D&D 5E Monte Cook's Ptolus Kickstarter Has Launched

This is one of MCG's luxury products - at nearly 700 pages depicting a massive, detailed fantasy city, we're looking at $150 for the book, or $40 for the PDF, either for D&D 5E or Cypher System.

Ptolus: Monte Cook's City by the Spire

Monte Cook's legendary campaign setting, updated for Fifth Edition and the Cypher System.

www.kickstarter.com

"Monte Cook’s legendary campaign setting, Ptolus, is being updated for both Fifth Edition and the Cypher System.

At 672 beautiful pages, Ptolus: Monte Cook’s City by the Spire isn’t just huge. Top-notch art and abundant cartography grace virtually every page. Innovative features make the premium-quality book uniquely easy to navigate and use. Physical and digital extras include handouts, player maps, and posters, totaling hundreds of pages. Nearly 1,000 pages in all!

And that’s not all: Most backer levels include a massive library of every single existing Ptolus product. Get the original version of Ptolus plus 26 additional PDF titles—2100 pages of content worth over $250—so you can explore the city and plan for your adventures right away."

You can also download a free 32-page introductory Player's Guide.

 

[Zaukrie]

(Hi, I'm a designer at MCG, and a player in the original Ptolus campaign, and I'll be one of the people doing the conversion from 3e to 5e and Cypher System.)

The main differences out of the gate:
• Conversion from 3e to 5e, which is no small feat. Many things have changed in the game system since 2006, so there's a lot of stuff that needs to be adapted or recreated to suit the setting and system.
• Conversion from 3e to Cypher System, which likewise is no small feat. There are entire concepts from 3e that don't exist in CS (paladins, prestige classes) and a lot of classic monsters that are used in Ptolus but don't have official CS stats (manticores, wyverns, etc.)

So if you plan on using Ptolus for 5e or CS and you're not some Reed Richards kind of genius who can convert between these game systems on the fly (which I admitted can't do), you'll want us to do the legwork for you.

That's the no-stretch-goals-unlocked version of the book. On deck for the first stretch goal is 8 pages of new art. We don't announce our other stretch goals in advance, so I can't say what other improvements, upgrades, and additional things we'll unlock during the campaign.

I was greatly amused that you felt you needed to introduce yourself! I've always loved your work.....

and thank you for replying. I'm still sitting on the fence. I did back Arcana of the Ancients, and feel these two things could be well integrated. Lots of magic, but not quite to the Eberron level. And lots of wtheck is that stuff to be found and experimented with.....

 

[CharlesRyan]

Worth pointing out that almost all the backer levels include the entire collection of existing Ptolus products. 27 titles, 2100 pages, $250+ value. That includes the original Ptolus PDF, but even if you already have that, the rest of the package is a remarkable deal. And you get it all shortly after the campaign ends, so you can be digging through it while you await the 5e/CS versions.

 

[GrissTheGnome]

I own the original and it's been on my bucket list to run since then, but I'm probably not going to buy the book in print for a second time. A stretch goal that separated out the new 5e content, from the massive bulk of book would be something for me. I'm probably not going to get it in print, but I would get something like that, useful for any game. Kind of like the Midgard Heroes Handbook. Heck you could put the players guide in that as well.

 

[Zaukrie]

Worth pointing out that almost all the backer levels include the entire collection of existing Ptolus products. 27 titles, 2100 pages, $250+ value. That includes the original Ptolus PDF, but even if you already have that, the rest of the package is a remarkable deal. And you get it all shortly after the campaign ends, so you can be digging through it while you await the 5e/CS versions.

Agreed, great deal.....of course, some of us have a lot of that already.....I wonder what I have and what I don't have.......the KS page doesn't list out the 27, right?

If you don't own this stuff already, I can't recommend it strongly enough. There is a lot of really, really, really good stuff in here.

 

[seankreynolds]

Agreed, great deal.....of course, some of us have a lot of that already.....I wonder what I have and what I don't have.......the KS page doesn't list out the 27, right?

The 27 items are listed as one of the FAQ answers, if you want to check vs what you have.

 

[Bruce Cordell]

It looks like we're off to a great start! If you wanna get involved and vote on where we'll go with future stretch goals (Dungeon, City or Spire), check out this post. I love the graphic, courtesy of Bear Weiter
Update 2: Our First Stretch Goal Is Already Unlocked! · Ptolus: Monte Cook's City by the Spire

 

[Olaf the Stout]

I own the original and it's been on my bucket list to run since then, but I'm probably not going to buy the book in print for a second time. A stretch goal that separated out the new 5e content, from the massive bulk of book would be something for me. I'm probably not going to get it in print, but I would get something like that, useful for any game. Kind of like the Midgard Heroes Handbook. Heck you could put the players guide in that as well.

I’m in this position also. I own the original Ptolus hardcover, but have not run a campaign set there. Given I’ve had the book for 14 years, but haven’t run a campaign set there, I’m not sure if it’s worth me paying $150 + shipping to get mostly the same stuff converted to 5E.

On the other hand, new shiny!

Decisions, decisions.

 

[Umbrathys]

I tend to back everything Monte Cook Games kickstarts. I‘ve yet to be disappointed . Phenomenal writing, art, production quality, imagination. And typically on time, which is astounding for most kickstarters
Backed at the 5e print level.

 

[GlassJaw]

I didn't back the original but might have to back this one...

While I'm usually not a fan of high-fantasy, and his style is not always my cup of tea, Monte is a top-notch designer and his products are always high-quality. This is essentially a must-own for RPG collectors.

 

[Morrus]

I didn't back the original but might have to back this one...

The original rather predates Kickstarter!