Silvr_Dragon
First Post
For all you people who missed the chat, and for those who caught it, but want to see it again, here it is! The official Mongoose Moderated Chat log!
thatdarncat - Evening all
thatdarncat - Tonight we've got Paul and Matt from Mongoose Publishing.
thatdarncat - I think this is the 5th or 6th time you guys have been here now?
Mongoose_Matt - Something like that
thatdarncat - As you might have noticed, I'm not Harlock
thatdarncat - He's come down with the plague, so I've taken over again for the night
thatdarncat - Please send any questions to Raven and Silvr_Dragon but be nice, it's their first time
thatdarncat - Matt, Paul, anything you want to say before we start?
Mongoose_Matt - Thank you one and all for supporting us these past three years!
thatdarncat - First question: Vaxalon - Question: What is your opinion on "Crippled" OGC? That is, open game content that has the name of the feat/spell/prestige class/whatever declared PI? Is it a valuable way to protect brand identity, or a stupid maneuver that ends up severing your work from the credit?
Mongoose_Matt - I believe it affects only a small proportion of customers - it really is not a barrier if you are serious about publishing
Mongoose_Matt - If you are just using something for your own home games, it really isn't an issue
thatdarncat - Vaxalon - Question: You have a choice of contracts. They’re both the same amount of work. One is a work-for-hire that pays about $2000, and the other is your own neato idea that you're going to self-publish and make about $200. Which do you take?
Mongoose_Matt - The cool thing about Mongoose is that we are in a position to do both. We have our 'big hitters', so we also have the luxury of doing 'cool' stuff. That is pretty much how Judge Dredd and Lone Wolf came into existence. So, both!
MongoosePaul - I'd do the first, then use it to springboard and finance the second
Mongoose_Matt - Which is pretty much how Mongoose works
thatdarncat - speaking of things you want to do, how about we talk about Conan for a while?
Mongoose_Matt - Be our guest
MongoosePaul - Always happy to talk Conan stuff
thatdarncat - Warmaster_Horus - what's going to be the price range?
thatdarncat - and
thatdarncat - Warmaster_Horus - How many books are you planning for the Conan line?
MongoosePaul - The main rulebook is priced at $50 though I believe some stores and places are discounting it - always best to get it from your local store though.
MongoosePaul - The 128 page soft backs in the line are $24.99 at present, the 200 page hardbacks will probably be the same price as our B5 race guides but don't quote me on that
Mongoose_Matt - That is the general sort of range we are looking at doing.
MongoosePaul - We have 7 books (including the main rulebook) on the schedule for this year
thatdarncat - Tell us about them?
Mongoose_Matt - Basically, we are looking at doing one supplement every two months for Conan
thatdarncat - What will the first supplements be?
thatdarncat - Anything you can tell us about future books?
Mongoose_Matt - First up will be Scrolls of Skelos, expanding the magic system for the game
thatdarncat - Bear in mind that I know nothing about Conan really other than what I saw in the really bad fox cartoon series
Mongoose_Matt - Road of Kings is after that, written by Vioncent Darlarge
Mongoose_Matt - That has sprawled into a 200 page hardback
Mongoose_Matt - It was only supposed to be a 128 soft back
MongoosePaul - Sorry about that, glitch seems sorted now
thatdarncat - good good
Mongoose_Matt - Over to you Paul
Mongoose_Matt - Paul is our main Conan line developer - he knows far more than me about Conan
MongoosePaul - After The Road of Kings we have Pirate Isles, which will be an extensive look at the barachan isles and all things reaverful and nautical
MongoosePaul - Then we'll be going into the depths of the pictish wilderness with Across the Thunder River - a large campaign setting full of scenarios and campaigns
MongoosePaul - Rounding out the year we have The Free Companies - all things mercenary and bandit related and finally Shadizar, City of the Wicked.
Mongoose_Matt - Quite enough Conan goodness for the first 12 months
thatdarncat - sounds like fun
Mongoose_Matt - Should also mention that the first print run has already sold 50%
thatdarncat - nice, I meant to stop and see if our LGS had any copies but didn't have time
thatdarncat - *d20Dwarf* will I be able to play Akiro?
MongoosePaul - Conan the RPG is drawn from the stories rather than the movie. However, you could certainly create a Khitanian scholar with some nomad levels to replicate him if you wanted to.
thatdarncat - I'm getting the setting questions out of the way before I get to the hard crunchy rules questions: Lichtenhart - What is the scariest new monster?
MongoosePaul - The other thing I forgot to mention is that we'll also be offering a lot of support for Conan through our website, pdfs and continuing material in Signs and Portents, our in house magazine.
MongoosePaul - Elementals in Conan are pretty nasty but I'd have to say a Mummy of Ahriman - particularly when it's applied to a certain sorcerer of ill repute
thatdarncat - *Lichtenhart* Will you have maps of the hyborian age?
MongoosePaul - We have a 2 page full colour map in the main rulebook (available as a download from our website) and will also have new and more in-depth maps in The Road of Kings
thatdarncat - *Warmaster_Horus* What is the Secret of Steel?
Mongoose_Matt - Steel isn't strong. Flesh is stronger
MongoosePaul - grins
thatdarncat -
thatdarncat - *Lichtenhart* how did you deal about religion? What are Crom's domains?
Mongoose_Matt - What is a domain?
MongoosePaul - There aren't any clerics in Conan - and no domains. Gods, demons and the like work very differently - it's a totally different magic system
thatdarncat - wanna spill any details about it?
MongoosePaul - Okay *typing*
thatdarncat - Matt: Vaxalon - Will Conan be an OGL project? What sort of OGC can we expect?
MongoosePaul - Scholars gain their spells through different styles of sorcery, things such as curses, necromancy and the like. As they advance in level they gain more spells and can also increase their power points (power points instead of slots - along with checks for casting spells)
Mongoose_Matt - I think Paul is typing the entire magic system in
thatdarncat - cool, magic is good
MongoosePaul - Furthermore, you can become corrupted as you advance in power - and among the methods of learning magic includes pacts with demons and other malefic forces.
thatdarncat - Are the magic rules very detailed? or do they leave a lot up to the DM?
MongoosePaul - Some things are subjective, some things are spelled out clearly - like anything in our games though, rule 1 is to have fun - so if you want to tweak the magic system - knock yourself out
thatdarncat - cool
thatdarncat - here's another, related OGC question: ascendance - I'm interested in developing something based on the new combat system you cooked up for Conan. Is it possible to get the OGL information?
Mongoose_Matt - Of course - it is all in the book
thatdarncat - Anything going to be posted online?
Mongoose_Matt - We have a number of supplemental rules in the works (massed combat, for example) but the core rules, probably not.
thatdarncat - ok
thatdarncat - rook111 - To Mongoose Paul; Are you worried that with the emphasis on the pure Howard stories you may risk alienating a large group of potential players who are really only familiar with the horrible novels by Green, Parry, Jordon, etc.?
thatdarncat - and again, related, ascendance - Ok... serious question time. In the Conan RPG, do you draw principally from the books, from the movies, from marvel comics? Even in terms of books, do you tend to stress the original Conan works, or later works by authors by L. Sprague de Camp and so on?
MongoosePaul - Firstly, the whole Howard or follow up writers is a hot button for some fans of Conan. By concentrating on Howard for the main rulebook we 'went to the source'. There's nothing in the main rulebook that should be a stumbling block to someone who's just read Jordan, or Wagner or more recent writers.
MongoosePaul - With some of the supplements we're adding material from follow up writers to supplement areas (such as Khitai for example) where the original stories were sparse - using them as the '1st source'
MongoosePaul - And on Ascendance's question we draw principally from the books and the original Conan works being stressed and regarded as the 'deciding viewpoint' on areas of contradiction.
thatdarncat - *Bartgroks* what kind of level is Conan in early career and what level does he finally advance to
MongoosePaul - We have King Conan's stats up on the website atm - off the top of my head he's a 15th level Barbarian, 2nd level pirate, 2nd level thief, 1st level soldier.
MongoosePaul - His first appearance we have him as a (I think) 2nd barbarian, 1st thief - Classes are different in Conan to 'normal' d20 though
thatdarncat - Speaking of the Conan on the website, I have a question about that... yipwyg - Would it be possible to explain how Hit Points are determined when you multiclass. I am referring mainly with the King Conan NPC you have on the website.
MongoosePaul - HPs in Conan top out at 10th level so you have, at most 10d10 (assuming you have 10 levels of a d10 hd class)
Mongoose_Matt - Sorry about that chaps! ADSL dropped out!
thatdarncat - it's ok, I've heard horror stories about BT
MongoosePaul - after that you have con bonuses, toughness etc
thatdarncat - Going back to magic for a moment: ascendance - Is the alternate Conan magic system balanced with regular D&D? Are the Conan classes balanced with regular D&D?
MongoosePaul - But high level characters will have less hps than in 'core' d20
MongoosePaul - no
MongoosePaul - This isn't D&D, it's Conan
thatdarncat - Vaxalon - How is Conan different from any other fantasy game, except for having stats for Conan characters? What is there in it for someone who isn't a big Conan fan?
MongoosePaul - Well, it's Sword and Sorcery rather than High Fantasy
MongoosePaul - So, armour that reduces your damage rather than making you harder to hit - more chance to drop your opponent with a single blow. Magic that is as powerful as it is soul destroying, a combat system that allows you to change the way you fight depending on your weapons and armour as well as your opponent
MongoosePaul - Ohh, and fate points :
thatdarncat - fate points?
