Thanks for your interest! Wolfgang Baur is opening up the design of a complete v3.5 adventure to the public, to create an adventure compatible with a wide range of fantasy RPG campaigns. As the author or co-author of dozens of adventures and sourcebooks for WotC, TSR, Malhavoc, Green Ronin, and others, he is offering this subscription adventure directly to fans and creating a direct feedback loop between gamers and designers.
This blog will serve as a clearinghouse for customized adventure design by Wolfgang Baur for RPG patrons. The premiere adventure in the series launched on March 22, 2006, and it will be open for commission and design input from its patrons until July 4th, or until the commission is paid for. It will be released 90 days after the commission is covered.
Your Exclusive Access to OpenDesign
Here’s how it works: as a patron, you’ll be given a complete, professional electronic copy of the adventure, written to order. Not only is the result shaped by your choices, it’s also an exclusive product, not sold through other channels. Only contributors will get a copy of the adventure; as a patron-published project, anyone who is not a member cannot buy a "back issue". Bound paper copies will be available for an additional $10 to cover low-volume production and shipping.
Once you are signed up, you'll also have access to the friends-locked discussion on the blog about the adventure content. The adventure level, title, and many other design choices will be selected by the project members.
Subscriber $5
Anyone contributing to
customadventure@comcast.net using PayPal will get a copy of the adventure, and some control over its contents as outlined here. As a basic subscriber, please indicate your preferred level for the adventure, and you will receive a complete copy when it is published. You can choose introductory (levels 1-3), low-level (4-6), medium (7-10), high (11-14), or awesome (15-18). All adventures will contain notes on scaling the adventure to other levels.
Member $10
As an Open Design member, you can choose the level range you want (as described above) and also vote on the adventure title/concept from the list below.
1. The Black Forest: Old growth and ancient magic.
2. Empire of the Ghouls: Deep underground delving.
3. The Flying Fortress: Aerial adventure suitable for any location.
4. Steam and Brass: A clockwork city-based adventure.
5. The Lost City: A lost civilization and its rich treasures.
6. The Tenth Hell: A visit to Hell and back.
7. Tomb of the Dragon King: A classic dungeon crawl, with dragon.
8. None of the Above: Details will be worked out among the patrons.
I'll be posting the running vote totals on this blog, so you can see what will be written first. If you would like to suggest a title for the next installment in the series, please consider contributing at the Patron level ($50). Please note that your vote here will roll over to the next adventure in the series.
Standard $20
You help determine both the monster list and the play style of the adventure. When you contribute using PayPal, please list two monsters from the Monster Manual or any d20 source to be included in the adventure. If your first monster suggestions must both be declined, you will be entitled to choose one set of alternates.
Please indicating your favorite play style: intense combat, puzzles and traps, heavy roleplaying, or clue-driven investigation.
Your name will appear in the adventure credits.
Patron $50
As a patron, you will have deep access to the design. Please send your choices for level, title, monsters, and style. You may also send a short, 100-word encounter description or major villain description for consideration. Your review will be requested for the final design, your name will appear in the cover credits, and you may suggest a title for the next installment in the series.
Adventure Length
The adventure will be 10,000 words long when contributions reach the $1000 greenlight mark, when design begins – current totals will be posted on the OpenDesign blog. The adventure will be edited and professionally mapped if project subscriptions reach $1500. In other words, with just 50 people signing up at the standard rate, we’re off and running. With 75, we can afford editing and better maps.
If contributions exceed those amounts, the adventure will grow longer as determined by patrons on this blog in friends-locked polls. The OpenDesign adventure will not exceed 25,000 words. Excess contributions beyond what is needed to fund design, editing, maps, and other work will be applied to defraying the costs of the second adventure.
Delivery
The project work begins as soon as the project commission is covered; it will be completed 90 days thereafter. You’ll receive monthly progress reports and may be asked for additional suggestions on this blog. Because this adventure will be commissioned by a group, you may not get all your desired elements (the most popular adventure title will be written first, for example).
You’ll never pay for more than one adventure at a time. If you want to pay for only a particular adventure title or level, please indicate this on your order, but be aware that this can mean a substantial delay of a year or more. Other adventures may (or may not) be written first, depending on which titles attract the most patrons.
Refunds
This is an experiment; designers don’t normally work this way. The project only moves forward if it reaches a greenlight level. If contributions don’t reach the greenlight level, either Wolfgang Baur will write a special, shorter adventure tailored to members’ wishes or your money will be refunded (minus any PayPal fees or costs). There is no risk.
If you have any questions, please drop me a line.
