Monte Cook Games’ Next Kickstarter Is Ptolus (for 5E and Cypher)

Monte Cook Games’ February Kickstarter (they tend to operate on about two per year) is Monte Cook’s massive city setting Ptolus. It will be available for both D&D 5E and for their own Cypher System.

The original was a nearly 700-page book which came out in 2006.

“The critically-acclaimed Ptolus: Monte Cook’s City by the Spire is a 672-page hardcover with additional physical and digital content and premium production values. It details the fantasy city of Ptolus, an adventurer’s haven built atop vast underground dungeons and adjacent to a massive, mysterious spire. The book is lavishly illustrated and contains scores of detailed maps, along with uncountable NPCs, creatures, locations, and items. The original printing sold out upon release, and is one of the most highly sought-after RPG titles on the collector’s market. It has since been available as a print-on-demand title, but in a two-book format that lacks premium features.

The new Ptolus will release in two versions: one for 5e, and another for the Cypher System. The book will follow the format of the original as closely as possible, and retain all of its premium design features. The Ptolus Kickstarter campaign launches in February.”

 

[Aldarc]

I'm happy that Green Ronin has been able to make a go of their Fantasy AGE system, but man, I would grab a 5E Blue Rose campaign setting book -- or even just a system neutral one, like the Freeport book they released back in the 4E era -- in a heartbeat.

I respectfully disagree. I don't see Blue Rose working as well in 5e as it does in AGE, as it would likely require as big of a move from as Blue Rose was from 3e to True20 in order to work. Although AGE is a 3d6 system, you can nevertheless see a lot of familiar design DNA between AGE and True20.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I respectfully disagree. I don't see Blue Rose working as well in 5e as it does in AGE, as it would likely require as big of a move from as Blue Rose was from 3e to True20 in order to work. Although AGE is a 3d6 system, you can nevertheless see a lot of familiar design DNA between AGE and True20.

I think there's a great argument to be made that some settings demand their own rules. I'm not sure that Blue Rose is one of them, though. It needs a new race or three, some new spells -- or even a new spellcasting class or two -- but I think it's probably still close enough to D&D to work.

But I'm not a Blue Rose expert, and I defer to those with more knowledge of that setting.

 

[Olaf the Stout]

You're doing a good job Whizbang Dustyboots of getting me off the fence and on the Ptolus train for a second time.

 

[Aldarc]

I think there's a great argument to be made that some settings demand their own rules. I'm not sure that Blue Rose is one of them, though. It needs a new race or three, some new spells -- or even a new spellcasting class or two -- but I think it's probably still close enough to D&D to work.

But I'm not a Blue Rose expert, and I defer to those with more knowledge of that setting.

Blue Rose was designed primarily by Steve Kenson and Jeremy Crawford. Blue Rose has two versions: True20 and AGE. The magic system and level of magic is intentionally different from D&D. Hence why the original Blue Rose wasn’t just slapped onto 3e. It reduced all classes to three: adept, expert, and warrior. It completely threw out D&D magic. An Adept picked powers that they could cast at-will, but required a successful skill check to either cast or avoid fatigue. But these powers were meant to evoke romantic fantasy. The suite of powers was more restrained and subtle: psychic, divination, psychosomatic meditation, elemental shaping, and animism. Could it work? Yeah, but you are definitely understating the amount of labor it would take to rewrite Blue Rose to work.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Blue Rose was designed primarily by Steve Kenson and Jeremy Crawford. Blue Rose has two versions: True20 and AGE. The magic system and level of magic is intentionally different from D&D. Hence why the original Blue Rose wasn’t just slapped onto 3e. It reduced all classes to three: adept, expert, and warrior. It completely threw out D&D magic. An Adept picked powers that they could cast at-will, but required a successful skill check to either cast or avoid fatigue. But these powers were meant to evoke romantic fantasy. The suite of powers was more restrained and subtle: psychic, divination, psychosomatic meditation, elemental shaping, and animism. Could it work? Yeah, but you are definitely understating the amount of labor it would take to rewrite Blue Rose to work.

True20 is a stripped down version of D20, based on the work done on Mutants & Masterminds. (Adept, Expert and Warrior are literally the D20 NPC classes from the DMG/SRD.)

True20 material remains broadly compatible with D20. A lot of True20 is the same as D20, but often with just sweeping away conventions to expose the systems underneath -- stats running from 3 to 18 are traditional, for instance, but what really matters are the bonuses they give to rolls.

At most, a 5E Blue Rose would have new classes, as I stated, with their own system of magic.

 

[Aldarc]

True20 is a stripped down version of D20, based on the work done on Mutants & Masterminds. (Adept, Expert and Warrior are literally the D20 NPC classes from the DMG/SRD.)

True20 material remains broadly compatible with D20. A lot of True20 is the same as D20, but often with just sweeping away conventions to expose the systems underneath -- stats running from 3 to 18 are traditional, for instance, but what really matters are the bonuses they give to rolls.

Respectfully, I am acutely aware of all of this as True20 was my primary TTRPG of choice in the 3.5Era.

At most, a 5E Blue Rose would have new classes, as I stated, with their own system of magic.

My reading of your statement was that Blue Rose 5e would be the 5e PHB plus some new classes with "some new spells -- or even a new spellcasting class or two" with the pre-existing magic system, so pardon me if I didn't read the idea of "their own system of magic," which seems absent in your original statement.

I'm still not entirely sure the extent to which a 5e True20 would work.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Honestly, I just wish everyone would do systemless setting books. In my recent purge of RPG materials I no longer use -- which I turned into sweet, sweet store credit for stuff that I will -- Green Ronin's Pirate's Guide to Freeport made the cut, since it will be usable in 6E or Pathfinder 3E or whatever else comes down the pike in the future.

 

[Aldarc]

Honestly, I just wish everyone would do systemless setting books. In my recent purge of RPG materials I no longer use -- which I turned into sweet, sweet store credit for stuff that I will -- Green Ronin's Pirate's Guide to Freeport made the cut, since it will be usable in 6E or Pathfinder 3E or whatever else comes down the pike in the future.

That seems like a nice idea. You can present a complete book that has the rules and the setting material, but also include a (free) setting book that is the setting material to the side. Doesn't Primeval Thule also do this?

 

[jaycrockett]

However, it is lacking in random tables and I would argue use-abilty...

I'm guessing you already knew this, but for the other people's sake, the extras for Ptolus included a 6 page, 300+ item random encounter list that had a matrix of results based on the quarter of the city and the time of day.