MongoosePaul - grin Yep, fate points - in brief, fate points let the players change the story
thatdarncat - Are we talking about changing the outcome of rolls? or something more profound?
Seri - sweet!
MongoosePaul - The best example being - your group is captured and thrown in the prison beneath the fortress. You spend a fate point and announce that a slave girl, tired of her lot, comes by with a dagger and the key and opens the door to your cell. Your GM takes this in his stride, rolls with it and continues as if he came up with the idea all along
thatdarncat - sounds like a lot of fun
MongoosePaul - You can affect rolls (maximum damage for example) you can also have your character survive certain death (left for dead) or you can just change the story - it's a narrative tool
thatdarncat - Silvr_Dragon - Are fate points permanently spent when used?
MongoosePaul - Yes - you can gain more by being heroic
thatdarncat - (last question then trivia) *Brood* How much are fate points governed by rules set by the book? Is the large part of them left to the discretion of the DM?
MongoosePaul - It's a two-way process between GM and player.
MongoosePaul - While the 'change the story' part is more subjective, the others are pretty clear 'you do maximum damage with your blow' 'you survive on death's door' etc.
thatdarncat - Ok, trivia time For anyone new to our moderated chats, here's how it works. I'll unmoderate the channel, and Paul will ask a question. The first person to answer correctly on MY screen is the winner.
thatdarncat - What's the prize Paul?
MongoosePaul - Given what we've been discussing...A copy of the newly released Conan The Roleplaying Game
thatdarncat - ready?
thatdarncat - set?
thatdarncat - go!
Roaming - Conan
Roaming - did I win?
NiTessine - Queen of Lies!
* thatdarncat throws Roaming out in the snow
thatdarncat - bad Ni
MongoosePaul - The following characters appear in Conan stories, name the story they first appear in and whether or not they survive the story. Atali, Nabonidus, N'Gora.
Cavalorn - I'm Conan and so's my wife!
thatdarncat - o_o
thatdarncat - like I said, all I've seen is the really bad Fox cartoon
Vaxalon - Feh. Why did I even bother putting my fingers on the keys?
Chev - google is a wonderful thing...
Umbran - (as everyone in the room hits Google...)
NiTessine - Atali, the Frost Giant's Daughter. Survives.
Kalanyr - N'Gora - Queen of the Black Coast survives
ascendance - Atali - Frost Giant's Daughter (survives) Nabonidus The Red Priest survives
Neo - Savage Tales #1
ascendance - N'Gora - Queen of the Black Cost, survives
Vaxalon - Atali - Frost Giant's Daughter (survives) Nabonidus The Red Priest survives, N'Gora - Queen of the Black Cost, survives
ascendance - Sorry, that's Nabonidus, Rogues in the House survives
thatdarncat - Paul, let me know when someone answers correctly
Umbran - Well, that was silly - able to use answers given by others previous.
NiTessine - :d
Vaxalon - Atali - Frost Giant's Daughter (survives) , Nabonidus, Rogues in the House survives, N'Gora - Queen of the Black Cost, survives
Vaxalon - Why use google?
Bartgroks - Atali - Frost Giant's Daughter (survives) , Nabonidus, Rogues in the House survives, N'Gora - Queen of the Black Cost, dies
Ymdar - well you have 3! possibilities
Vaxalon - Atali - Frost Giant's Daughter (survives) , Nabonidus, Rogues in the House survives, N'Gora - Queen of the Black Coast, dies
Silvr_Dragon - Everyone: Stop the copy and paste!
Acid_crash - why couldn't the question be about something easier?
MongoosePaul - Stop
rook111 - Nabinidus dies
thatdarncat - who won?
* Seri falls over
thatdarncat - pretty much Seri-chan
thatdarncat -
MongoosePaul - Vaxalon - N'gora gets chewed up in Black Coast
Kalanyr - I misread a section, and he copied me
thatdarncat - yay vax
MongoosePaul - Conan slices him up after he goes insane and attacks him
thatdarncat - Vax - PM seri with your e-mail address and I'll be in touch
thatdarncat - back to the questions: Vaxalon - Rather: "Would you say that Fate points mean that GM's are going to have to learn how to write adventures with more 'give' in them?"
MongoosePaul - Hmm. In part perhaps. Or at least be prepared to go with the flow. In the main I've seen them hoarded more to be used either to drop a particular foe or to keep yourself alive - but the 'change the story' aspect is probably the part I most like.
MongoosePaul - I've also seen players use it to get their characters in trouble but at the same time to start up a good sub plot, so it's not 'all one way'.
thatdarncat - Matt - you had some Mini stuff to talk about?
Mongoose_Matt - indeed!
Mongoose_Matt - Basically, we have three miniatures lines/games coming this year.
Mongoose_Matt - The first is Mighty Armies, a 'super-size' 15mm fantasy war game.
Mongoose_Matt - Each Mighty Armies box set is priced at $19.95, and contains a complete army and rulebook - so you don't have to spend hundreds of Dollars to start playing
Mongoose_Matt - The first box sets will be Orcs and Barbarians (Conan!), but there will be plenty more to follow.
thatdarncat - Are we talking about a warhammerish game here? or something more like mageknight?
Mongoose_Matt - The second game is Judge Dredd: Turf Wars, 28 mm skirmish games fought between gangs on the streets of Mega-City One - but the Judges are always close by!
Mongoose_Matt - A cross between the two, actually
thatdarncat - ascendance - Does Mighty Armies have anything to do with a certain game called Mighty Empires?
Mongoose_Matt - Games are over in about 30-40 minutes, but there is a lot of mobility, war machines, and what have you
Mongoose_Matt - Nothing to do with Mighty Empires
Mongoose_Matt - The third game. . . well, I can’t talk about that right now
thatdarncat - *Shatterstone* Are these new miniatures plastic or pewter?
Mongoose_Matt - Any questions on those?
thatdarncat - spoil sport
Mongoose_Matt - Mighty Armies will be all metal. Judge Dredd will have plastic sprues in the main box set but be supported by metal blisters. The third game will have _loads_ of plastics, but also feature metals. Think WH40k for the third game, and you won't go far wrong
thatdarncat - hrmmm gotchya
thatdarncat - ascendance - Are they pre-painted?
Mongoose_Matt - Nope! We are old-timer war gamers, and not painting your own miniatures is heresy in our eyes
thatdarncat - Silvr_Dragon - What about people who can't paint?
thatdarncat - (Like silvr, who's artistically challenged)
Mongoose_Matt - Start circling eBay a month after the game comes out - you should do quite well there
thatdarncat - Silvr_Dragon - Why should we play this and not WarHammer, MageKnight, or Chainmail?
Mongoose_Matt - MageKnight and Chainmail are different markets. WarHammer is closer to what we are aiming. As for the reasons. . .
Mongoose_Matt - For Mighty Armies, you have the attraction of a complete army for $20, and games that do not take up an entire afternoon. For Judge Dredd, you only need collect a relatively small gang, and you get to play with judges on the streets of Mega-City One. As for the third, well. . . That is a game you are going to _want_ to play above all others
Mongoose_Matt - The only thing better than the third would be a Star Wars war game and, to my ever lasting regret, we do not have that particular license
thatdarncat - Silvr_Dragon. Can't we at least have a hint?
Mongoose_Matt - plenty!
Mongoose_Matt - Umm. . .
thatdarncat - A Babylon 5 mini's game?
MongoosePaul - That's not it
thatdarncat - darn
Seri - you just crushed his dreams
* thatdarncat lives in eternal hope
MongoosePaul - We're doing a big thing on B5 space combat later in the year though
Mongoose_Matt - The Countdown to Invasion has begun. It is from Sony (that should throw you off the scent). Loads of opportunities for RPGing, graphic novels and war gaming.
thatdarncat - woohoo
Mongoose_Matt - Any good to you?
thatdarncat - Seri, you know what to get me for my birthday
Mongoose_Matt - A B5 miniatures game is not out of the question. . .
MongoosePaul - laughs - nice clues Matt
thatdarncat - That should be good for discussion on the message boards later
Mongoose_Matt - We have the advanced space combat box set coming out this year and, if it proves popular, we may support it with miniatures.
Mongoose_Matt - Going back to the mystery game, we here at Mongoose all stand ready to do our part. . .
Mongoose_Matt - I can tell you what we are going to do with the mystery game, if that is any help
Mongoose_Matt - I just cannot tell you what it is
thatdarncat - blah too many possibilities
thatdarncat - battlestar galactica?
Mongoose_Matt - Oh, come ON! I more or less told you there
thatdarncat -
MongoosePaul - laughs!
thatdarncat - yipwyg - Is the 3rd miniature game have to do with the secret license product you have mentioned on your site?
Mongoose_Matt - yes
Mongoose_Matt - Big time
Mongoose_Matt - But it won't just be miniatures
Mongoose_Matt - Basically, it is a three-pronged license. . .
Mongoose_Matt - There will be a HUGE miniatures war game (think box sets, multiple armies, plastics, the whole works).
thatdarncat - so we have Minis, an RPG, what's the third prong?
thatdarncat - Acid_crash - is it Scooby Doo?
Mongoose_Matt - There will be graphic novels, so we can continue the story behind the license (great for the RPG and war gaming both)
Seri - hmmm
Mongoose_Matt - And we have the RPG (which will be OGL but not d20-based).
