Kalamar - first published 4e setting?!?

[theemrys]

Maybe if they had a pronunciation guide or something.

See Mark P's post above... looks like they added just that!

 

[redcard]

And one last question before I impulse buy this

Are there solid adventure hooks in there? I know from reading the preview that it suggests there are.. but.. does anyone with experience on this know if that's a legit statement?

 

[Mark Plemmons]

Do you have any other planned 4e products for KoK?

It's hard to say right at this moment, but we do have a couple of v3.5 PDF supplements nearly completed, and they may be altered to 4E, or simply have both a v3.5 and 4E version. Though the conversion may take time. Some of the older KoK products could be updated to 4E too, but again that will take some time to do. Our main focus is on the next edition of HackMaster (which will use the KoK setting as its base, with world supplement books being as rules-free as possible) and Aces & Eights.

Of course, if someone comes to us with their own adventure or supplement for use with 4E, and set in the KoK setting, that could open up new products too.

 

[Alzrius]

It's hard to say right at this moment, but we do have a couple of v3.5 PDF supplements nearly completed, and they may be altered to 4E, or simply have both a v3.5 and 4E version.

I'd be somewhat surprised if WotC let you guys do that. I mean, I know your D&D products have second-party status, and so can do a lot of things, but to have 3.5 and 4E versions of the same PDF product sounds too good to be true.

 

[Mark Plemmons]

Mark, if I may ask..

Would you recommend the adventures for 4e as well? I know it SAYS that they work.. but.. I mean, let's be honest and such How much fluff vs crunch do they have?

Well, all our PDF adventures in the KoK setting are for use with v3.5, so you'd have to change all the rules info (monsters, NPC stats, skills and their DCs, magic items, and any other little bits). I think the flavor vs. crunch is more flavor-heavy than with the WotC modules, but you'd still have to do conversion work as if you wanted to use a v3.5 WotC module with 4E, just a little bit less of it. It's possible these will be converted for use with 4E, but that's going to take time.

 

[Mark Plemmons]

I've always been intrigued about Kalamar, but I have to admit the names are a huge turn-off. It might be realistic, but I have no idea how to friggin' pronounce any of them. Maybe if they had a pronunciation guide or something.

Ah, but it does!

The pronunciation guide/glossary is on pages 269-274...

 

[Mark Plemmons]

I'd be somewhat surprised if WotC let you guys do that. I mean, I know your D&D products have second-party status, and so can do a lot of things, but to have 3.5 and 4E versions of the same PDF product sounds too good to be true.

Our '2nd party' status ended last November or so, when our license agreement ended. We're not using their logos or copying any of their material, like we could before. Likewise, we're not using the GSL.

 

[theemrys]

And one last question before I impulse buy this

Are there solid adventure hooks in there? I know from reading the preview that it suggests there are.. but.. does anyone with experience on this know if that's a legit statement?

I seem to remember quite a few from the Campaign Setting book (3e) which this is an updated version of, but I'll need to go back and confirm for sure. I remember though thinking it was more like what the old 1e Forgotten Realms books were like... lots of flavour and ideas but leaving the details for you work out on your own.

I can say with certainty that the interactions of the churchs and nations are more than enough "hooks" for me. I've heard of many campaigns being based around the "occupation" of Karista (dwarven capital/nation) by the Empire of Kalamar... Also, there are a lot of prejudices which always make for interesting plot devices to work in...

 

[Obryn]

I checked out the PDF, and parts are interesting.

However, the half-hobgoblin racial power doesn't make a bit of sense.

It's a Standard Action with a trigger... I don't think it works that way. Triggers are for Immediate Reactions and some Free actions - that is, actions which aren't taken on your turn.

If you want to restrict targets, leave out the Trigger line, but add something like...

Special: This power can only be used on an opponent who has been given an offer to surrender, but declined.


This gives me little confidence in the mechanics presented elsewhere in the book...

-O

 

[GeorgeFields]

It's hard to say right at this moment, but we do have a couple of v3.5 PDF supplements nearly completed, and they may be altered to 4E, or simply have both a v3.5 and 4E version.

Some of us are waiting for some of those.

Back to the new book...

How much new material is in it compared to the 3e version?