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Message: <blockquote data-quote="(un)reason" data-source="post: 9201816" data-attributes="member: 27780">Dungeon/Polyhedron Issue 91/150: Mar/Apr 2002part 7/12First Watch: This is much larger than the first instalment, covering a whole bunch of topics over the course of 8 pages. First, since it’s tied in with the issue’s theme, is a teaser for D20 Modern. This is particularly interesting because it lets us see what they change between now and the release date due to feedback. 4 example settings when the final product only had 3? I’d be very interested in knowing what was cut and whether it was for space or quality reasons. Vitality & Wound points rather than the simpler D&D hit points with the massive damage threshold dropped that they finally settled on? How much did people in playtesting care about that? But the broader aims remain the same. Give you rules for playing in the modern day that are compatible with D&D so you can combine stuff from all the sourcebooks, with relatively simple core classes and lots of prestige classes that are available from lower levels than the D&D ones. If you’re looking for a system that supports more gritty or psychologically subtle play keep on walking. Second is reminding everyone what’s happened to the Living City. They’ve outsourced it to Ryan Dancey’s new company, who are busy writing new adventures for it and converting older ones from last edition. The catch is that you’ll need to sign up to them and pay membership fees separately to the RPGA, which I strongly suspect is what did them in when you don’t need to do that for any of the other Living campaigns that are volunteer run. Another thing to watch out for, see if there’s any further news and what reasons they give for it’s failure in a couple of years time. Third is a page on the multiple attempts to do a superheroic D20 variant. (above and beyond the usual superhuman toughness every D&D character gets as they gain levels) Three recommendations (Godlike, Mutants & Masterminds, D20 Superheroes) and one piece of crap they only write about to warn you away from. (The Foundation: A World in Black and White) Mixing and matching characters built using them is very unlikely to create a balanced party, but when have superhero teams ever been balanced in the fiction anyway? The DM will have to keep their thumb on the scales to ensure every character can contribute and the game as a whole stays fun. Fourth, an interview of Mike Mearls. In the year and a half since 3e was released, he’s contributed to more than 20 books by various d20 companies. He’s a one-man d20 boom all on his own! It’s no wonder the market is flooded. Like many a freelancer working their way up and eventually becoming an official writer he’s been an RPGA member for years, which was particularly handy here as it meant he had a prerelease copy of the 3e rules to get a head start on writing. The advice he gives is pretty familiar from his other appearances. Always write at least 1000 words a day, but keep your gaming group as well, to make sure what you’re coming up with is actually useful in actual play and shop what you’re coming up with to anyone who might buy it. You’ve got to hustle if you want to make that money and keep on coming up with stuff that other people can’t easily do themselves. Since he’s still working at WotC all these years later, getting in on the ground floor of the D20 boom definitely worked out for him. You’ve got to keep your eye open for the next big thing that could open up whole new ecosystems, because they won’t stay fresh and unregulated for long.Fifth, the release roundup. Adamant Entertainment were supposed to release both pirate and ninja action, but are experiencing delays for licencing reasons. Alderac release Farscape D20, plus a book on monsters as PC’s, since that’s a big growth area to exploit in the new edition. Atlas releases Seven Cities, a pretty self-explanatory set of examples for filling out your campaign world with. Avalanche Press combine books on real world religions with cheesecake covers, for when one form of controversy baiting just isn’t enough. Bastion Press release a guide to alchemy & herbalists from long-term Forgotten Realms writer Steven Schend, reminding us that even people who worked at WotC are enjoying being able to publish books that they couldn’t get through approvals. Chaosium give us Cults of Law & Chaos for Elric D20, and Pulp Cthulhu for a gameline which should be obvious. Eden give us Waysides: The Book of Taverns, another of those useful but inessential fluffy ideas that got an official 2e version, but is very unlikely indeed to get an official 3e equivalent by WotC. Fantasy Flight Games find Traps & Treachery was so popular that they’ve already put together a sequel. Now with more wilderness! They’re also building up the Dragonstar line with Imperial Supply, for all your high tech needs, and trying to get a Living Dragonstar campaign going if they can find the volunteers. Between this and the new spelljammer D&D in SPAAAACEEEE!!!! is definitely on the up right now. Fast Forward Entertainment are a little more down to earth, with one book full of short adventures and another full of magic items. Firey Dragon Productions releases Queen of Lies, which sees Monte Cook writing about the Drow yet again. Will he be able to top his attempt in Dungeon 84? Green Ronin start a new series of sourcebooks introducing variant core classes. Monster Slayer, Witch and Assassin are first up. Finally, Mongoose continue to deliver in great quantity, if not quality, with the Slayer’s guide to Sahuguin, Quintessential Rogue, Skraag: City of the Orcs and Encyclopedia Arcane: Constructs. All the titles seem to adequately explain their contents to a reader in the game store. Finally, another recommendation for those who like their monster counters and want more. <a href="http://www.dragon-scalecounters.com" target="_blank">www.dragon-scalecounters.com</a> (a dead link, like so many of their web wanderings) has a wide selection cheap. Doing a bit of googling, it looks like they rebranded as Huge Ogre Publishing, but the most recently released product is from 2006 so I strongly suspect they’re out of business now.</blockquote>

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