MongoosePaul - Scooby Doo the miniatures game...ahh...no
Mongoose_Matt - It is not Scooby Doo, but we were offered that!
thatdarncat - o_o
thatdarncat - ascendance - Are you allowed to talk about who's producing your minis for you? Any notable personalities or sculptors we should know about? Or companies?
Mongoose_Matt - I just could not see how to make that work!
Mongoose_Matt - We are still signing sculptors up, I can't really go into names until we have signed their contracts.
thatdarncat - *Chev* "Graphic novels? Based on the new license, but produced by mongoose...possibly adding to or altering cannon?"
Mongoose_Matt - That is a _really_ tough question, as there are three 'versions' of the license.
Mongoose_Matt - Basically, we are going to take the best elements from all three.
Mongoose_Matt - On the whole, though, we will be adding, rather than changing.
thatdarncat - Neo - Question for Mongoose, will the Mighty Armies have any inter-compatibility with the relevant RPG's? i.e. PC character actions in said battles?
Mongoose_Matt - No, Mighty Armies is its own game. It is also too large in scale for individual characters to have a huge effect.
thatdarncat - Acid_crash - does this new license have metamorphic vehicles that turn into robots?
Mongoose_Matt - There will be 50-60 miniatures in each $20 box set!
Mongoose_Matt - No :0
Mongoose_Matt - However, we have considered that possibility. . .
thatdarncat - Vaxalon - How much space will Mighty Armies take up? How well does it fit on a 5'x5' dining room table?
Mongoose_Matt - Games of Mighty Armies are designed to be played in a 2' x 2' space.
MongoosePaul - That's what we've been playing it on in the office
thatdarncat - *juanjose* what about an Armageddon 2089 mini game?
Mongoose_Matt - That is on the cards, but it will not be this year. A2089 graphic novels on the other hand, ahh. . .
Mongoose_Matt - Just maybe
thatdarncat - Vaxalon - 2'x2'?!?! For a minis game with 50 minis on a side? That seems impossible, even at 15mm scale. Can you tell us how you do that?
Mongoose_Matt - Miniatures are mounted on 20mm by 40mm bases, usually 4 minis on each one - though there are some large size models like chariots and the Barbarians War Mammoth. But they fit, trust me
thatdarncat - staying away from Conan for a bit...
thatdarncat - *Warmaster_Horus* what other projects are in line for Judge Dredd?
Mongoose_Matt - We have the Rookie's Guide to Atlantis coming up, as well as The Awakening mega-scenario. The Turf Wars miniatures game is going to divert our 2000AD attention for a while, as will the Nemesis game later in the year. But we will be returning to MC1 Roleplaying, likely with a Cursed Earth book soon after.
thatdarncat - ascendance - Are there any new Slaine supplements lined up?
Mongoose_Matt - Not for the immediate future, no. However, we will be serializing some new source material in Signs & Portents. Slaine fans will not want to miss that!
thatdarncat - *Astros* On the issue of Quintessential Fighter II: Advanced Tactics, what can buyers expect? And what sets it apart from other big name "warrior" books?
Mongoose_Matt - First, it is a Quint, so you know it is aimed squarely at the player. This time around, we are trying some new ideas (such as Career Paths) but also concentrating on actually _playing_ the characters, rather than just tooling them up for the next encounter. I am really pleased with what the guys have done with the new series and would recommend anyone to have a look in their FLGS.
thatdarncat - same pricing as the other quints?
Mongoose_Matt - They are, yes - $21.95.
thatdarncat - How many pages?
Mongoose_Matt - 128 pages
thatdarncat - Silvr_Dragon - Don't you think you may be spreading yourselves a bit thin with all these different things you're trying to produce?
Mongoose_Matt - No at all. First, we have a relatively small number of 'frontline' books - such as B5, Conan and the new Quints. Second, we now have 15 staff members at Mongoose, so there is plenty of ground for to spread things about on.
thatdarncat - Chev - "What is the mongoose staff up to now? And is there actually a core office where the staff works, or is it more of a network, communicating via the web and such?"
Mongoose_Matt - Most of the staff is asleep right now, though some are here now Yes, there is a main office, located in Swindon, though positions such as the writers are spread across the world. Over a third of Mongoose works in the office.
Mongoose_Matt - Working together in an office is the only way to get things done properly!
thatdarncat - *Chev* "When are you folks going to give up on that rainy island, and move stateside? Seriously though, have there been any thoughts on relocating?, or do you find you present location works better?"
Mongoose_Matt - Well, opinion is split on this, especially as my business partner, Alex, has an American girlfriend! However, I could never leave the UK. Though Canada looks quite attractive. . .
* thatdarncat stage whispers "Winnipeg is nice this time of year!"
MongoosePaul - The production staff is all English so it'd be quite an undertaking to move, particularly for those of us with families. Besides, we're proud to be British (waves a flag)
thatdarncat - we're still part of the commonwealth?
thatdarncat - d20Dwarf - question: If you had the chance to work on an Alias RPG with 2 of the show's biggest fans, who also happen to be d20 gurus that have worked with you in the past, would you do it?
Bynw - (( WINTERpeg is not nice this time of year ))
Mongoose_Matt - Heh
Mongoose_Matt - Let me get to the end of the season one box set, and I'll answer that
Mongoose_Matt - Can't even recall which studio it belongs to. . .
* thatdarncat sends some cold air to Iowa
thatdarncat - ascendance - How do you explain your success in d20 publishing?
Mongoose_Matt - Hard work, mostly - I firmly believe no other publishers put in the hours we do. But there is also a degree of luck, the ability to catch the eye of the distributors and the Secret Plan which has carried us forwards
Mongoose_Matt - Plus, I believe we have out books that the majority of people genuinely want.
Mongoose_Matt - My spelling is off
thatdarncat - Silvr_Dragon - Where do you get ideas?
Mongoose_Matt - Everywhere.
Mongoose_Matt - From TV, books, films, the whole works. Sometime from their publishers
Mongoose_Matt - The idea for the Ultimate came from a Channel 5 programme called Ultimate Submarines. . .
Mongoose_Matt - You just need to be able to put two and two together.
thatdarncat - Do you have any plans for Psionics in any upcoming products?
MongoosePaul - yes
Mongoose_Matt - Indeed - Encyclopedia Psionica: World Shapers has just gone off to print.
MongoosePaul - We'll be covering Psions and Psychic Warriors in the Quintessential II line as well.
thatdarncat - wow, normally that's just a stock question we ask everyone
Mongoose_Matt - Expect World Shapers in the shops later this month
MongoosePaul - We like to surprise you
Mongoose_Matt - Plus a Psi Corps supplement for B5
MongoosePaul - Trust the Corps
thatdarncat - woohoo!
thatdarncat - Is Alfred Bester (the writer, not the character) one of your sources?
Mongoose_Matt - For me, I have to say no - Paul?
* Bynw perks up at Psionics stuff
* thatdarncat notes a lack of a @ next to bynw's name
MongoosePaul - I've got his works in the fantasy masterworks series over here. But not a major source, though I do enjoy them
thatdarncat - coo
thatdarncat - Let's see... do you like eggrolls?
Mongoose_Matt - Love 'em
MongoosePaul - So long as they don't have prawns (allergic), then yes
Mongoose_Matt - Our accounts guy, Mark, is allergic to egg. . .
thatdarncat - poor guy
thatdarncat - someone is wondering if there’s an online source for the OGC in cybernet (like the srd) or if one must buy the book?
Mongoose_Matt - You have to buy the book However, publishers have the option to license the logo from us, in which case we supply the electronic text.
thatdarncat - re the Psionics books: *Astros* How will that work with the official reprint of the Psi Handbook?
Mongoose_Matt - Can't answer that right now, we'll just have to see. But I don't imagine it will have a significant impact.
thatdarncat - Trivia time?
thatdarncat - Who wants more trivia!
NiTessine - me!
Silvr_Dragon - TRIVIA!
thatdarncat - What's the prize for this one guys?
MongoosePaul - A copy of the newly released Quintessential Fighter II Advanced Tactics
MongoosePaul - Okay, Ian Barstow the studio manager is a big Wild West and American Civil War buff so he came up with this one.
thatdarncat - alright
thatdarncat - ready? set?
thatdarncat - go!
MongoosePaul - Answers with both parts at the same time please.
MongoosePaul - What phrase was made famous at the battle of Spotsylvania and by whom?
ascendance - this time do it right!
NiTessine - "they couldn’t hit an elephant at this dist..." by General John Sedgwick
MongoosePaul - Done
MongoosePaul - Well done NiTessine
thatdarncat - wow
thatdarncat - that was... quick!
thatdarncat - and you're not even American Ni
NiTessine - I was just about to gloat on that...
MongoosePaul - There were a few chuckles in the office today when he suggested it - and we figured an American would get it
thatdarncat - I'll get your address later
thatdarncat - speaking of Quint Fighter II, *juanjose* can you elaborate a bit on those Career Paths?
MongoosePaul - As an aside, Bartgroks was actually the winner of the earlier Conan question as he got in just before Vax did.
Mongoose_Matt - Basically, Career Paths limit your advancement options, but provide character definition and some changes (some good, some bad) in return.
thatdarncat - Yes, thanks for reminding me
Mongoose_Matt - For example. . .
