Guide to the Iron Kingdoms?

[Leopold]

Why are they bundling PrC's, Skills, Feats, etc. in a Monster Book? Why? What for? It doesn't make sense.


So far this is the ONLY company I know that manages to put out all the extra source material for a setting without putting out the setting...

 

[uv23]

Why are they bundling PrC's, Skills, Feats, etc. in a Monster Book? Why? What for? It doesn't make sense.

Why not? Is there some rule etched into stone somewhere saying what should and should not be in rpg supplements? They can put whatever they damn well please in a book. It'll be good and I'll buy it. Am I upset that the Iron Kingdoms sourcebook will be late? Ofcourse I am but that doesn't mean I'd want them to rush out some POS just to appease the impatient people. The Monsternomicon was always intended as a monster manual "plus".

 

[A2Z]

I really don't understand why Leopold seems so angry.

I never wanted this to turn into a PP bashing.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the Monsternomicon too. It sounds like it'll be really good. Will it be out next month?

 

[Leopold]

I really don't understand why Leopold seems so angry.

I never wanted this to turn into a PP bashing.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the Monsternomicon too. It sounds like it'll be really good. Will it be out next month?

i am not angry, I just question their judgement on the way they are releasing material. I can understand the release of the monster book for business reasons, but I do not understand it from a gamers perspective.

It would be like WOTC releasing a Forgotten Realms adventure and the monster manual and not putting out the FR setting sourcebook.

It doesn't make sense for that reason. I am not angry just questioning their priorities and why they would do this.

 

[kenjib]

This is exactly what Scarred Lands is doing. They have been in the market for longer than Iron Kingdoms and the sourcebook for SL is still nowhere to be seen. They've been putting out city books, magic books, NPC books, religion books, monster books, just about everything but the setting itself. The stopgap book that Privateer Press is talking about here sounds a lot like the Scarred Lands Gazeteer and the Monsternomicon sounds alot like Creature Collection I and II. If they meet their production schedule they will be far less guilty of this problem than S&SS is. I think it is rather unfair to claim that Privateer Press is the only company doing this or to levy so many complaints. After all, S&SS gets critically acclaimed for doing exactly the same thing.

 

[Leopold]

scarred lands has the gazeteer and a slew of other supporting books. This in and of itself is enough to support the realm that it has made. Now if PP had done this and had a broader range of products besides the modules this wouldn't be a problem, but seeing as how they churned out 3 modules and now did a monster book instead of going straight to the sourcebook is the point I am trying to make.

It's business plain and simple. Reach the most amount of people in the least amount of time and get your product out there. Those people who already bought it and are 'hooked' will wait. Those that didn't will get 200+ monsters to use for ANY realm. That's good business, but it isn't good on the players who have been waiting for setting info.


Now the problem of building pc's for the realm is rather simple since I use pcgen and we already inputted the data into there for people to build PC's off of.

Give me a gazeteer handout and I will be sated.

 

[tsadkiel]

It would be like WOTC releasing a Forgotten Realms adventure and the monster manual and not putting out the FR setting sourcebook.

That's exactly what WotC did, though. "Into the Dragon's Lair" (or whatever it was called), "Monsters of Faerun," and then the campaign book. Granted, the timespan wasn't anywhere near as large . . .

 

[Blacksad]

Why are they bundling PrC's, Skills, Feats, etc. in a Monster Book? Why? What for? It doesn't make sense.

Look at Asgard 3, the "monster hunter" PrC and monster lore feat and skills perfectly fit the monsternomicon in my mind.

So far this is the ONLY company I know that manages to put out all the extra source material for a setting without putting out the setting...

I hope for them that the monsternomicon isn't all the extra source material, I think they'll release material after the setting is released.

As a side note
the PrC, feats and skills in OA came before the Rokugan setting book
Creatures Collection came before the Scarred Land

but as pointed by tsadkiel the timespan is larger though it's a really a smaller company (Correct me if I'm wrong but some of PP guys have a second job?).

 

[Geron Raveneye]

Can only go along with A2Z

I´d have loved to see the Setting out before the Monsternomicon, as I know my players, and they will ask questions I can only answer by making them up...or with the sourcebook.
I wouldn´t mind seeing more info coming on their homepage until they release the setting...and I´ll buy the Monsternomicon because that article in Asgard 3 covinced me that there will be more in it than just monsters.

 

[dreadnought]

Hey all,
I posted something similar in another thread, but I have to reiterate that the IK sourcebook will be well worth the wait. I know that Matt & co. are working flat out, but the byword here is quality.
The Monsternomicon is quite lovely. It's simply the best-looking supplement I've seen and very useful. It sets the right tone for what's to come. This is what a professionally produced d20 product should look like. I hope it will set a new standard.
Plus it's phenomenally cool. I personally wouldn't want to see the IK setting rushed because it has so much potential to be a wonderful gaming world.
But hey, I'm biased. You'll see. Just have patience and know that guys aren't going to hand you some pile of half-baked crap and say `Look, we just barfed this out.'
Uh uh. Ain't gonna happen.
Cheers,
dread
Privateer Freelancer