GC 2006 - Ptolus Hardback $120!?!

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Really sounds to me like this is just a GenCon edition of Ptolus...so everyone up in arms about the price can still get it for the 'normal' whatever it was going to be.

 

[Wystan]

Fact: Arcana Unearthed/Evolved features several anthropomorphic animals as playable races, more than any other RPG I've seen in the recent times.
Fact: Another term for anthropomorphic animals is "furries"

I don't think I've stated anything wrong. I don't like furries, but I highly doubt that people who do like them would be bothered by my comment. I simply implied that I consider Arcana Unearthed a furry setting.

<shrug>

I own lots of sourcebooks that make me happy. Unfortunately, most Malhavoc books do not fill that criteria (Beyond Countless Doors excepted, as it is a superb book).

Fact: Gnolls are dog men.
Fact: Rakshasha (sp?) are cat men
Fact: Illithid are squid men
Fact: Mongrelmen are beast men
Fact: Kobolds are lizard men
Fact: Bulliwugs are frog men
Fact: Lizardmen are lizard men
(all of the above have been listed as playable species)
Does this make Plain Vanilla D&D a Furry game as well?

 

[Mercule]

Sure, $120 sounds like a lot. But what's included in that cost?

This is going to be a huge book with six to seven hundred pages, not counting poster map, twenty-four handout pages, and a CD with four pages of content not in the book, and more. The book will also be printed in a deluxe format with a fully embossed cover, some 300 pieces of art, built in ribbon bookmarks, and full color art.

So, the dead-tree book is somewhere in the rather large spread from 600-700 pages, but the CD is fixed at 4 pages? And in that hundred page variance, they know there are 4 pages they just can't possibly fit in the hardbound. Either page means something I'm not aware of, or I wouldn't count too strongly on the accuracy of this article.

$120 for a 700pp hardbound with bells, whistles, and a ribbon? Sounds fair. Ptolus isn't likely to be a product on which I'd drop that much, but the right subject matter would get consideration from me.

 

[Sammael]

Fact: Gnolls are dog men.

Hyena-men, actually.

Fact: Rakshasha (sp?) are cat men

Nope. They are a type of fiend from Indian mythology that sometimes takes anthropomorphic features - goat, tiger, monkey, deer, etc.

Fact: Illithid are squid men

If you say so.

Fact: Mongrelmen are beast men

Enlighten me as to what species of an animal is a "beast?"

Fact: Kobolds are lizard men
Fact: Bulliwugs are frog men
Fact: Lizardmen are lizard men

True.

(all of the above have been listed as playable species)

Not in the Player's Handbook, they aren't. If a DM allows it, it's his prerogative. But it's not the default assumption, unlike Litorians, Sibbecai, Dracha, etc. in UA/UE.

I appologize for derailing the thread and would like to ask all others to ignore my previous posts. Mods, feel free to delete them.

 

[Turjan]

Fact: Gnolls are dog men.
Fact: Rakshasha (sp?) are cat men
Fact: Illithid are squid men
Fact: Mongrelmen are beast men
Fact: Kobolds are lizard men
Fact: Bulliwugs are frog men
Fact: Lizardmen are lizard men
(all of the above have been listed as playable species)
Does this make Plain Vanilla D&D a Furry game as well?

No. Illithid, Kobolds and Lizardmen don't involve fur, but this is beside the point. Most of the races in the list don't have human bodies with an animal head screwed on. Female Sibeccai and Litorians even have specific primate mammaries. I suppose this is what leads to the "furry" appearance of the setting. Nothing wrong with that if people like that, but I don't. No big deal, though, as the appearance of races is exchangeable.

As to the original question, I really have to see how the finished product will be. I didn't buy WLD because of the price tag, either (but it's down to $40 now). I'm not particularly fond of Monte's writing style, either, although I generally like his books because of the content. In the end, it depends how much of the information is setting and how much is dungeon crawl, as I'm not a big fan of the latter (I usually only use shorter ones).

Just to bring the price in perspective: 3 Warhammer FRP books with 256 pages each add up to $120, too.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Fact: Gnolls are dog men.
Fact: Rakshasha (sp?) are cat men
Fact: Illithid are squid men
Fact: Mongrelmen are beast men
Fact: Kobolds are lizard men
Fact: Bulliwugs are frog men
Fact: Lizardmen are lizard men
(all of the above have been listed as playable species)
Does this make Plain Vanilla D&D a Furry game as well?

If they were all in the player's handbook and 0 level races, why not eh?

 

[Barak]

Wow....thats definately way too much. Monte can keep my copy (though I wasnt going to buy one anyway). If this is true, then Im done with Malhavoc entirely.

Hehe. That's the funniest thing I've heard in a long time. Do you also not own a car, since every company sell models that are probably more than what you'd be willing to pay for?

 

[Einan]

Wow. What is the sound of 100 knees jerking?

(Holds hand to ear to listen to this thread)

Ahh. Now I understand Zen.

 

[Romnipotent]

I'll buy it for clout! CLOUT I SAY!

 

[BiggusGeekus]

Monte has a long tradition of releasing books as PDFs.

$120 for a top-end product sounds fair. The RPG Police aren't busting my door down making me buy the thing.

If nothing else, this book will ensure a dogfight for the privlige to be an ENnies judge next year in the hopes of scoring the book for free. I doubt I'll qualify, which is why I am taking the first setp and nominating my Mom as a judge. I'm sure she'll be impartial. Please send all products to my place and I'll be sure that Mom gets them. I promise.

-BG

PS Good luck with the book Monte! Sounds like it's a labor of love!