Mongoose_Matt - The Tank has very definite skill and feat advancement options, but he is awesome with 2h weapons. On the other hand, he loses all finesse with others.
thatdarncat - (oh, and for those who care... Go Angel!)
Mongoose_Matt - That is just a quickie - they can be quite involved!
thatdarncat - *TroyXavier* My question if it hasn't been asked is; Are the Races getting Advanced Tactics books as well?
Mongoose_Matt - Yes they will, in the fullness of time. Quint Elf II comes out in May, I believe.
thatdarncat - any other Quint times and dates?
MongoosePaul - Nods - the manuscript's already in for it
Mongoose_Matt - Fighter, Rogue, Cleric and Wizard are first. Dwarf comes after Elf. Any further into the future than that and I'll have to consult my chart!
thatdarncat - DarkSir - Question: Has the print company changed for the quintessential line? Out of the 9 books I have, 3 of them are either wider (left to right across the cover) or narrower, than the rest.
Mongoose_Matt - Ah, yes
Mongoose_Matt - We have now standardized. All Quints will now be identical.
Mongoose_Matt - And the new covers look awesome
thatdarncat - Napftor - Q: "How do your PDF sales generally do (Mist Elves for example)? And are you looking for material for other pdfs (or print books in general)?
Mongoose_Matt - PDF sales tick over, but they are generally poor. We keep our hand in, just out of habit really, but they will never compare to print books.
Mongoose_Matt - On the other hand, we are going to experiment with a Conan PDF-only release (a scenario) so we'll see how that does.
MongoosePaul - One of the best ways to get our notice though is through Signs and Portents - we've even hired people because of (in part) their work for it
thatdarncat - Vaxalon - What's your favorite non-Mongoose, D20 product?
Mongoose_Matt - Probably Book of Exalted Deeds - my Paladin can really Ming out with that one
MongoosePaul - If you're meaning non-WotC then probably Midnight by a nose over a few other things. If WotC then the FRCS or the book of Vile Darkness
thatdarncat - mmm vile darkness
thatdarncat - *Chev* "Not to backtrack, but could you elaborate a bit more on the notion of the graphic novels with the new license? That sounds like a new level of trust from an IP holder to a game company? How much freedom do you think you will have to play around with in the IP cannon? Are they to be totally produced by mongoose talent?"
Mongoose_Matt - Yes, they will be purely Mongoose talent. And we will have a great deal of freedom. There is one more 'official' thing to come out for this license, and so we have a lot of room to play in. We'll be adding some new factions, super detailing the old ones. It is going to be great!
Mongoose_Matt - Basically, we offered Sony a complete package - war games, graphic novels and RPGs. It allows us to explore the setting in a way that has never been possible before.
Mongoose_Matt - It is going to be an _awesome_ gaming experience, for those of you who come along for the ride!
thatdarncat - Lichtenhart - 'Are you gonna take over the world?'
MongoosePaul - Not today
Mongoose_Matt - It is, however, in the Secret Plan
thatdarncat - and I think we're back to Conan - ascendance - How would you define sword and sorcery vs. high fantasy?
MongoosePaul - In brief *typing*
MongoosePaul - High Fantasy has powerful, common or extensive magic’s and magic beings, - wizards, dragons and the like are often found in every nation and usually in positions of power. Additionally, non-human 'fantastical' sentient races are common. Magic in high fantasy is also pretty reliable - spells tend to be formulaic or practiced enough to be close to that. Monsters are common opponents - griffons dot the skies etc
MongoosePaul - Sword and Sorcery (or Heroic fantasy) is more action driven. The hero's own skills are more often relied on than the magic sword at his side (assuming he had one), magic is less common, less reliable and often mistrusted or downright evil. Action, combat, danger and treasure (just for the sake of being treasure rather than to amass wealth) are some of the key features of Sword and Sorcery. While the heroes often fight hideous monsters, they're not usually along the lines of Orcs and goblins - the evilest of creatures is usually man.
thatdarncat - Silvr_Dragon - Why should people play Conan when they have a perfectly good time with D&D?
MongoosePaul - The glib answer is 'Because it's Conan' It's the original action and adventure fantasy setting. It's different to D&D, it offers things D&D doesn't have.
Mongoose_Matt - No reliance on magic items for a start
Mongoose_Matt - A chance for 'real' men and women to shine as heroes
Mongoose_Matt - Besides, you can’t just play D&D all your life (he says, eyeing up the current office campaigns). If you want to play something different but still want to stay with fantasy, Conan is your game.
MongoosePaul - Essentially, this is the game that _encourages_ you to smash down a door, carve up your nemesis, steal his jewels and get the girl. And the setting and genre support it.
Mongoose_Matt - Or get the man
Mongoose_Matt - We make no judgments or assumptions here at Mongoose!
thatdarncat - thank you on behalf of Seri
thatdarncat - Vaxalon - Do you think that $50 is the maximum one can dare to charge for a game book these days?
Mongoose_Matt - Pretty much. We have had ideas for super-sized books, but they are more a collector’s thing.
thatdarncat - (we're almost out of questions here, I'm just clearing my list)
Mongoose_Matt - $50 is reasonable for the very top end of the market at the moment. Especially with the nose dive the US dollar has performed of late, but that is for another discussion!
Mongoose_Matt - Out of questions? Really? Come on chaps, you have a chance to take your best shots here
thatdarncat - Vaxalon - Isn't "Swords and Sorcery" vs. "High Fantasy" more about how the game master sets up his game, rather than the rules?
Mongoose_Matt - It can be. However, rules systems can certainly encourage people to play a certain way.
MongoosePaul - Rules can help support a genre though - Conan using high fantasy magic would jar at the setting for example.
Mongoose_Matt - For example, look at B5. Still d20, with very few rules changes. But you don't go charging around guns blazing in that!
thatdarncat - Vaxalon - Follow-up question: If "Crippled" OGC only affects a very small number of customers, why use it?
Mongoose_Matt - Besides, look at the EN World message boards - people have been crying out for S&S rules for a while now!
Mongoose_Matt - I do not believe we use crippled OGC
thatdarncat - *Bartgroks* are the campaign books geared towards a certain time in Conan’s career or are they generic in respect to when the game is set?
MongoosePaul - We don't PI the names of our feats (spells, etc.) Some of the licensed products could have some rules where aspects of the 'flavour' are PId but that's owing to the fact it's a licensed property.
MongoosePaul - The 'default' setting is after The Hour of The Dragon when Conan is King - but it's very easy to play around with the time
thatdarncat - Roaming - There was talk of 3e material being converted to 3.5, any progress on this?
Mongoose_Matt - That is a long term project and, funnily enough ties in with the collectors’ book mentioned earlier. However, any books being reprinted (like Q.Wizard recently) are being updated.
thatdarncat - *Warmaster_Horus* Since the traditional races like elves and dwarves don't exist in Hyboria, what kind of different backgrounds/races/etc do you have for players?
MongoosePaul - There are 16 major and 15 minor races in Conan
thatdarncat - o_o
Geist - 0.0
MongoosePaul - They're the human kingdoms of Hyboria, some differ only in bonus skills and preferred classes, some differ more widely (the wazuli can naturally see in the dark for example)
thatdarncat - gotchya
thatdarncat - *Neo* question for Mongoose: Any plans to ever do a Campaign setting or RPG setting of some sort that is total unique.. e.g. Scarred Lands for S&S or Freeport for GR etc..?
MongoosePaul - We'll have something unique (or several somethings to be exact) later this year
thatdarncat - woohoo
thatdarncat - *Chev* "What is your "holy Grail" of intellectual properties....what game can you then die happily after you have produced it ( besides the new one, of course)...is it Dune...is it?...say it is!"
Mongoose_Matt - It is always a topic for discussion whenever we have development meetings. But nothing sufficiently different has leapt out just yet. It really needs to be unique, in the way Dark Sun was.
Mongoose_Matt - It is Dune
Mongoose_Matt - And maybe Harry Potter.
* thatdarncat starts writing up ideas for a setting with cannibalistic Halflings
Mongoose_Matt - Oh, and Star Wars, of course.
* Geist wants someone to do Harry potter dammit
MongoosePaul - Now we've done Conan and B5 then yeah, Dune. And Harry Potter for the fun of doing it.
thatdarncat - woo Harry!
thatdarncat - ascendance - Do you have any comments on the politically incorrect, if not offensive content in the Earth Alliance
Mongoose_Matt - Indeed.
Mongoose_Matt - Only one German has ever complained about it. To him and, indeed, anyone else who was offended, I sincerely apologize. On the other hand, it also has to be accepted that any mention of race is a potentially hot topic in America in this day and age. While racism certainly exists in the UK, it is just not such a big problem (or hot button) as it is in the US.
Mongoose_Matt - That pretty much goes for the rest of Europe.
thatdarncat - And that's my last question
thatdarncat - Thanks for coming guys, you've been great as always
Mongoose_Matt - No more?
Mongoose_Matt - It has been a pleasure!
MongoosePaul - Thanks for having us and for staying up (especially the Brits) for the chat
thatdarncat - No more I'll unmoderate the channel in a second, but first I wanted to remind everyone we're going to be having our first (in two years) DM Workshop next Thursday. Topic will be house rules, but as always bring your own questions, anything is fair game
That's it. Hope you enjoyed it. And I just want to thank Matt and Paul from Mongoose Publishing for taking time out of their busy schedule to chat with us. It was a real pleasure. We hope to see you again real soon.
thatdarncat - Evening all
thatdarncat - Tonight we've got Paul and Matt from Mongoose Publishing.
thatdarncat - I think this is the 5th or 6th time you guys have been here now?
