GC 2006 - Ptolus Hardback $120!?!

[Jupp]

The art addict in me would buy this thingie instantly. The art looks really, really great so far and the layout looks to be well thought out (at least on those pages that are up for preview) . What really makes this book stand out is that it has indices, keywords, a (as it looks) usable TOC and this color coding scheme. All things that I really expect from companies like WotC or others, but so far they have done absolutely nothing in that respect (booya!)

The price for this monster looks quite reasonable but still, there is this thing here posted by Dragonhelm earlier:

But what is it about the setting itself that warrants me spending $120 on it? How is Ptolus different from any other fantasy mega-city? What will I get from Ptolus that I can't find in Greyhawk, the Realms, Eberron, and so forth?

So as soon as I get a positive answer on this from either Mr. Cook or from the Ptolus page I will draw me credit card and order that thing.

 

[mythusmage]

$20.00 initial payment
$10.00 a month for 10 months

Think you could afford that?

 

[Cergorach]

$20.00 initial payment
$10.00 a month for 10 months

Think you could afford that?

Letś not forget shipping, i just paid $40 for bloody shipping this book...

 

[Barak]

I just want to clarify the car analogy, since I'm the one who brought it up in the first place. The point is not to compare Ptolus to a Ferrari. The point is to compare Ptolus as a product in the RPG industry to a ferrari (or whatever luxury car, really) as a product in the automobile industry.

Both are pretty expensive compared to the rest of their respective industries (although neitehr are unique). Both offer quite a few bells and whistles that the rest of the products in their industries do not. Both are not necessary. In fact, both can be rather useless to some people (I wouldn't buy a Ferrari even for 10,000$ if I lived in, say, Timbuctu). Does that mean that neither should be produced? Of course not, as both -will- be enjoyed by some people. Does it mean that either will become the standard? Of course not. And just as you can still buy a Chevette even though Ferraris have been around for a while, I'm sure you'll still be able to buy cheap (but often useful!) PDFs at RPGnow.

But really, my analogy was prompted by the comment that the Ptolus release would mean Sanderstone would never buy Malhavoc products at all, which is like saying I'll never buy a Dodge because the Viper is so darn expensive.

 

[Barak]

And now for something completely different.

Other than the fact that I'd get no use out of it (at least at the moment, that could change and I'd -consider- it then), my main problem is the size of the thing. See, I own (and am running) the WLD. That book's huge. And while it's great as far as containing lots of stuff, it's very unwieldy. Difficult to read in bed, difficult to read in the bathroom, etc, etc. That's sort of why I miss boxed sets (yeah I know, cost of production would go way up). Having a bunch of separate books would be much more practical to me. And yeah, I know about PDFs, but that's impractical to me for other reasons.

 

[Tharen the Damned]

Today I had a look at the Ptolus Homepage and had to buy it.
For me in Germany its 120$ + 40$ shipping, thats about 130Euros.
But If you look into the contend (setting, adventure, DM guide for running city adventures) and see the great art and layout and consider the additional CD and stuff, I think it is well worth it.
The only thing that bugs me is that we have to wait until AUGUST 2006!

 

[tetsujin28]

I just want to clarify the car analogy, since I'm the one who brought it up in the first place. The point is not to compare Ptolus to a Ferrari. The point is to compare Ptolus as a product in the RPG industry to a ferrari (or whatever luxury car, really) as a product in the automobile industry.

Exactly how I took it. I just decided to spin it a little differently.

 

[DaveMage]

To answer a few more questions:

Yes, it's d20.

Yes, the NPCs use alignment (the text in those sample pages is virtually unedited, it's really there to give you an idea of layout/organization and little more). It's pretty standard d20.

I'm looking into Banewarrens right now, determining whether a conversion is really needed.

As for more details about the setting itself rather than the package, that's a great question (and what I'd be asking myself). Now that all the basic details are out of the way, that's what I figure I've got about a year to describe. Please check in at montecook.com now and again in coming weeks/months for previews of actual content, discussions of what makes Ptolus Ptolus, and so forth. That's the fun stuff to write about in my opinion. With this much time, we hope to provide you with more than enough info so you can decide if this city/setting is for you.

S O L D ! (Order placed!)

 

[Romnipotent]

Jason Engle art! Dammit, if it wouldn't be... umm... 160... so about $210 here
maybe.... mayyybe

 

[glass]

So what happens next, do we green light all companies to produce $120+ books?

'We' don't greenlight anything. It's not upto you (or me) what game companies produce, or at what price they try to sell it: it's upto the indivdual companies concerned.

Your only choice is whether or not you buy it.


glass.