's We. (Lord, the talent in these people... we get chills.)
More to come (duh)

 

[Shasarak]

A Boxed Campaign set really hits me in the old nostalgia basket.

Put me in the: Yes, Please column.

 

[TreChriron]

This is sounding epic! Super excited!

 

[Greatwyrm]

I almost feel silly asking, but will the various products be available in pdf? It's surprising, but I still find the occasional project that doesn't offer them.

 

[Mike Myler]

More news from Frank!

================

Greetings.
Let's start from scratch.

My name is Frank. A long time ago I worked for TSR and Gary Gygax, and I wrote some things.
Now it's 35 years later (!), and most Tabletop Hobby Gamers don't know me. Many have never heard of me.
There are a lot of great games out there, and it's hard to pick one. Thank you for your time and interest.

When I was Gary's Creative Aide, we talked about my Campaign. We decided to publish it, but Gary wanted it very distant, with no active connections to his continent. That's what he wanted so that's what I did. Earlier plans didn't materialize, so the time is now, sadly 9 years after my friend left us.

Empyrea is based on three premises: Magic instead of Technology, a sentient but indifferent Planet who knows how everything can be in balance, and royals who place Quality of Life (for all) above unbalancing mass whims (like war and wealth).

These premises have far-reaching consequences, and I have spent decades extrapolating the results and applying them to an entire continental society. (I have over a thousand chatroom game logs, i.e. my laboratory.)

Our story is about Empyrea at its height. It is geographically constrained on all four sides, and Evil wants to spoil the party. But at the moment it's a comfortable Realm, the sort of world in which your current player characters have grown and thrived. They'll find a second home in Empyrea.

We plan to release the core set by next Summer (Kickstarter in October). If it is well-received, we'll offer a whole line of supporting products. We're trying to make Empyrea available for various Fantasy RPG systems, and a Science Fiction interface for the offplanet setting. These are plans, but only the future will reveal the results.

SPOILERS: Additional sub-plots involve Orcs trying to be civilized, Dragons deciding not to be adventurer-fodder any longer, an undersea race of Giant Squid who actually rule the planetary ocean, a Lost World right next door, Giants who may have an offplanet heritage, and Immortal beings who might just erase everything and start over. But that's all in the background, and won't affect you... much.

Why will this take 9 months to produce? Because Loxley is assembling fantastic talents from all fields, but few are working on Empyrea full-time. You'll soon see 30 names. These tremendously talented people work with many companies. We just have to deal with the logistics.

Thanks again for your interest. More to come soon.

 

[pming]

Hiya!
[MENTION=6726030]Mike Myler[/MENTION] Sounds pretty sweet! I remember this "new guy" (Frank) got to write a new version of D&D. I was even a grognard then, with only about 3 or 4 years under my belt at the time (hey, at least I'm consistent ). When I saw the new Red Box D&D set, with the dragon, mound of treasure, and fighter? ...pure excitement! Upon reading the little "blurb" on the back ("As you whirl around, your sword ready, the huge red fire-breathing dragon swoops TOWARD you with a ROAR!"), I was hooked on this new version.

Anyway, having just got the World of Greyhawk folio a year (?) before, I wanted more! I'm SUPER excited about this new campaign setting. Really looking forward to reading it and DM'ing in it. I'm on that Kickstarter like dust on a dwarf (or grime on a gnome, or twigs on an elf, or offal on an orc, ...you get the picture).