Mongoose_Matt - Something like that
thatdarncat - As you might have noticed, I'm not Harlock
thatdarncat - He's come down with the plague, so I've taken over again for the night
thatdarncat - Please send any questions to Raven and Silvr_Dragon but be nice, it's their first time
thatdarncat - Matt, Paul, anything you want to say before we start?
Mongoose_Matt - Thank you one and all for supporting us these past three years!
thatdarncat - First question: Vaxalon - Question: What is your opinion on "Crippled" OGC? That is, open game content that has the name of the feat/spell/prestige class/whatever declared PI? Is it a valuable way to protect brand identity, or a stupid maneuver that ends up severing your work from the credit?
Mongoose_Matt - I believe it affects only a small proportion of customers - it really is not a barrier if you are serious about publishing
Mongoose_Matt - If you are just using something for your own home games, it really isn't an issue
thatdarncat - Vaxalon - Question: You have a choice of contracts. They’re both the same amount of work. One is a work-for-hire that pays about $2000, and the other is your own neato idea that you're going to self-publish and make about $200. Which do you take?
Mongoose_Matt - The cool thing about Mongoose is that we are in a position to do both. We have our 'big hitters', so we also have the luxury of doing 'cool' stuff. That is pretty much how Judge Dredd and Lone Wolf came into existence. So, both!
MongoosePaul - I'd do the first, then use it to springboard and finance the second
Mongoose_Matt - Which is pretty much how Mongoose works
thatdarncat - speaking of things you want to do, how about we talk about Conan for a while?
Mongoose_Matt - Be our guest
MongoosePaul - Always happy to talk Conan stuff
thatdarncat - Warmaster_Horus - what's going to be the price range?
thatdarncat - and
thatdarncat - Warmaster_Horus - How many books are you planning for the Conan line?
MongoosePaul - The main rulebook is priced at $50 though I believe some stores and places are discounting it - always best to get it from your local store though.
MongoosePaul - The 128 page soft backs in the line are $24.99 at present, the 200 page hardbacks will probably be the same price as our B5 race guides but don't quote me on that
Mongoose_Matt - That is the general sort of range we are looking at doing.
MongoosePaul - We have 7 books (including the main rulebook) on the schedule for this year
thatdarncat - Tell us about them?
Mongoose_Matt - Basically, we are looking at doing one supplement every two months for Conan
thatdarncat - What will the first supplements be?
thatdarncat - Anything you can tell us about future books?
Mongoose_Matt - First up will be Scrolls of Skelos, expanding the magic system for the game
thatdarncat - Bear in mind that I know nothing about Conan really other than what I saw in the really bad fox cartoon series
Mongoose_Matt - Road of Kings is after that, written by Vioncent Darlarge
Mongoose_Matt - That has sprawled into a 200 page hardback
Mongoose_Matt - It was only supposed to be a 128 soft back
MongoosePaul - Sorry about that, glitch seems sorted now
thatdarncat - good good
Mongoose_Matt - Over to you Paul
Mongoose_Matt - Paul is our main Conan line developer - he knows far more than me about Conan
MongoosePaul - After The Road of Kings we have Pirate Isles, which will be an extensive look at the barachan isles and all things reaverful and nautical
MongoosePaul - Then we'll be going into the depths of the pictish wilderness with Across the Thunder River - a large campaign setting full of scenarios and campaigns
MongoosePaul - Rounding out the year we have The Free Companies - all things mercenary and bandit related and finally Shadizar, City of the Wicked.
Mongoose_Matt - Quite enough Conan goodness for the first 12 months
thatdarncat -
sounds like funMongoose_Matt - Should also mention that the first print run has already sold 50%
thatdarncat - nice, I meant to stop and see if our LGS had any copies but didn't have time
thatdarncat - *d20Dwarf* will I be able to play Akiro?
MongoosePaul - Conan the RPG is drawn from the stories rather than the movie. However, you could certainly create a Khitanian scholar with some nomad levels to replicate him if you wanted to.
thatdarncat - I'm getting the setting questions out of the way before I get to the hard crunchy rules questions: Lichtenhart - What is the scariest new monster?
MongoosePaul - The other thing I forgot to mention is that we'll also be offering a lot of support for Conan through our website, pdfs and continuing material in Signs and Portents, our in house magazine.
MongoosePaul - Elementals in Conan are pretty nasty but I'd have to say a Mummy of Ahriman - particularly when it's applied to a certain sorcerer of ill repute
thatdarncat - *Lichtenhart* Will you have maps of the hyborian age?
MongoosePaul - We have a 2 page full colour map in the main rulebook (available as a download from our website) and will also have new and more in-depth maps in The Road of Kings
thatdarncat - *Warmaster_Horus* What is the Secret of Steel?
Mongoose_Matt - Steel isn't strong. Flesh is stronger
MongoosePaul - grins
thatdarncat -
thatdarncat - *Lichtenhart* how did you deal about religion? What are Crom's domains?
Mongoose_Matt - What is a domain?
MongoosePaul - There aren't any clerics in Conan - and no domains. Gods, demons and the like work very differently - it's a totally different magic system
thatdarncat - wanna spill any details about it?
MongoosePaul - Okay *typing*
thatdarncat - Matt: Vaxalon - Will Conan be an OGL project? What sort of OGC can we expect?
MongoosePaul - Scholars gain their spells through different styles of sorcery, things such as curses, necromancy and the like. As they advance in level they gain more spells and can also increase their power points (power points instead of slots - along with checks for casting spells)
Mongoose_Matt - I think Paul is typing the entire magic system in
thatdarncat -
cool, magic is goodMongoosePaul - Furthermore, you can become corrupted as you advance in power - and among the methods of learning magic includes pacts with demons and other malefic forces.
thatdarncat - Are the magic rules very detailed? or do they leave a lot up to the DM?
MongoosePaul - Some things are subjective, some things are spelled out clearly - like anything in our games though, rule 1 is to have fun - so if you want to tweak the magic system - knock yourself out
thatdarncat - cool
thatdarncat - here's another, related OGC question: ascendance - I'm interested in developing something based on the new combat system you cooked up for Conan. Is it possible to get the OGL information?
Mongoose_Matt - Of course - it is all in the book
thatdarncat - Anything going to be posted online?
Mongoose_Matt - We have a number of supplemental rules in the works (massed combat, for example) but the core rules, probably not.
thatdarncat - ok
thatdarncat - rook111 - To Mongoose Paul; Are you worried that with the emphasis on the pure Howard stories you may risk alienating a large group of potential players who are really only familiar with the horrible novels by Green, Parry, Jordon, etc.?
thatdarncat - and again, related, ascendance - Ok... serious question time. In the Conan RPG, do you draw principally from the books, from the movies, from marvel comics? Even in terms of books, do you tend to stress the original Conan works, or later works by authors by L. Sprague de Camp and so on?
MongoosePaul - Firstly, the whole Howard or follow up writers is a hot button for some fans of Conan. By concentrating on Howard for the main rulebook we 'went to the source'. There's nothing in the main rulebook that should be a stumbling block to someone who's just read Jordan, or Wagner or more recent writers.
MongoosePaul - With some of the supplements we're adding material from follow up writers to supplement areas (such as Khitai for example) where the original stories were sparse - using them as the '1st source'
MongoosePaul - And on Ascendance's question we draw principally from the books and the original Conan works being stressed and regarded as the 'deciding viewpoint' on areas of contradiction.
thatdarncat - *Bartgroks* what kind of level is Conan in early career and what level does he finally advance to
MongoosePaul - We have King Conan's stats up on the website atm - off the top of my head he's a 15th level Barbarian, 2nd level pirate, 2nd level thief, 1st level soldier.
MongoosePaul - His first appearance we have him as a (I think) 2nd barbarian, 1st thief - Classes are different in Conan to 'normal' d20 though
thatdarncat - Speaking of the Conan on the website, I have a question about that... yipwyg - Would it be possible to explain how Hit Points are determined when you multiclass. I am referring mainly with the King Conan NPC you have on the website.
MongoosePaul - HPs in Conan top out at 10th level so you have, at most 10d10 (assuming you have 10 levels of a d10 hd class)
Mongoose_Matt - Sorry about that chaps! ADSL dropped out!
thatdarncat - it's ok, I've heard horror stories about BT
MongoosePaul - after that you have con bonuses, toughness etc
thatdarncat - Going back to magic for a moment: ascendance - Is the alternate Conan magic system balanced with regular D&D? Are the Conan classes balanced with regular D&D?
MongoosePaul - But high level characters will have less hps than in 'core' d20
MongoosePaul - no
MongoosePaul - This isn't D&D, it's Conan
thatdarncat - Vaxalon - How is Conan different from any other fantasy game, except for having stats for Conan characters? What is there in it for someone who isn't a big Conan fan?
MongoosePaul - Well, it's Sword and Sorcery rather than High Fantasy
MongoosePaul - So, armour that reduces your damage rather than making you harder to hit - more chance to drop your opponent with a single blow. Magic that is as powerful as it is soul destroying, a combat system that allows you to change the way you fight depending on your weapons and armour as well as your opponent
MongoosePaul - Ohh, and fate points :
thatdarncat - fate points?
