Iron Lore: Malhavoc's Surprise?
- Thread starter TerraDave
- Start date
. I own this book, anyway, and it really manages to spice the fighter up. That's one of my favourite d20 titles 
.
Nightfall
Sage of the Scarred Lands
*had been meaning to get this*
From the preview though, and correct me if I'm wrong Tur, those weapon specialization feats don't require a mastery though? I mean there's not like a "rating" or category for certain weapons? Cause that's what Iron Lore seems to be offering.
From the preview though, and correct me if I'm wrong Tur, those weapon specialization feats don't require a mastery though? I mean there's not like a "rating" or category for certain weapons? Cause that's what Iron Lore seems to be offering.
Turjan
Explorer
'Masters of Arms' is definitely different from Iron Lore. Generally, you take 10 level prestige classes that allow you to learn lots of great manoeuvres. The requirement is always proficiency with the weapon, which might be sufficient, like in the case of the 'alpha beast', unnecessary, like with the 'rod of lordly might master', but is generally extended to a few other requirements, as usual for prestige classes.Nightfall said:
The nice combat manoeuvres come from special feats you get every level. Every second level the feat is restricted to the weapon you specialise on, whereas every other level the feats can be applied more generally.
First of all, Masters of Arms by Second World Publishing is a very good book. I highly recommend it for anyone looking to spice up fighters.
Now, on to business.
I have some bad news - there's about five months until Iron Lore comes out, so I can't keep answering questions. Otherwise, we'll end up in a situation where I tell you everything you need to know this week, then we send 5 months pretty much saying nothing, or reminiscing about how I managed to answer every question about IL in 4 days and. This is very hard on me, because I really, really, really want to talk about this game. We're going to take the book piece by piece, go over it, show you what I think is cool and interesting, and go from there.
There's an Iron Lore forum over on the montecook.com message boards. I'll be looking there and here for IL threads. But again, I can't answer specific mechanics questions until the time is right.
I figured that it'd be cruel to just sign off with nothing else, so here's something I posted on the montecook.com boards, about IL's inspiration.
-----
When I was a kid, my parents took the MPAA movie ratings a bit too literally. To them, an R rating meant the movie was A-OK for me as long as they were with me.
So, I saw lots of bloody, violent, ultra-cool movies in the theatre as a kid. I was 6 in 1981, so at a very young age I saw Dragonslayer, Time Bandits, and Conan the Barbarian. I even saw such lesser known gems as The Sword and the Sorcerer. In a lot of ways, I think Time Bandits made me what I am today, but that's a topic for my autobiography or something.
But at the same time, I was exposed to D&D. I had the '78 basic set, sans the map folio for B2. In 1983, my parents bought me Deities & Demigods for Christmas. One of the chapters in that book described the Nehwon mythos, along with Fafhrd, the Gray Mouser, and some of the villains they encounter.
That chapter absolutely fascinated me. I dreamed of Lankhmar, sketched maps of it in my notebooks alongside dungeons, new monsters, and classes. Leiber took hold of my imagination and wouldn't let go.
I have to admit that part of my fascination was driven by how blatantly Nehwon broke all of D&D's rules. Fighters eschewed heavy armor, AC be damned. Wizards were few and far between. Warriors and thieves spent their treasure on women and drink. The gods meddled in mortal affairs. Two warriors took on powers from beyond space and time, the gods themselves!, and lived to tell the tale.
That chapter from Deities & Demigods, that fevered dream, the garbled vision of a series that I wouldn't read for 10 years, that inspired Iron Lore. Hell, that *is* Iron Lore.
So really, there isn't a direct inspiration for Iron Lore. It's more inspired by a feel, an emotion, a time and place in my life that built the foundation for everything that came afterward.
------
I would also like to add one thing - I'm really flattered by all the attention that this thread has gotten, and I'm glad to see that people are excited about IL. To me, this is a big challenge. I hope that the trust people place in me, the expectation that This Game Will Be Good, is well placed. Seeing people excited about the game is all the more inspiration to make it the best possible game that it can be. IL just passed out of its first round of major playtest changes, and the first supplement just went to the editor.
I don't mean to get all maudlin here, but I feel a tremendous responsibility to every gaming group that sits down to use one of my books. D&D, and RPGs in general, are a very precious thing. There's nothing else in the world that encourages you to be creative, to make your own stories, to build your own worlds. A lot of entertainment is all about sitting you down to watch someone else's story, to admire someone else's creation. I really, honestly, and truly believe that D&D makes the world a better, more interesting place, and I hope IL helps keep that flame alive.
So that's that. Believe me, when we're ready to start pulling the curtain back on this baby, I'm going to be all over it.
Now, on to business.
I have some bad news - there's about five months until Iron Lore comes out, so I can't keep answering questions. Otherwise, we'll end up in a situation where I tell you everything you need to know this week, then we send 5 months pretty much saying nothing, or reminiscing about how I managed to answer every question about IL in 4 days and. This is very hard on me, because I really, really, really want to talk about this game. We're going to take the book piece by piece, go over it, show you what I think is cool and interesting, and go from there.
There's an Iron Lore forum over on the montecook.com message boards. I'll be looking there and here for IL threads. But again, I can't answer specific mechanics questions until the time is right.
I figured that it'd be cruel to just sign off with nothing else, so here's something I posted on the montecook.com boards, about IL's inspiration.
