Future Support

[the Jester]

Well, I'm thinking you would just reskin the monsters.

Ahh, gotcha.

That works.

 

[Pour]

I agree, reskinning is a huge strength. That said, I prefer monsters ready to go if I'm purchasing a 4e product. Not that I won't tinker. I suppose if the adventure had a strong word-of-mouth buzz going for it, or included a lot of extras equivalent to, say, Paizo AP regional information, a smattering of monsters, traps, or hazards etc on top of the adventure, I might take the plunge knowing the relatively easy work of populating ahead. Truth is, I want to purchase quality 4e adventure support (particularly Epic at this point). I want to spend my money, but there just isn't enough there.

Also, and I'm not 100% on this, but does the GSL allow for independents to even reference brute, skirmisher, lurker, etc etc roles? Also, I believe the Archmage System (13th Age) OGL, which has at least been perused by the people over at Pelgrane, might offer a potential umbrella to enable indirect 4e support.

 

[Morrus]

How far you can go and whether it'll be worth it. I'm sure there'll be fans out there, but I'm curious how many publishers we'll see staying in the fray if they don't have a solid legal ground to stand on.

That's true. And if WotC allowed it before, they wouldn't really have a good legal argument for stopping it now.

I'd be curious to see someone... not recreate 4e under the OGL, so much as create an OGL game with the strengths of 4e. But it's a pretty massive undertaking.

And, of course, there's no way to be sure it'll be supported if they do.

Cheers!
Kinak

13th Age.

 

[Quickleaf]

Well, I'm thinking you would just reskin the monsters. Frex, my write up of my players' raid on a hobgoblin lair would look like this.

"The hobgoblin prince (level 7 elite soldier) and his wizard adviser (level 6 artillery) are accompanied by 2 ogres (level 6 brutes) and 6 goblin thieves (level 4 skirmishers)." When I actually ran that fight in my campaign I used a warforged knight, an elf archer, 2 cave bears, and 6 shadar-kai. I didn't actually have to find stats for hobgoblin soldiers and wizards, etc.

In your example, if those monsters are all described as an insect colony with a warrior ant (giant crab), winged queen ant (air elemental) and larvae (goblins), the encounter now makes sense, and can work.

PS

I don't know, doesn't having to go to the trouble of reskinning defeat the point of it being a published adventure? In a published adventure I want the heavy lifting done for me, and I expect most monsters to be not just "a close enough fit", rather I expect them to be carefully designed / chosen for that encounter.

For example "level 7 elite lurker" is not so useful when the driving theme of an encounter are monsters which drag PCs off into the darkness. Sure with some improv it might do the job, but there are monsters with special abilities designed to simulate exactly that: dragging off a PC into the darkness. Why not create / use the specific tool for the job?

 

[Kinak]

I'd be curious to see someone... not recreate 4e under the OGL, so much as create an OGL game with the strengths of 4e. But it's a pretty massive undertaking.

13th Age.

Really? I'd heard mixed reports on what it was trying to do, but I'll definitely take a look.

Cheers!
Kinak

 

[Storminator]

I don't know, doesn't having to go to the trouble of reskinning defeat the point of it being a published adventure? In a published adventure I want the heavy lifting done for me, and I expect most monsters to be not just "a close enough fit", rather I expect them to be carefully designed / chosen for that encounter.

I suspect you're right about the heavy lifting part. I guess it depends on whether you think the stat blocks or the adventure story is the heavy lifting part. I'm thinking I derailed this thread plenty by now tho . . .

PS

 

[C4]

Just thought it would be handy to keep a running record of future support for the edition. Feel free to post up what you know. In my immediate radar is Sasquatch Game Studio (Rich Baker, Dave Noonan, and Steve Schubert) with a campaign setting late 2013/early2014 called Primeval Thule, which is awesome. Love those guys and their choosing to support us 4e players alongside PF is a plus.

Hi, Pour!

I love your Fourth Party, wish I had the time to contribute.

Are you looking for just adventure support, or 4e clones too? Because I'm working on the latter.

 

[Morrus]

Really? I'd heard mixed reports on what it was trying to do, but I'll definitely take a look.

Cheers!
Kinak

It feels to me like 4E with some of the bad stuff removed, with a light sprinkling of some 3E aesthetics.

 

[Pour]

It feels to me like 4E with some of the bad stuff removed, with a light sprinkling of some 3E aesthetics.

Mileage will vary. There is no denying the 4e elements in the game, but at the same time it might not scratch a few itches some 4thers expect/require to deliver the whole 4e experience (off the top of my head the more intricate tactical combat). I do think the Archmage System based on the OGL does provide a more legally-sound framework to support 4e without the GSL, though people more informed than I could tell you that quite a lot of the lingo is protected.

 

[Pour]

Hi, Pour!

I love your Fourth Party, wish I had the time to contribute.

Are you looking for just adventure support, or 4e clones too? Because I'm working on the latter.

To my shame, I haven't input in months. Between work and finishing up my 4+ year 4e game (ends August) I've been too busy to give it the attention it deserves. I also burned @Quickleaf by not fulfilling some volunteered art orders that I'm not too proud of. Hopefully I can make it up to him this summer.

I think everything and anything to do with 4e is worth pursuing and posting on the forum, though.