MongoosePaul - grin Yep, fate points - in brief, fate points let the players change the story
thatdarncat - Are we talking about changing the outcome of rolls? or something more profound?
Seri - sweet!
MongoosePaul - The best example being - your group is captured and thrown in the prison beneath the fortress. You spend a fate point and announce that a slave girl, tired of her lot, comes by with a dagger and the key and opens the door to your cell. Your GM takes this in his stride, rolls with it and continues as if he came up with the idea all along
thatdarncat - sounds like a lot of fun
MongoosePaul - You can affect rolls (maximum damage for example) you can also have your character survive certain death (left for dead) or you can just change the story - it's a narrative tool
thatdarncat - Silvr_Dragon - Are fate points permanently spent when used?
MongoosePaul - Yes - you can gain more by being heroic
thatdarncat - (last question then trivia) *Brood* How much are fate points governed by rules set by the book? Is the large part of them left to the discretion of the DM?
MongoosePaul - It's a two-way process between GM and player.
MongoosePaul - While the 'change the story' part is more subjective, the others are pretty clear 'you do maximum damage with your blow' 'you survive on death's door' etc.
thatdarncat - Ok, trivia time
For anyone new to our moderated chats, here's how it works. I'll unmoderate the channel, and Paul will ask a question. The first person to answer correctly on MY screen is the winner. thatdarncat - What's the prize Paul?
MongoosePaul - Given what we've been discussing...A copy of the newly released Conan The Roleplaying Game
thatdarncat - ready?
thatdarncat - set?
thatdarncat - go!
Roaming - Conan
Roaming - did I win?
NiTessine - Queen of Lies!
* thatdarncat throws Roaming out in the snow
thatdarncat - bad Ni
MongoosePaul - The following characters appear in Conan stories, name the story they first appear in and whether or not they survive the story. Atali, Nabonidus, N'Gora.
Cavalorn - I'm Conan and so's my wife!
thatdarncat - o_o
thatdarncat - like I said, all I've seen is the really bad Fox cartoon
Vaxalon - Feh. Why did I even bother putting my fingers on the keys?
Chev - google is a wonderful thing...
Umbran - (as everyone in the room hits Google...)
NiTessine - Atali, the Frost Giant's Daughter. Survives.
Kalanyr - N'Gora - Queen of the Black Coast survives
ascendance - Atali - Frost Giant's Daughter (survives) Nabonidus The Red Priest survives
Neo - Savage Tales #1
ascendance - N'Gora - Queen of the Black Cost, survives
Vaxalon - Atali - Frost Giant's Daughter (survives) Nabonidus The Red Priest survives, N'Gora - Queen of the Black Cost, survives
ascendance - Sorry, that's Nabonidus, Rogues in the House survives
thatdarncat - Paul, let me know when someone answers correctly
Umbran - Well, that was silly - able to use answers given by others previous.
NiTessine - :d
Vaxalon - Atali - Frost Giant's Daughter (survives) , Nabonidus, Rogues in the House survives, N'Gora - Queen of the Black Cost, survives
Vaxalon - Why use google?
Bartgroks - Atali - Frost Giant's Daughter (survives) , Nabonidus, Rogues in the House survives, N'Gora - Queen of the Black Cost, dies
Ymdar - well you have 3! possibilities
Vaxalon - Atali - Frost Giant's Daughter (survives) , Nabonidus, Rogues in the House survives, N'Gora - Queen of the Black Coast, dies
Silvr_Dragon - Everyone: Stop the copy and paste!
Acid_crash - why couldn't the question be about something easier?
MongoosePaul - Stop
rook111 - Nabinidus dies
thatdarncat - who won?
* Seri falls over
thatdarncat - pretty much Seri-chan
thatdarncat -
MongoosePaul - Vaxalon - N'gora gets chewed up in Black Coast
Kalanyr - I misread a section, and he copied me
thatdarncat - yay vax
MongoosePaul - Conan slices him up after he goes insane and attacks him
thatdarncat - Vax - PM seri with your e-mail address and I'll be in touch
thatdarncat - back to the questions: Vaxalon - Rather: "Would you say that Fate points mean that GM's are going to have to learn how to write adventures with more 'give' in them?"
MongoosePaul - Hmm. In part perhaps. Or at least be prepared to go with the flow. In the main I've seen them hoarded more to be used either to drop a particular foe or to keep yourself alive - but the 'change the story' aspect is probably the part I most like.
MongoosePaul - I've also seen players use it to get their characters in trouble but at the same time to start up a good sub plot, so it's not 'all one way'.
thatdarncat - Matt - you had some Mini stuff to talk about?
Mongoose_Matt - indeed!
Mongoose_Matt - Basically, we have three miniatures lines/games coming this year.
Mongoose_Matt - The first is Mighty Armies, a 'super-size' 15mm fantasy war game.
Mongoose_Matt - Each Mighty Armies box set is priced at $19.95, and contains a complete army and rulebook - so you don't have to spend hundreds of Dollars to start playing
Mongoose_Matt - The first box sets will be Orcs and Barbarians (Conan!), but there will be plenty more to follow.
thatdarncat - Are we talking about a warhammerish game here? or something more like mageknight?
Mongoose_Matt - The second game is Judge Dredd: Turf Wars, 28 mm skirmish games fought between gangs on the streets of Mega-City One - but the Judges are always close by!
Mongoose_Matt - A cross between the two, actually
thatdarncat - ascendance - Does Mighty Armies have anything to do with a certain game called Mighty Empires?
Mongoose_Matt - Games are over in about 30-40 minutes, but there is a lot of mobility, war machines, and what have you
Mongoose_Matt - Nothing to do with Mighty Empires
Mongoose_Matt - The third game. . . well, I can’t talk about that right now
thatdarncat - *Shatterstone* Are these new miniatures plastic or pewter?
Mongoose_Matt - Any questions on those?
thatdarncat - spoil sport
Mongoose_Matt - Mighty Armies will be all metal. Judge Dredd will have plastic sprues in the main box set but be supported by metal blisters. The third game will have _loads_ of plastics, but also feature metals. Think WH40k for the third game, and you won't go far wrong
thatdarncat - hrmmm gotchya
thatdarncat - ascendance - Are they pre-painted?
Mongoose_Matt - Nope! We are old-timer war gamers, and not painting your own miniatures is heresy in our eyes
thatdarncat - Silvr_Dragon - What about people who can't paint?
thatdarncat - (Like silvr, who's artistically challenged)
Mongoose_Matt - Start circling eBay a month after the game comes out - you should do quite well there
thatdarncat - Silvr_Dragon - Why should we play this and not WarHammer, MageKnight, or Chainmail?
Mongoose_Matt - MageKnight and Chainmail are different markets. WarHammer is closer to what we are aiming. As for the reasons. . .
Mongoose_Matt - For Mighty Armies, you have the attraction of a complete army for $20, and games that do not take up an entire afternoon. For Judge Dredd, you only need collect a relatively small gang, and you get to play with judges on the streets of Mega-City One. As for the third, well. . . That is a game you are going to _want_ to play above all others
Mongoose_Matt - The only thing better than the third would be a Star Wars war game and, to my ever lasting regret, we do not have that particular license
thatdarncat - Silvr_Dragon. Can't we at least have a hint?
Mongoose_Matt - plenty!
Mongoose_Matt - Umm. . .
thatdarncat - A Babylon 5 mini's game?
MongoosePaul - That's not it
thatdarncat - darn
Seri - you just crushed his dreams
* thatdarncat lives in eternal hope
MongoosePaul - We're doing a big thing on B5 space combat later in the year though
Mongoose_Matt - The Countdown to Invasion has begun. It is from Sony (that should throw you off the scent). Loads of opportunities for RPGing, graphic novels and war gaming.
thatdarncat - woohoo
Mongoose_Matt - Any good to you?
thatdarncat - Seri, you know what to get me for my birthday
Mongoose_Matt - A B5 miniatures game is not out of the question. . .
MongoosePaul - laughs - nice clues Matt
thatdarncat - That should be good for discussion on the message boards later
Mongoose_Matt - We have the advanced space combat box set coming out this year and, if it proves popular, we may support it with miniatures.
Mongoose_Matt - Going back to the mystery game, we here at Mongoose all stand ready to do our part. . .
Mongoose_Matt - I can tell you what we are going to do with the mystery game, if that is any help
Mongoose_Matt - I just cannot tell you what it is
thatdarncat - blah too many possibilities
thatdarncat - battlestar galactica?
Mongoose_Matt - Oh, come ON! I more or less told you there
thatdarncat -
MongoosePaul - laughs!
thatdarncat - yipwyg - Is the 3rd miniature game have to do with the secret license product you have mentioned on your site?
Mongoose_Matt - yes
Mongoose_Matt - Big time
Mongoose_Matt - But it won't just be miniatures
Mongoose_Matt - Basically, it is a three-pronged license. . .
Mongoose_Matt - There will be a HUGE miniatures war game (think box sets, multiple armies, plastics, the whole works).
thatdarncat - so we have Minis, an RPG, what's the third prong?
thatdarncat - Acid_crash - is it Scooby Doo?
Mongoose_Matt - There will be graphic novels, so we can continue the story behind the license (great for the RPG and war gaming both)
Seri - hmmm
Mongoose_Matt - And we have the RPG (which will be OGL but not d20-based).