-----
When I was a kid, my parents took the MPAA movie ratings a bit too literally. To them, an R rating meant the movie was A-OK for me as long as they were with me.
So, I saw lots of bloody, violent, ultra-cool movies in the theatre as a kid. I was 6 in 1981, so at a very young age I saw Dragonslayer, Time Bandits, and Conan the Barbarian. I even saw such lesser known gems as The Sword and the Sorcerer. In a lot of ways, I think Time Bandits made me what I am today, but that's a topic for my autobiography or something.
But at the same time, I was exposed to D&D. I had the '78 basic set, sans the map folio for B2. In 1983, my parents bought me Deities & Demigods for Christmas. One of the chapters in that book described the Nehwon mythos, along with Fafhrd, the Gray Mouser, and some of the villains they encounter.
That chapter absolutely fascinated me. I dreamed of Lankhmar, sketched maps of it in my notebooks alongside dungeons, new monsters, and classes. Leiber took hold of my imagination and wouldn't let go.
I have to admit that part of my fascination was driven by how blatantly Nehwon broke all of D&D's rules. Fighters eschewed heavy armor, AC be damned. Wizards were few and far between. Warriors and thieves spent their treasure on women and drink. The gods meddled in mortal affairs. Two warriors took on powers from beyond space and time, the gods themselves!, and lived to tell the tale.
That chapter from Deities & Demigods, that fevered dream, the garbled vision of a series that I wouldn't read for 10 years, that inspired Iron Lore. Hell, that *is* Iron Lore.
So really, there isn't a direct inspiration for Iron Lore. It's more inspired by a feel, an emotion, a time and place in my life that built the foundation for everything that came afterward.
------
I would also like to add one thing - I'm really flattered by all the attention that this thread has gotten, and I'm glad to see that people are excited about IL. To me, this is a big challenge. I hope that the trust people place in me, the expectation that This Game Will Be Good, is well placed. Seeing people excited about the game is all the more inspiration to make it the best possible game that it can be. IL just passed out of its first round of major playtest changes, and the first supplement just went to the editor.
I don't mean to get all maudlin here, but I feel a tremendous responsibility to every gaming group that sits down to use one of my books. D&D, and RPGs in general, are a very precious thing. There's nothing else in the world that encourages you to be creative, to make your own stories, to build your own worlds. A lot of entertainment is all about sitting you down to watch someone else's story, to admire someone else's creation. I really, honestly, and truly believe that D&D makes the world a better, more interesting place, and I hope IL helps keep that flame alive.
So that's that. Believe me, when we're ready to start pulling the curtain back on this baby, I'm going to be all over it.
tetsujin28
First Post
Mike, you couldn't have come up with a better description of why I love fantasy gaming. Of course, I was 16 in 1981 
Samurai
Adventurer
This sounds like a cool book, but the format raises fears for me. Like AU, it'll be a 240 page book (b&w or color?), followed by 2 96 page softcover books, one on the DM's info, and 1 for monsters. This is exactly how AU was released, and I bought them all, and now I'm kicking myself because AE has been released combining all that info and a lot more into a single beautiful full color package.
How do we know that in a year or 2 we won't have the "director's cut" of IL combining all these and more, "the way they were meant to be"? Unfortunately, Malhavoc has now gained a reputation for that, not just from AU/AE, but also the Complete Book of Eldritch Might (I had the foresight to wait and get the hardcover compilation that time). So, why should we think IL will be any different?
How do we know that in a year or 2 we won't have the "director's cut" of IL combining all these and more, "the way they were meant to be"? Unfortunately, Malhavoc has now gained a reputation for that, not just from AU/AE, but also the Complete Book of Eldritch Might (I had the foresight to wait and get the hardcover compilation that time). So, why should we think IL will be any different?
Selganor
Adventurer
My guess?
It won't be different IF:
- IL sells well
- The print version of IL is sold out some time from now and prolonged "field testing" showed that you could/should add some things to the "basic rules"
- it is probable that people buying the main book also buy the other 2 books
But from what I've seen now the "DM" an "Monster" book aren't restricted in usability to IL alone but to "rules tinkerers" everywhere. (Granted... those will probably buy IL too)
It won't be different IF:
- IL sells well
- The print version of IL is sold out some time from now and prolonged "field testing" showed that you could/should add some things to the "basic rules"
- it is probable that people buying the main book also buy the other 2 books
But from what I've seen now the "DM" an "Monster" book aren't restricted in usability to IL alone but to "rules tinkerers" everywhere. (Granted... those will probably buy IL too)
Selganor
Adventurer
My thoughts exactly...
It probably boils down to this:
Who wants IL NOW (i.e. August 2005) will buy it now (or maybe just get the PDFs if you want the info but probably won't run it now) and get the supplements separately.
And when the "Director's Cut" is published everybody will get the book (again for those already having it, finally getting it if you waited till then)
The end result? Another hit for Malhavoc, which means they got the money to continue the good work...
Sounds like a win-win situation for me
It probably boils down to this:
Who wants IL NOW (i.e. August 2005) will buy it now (or maybe just get the PDFs if you want the info but probably won't run it now) and get the supplements separately.
And when the "Director's Cut" is published everybody will get the book (again for those already having it, finally getting it if you waited till then)
The end result? Another hit for Malhavoc, which means they got the money to continue the good work...
Sounds like a win-win situation for me
tetsujin28
First Post
Well, the only product I'll have bought twice in 30 years of gaming is Burning Wheel. I'm not going to buy IL twice.
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