My latest game is FINALLY out, and I'm so stupidly pleased

[Piratecat]

Congrats for your game! Is this your first experience or did you publish other works before this one? As i am currently doing the same, i'd be really interested to hear your story!

This is my 4th (?) published full game after Owl Hoot Trail (old west meets D&D), TimeWatch (GUMSHOE time travel where you play time agents fixing history), and Wait For Me (solo journaling game). I need to write fewer words and pump games out more quickly.

 

[Piratecat]

Congrats! I can't wait to see it! I bet it's quite the moment for you, too -- there's nothing quite like holding your own new book in your hands!

I think Pelgrane forgot to put me on the pre-order list. I haven't seen the hardcover yet!

I'll grab 'em at Gen Con.

 

[Fenris-77]

Are there any plans to do an SRD for SotS? I can see a lot of great hacks there.

Edit: I'm not even sure there are any GUMSHOE SRD type things, or any OGL access. I probably could have looked that up before posting...

 

[Piratecat]

Are there any plans to do an SRD for SotS? I can see a lot of great hacks there.

Edit: I'm not even sure there are any GUMSHOE SRD type things, or any OGL access. I probably could have looked that up before posting...

I'm sure the IP will be closed, but I bet they'll add new mechanics to the SRD at some point in the next year or so.

Home

Gumshoe SRD (System Reference Document)

gumshoe-srd.com

 

[Voadam]

Sword and Sorcery in Gumshoe including stuff like mechanics for interacting with group politics sounds great.

 

[Vaslov]

Congratulations. I am very excited that my own copy showed up on Thursday night. I've been reading through this weighty tome over the weekend. Really enjoy the side bars where Emily and You step out and talk a bit about the rules playtest history, alternatives takes and comments of how the rules could reflect scenes from various pieces of fiction.

Only question I have at this point came from a review I read a while back claiming one of the working titles for the game was "Gumthews". Is this true? Inspired me to title first story I'll use with the rule set "Mighty Thews".

 

[doctorbadwolf]

This looks cool as hell.

 

[Piratecat]

Only question I have at this point came from a review I read a while back claiming one of the working titles for the game was "Gumthews". Is this true? Inspired me to title first story I'll use with the rule set "Mighty Thews".

The alternative was "Thewshoe", and no one wanted that.

My wife is still pissed I didn't keep it as GUMTHEWS, honestly. See the list of "rules for sword & sorcery" in the GM chapter for more references to mighty thews!

 

[GwaihirAgain]

Back in the early 2000s when I was writing my storyhour here at EN World, one of the locations was the city of Eversink: a highly political swamp city that was oozing with adventure. Well, maybe not "oozing." Because that's gross. But the city was always sinking into the swamp, slowly, meaning it was an iceberg of underground dungeons and lost buildings. That has since become the setting for Swords of the Serpentine, Emily Dresner's and my new GUMSHOE sword & sorcery game from Pelgrane Press. I got to toss in all the sort of stuff I love (social combat, cinematic warfare, freeform sorcery, and political manipulation). After a very long pandemic delay it is hitting peoples' doorsteps this week, and it hugely fun to see what they think.

Plus, it's pretty and built like a brick.

Ask me questions - Setting, rules, game design, swords & sorcery, the huge paper shortage right now, barbecue, anything!

View attachment 253910

Hoping to pickup a copy of this at Gen Con.

 

[Crusadius]

My copy arrived today. A mighty tome indeed, requiring mighty thews to carry.

 

[Umbran]

For folks who want a comparison.

The 5e PHB and DMG, together, come in at about 4 lbs, 15 ounces.
SotS comes in at about 4 lbs, 10 ounces.

 

[SteveC]

As someone who's been following the game's development for a long time, congratulations!

 

[Yoh-01]

For folks who want a comparison.

The 5e PHB and DMG, together, come in at about 4 lbs, 15 ounces.
SotS comes in at about 4 lbs, 10 ounces.

That's also what I liked with 13th Age = everything you need to scratch your fantasy itch in only one book.

 

[Jer]

Just got my copy in the mail today - of course I've already read it cover to cover in the PDF, but it looks so good in actual print!

 

[Umbran]

That's also what I liked with 13th Age = everything you need to scratch your fantasy itch in only one book.

I understand the economic reasons for binding it as one tome, but I actually think it makes it harder to use.

 

[Piratecat]

I understand the economic reasons for binding it as one tome, but I actually think it makes it harder to use.

That's pretty much all paper quality. It's 120,000 words shorter than TimeWatch (180K vs 300K) but a larger book, because there's an international paper and printing crisis on at the moment, and standard paper stocks just aren't available.

Unlike TimeWatch (which in retrospect should have been one main book and one book of alternate campaign frames), SotS needs to be one book. Especially when looking at the alternative, I'm really happy with the thicker paper stock. Harder to ship, though.

 

[uzirath]

Received my copy. It is, indeed, a gorgeous book. Looking forward to reading it.

 

[innerdude]

How soon before your typical FLGS will have it available for direct order through one of the usual distributors?

 

[Piratecat]

How soon before your typical FLGS will have it available for direct order through one of the usual distributors?

As far as I know, your FLGS can order it right now. The distributor in the US is IPR.

If you buy a hardcopy, make sure you get a free PDF through the Bits & Mortar program as well!

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Are there any plans to allow people to buy the PDF without the hardcopy? Living in London, I don't have space for hardcopy RPGs anymore, much as I wish I did, so I buy PDF (and similar) exclusively. It seems like this is currently hardcopy only (with free PDF for buying that), is that right?