MongoosePaul - Scooby Doo the miniatures game...ahh...no
Mongoose_Matt - It is not Scooby Doo, but we were offered that!
thatdarncat - o_o
thatdarncat - ascendance - Are you allowed to talk about who's producing your minis for you? Any notable personalities or sculptors we should know about? Or companies?
Mongoose_Matt - I just could not see how to make that work!
Mongoose_Matt - We are still signing sculptors up, I can't really go into names until we have signed their contracts.
thatdarncat - *Chev* "Graphic novels? Based on the new license, but produced by mongoose...possibly adding to or altering cannon?"
Mongoose_Matt - That is a _really_ tough question, as there are three 'versions' of the license.
Mongoose_Matt - Basically, we are going to take the best elements from all three.
Mongoose_Matt - On the whole, though, we will be adding, rather than changing.
thatdarncat - Neo - Question for Mongoose, will the Mighty Armies have any inter-compatibility with the relevant RPG's? i.e. PC character actions in said battles?
Mongoose_Matt - No, Mighty Armies is its own game. It is also too large in scale for individual characters to have a huge effect.
thatdarncat - Acid_crash - does this new license have metamorphic vehicles that turn into robots?
Mongoose_Matt - There will be 50-60 miniatures in each $20 box set!
Mongoose_Matt - No :0
Mongoose_Matt - However, we have considered that possibility. . .
thatdarncat - Vaxalon - How much space will Mighty Armies take up? How well does it fit on a 5'x5' dining room table?
Mongoose_Matt - Games of Mighty Armies are designed to be played in a 2' x 2' space.
MongoosePaul - That's what we've been playing it on in the office
thatdarncat - *juanjose* what about an Armageddon 2089 mini game?
Mongoose_Matt - That is on the cards, but it will not be this year. A2089 graphic novels on the other hand, ahh. . .
Mongoose_Matt - Just maybe
thatdarncat - Vaxalon - 2'x2'?!?! For a minis game with 50 minis on a side? That seems impossible, even at 15mm scale. Can you tell us how you do that?
Mongoose_Matt - Miniatures are mounted on 20mm by 40mm bases, usually 4 minis on each one - though there are some large size models like chariots and the Barbarians War Mammoth. But they fit, trust me
thatdarncat - staying away from Conan for a bit...
thatdarncat - *Warmaster_Horus* what other projects are in line for Judge Dredd?
Mongoose_Matt - We have the Rookie's Guide to Atlantis coming up, as well as The Awakening mega-scenario. The Turf Wars miniatures game is going to divert our 2000AD attention for a while, as will the Nemesis game later in the year. But we will be returning to MC1 Roleplaying, likely with a Cursed Earth book soon after.
thatdarncat - ascendance - Are there any new Slaine supplements lined up?
Mongoose_Matt - Not for the immediate future, no. However, we will be serializing some new source material in Signs & Portents. Slaine fans will not want to miss that!
thatdarncat - *Astros* On the issue of Quintessential Fighter II: Advanced Tactics, what can buyers expect? And what sets it apart from other big name "warrior" books?
Mongoose_Matt - First, it is a Quint, so you know it is aimed squarely at the player. This time around, we are trying some new ideas (such as Career Paths) but also concentrating on actually _playing_ the characters, rather than just tooling them up for the next encounter. I am really pleased with what the guys have done with the new series and would recommend anyone to have a look in their FLGS.
thatdarncat - same pricing as the other quints?
Mongoose_Matt - They are, yes - $21.95.
thatdarncat - How many pages?
Mongoose_Matt - 128 pages
thatdarncat - Silvr_Dragon - Don't you think you may be spreading yourselves a bit thin with all these different things you're trying to produce?
Mongoose_Matt - No at all. First, we have a relatively small number of 'frontline' books - such as B5, Conan and the new Quints. Second, we now have 15 staff members at Mongoose, so there is plenty of ground for to spread things about on.
thatdarncat - Chev - "What is the mongoose staff up to now? And is there actually a core office where the staff works, or is it more of a network, communicating via the web and such?"
Mongoose_Matt - Most of the staff is asleep right now, though some are here now
Yes, there is a main office, located in Swindon, though positions such as the writers are spread across the world. Over a third of Mongoose works in the office. Mongoose_Matt - Working together in an office is the only way to get things done properly!
thatdarncat - *Chev* "When are you folks going to give up on that rainy island, and move stateside? Seriously though, have there been any thoughts on relocating?, or do you find you present location works better?"
Mongoose_Matt - Well, opinion is split on this, especially as my business partner, Alex, has an American girlfriend! However, I could never leave the UK. Though Canada looks quite attractive. . .
* thatdarncat stage whispers "Winnipeg is nice this time of year!"
MongoosePaul - The production staff is all English so it'd be quite an undertaking to move, particularly for those of us with families. Besides, we're proud to be British (waves a flag)
thatdarncat - we're still part of the commonwealth?
thatdarncat - d20Dwarf - question: If you had the chance to work on an Alias RPG with 2 of the show's biggest fans, who also happen to be d20 gurus that have worked with you in the past, would you do it?
Bynw - (( WINTERpeg is not nice this time of year ))
Mongoose_Matt - Heh
Mongoose_Matt - Let me get to the end of the season one box set, and I'll answer that
Mongoose_Matt - Can't even recall which studio it belongs to. . .
* thatdarncat sends some cold air to Iowa
thatdarncat - ascendance - How do you explain your success in d20 publishing?
Mongoose_Matt - Hard work, mostly - I firmly believe no other publishers put in the hours we do. But there is also a degree of luck, the ability to catch the eye of the distributors and the Secret Plan which has carried us forwards
Mongoose_Matt - Plus, I believe we have out books that the majority of people genuinely want.
Mongoose_Matt - My spelling is off
thatdarncat - Silvr_Dragon - Where do you get ideas?
Mongoose_Matt - Everywhere.
Mongoose_Matt - From TV, books, films, the whole works. Sometime from their publishers
Mongoose_Matt - The idea for the Ultimate came from a Channel 5 programme called Ultimate Submarines. . .
Mongoose_Matt - You just need to be able to put two and two together.
thatdarncat - Do you have any plans for Psionics in any upcoming products?
MongoosePaul - yes
Mongoose_Matt - Indeed - Encyclopedia Psionica: World Shapers has just gone off to print.
MongoosePaul - We'll be covering Psions and Psychic Warriors in the Quintessential II line as well.
thatdarncat - wow, normally that's just a stock question we ask everyone
Mongoose_Matt - Expect World Shapers in the shops later this month
MongoosePaul - We like to surprise you
Mongoose_Matt - Plus a Psi Corps supplement for B5
MongoosePaul - Trust the Corps
thatdarncat - woohoo!
thatdarncat - Is Alfred Bester (the writer, not the character) one of your sources?
Mongoose_Matt - For me, I have to say no - Paul?
* Bynw perks up at Psionics stuff
* thatdarncat notes a lack of a @ next to bynw's name
MongoosePaul - I've got his works in the fantasy masterworks series over here. But not a major source, though I do enjoy them
thatdarncat -
coothatdarncat - Let's see... do you like eggrolls?
Mongoose_Matt - Love 'em
MongoosePaul - So long as they don't have prawns (allergic), then yes
Mongoose_Matt - Our accounts guy, Mark, is allergic to egg. . .
thatdarncat - poor guy
thatdarncat - someone is wondering if there’s an online source for the OGC in cybernet (like the srd) or if one must buy the book?
Mongoose_Matt - You have to buy the book
However, publishers have the option to license the logo from us, in which case we supply the electronic text.thatdarncat - re the Psionics books: *Astros* How will that work with the official reprint of the Psi Handbook?
Mongoose_Matt - Can't answer that right now, we'll just have to see. But I don't imagine it will have a significant impact.
thatdarncat - Trivia time?
thatdarncat - Who wants more trivia!
NiTessine - me!
Silvr_Dragon - TRIVIA!
thatdarncat - What's the prize for this one guys?
MongoosePaul - A copy of the newly released Quintessential Fighter II Advanced Tactics
MongoosePaul - Okay, Ian Barstow the studio manager is a big Wild West and American Civil War buff so he came up with this one.
thatdarncat - alright
thatdarncat - ready? set?
thatdarncat - go!
MongoosePaul - Answers with both parts at the same time please.
MongoosePaul - What phrase was made famous at the battle of Spotsylvania and by whom?
ascendance - this time do it right!
NiTessine - "they couldn’t hit an elephant at this dist..." by General John Sedgwick
MongoosePaul - Done
MongoosePaul - Well done NiTessine
thatdarncat - wow
thatdarncat - that was... quick!
thatdarncat - and you're not even American Ni
NiTessine - I was just about to gloat on that...
MongoosePaul - There were a few chuckles in the office today when he suggested it - and we figured an American would get it
thatdarncat - I'll get your address later
thatdarncat - speaking of Quint Fighter II, *juanjose* can you elaborate a bit on those Career Paths?
MongoosePaul - As an aside, Bartgroks was actually the winner of the earlier Conan question as he got in just before Vax did.
Mongoose_Matt - Basically, Career Paths limit your advancement options, but provide character definition and some changes (some good, some bad) in return.
thatdarncat - Yes, thanks for reminding me
Mongoose_Matt - For example. . .
