Krug
Newshound
This week we have Ian Johnston from Silverthorne Games:
1. Give us an overview of your product lines.
Currently, we have three fairly distinct product lines: General RPG, Realms of Evernor, and Dungeon Blocks. I’ll touch on each briefly in turn.
The General RPG stuff is just that – useful, non-world-specific supplements and sourcebooks. Titles in this line include the original Book of Templates, Book of Templates: Deluxe Edition, The Book of Oafish Might, and Feats Volume I. This line has done very, very well and there will be many more cool titles to come, including a template supplement written for us by Sean K Reynolds, entitled Template Troves, Vol. I: Serpents, Spiders, and Godlings. It will be the premier volume in our “Template Troves” series. We hope to get a prominent game designer to write each volume as sort of an “All-Star” line of template-y goodness. In addition to the new Template Troves series, there will be a fey-based mini-campaign setting, a book on cantrips and orisons, a goblin book, event cards to spice up RPG sessions, and more.
The Realms of Evernor™ line includes the very well-received Races of Evernor supplements, which each provide 12 original PC races that inhabit the world of Evernor™ (although adapting them to other worlds is very easy). The third volume should be out this month, which will conclude the series. A gazetteer or city sourcebook (we’re still having office slap-fights over which it’s actually going to be) is planned for later in the year based in the Realms of Evernor™ setting, along with a DM’s primer. Of course, much of that information can also be lifted and used in other settings if Evernor™ isn’t your cup o’ java. This series is currently available only on PDF format, but there may be some print stuff happen, too. Stay tuned.
Finally, the Dungeon Blocks™ line is a series of (hopefully) helpful mini-PDF sourcebooks that examines a single aspect of adventuring in great detail. The sole title in the series currently is Mind the Gap (a mini-guide to pit trap use and design), but additional titles are in development, including All Hazards Great & Small (a guide to adventuring hazards), Tainted Troves (a compendium of cursed items), and the ground-breaking, never-before-attempted Gastronomicon (a guide to fantasy food).
A new line of PDF products, Arcane Ecologies™, will be launched this year, each volume of which will introduce a brand-new monster and provide complete details regarding its ecology, behavior and society, sub-races or genetic variants, related spells, feats, templates – the works. The first title, Rune Wardens, will be about a new type of construct. We’re pretty excited about it and it should be available prior to Gen Con 2004 (fingers crossed).
2. Tell us at length about your most recent project (upcoming or just released)
Our most recent project is the upcoming Races of Evernor (Part III) in PDF format. This volume, like the first two, will feature twelve additional PC races and will complete the Races of Evernor trilogy of supplements. The races included in Part III are as follows:
Ammidar: A fresh-water aquatic humanoid race.
Baturgahla: A race of short, double-jointed lithovores.
Dreth: A serpentine race of humanoid and the epitome of evil in the Realms of Evernor™.
Ilzari: Faceless humanoid infiltrators.
Quolmaryn: Anthropomorphic lemurs with magical abilities.
Seluth: A salt-water aquatic humanoid race.
Sloorgol: An evil race of monstrous humanoids that dwell in the deepest trenches of the ocean.
Urstak: Wild dwarves.
Vorathi: Troll-kin siegemasters.
Wilmandren: A race of shapechanging humanoids.
Xixitha: Insect-like humanoids, divided into three caste-based subraces: the mok, the drel, and the prax.
Zamrul: A griffinoid warrior-race.
There will also be new feats, spells, magical items, and other supporting tidbits for each race, as with Parts I & II. We are very excited about this product and hope that players will find a spot for these races in their games, whether or not their DM runs an Evernor-based campaign. Each race is designed to fit within the ROE setting but it can be easily extracted for use in virtually any other setting.
3. What is your main target audience?
Our main target audience is players and DMs who want something a little out of the ordinary for their game. We strive to find areas in the d20 (and overall RPG) marketplace that have been overlooked or ignored and try to create compelling products to fill those niches. In other words, our audience is gamers who appreciate the fact that we try to push the creative envelope and still maintain product lines that are interesting, entertaining, and user-friendly.
4. What is the main thing about your company that makes you the most proud?
I am proud of the fact that we’ve made so many good contacts in the gaming industry and that we’ve gotten to work with so many talented and creative people. Our company has had stellar support from our editors, artists, writers, and (most importantly) customers, and, as a game company, you just can’t hope for more than that. More than that, we’re created some relationships that will enable us to move forward and produce more quality products in the future.
5. Where do you see your company a year from now?
Silverthorne Games will release much more content in 2004-2005. I see us moving from the strictly-PDF market to try our hand in the print arena. The old saying goes: “nothing ventured, nothing gained” and there’s a lot of truth in that. We are very excited about the future and look forward to creating new and inspiring product for years to come!
