Is Helios Rising the Largest Sci-Fi Setting Book Ever?

[Justin D. Jacobson]

So I tried this thread over at RPGnet, and the mods shut it down as "guerilla marketing", which it clearly is not. I'm not asking anyone to buy Helios Rising; I will not be telling you how great I think HR is; I will not be linking to a sales page. Hell, I won't even mention HR again after this post unless someone asks a specific question about it. What I want to know is this:

Is Helios Rising the largest science-fiction setting book ever published?

Here's the parameters I'm setting:

1) Largest = greatest amount of page space. Essentially, the number of pages times the size of the page. So, HR is 540 pages of 8.5"x11" size. I mention this because I'm well aware of (and eagerly awaiting) Burning Empires, which is 600+ pages but only 5.5"x8.5". I'm not inlcuding issues like text density or font size. HR is pretty standard on both counts, and I just don't think it's easily quantifiable.

2) It has to be a setting book. This one's a little tricky, but I'm specifically trying to exclude things like HERO 5th, which is a generic ruleset and clearly not a setting book. The book can include (as HR does) rules-related information such as feats, but it has to have some actual setting material.

3) It has to be a science-fiction setting. Obviously, Ptolus blows HR out of the water for size. Not to mention World's Largest Dungeon (which I would probably be willing to include as a setting book).

4) It has to be published. You have to be able to purchase it in print or pdf format. So your homebrew setting, while cool, won't qualify for the title.

Obviously, if you want to discuss other books, that's fine. This isn't a contest. I won't bitch at you about threadjacking. I'm just trying to figure out the answer to the question. If there's a 1,200-page homebrew setting that hasn't ever been published, you bet I'd love to hear about it, but it won't count for knocking HR off the top of the hill.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

I can't think of any single book that comes close, but Sci-fi isn't a big part of my RPG world. I've heard nothing but good things about the Dawning Star stuff, though.

 

[genshou]

I think you win on this one. I haven't seen any sci-fi setting books that even come close.

(I'm eagerly anticipating that PDF, btw)

 

[Imperialus]

This being the first I've heard of the setting (shame on me for not following the ENies) I must admit I'm intruigued. Perhaps it really is Guerilla Marketing . Not that I'd complain. I've been looking for a really good David Webber style (though I wouldn't want to even imagine trying to replacate the setting itself) Hard SF setting since D20 future came out. I was feaverishly following Warlord Ralt's Nova Wars thread until it died and have been looking for a setting since.

Question though. In order to play would I have to buy Dawning Star Opperation Quick Launch and Helos Rising? Or is Helos Rising kinda like Arcana Evolved as compared to Arcana Unearthed?

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

Darwin's World 2.0 comes in at roughly 380 pages. About the closest I can think of for a single book.

 

[jgbrowning]

So I tried this thread over at RPGnet, and the mods shut it down as "guerilla marketing", which it clearly is not.

Helios Rising

HR

HR

Helios Rising

HR

HR

HR

HR

I don't believe you. Please don't do this again. It makes those of us who follow the posting rules pissed off. There's even a whole forum dedicated for publisher press releases.

joe b.

 

[Alzrius]

Question though. In order to play would I have to buy Dawning Star Opperation Quick Launch and Helos Rising? Or is Helos Rising kinda like Arcana Evolved as compared to Arcana Unearthed?

The short answer is no.

More specifically, no you don't need Quick Launch to use Helios Rising, it just helps. QL, from what I understand, gives a truckload of detailed information on planet Eos in the Helios system, and that's all. HR, by contrast, covers the rest of the system, but ignores Eos almost totally.

 

[Justin D. Jacobson]

I don't believe you. Please don't do this again. It makes those of us who follow the posting rules pissed off. There's even a whole forum dedicated for publisher press releases.

joe b.

Hi, Joe. I don't appreciate the personal attack; you just called me a liar. And I'm sure the mods don't appreciate you co-opting their duties; if you feel the thread is inappropriate, report it.

For the record, I'm happy if (and at this point would request that) no one else mention HR in this thread. Only post about other products.

 

[Thanatos]

I haven't found a Sci-Fi setting yet that beats out HR based on your criteria. Published or unpublished.

-- And for the record, it doesn't look like any press release I've seen...the whole "guerilla marketing" comment made me laugh. I guess you aren't allowed to make a product comparison post without risking getting it locked (seems they need to lock a few more threads in there as well based on this criteria) or having people follow you around and reprimanding you for not posting how they think you should post. -- I don't think you got modd'ed fairly, but eh, my opinion counts for nothing except moral support.

Pretty cool -- good luck remaining king of the hill

 

[jgbrowning]

Hi, Joe. I don't appreciate the personal attack; you just called me a liar.

You can honestly believe that you're not doing it, but you are. As I don't think you're an idiot that cannot recognize what you're doing, that leaves me with very little options on believing what you are. Regardless of if you think your post (Edit: for clarity this thread was formerly in general) is or isn't guerrilla marketing, it is.

If you want to debate what constitutes guerrilla marketing, that's belongs somewhere else as well. Perhaps in the publishers forum or meta.

Looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it's a duck.

Saying "I'm going to talk about my project, but I'm not marketing it" doesn't suddenly make it ok to do so, nor does it suddenly mean that you're not "talking about your project." Talking about your project in relation to other existing works doesn't mean you're not "talking about your project." Asking other people to please "not talk about my project" just means that you really do understand that "talking about my project" is marketing.

If you wanted to know if there was a Sci-Fi setting book larger than the one you publish you could follow the posting rules and ask if there are any bigger than X-size.

Instead you make a long list stating the statistics and name of your product over and over. Repeating the name of your product many times.

Your post is pure marketing. So use the appropriate forum like the rest of us publishers do when we're marketing.

And I'm sure the mods don't appreciate you co-opting their duties; if you feel the thread is inappropriate, report it.

I didn't co-opt the mods duties, I stated what I thought. If you don't like that, take your own advice and report my post.

For the record, I'm happy if (and at this point would request that) no one else mention HR in this thread. Only post about other products.

There you go, pimping your product in the general board again. And look at the post right below your response, how coincidental that he mentioned HR in a thread that's not about HR, started by the creator and publisher of HR, but it's not a marketing thread about HR.

He should have taken your instruction to make sure he's not marketing your product by talking about it in his post.


Your response is basically the following:

"I said I wasn't doing it, (but I'm going to do it), and you all have to believe I'm not doing it 'cause if you don't you're calling me a liar and personal attacks aren't allowed."

And if you're upset with me, my tone, or the color of the sky, I welcome you to join Cirvs Maxvmus where I can tell you more of what I think of you, your post, and your response.

joe b.