Iron Lore: Malhavoc's Surprise?

[JohnSnow]

DrSpunj,

If you have installed Mac OS 10.2.4 or higher (Jaguar is 10.2, Panther is 10.3, Tiger is 10.4), there is a full version of Adobe Acrobat Reader that handles ebooks perfectly fine.

I have Adobe Reader 7.0 on my computer which is running 10.3. It handles ebooks just fine. Just FYI. Hope that helps.

 

[DrSpunj]

All watermarking means is that you have your name and information on the bottom of your .pdf copies so that you can't go spreading them around the internet with impunity. I don't think there are any other limitations beyond the normal .pdf stuff and a limited number of downloads from the original site.

Sweet!

Very good to know, thanks.

If you have installed Mac OS 10.2.4 or higher (Jaguar is 10.2, Panther is 10.3, Tiger is 10.4), there is a full version of Adobe Acrobat Reader that handles ebooks perfectly fine.

I have Adobe Reader 7.0 on my computer which is running 10.3. It handles ebooks just fine. Just FYI. Hope that helps.

It does indeed! I'm running 10.3.9 so I'll go get Adobe Reader 7 now. Honestly Preview has been managing all my PDF needs just fine so I haven't kept up with the Reader versions at all. I think I'm still using version 5 or so.

Thanks to everyone for the help!

DrSpunj

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

I'm very much looking forward to this week's preview, I hope it drops before I head out for my game.

On more relavent news I've discovered at least one white wolf player who's looking forward to this. I would not have thought this game would have much cross-over potential, but now I find myself wondering...

 

[JohnSnow]

I suspect this game will appeal to people for several different reasons:

1. People fed up with the "Christmas Tree Effect" of default D&D. This is clearly the target market for Iron Heroes and the people Mike is shooting for.
2. Those who really want rules for Sword & Sorcery with an emphasis on the sword aspect. I suspect most of the game's early adherents are in this camp.
3. Anyone interested in a new and very different magic system.
4. People who want to make use of some of the new mechanics in their games, like zones, challenges, stunts, traits, feat mastery, skill groups, tokens or whatever.
5. People interested in reducing the amount of time it takes to stat up characters. Similarly, any simplications to the combat system that make it possible to support less "board-gamey" fights. I suspect this will attract many of the "rules light" folks who prefer storytelling to wargaming.

My guess is that your White Wolf player falls either into category 3 or category 5. Similarly, many of the folks who ditched D&D for Castles & Crusades probably fall into the latter category as well. I know that my old DM may snag the IH magic system for his C&C game, as he hates the D&D magic system.

Of course, he hates feats, so I doubt he'll totally take to IH.

 

[Driddle]

Just realized they could have rewritten the "Take 10" and "Take 20" skill rules using the token mechanic.

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

My guy is probably closer to number 4. He really loves fighting games and the old Street Fighter game for White Wolf. This will fit nicely with him.

The previews today are simply fantastic.

We got a good critique of an early build of the game from some playtesters here:

http://www.montecook.com/cgi-bin/page.cgi?mpress_IL_playtest3

And a new feat chain that comes with it's own token pool, very nice token pool for either Harriers or Weapon Masters, with a potentially fantastic mechanic for archers as well:

http://www.montecook.com/cgi-bin/page.cgi?mpress_IL_excerpt5

The level 9 mastery feat seems to imply that anything you can spend tokens on is called a special effect, which is an intriguing bit of new vocabulary.

Seeing two huge feat chains for the same mastery type is pretty interesting. I guess I'd sort of been assuming that there would pretty much be one big one and then a host of smaller ones so that most characters would concentrate on one chain and depart from it just now and again. This new one makes me think that while that's a valid style there are probably a number of other viable builds where you just cherry pick from the tall trees as you mosey on up in level.

In other news, the Man-At-Arms is looking better and better as we get more of the feats.

I like that the parry pool isn't tied to a class, and that you can sort of 'build' the level of functionality you want the pool to have based on what feats you take. The chance for interesting synnergies is pretty neat considering that it's just based on the single factor of people missing you. I wonder how much access an arcanist will have to this?

 

[JohnSnow]

Too...much to digest. Brain...hurts...

Okay...wow.

Still mostly looks like Defense is Passive and Active, with the little glitch of a mention of a "dodge bonus" under the default situation for Combat Expertise. My personal guess is that's a carryover bit of language from an earlier edition/D&D. Unless Dodge bonuses are different from active ones somehow? But then shouldn't a Dex bonus be a dodge bonus? I'm so confused...

Parry Tokens look very cool. Let's see...Aim Tokens, Tactical Tokens, Fury Tokens, Parry Tokens...I'm sensing a pattern.

So what other token types might there be? Any guesses? Dodge tokens maybe?

Still digesting all of this. VERRRY interesting.

 

[bolen]

So I wonder if this will model conan or super duper martial arts movies? (two very different gendre.)

 

[A'koss]

So I wonder if this will model conan or super duper martial arts movies? (two very different gendre.)

So far it seems to be shaping up to be like a cinematic sword & sorcery summer flick directed by John Woo and starring Jackie Chan, Bruce Willis, Sigourney Weaver and the Rock.

Cheers!

A'koss.

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

So I wonder if this will model conan or super duper martial arts movies? (two very different gendre.)

Wuxia, no. Heroic Immortals, no. And kung fu, no. Though it might be able to if you put through a good unarmed combat system.

Conan, yes.

But there are three Conan genres depending on which set of blood red glasses you're looking through.

Heroic Fantasy Conan, yes. Sword and Sorcerory Conan, yes. A pure grim n gritty Conan, however, seems to suffer at the hands of the other two Conans so for that you might be happier elsewhere.

But I think that it will represent a marked improvement over the OGL Conan system wise, though I would absolutely recommend the Pocket Conan OGL for the setting information. So if that's your idea of the right track than IH is running a good race.