Mongoose_Matt - The Tank has very definite skill and feat advancement options, but he is awesome with 2h weapons. On the other hand, he loses all finesse with others.
thatdarncat - (oh, and for those who care... Go Angel!)
Mongoose_Matt - That is just a quickie - they can be quite involved!
thatdarncat - *TroyXavier* My question if it hasn't been asked is; Are the Races getting Advanced Tactics books as well?
Mongoose_Matt - Yes they will, in the fullness of time. Quint Elf II comes out in May, I believe.
thatdarncat - any other Quint times and dates?
MongoosePaul - Nods - the manuscript's already in for it
Mongoose_Matt - Fighter, Rogue, Cleric and Wizard are first. Dwarf comes after Elf. Any further into the future than that and I'll have to consult my chart!
thatdarncat - DarkSir - Question: Has the print company changed for the quintessential line? Out of the 9 books I have, 3 of them are either wider (left to right across the cover) or narrower, than the rest.
Mongoose_Matt - Ah, yes
Mongoose_Matt - We have now standardized. All Quints will now be identical.
Mongoose_Matt - And the new covers look awesome
thatdarncat - Napftor - Q: "How do your PDF sales generally do (Mist Elves for example)? And are you looking for material for other pdfs (or print books in general)?
Mongoose_Matt - PDF sales tick over, but they are generally poor. We keep our hand in, just out of habit really, but they will never compare to print books.
Mongoose_Matt - On the other hand, we are going to experiment with a Conan PDF-only release (a scenario) so we'll see how that does.
MongoosePaul - One of the best ways to get our notice though is through Signs and Portents - we've even hired people because of (in part) their work for it
thatdarncat - Vaxalon - What's your favorite non-Mongoose, D20 product?
Mongoose_Matt - Probably Book of Exalted Deeds - my Paladin can really Ming out with that one
MongoosePaul - If you're meaning non-WotC then probably Midnight by a nose over a few other things. If WotC then the FRCS or the book of Vile Darkness
thatdarncat - mmm vile darkness
thatdarncat - *Chev* "Not to backtrack, but could you elaborate a bit more on the notion of the graphic novels with the new license? That sounds like a new level of trust from an IP holder to a game company? How much freedom do you think you will have to play around with in the IP cannon? Are they to be totally produced by mongoose talent?"
Mongoose_Matt - Yes, they will be purely Mongoose talent. And we will have a great deal of freedom. There is one more 'official' thing to come out for this license, and so we have a lot of room to play in. We'll be adding some new factions, super detailing the old ones. It is going to be great!
Mongoose_Matt - Basically, we offered Sony a complete package - war games, graphic novels and RPGs. It allows us to explore the setting in a way that has never been possible before.
Mongoose_Matt - It is going to be an _awesome_ gaming experience, for those of you who come along for the ride!
thatdarncat - Lichtenhart - 'Are you gonna take over the world?'
MongoosePaul - Not today
Mongoose_Matt - It is, however, in the Secret Plan
thatdarncat - and I think we're back to Conan - ascendance - How would you define sword and sorcery vs. high fantasy?
MongoosePaul - In brief *typing*
MongoosePaul - High Fantasy has powerful, common or extensive magic’s and magic beings, - wizards, dragons and the like are often found in every nation and usually in positions of power. Additionally, non-human 'fantastical' sentient races are common. Magic in high fantasy is also pretty reliable - spells tend to be formulaic or practiced enough to be close to that. Monsters are common opponents - griffons dot the skies etc
MongoosePaul - Sword and Sorcery (or Heroic fantasy) is more action driven. The hero's own skills are more often relied on than the magic sword at his side (assuming he had one), magic is less common, less reliable and often mistrusted or downright evil. Action, combat, danger and treasure (just for the sake of being treasure rather than to amass wealth) are some of the key features of Sword and Sorcery. While the heroes often fight hideous monsters, they're not usually along the lines of Orcs and goblins - the evilest of creatures is usually man.
thatdarncat - Silvr_Dragon - Why should people play Conan when they have a perfectly good time with D&D?
MongoosePaul - The glib answer is 'Because it's Conan' It's the original action and adventure fantasy setting. It's different to D&D, it offers things D&D doesn't have.
Mongoose_Matt - No reliance on magic items for a start
Mongoose_Matt - A chance for 'real' men and women to shine as heroes
Mongoose_Matt - Besides, you can’t just play D&D all your life (he says, eyeing up the current office campaigns). If you want to play something different but still want to stay with fantasy, Conan is your game.
MongoosePaul - Essentially, this is the game that _encourages_ you to smash down a door, carve up your nemesis, steal his jewels and get the girl. And the setting and genre support it.
Mongoose_Matt - Or get the man
Mongoose_Matt - We make no judgments or assumptions here at Mongoose!
thatdarncat -
thank you on behalf of Serithatdarncat - Vaxalon - Do you think that $50 is the maximum one can dare to charge for a game book these days?
Mongoose_Matt - Pretty much. We have had ideas for super-sized books, but they are more a collector’s thing.
thatdarncat - (we're almost out of questions here, I'm just clearing my list)
Mongoose_Matt - $50 is reasonable for the very top end of the market at the moment. Especially with the nose dive the US dollar has performed of late, but that is for another discussion!
Mongoose_Matt - Out of questions? Really? Come on chaps, you have a chance to take your best shots here
thatdarncat - Vaxalon - Isn't "Swords and Sorcery" vs. "High Fantasy" more about how the game master sets up his game, rather than the rules?
Mongoose_Matt - It can be. However, rules systems can certainly encourage people to play a certain way.
MongoosePaul - Rules can help support a genre though - Conan using high fantasy magic would jar at the setting for example.
Mongoose_Matt - For example, look at B5. Still d20, with very few rules changes. But you don't go charging around guns blazing in that!
thatdarncat - Vaxalon - Follow-up question: If "Crippled" OGC only affects a very small number of customers, why use it?
Mongoose_Matt - Besides, look at the EN World message boards - people have been crying out for S&S rules for a while now!
Mongoose_Matt - I do not believe we use crippled OGC
thatdarncat - *Bartgroks* are the campaign books geared towards a certain time in Conan’s career or are they generic in respect to when the game is set?
MongoosePaul - We don't PI the names of our feats (spells, etc.) Some of the licensed products could have some rules where aspects of the 'flavour' are PId but that's owing to the fact it's a licensed property.
MongoosePaul - The 'default' setting is after The Hour of The Dragon when Conan is King - but it's very easy to play around with the time
thatdarncat - Roaming - There was talk of 3e material being converted to 3.5, any progress on this?
Mongoose_Matt - That is a long term project and, funnily enough ties in with the collectors’ book mentioned earlier. However, any books being reprinted (like Q.Wizard recently) are being updated.
thatdarncat - *Warmaster_Horus* Since the traditional races like elves and dwarves don't exist in Hyboria, what kind of different backgrounds/races/etc do you have for players?
MongoosePaul - There are 16 major and 15 minor races in Conan
thatdarncat - o_o
Geist - 0.0
MongoosePaul - They're the human kingdoms of Hyboria, some differ only in bonus skills and preferred classes, some differ more widely (the wazuli can naturally see in the dark for example)
thatdarncat - gotchya
thatdarncat - *Neo* question for Mongoose: Any plans to ever do a Campaign setting or RPG setting of some sort that is total unique.. e.g. Scarred Lands for S&S or Freeport for GR etc..?
MongoosePaul - We'll have something unique (or several somethings to be exact) later this year
thatdarncat - woohoo
thatdarncat - *Chev* "What is your "holy Grail" of intellectual properties....what game can you then die happily after you have produced it ( besides the new one, of course)...is it Dune...is it?...say it is!"
Mongoose_Matt - It is always a topic for discussion whenever we have development meetings. But nothing sufficiently different has leapt out just yet. It really needs to be unique, in the way Dark Sun was.
Mongoose_Matt - It is Dune
Mongoose_Matt - And maybe Harry Potter.
* thatdarncat starts writing up ideas for a setting with cannibalistic Halflings
Mongoose_Matt - Oh, and Star Wars, of course.
* Geist wants someone to do Harry potter dammit
MongoosePaul - Now we've done Conan and B5 then yeah, Dune. And Harry Potter for the fun of doing it.
thatdarncat - woo Harry!
thatdarncat - ascendance - Do you have any comments on the politically incorrect, if not offensive content in the Earth Alliance
Mongoose_Matt - Indeed.
Mongoose_Matt - Only one German has ever complained about it. To him and, indeed, anyone else who was offended, I sincerely apologize. On the other hand, it also has to be accepted that any mention of race is a potentially hot topic in America in this day and age. While racism certainly exists in the UK, it is just not such a big problem (or hot button) as it is in the US.
Mongoose_Matt - That pretty much goes for the rest of Europe.
thatdarncat - And that's my last question
thatdarncat - Thanks for coming guys, you've been great as always
Mongoose_Matt - No more?
Mongoose_Matt - It has been a pleasure!
MongoosePaul - Thanks for having us and for staying up (especially the Brits) for the chat
thatdarncat - No more
I'll unmoderate the channel in a second, but first I wanted to remind everyone we're going to be having our first (in two years) DM Workshop next Thursday. Topic will be house rules, but as always bring your own questions, anything is fair gameThat's it. Hope you enjoyed it. And I just want to thank Matt and Paul from Mongoose Publishing for taking time out of their busy schedule to chat with us. It was a real pleasure. We hope to see you again real soon.
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