Kingdoms of Kalamar: Ask the Emperor!

[Voadam]

As far as I know, we don't have any PDF releases coming out in the next few months. After that, I'm not sure.

We are trying harder to release PDF previews of upcoming products, like "Goods and Gear: the Ultimate Adventurer's Guide" and the "Trove of Treasure Maps" supplements currently available for download on our website.

Then let me make a big request for KOK or Hackmaster complete books as pdfs (nonDRM though). I prefer pdfs to print copies in general (I know I'm in the minority) and I could really use the copy and paste/backup/portability utility this format offers for our online gaming and in person gaming with a laptop.

 

[MerakSpielman]

Voadam: You could invest in a scanner. You won't get as high-quality as a professional PDF, but it's better than nothing. I believe it is legal to scan books you own as long as you do not distribute the electronic file.

 

[fredramsey]

Pronuciation

Ok. I'm going to run a Kalamar campaign, and have spent a couple hundred on materials. But I have one request.

I know there is a pronuciation guide in the Atlas. However, I refuse to sit with two books and flip back and forth - this is unecessary.

So here is my request: In any book, the first time you use a word that the pronuciation is not immediately evident to western/american tongues, just do what 99% of other people do: put the pronuciation next to the word! PLEASE!

It wouldn't be that difficult. And it would make reading Kalamar materials ten times as enjoyable. I don't think it's too much to ask, really.

Seeing sage Nightfall's similar thread gave me the idea to take his idea and run with it, although for the KoK setting instead. This is not a competition thread, just another on a theme.

So... any questions? Just put them here and I'll see what I can do!

 

[MerakSpielman]

I still stumble with anything starting with "Svim-." As soon as I think I'm saying it right, I realize I'm pronouncing it "Zuvim-" instead, with a tiny "u" sound after the Z.

I plan on mastering all the "Svimozish" pronounciations and then, when the PCs travel there, making the locals take great offense every time one of their places or names is mispronounced. Just for a bit of fun, of course.

 

[buzzard]

Thanks for the Info. I'll probably just go with the evil clerics as his general nemesis. The land you mentioned, Slenn, seems quite appropriate. The plan is to have him been working on training to take out evil casters. A secret Dwarven city in the midst of this would be a very good locale for this.

One other question if I might, do you happen to know if, or when The Complete Warrior will become valid material for LKoK? I haven't seen anything about the new books on the campaign documents. I'm thinking Occult Slayer would make a nice goal for such a character.

buzzard

 

[Mark Plemmons]

I'm told Kingdoms of Kalamar does not include a map of the entire globe.

That's right. The maps detail a large section of the continent of Tellene and all of the island continent of Svimohzia. Together, these are also known as the "Sovereign Lands."

Most of Tellene's inhabitants believe it encompasses the entire planet, though. Tellene has a warm to temperate climate, with the southernmost tip lying at roughly 20 degrees latitude (north of the equator), and the northernmost explored areas rest at about 54 degrees latitude (further north). The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.

Will other lands "off the map", or even the entire globe, be revealed anytime in the near future? Or, will Kalamar designers take the FR approach and just focus on the "known world" so to speak?

In the near future, no. The "known world" is still full of mystery and untold stories, so we'll be focusing on that for a while. Still, who knows? It's Kalamar's 10th anniversary next month, so maybe in 20 years it'll be time to introduce a new continent.

 

[Mark Plemmons]

I know there is a pronuciation guide in the Atlas. However, I refuse to sit with two books and flip back and forth - this is unecessary.

I agree - that would be tough. Fortunately, I think you'll find that after a while, you'll be easily able to pronounce any new words you see. In fact, you'll even be able to tell what language they came from. It's really cool once you hit that line - particularly for players. It's great when a DM can tell the players an NPC (or whatever) name, and they say, "Oh, he's Svimohz" without even hearing the description.

Naturally, I'm pretty immersed in it, so it didn't take me too long, but I just realized it recently, when I was editing an upcoming book. I looked at the language and immediately said: "No, that's not Goblin, that's Dejy. It needs to be fixed." It really makes the cultures come alive.

So here is my request: In any book, the first time you use a word that the pronuciation is not immediately evident to western/american tongues, just do what 99% of other people do: put the pronuciation next to the word! PLEASE! It wouldn't be that difficult. And it would make reading Kalamar materials ten times as enjoyable. I don't think it's too much to ask, really.

Well, we're not the best people to judge what's not immediately pronouncable, since we're so used to it! Still, I'll try to keep an eye out for that!

 

[Mark Plemmons]

I still stumble with anything starting with "Svim-." As soon as I think I'm saying it right, I realize I'm pronouncing it "Zuvim-" instead, with a tiny "u" sound after the Z.

Hard to tell without actually hearing you, but you probably have it right. If it helps, say "swim" - just put a "v" in place of the "w." (Svimohzia rhymes with "swim - o - zee - uh", with emphasis on the "o".)

I plan on mastering all the "Svimozish" pronounciations and then, when the PCs travel there, making the locals take great offense every time one of their places or names is mispronounced. Just for a bit of fun, of course.

Sounds like fun! Don't worry too much about the pronunciation - it'll come with time. Well, maybe... some people still can't agree on how to pronounce "drow."

 

[dead]

Was Kingdoms of Kalamar the home campaign of the original creators (ie. David Kenzer)?

If so, what RPG system were they using way-back-when for the campaign?

If the setting was the home campaign of the creators, are they still playing in that same campaign to this day?

Thanks.

 

[Mark Plemmons]

Thanks for the Info. I'll probably just go with the evil clerics as his general nemesis. The land you mentioned, Slenn, seems quite appropriate. The plan is to have him been working on training to take out evil casters. A secret Dwarven city in the midst of this would be a very good locale for this.

Yeah, I think it really seems to fit what you were looking for.

One other question if I might, do you happen to know if, or when The Complete Warrior will become valid material for LKoK? I haven't seen anything about the new books on the campaign documents. I'm thinking Occult Slayer would make a nice goal for such a character.

Sure, more questions are good!

Unfortunately, I don't know the answer to this one.

You'd really have to contact the Living Kalamar guys themselves to be sure. For the most part, they're pretty self-contained and handle all their own stuff. Still, I bet that once they have time to look over the Complete Warrior (and any other recent releases) that the LKoK documents will be updated.