MEG's Urban Blight -- your thoughts wanted

[Napftor]

This post, as the title suggests, asks for help from those of you who've bought (and hopefully enjoyed) Mystic Eye's Urban Blight. As the next book in the "Foul Locales" series (Beyond the Walls) is being cobbled together, I was wondering what you liked or disliked about the first one. Call it market research. Feel free to use the questions below as a guideline.

Is there a locale that stands head and shoulders above the rest and why? Perhaps one that wasn't so good?

Does the concept of coding each locale help or hinder you?

Despite the amount of description of each locale and its inhabitants, was there anything lacking you thought should have been mentioned?

And if you haven't bought this book, why the heck not? Everyone can use some premade throw-in locations. Don't let Mystic Eye's setting scare (bad pun?) you away. These locale books are just as usable for any campaign setting.

Thanks for your time and responses.

 

[BigFreekinGoblinoid]

I didnt buy this yet ( it was gone last week when I went back to my LGS planning to get it! ) but basically decided to get it from skimming through the detailed doctors office portion .... After encountering this office, I'm sure my PC's will pay the priests for healing without any arguments

 

[Mystic Eye]

Good qestion Napftor. I hope you get lots of answers. Urban Blight has sold more than our standard release so you should get some response here. I hope to see lots of input so that our future FOul Locale books get better everytime.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Things I didn't like. Encounters that weren't really locations. The blood feast under the slaughterhouse. I think that detailing the slaughter house would've been more interesting. Imagine if criminals oftne used this slaughterhouse to dispose of unwanted bodies as they know what comes along after the blood work is done?

The wizard who poisoned things wasn't really a location either as much as an encounter.

Some of the layout was a little bad.

Editing (I know, hush you damned reviewer) needed a final pass as well.

Outside of that I've enjoyed it greatly.

Try not to put two vampires in the next book though. Thankfully both are very different with no ties to one another.

 

[Psion]

Things I didn't like. Encounters that weren't really locations.

I really fail to see why it's a problem. Locations that don't have a reason for PCs to do anything are just... locations. The idea of Urban Blight is quick encounters, really.

I think it's a nice assortment, myself. The maps are good, and some of the locations are imaginative. Not quite citybook, but not bad.

 

[Napftor]

The idea of Urban Blight is quick encounters, really.

Actually, that wasn't the guideline I was given. While working on UB, the focus was on reusability of a locale, something PC's could visit more than once. We're striving for this goal once again with Beyond the Walls although one or two may slip through as encounters.

Thanks for the praise though, Psion. As with any series, we're hoping to improve on the earlier model. And keep the comments coming! As Doug said, UB was a pretty good seller.

 

[Napftor]

BUMP!

Wow, this left the first screen in a hurry. Surely there's some other comments out there.

"Throw me a frickin' bone here."

 

[Nightfall]

Uhm you write good stuff Napftor and it probably will show when R&R2 comes out?

 

[Mystic Eye]

Most of the locales in UB are good for more than a one time encounter but we did intentionally do a few that were really just a one time deal like below the slaughter house. We thought it appropriate since it is a series of plug in locations. Even though a couple of them would only be good for one, maybe two encounters they still fit the concept of the book well.

I think there will be a great deal more variety in the next one. The first (Urban Blight) was partly submission based for a contest. This worked well becuase it brought us wonderful talent like Bret and others. The funny thing is you can tell what people like by all the vampire/ Undead submissions that came in.
The next Foul Locales books is being done by a team (partly made up by the writers of the last one) and since they are communicating all the time there will be a greater bredth of variety in the locales.

 

[Napftor]

Uhm you write good stuff Napftor and it probably will show when R&R2 comes out?

Thanks, Nightfall. Knew I could count on you to say...well something at least. I don't suppose you have this (UB) since it isn't Scarred Lands related.

And what Doug has said about people liking undead since there were so many submissions with them; I'm not sure this is true. One might think people enjoy writing about undead (it's easy?), but more than one person has said in reviewing UB is that there were too many of these beasties. Thus, one point of this thread. What would you all like changed?