Maybe it is a variant Dungeon Master's Guide.
Which would be pretty cool, actually.![:]](http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png "Devious :]")
Which would be pretty cool, actually.
Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved
- Thread starter Krug
- Start date
JoeGKushner
Adventurer
Why a Revision?
1. Well, Monte is unlike some of the other publishers in that he sometimes has to have another printing. Perhaps the original is out of, or near out of print.
2. It's proven and now can be as it was 'meant' to be. Graphically improved on slick paper with full color interiors and more streamlinned with 3.5 rules.
3. It's White Wolf. With Everquest II and Warcraft becoming OGL, perhaps it's just a sign of them going like Mongoose and making people rely less on the WoTC Player's Handbook. If so, it could easily work as all three of these variants are pretty well known in the d20 crowd and not having to own a Player's Handbook and be able to use them, especially if Blizzard does some tie in ads or something, could easily work in their favor.
1. Well, Monte is unlike some of the other publishers in that he sometimes has to have another printing. Perhaps the original is out of, or near out of print.
2. It's proven and now can be as it was 'meant' to be. Graphically improved on slick paper with full color interiors and more streamlinned with 3.5 rules.
3. It's White Wolf. With Everquest II and Warcraft becoming OGL, perhaps it's just a sign of them going like Mongoose and making people rely less on the WoTC Player's Handbook. If so, it could easily work as all three of these variants are pretty well known in the d20 crowd and not having to own a Player's Handbook and be able to use them, especially if Blizzard does some tie in ads or something, could easily work in their favor.
Ankh-Morpork Guard
First Post
Except with the fuss that came up with Monte's rant against the 3.5 revision being too early, this REALLY seems like pot calling kettle black here IMO. Not that I'm not interested in this one, it just seems a bit hypocritical after all the fuss made back with the 3.5 release...JoeGKushner said:
Sorren
First Post
buzz said:Most likely true. I have a distasteful compunction to slag WW on occasion.
Though you gotta admit, it is a pretty WW thing to do.
Vampire is just now getting a revision. It's been 6 years since the last version was released.
Surely you aren't implying that WW revises their books too often. 6 years is very reasonable.
Monte At Home
Explorer
Here's basically what I just posted on my own boards:
Hey guys.
Well, I love ICv2, but they got some incorrect info, and I want you guys to hear about the real scoop (this announcement, as you can imagine, was supposed to be made on our site, and it was supposed to come about a month from now).
First off, Arcana Evolved is not a new edition of AU. Secondly, the price is not 39.99.
Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved is what I call the "Director's Cut" of Arcana Unearthed. It's 416 pages, and full color. We pulled out all the stops and got some of the best artists in the industry to lavishly illustrate it. It includes all the material from Arcana Unearthed, the Diamond Throne and even most of the Player's Guide from the screen.
Plus a lot more.
As you can imagine, it provides updates and errata. But frankly, there's not a ton of that. Arcana Evolved isn't a new edition or a revision, so there's not a lot of actual change. Arcana Evolved and Arcana Unearthed are completely compatible, in other words. Someone with one book could easily play at the same table with folks with the other.
As some of you pointed out, it's too soon for a new edition (in the sense of what new editions or revisions imply to rpgs), and I agree. In fact, I'll tell you right now that I don't forsee doing a new edition of the system. There just isn't that much I would do differently. So if you're happy with your copy of Arcana Unearthed as it is, then so be it. We plan to release the important errata and clarifications for free (it mostly just comes from answered questions on the boards, really).
So, other than a really great visual presentation and all the information gathered together, why would you want this book? Well, like an "expanded, deluxe, director's cut version" of a movie, it doesn't change things so much as just add new material.
For example, it delves into "epic" level territory, taking each class above 20th level. It provides additional racial levels for every race (although there's a twist involved, and I'm going to save that surprise for later). It has a whole new class, a whole new race, and a whole new subsystem involving combat maneuvers that come in the form of battle ceremonies. It has new Champion types, a new totem warrior type, and a new witch manifestation. It has a lot of new equipment, spells (including new spells for above 20th level play), new feats, new monsters and new magic items, as well as a few more prestige classes (remember, the Diamond Throne material is all in here now as well). It also opens up new details about the world of the Diamond Throne and gives a new look at one of the settings more enigmatic creatures--the dragons.
If some of this stuff sounds kinda familiar, it should. It's almost all stuff that fans have asked for. Mostly right here in these forums.
To step away from the marketing hype and content teasing, however, let me just tell you this, from me to you. I call this book my "director's cut" because it's the book I always wanted Arcana Unearthed to be. It's not that I don't love the way Arcana Unearthed came out, but this material and the concept of the variant player's handbook has always been an important one to me and now that I've seen that the ideas within it have appealed to so many others, I want to really put it all together in an amazing package with a lot of great material that just couldn't fit into it when it was PH-sized and priced.
If you already have Arcana Unearthed, do you have to buy Arcana Evolved? No. Arcana Unearthed is still a great game, and as I previously mentioned, the two books are fully compatible. But it all goes back to what I was saying about “more.” If you’re an Arcana Unearthed player and you crave more—more of everything that is AU, really—and you want to have all this material in a full-color, complete volume, you’re going to want to get Arcana Evolved.