Silverthorne Games website is at http://www.silverthornegames.com/.
1. Give us an overview of your product lines.
Currently, we have three fairly distinct product lines: General RPG, Realms of Evernor, and Dungeon Blocks. I’ll touch on each briefly in turn.
The General RPG stuff is just that – useful, non-world-specific supplements and sourcebooks. Titles in this line include the original Book of Templates, Book of Templates: Deluxe Edition, The Book of Oafish Might, and Feats Volume I. This line has done very, very well and there will be many more cool titles to come, including a template supplement written for us by Sean K Reynolds, entitled Template Troves, Vol. I: Serpents, Spiders, and Godlings. It will be the premier volume in our “Template Troves” series. We hope to get a prominent game designer to write each volume as sort of an “All-Star” line of template-y goodness. In addition to the new Template Troves series, there will be a fey-based mini-campaign setting, a book on cantrips and orisons, a goblin book, event cards to spice up RPG sessions, and more.
The Realms of Evernor™ line includes the very well-received Races of Evernor supplements, which each provide 12 original PC races that inhabit the world of Evernor™ (although adapting them to other worlds is very easy). The third volume should be out this month, which will conclude the series. A gazetteer or city sourcebook (we’re still having office slap-fights over which it’s actually going to be) is planned for later in the year based in the Realms of Evernor™ setting, along with a DM’s primer. Of course, much of that information can also be lifted and used in other settings if Evernor™ isn’t your cup o’ java. This series is currently available only on PDF format, but there may be some print stuff happen, too. Stay tuned.
Finally, the Dungeon Blocks™ line is a series of (hopefully) helpful mini-PDF sourcebooks that examines a single aspect of adventuring in great detail. The sole title in the series currently is Mind the Gap (a mini-guide to pit trap use and design), but additional titles are in development, including All Hazards Great & Small (a guide to adventuring hazards), Tainted Troves (a compendium of cursed items), and the ground-breaking, never-before-attempted Gastronomicon (a guide to fantasy food).
A new line of PDF products, Arcane Ecologies™, will be launched this year, each volume of which will introduce a brand-new monster and provide complete details regarding its ecology, behavior and society, sub-races or genetic variants, related spells, feats, templates – the works. The first title, Rune Wardens, will be about a new type of construct. We’re pretty excited about it and it should be available prior to Gen Con 2004 (fingers crossed).
2. Tell us at length about your most recent project (upcoming or just released)
Our most recent project is the upcoming Races of Evernor (Part III) in PDF format. This volume, like the first two, will feature twelve additional PC races and will complete the Races of Evernor trilogy of supplements. The races included in Part III are as follows:
Ammidar: A fresh-water aquatic humanoid race.
Baturgahla: A race of short, double-jointed lithovores.
Dreth: A serpentine race of humanoid and the epitome of evil in the Realms of Evernor™.
Ilzari: Faceless humanoid infiltrators.
Quolmaryn: Anthropomorphic lemurs with magical abilities.
Seluth: A salt-water aquatic humanoid race.
Sloorgol: An evil race of monstrous humanoids that dwell in the deepest trenches of the ocean.
Urstak: Wild dwarves.
Vorathi: Troll-kin siegemasters.
Wilmandren: A race of shapechanging humanoids.
Xixitha: Insect-like humanoids, divided into three caste-based subraces: the mok, the drel, and the prax.
Zamrul: A griffinoid warrior-race.
There will also be new feats, spells, magical items, and other supporting tidbits for each race, as with Parts I & II. We are very excited about this product and hope that players will find a spot for these races in their games, whether or not their DM runs an Evernor-based campaign. Each race is designed to fit within the ROE setting but it can be easily extracted for use in virtually any other setting.
3. What is your main target audience?
Our main target audience is players and DMs who want something a little out of the ordinary for their game. We strive to find areas in the d20 (and overall RPG) marketplace that have been overlooked or ignored and try to create compelling products to fill those niches. In other words, our audience is gamers who appreciate the fact that we try to push the creative envelope and still maintain product lines that are interesting, entertaining, and user-friendly.
4. What is the main thing about your company that makes you the most proud?
I am proud of the fact that we’ve made so many good contacts in the gaming industry and that we’ve gotten to work with so many talented and creative people. Our company has had stellar support from our editors, artists, writers, and (most importantly) customers, and, as a game company, you just can’t hope for more than that. More than that, we’re created some relationships that will enable us to move forward and produce more quality products in the future.
5. Where do you see your company a year from now?
Silverthorne Games will release much more content in 2004-2005. I see us moving from the strictly-PDF market to try our hand in the print arena. The old saying goes: “nothing ventured, nothing gained” and there’s a lot of truth in that. We are very excited about the future and look forward to creating new and inspiring product for years to come!
Silverthorne Games website is at http://www.silverthornegames.com/.
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