The price for this giant, full-color book will be 49.99.
You'll be getting a lot more information in coming months. Like with Arcana Unearthed, I'll be doing a series of design diaries on our site that focuses mainly on the new material the book contains. And I'll be giving you more info on why it's called "Evolved" and what that has to do with dragons.
Hey guys.
Well, I love ICv2, but they got some incorrect info, and I want you guys to hear about the real scoop (this announcement, as you can imagine, was supposed to be made on our site, and it was supposed to come about a month from now).
First off, Arcana Evolved is not a new edition of AU. Secondly, the price is not 39.99.
Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved is what I call the "Director's Cut" of Arcana Unearthed. It's 416 pages, and full color. We pulled out all the stops and got some of the best artists in the industry to lavishly illustrate it. It includes all the material from Arcana Unearthed, the Diamond Throne and even most of the Player's Guide from the screen.
Plus a lot more.
As you can imagine, it provides updates and errata. But frankly, there's not a ton of that. Arcana Evolved isn't a new edition or a revision, so there's not a lot of actual change. Arcana Evolved and Arcana Unearthed are completely compatible, in other words. Someone with one book could easily play at the same table with folks with the other.
As some of you pointed out, it's too soon for a new edition (in the sense of what new editions or revisions imply to rpgs), and I agree. In fact, I'll tell you right now that I don't forsee doing a new edition of the system. There just isn't that much I would do differently. So if you're happy with your copy of Arcana Unearthed as it is, then so be it. We plan to release the important errata and clarifications for free (it mostly just comes from answered questions on the boards, really).
So, other than a really great visual presentation and all the information gathered together, why would you want this book? Well, like an "expanded, deluxe, director's cut version" of a movie, it doesn't change things so much as just add new material.
For example, it delves into "epic" level territory, taking each class above 20th level. It provides additional racial levels for every race (although there's a twist involved, and I'm going to save that surprise for later). It has a whole new class, a whole new race, and a whole new subsystem involving combat maneuvers that come in the form of battle ceremonies. It has new Champion types, a new totem warrior type, and a new witch manifestation. It has a lot of new equipment, spells (including new spells for above 20th level play), new feats, new monsters and new magic items, as well as a few more prestige classes (remember, the Diamond Throne material is all in here now as well). It also opens up new details about the world of the Diamond Throne and gives a new look at one of the settings more enigmatic creatures--the dragons.
If some of this stuff sounds kinda familiar, it should. It's almost all stuff that fans have asked for. Mostly right here in these forums.
To step away from the marketing hype and content teasing, however, let me just tell you this, from me to you. I call this book my "director's cut" because it's the book I always wanted Arcana Unearthed to be. It's not that I don't love the way Arcana Unearthed came out, but this material and the concept of the variant player's handbook has always been an important one to me and now that I've seen that the ideas within it have appealed to so many others, I want to really put it all together in an amazing package with a lot of great material that just couldn't fit into it when it was PH-sized and priced.
If you already have Arcana Unearthed, do you have to buy Arcana Evolved? No. Arcana Unearthed is still a great game, and as I previously mentioned, the two books are fully compatible. But it all goes back to what I was saying about “more.” If you’re an Arcana Unearthed player and you crave more—more of everything that is AU, really—and you want to have all this material in a full-color, complete volume, you’re going to want to get Arcana Evolved.
The price for this giant, full-color book will be 49.99.
You'll be getting a lot more information in coming months. Like with Arcana Unearthed, I'll be doing a series of design diaries on our site that focuses mainly on the new material the book contains. And I'll be giving you more info on why it's called "Evolved" and what that has to do with dragons.
Ankh-Morpork Guard
First Post
Thanks for the info, Monte!
There go my worries about a revision, and my interest is now peaked. If only for Dragon info!
There go my worries about a revision, and my interest is now peaked. If only for Dragon info!
DM_Jeff
Explorer
Evolved
I'm really glad Monte came on and explained all this. From the second I opened my AU at GenCon 2003 I have wondered why it wasn't full color. This sounds like a nifty book, and I'll be picking this up no problem!
>>And I haven't even had time to use my Arcana Unearthed yet, dammit!
On the other side, I really have to thank the S&S folks for helping my gaming budget! Since I have all the Warcraft and Everquest products up till now, I shall cease supporting both lines so I can one day play what I have instead of shrugging and shelling out more bucks for revisions I don't agree were needed. Thanks again, guys!
-DM Jeff
I'm really glad Monte came on and explained all this. From the second I opened my AU at GenCon 2003 I have wondered why it wasn't full color. This sounds like a nifty book, and I'll be picking this up no problem!
>>And I haven't even had time to use my Arcana Unearthed yet, dammit!
On the other side, I really have to thank the S&S folks for helping my gaming budget! Since I have all the Warcraft and Everquest products up till now, I shall cease supporting both lines so I can one day play what I have instead of shrugging and shelling out more bucks for revisions I don't agree were needed. Thanks again, guys!
-DM Jeff
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