Why did the Scarred Lands fail?

[johnsemlak]

@Nightfall: In one of the other recent Scarred Lands threads here on EN World somebody from France mentioned that the French publisher of the "Terres Balafrées" (as they are called in French), Hexagonal, will first translate further titles into French during 2005, and afterwards they want to continue with their own supplements regarding Ghelspad, like Vesh. They want to try whether this will be economically successful or not.

Can someone post links to further details/confirmation on this (in french or english)?

bump

 

[Acid_crash]

My other question about the whole line is, Why the hell did they save the best for last?

I think all the continents in the Lost Tribes of the Scarred Lands are much cooler and better than the previous two, and I think that each of them should at least get their own setting book. This book I am going to purchase just because each of these have a very different feel than the other two, at least to me, and I can even see myself running a game in one of these three lands, which I really couldn't do with the other two.

 

[Turjan]

Can someone post links to further details/confirmation on this (in french or english)?

Archibald has already confirmed this message. But, as you are so insistent, here the exact wording by Hexagonal in their newsletter from October 28:

"- Les Terres Balafrées, c'est officiel, ne seront plus développées par Sword and Sorcery. La crise du secteur d20 aux USA et la volonté de WW de se concentrer sur ses trois gammes principales ont sonné le glas de ce monde génial. Nous attendons le dernier accord pour commencer à développer nous-mêmes des suppléments ! Donc, pour l'instant, voici le programme : Mer de sang en décembre 2004, Guide des roublards et rogues en février 2005, L'héritage slaracien en mai/juin 2005, Guide des paladins et moines en septembre 2005, et VESH en novembre 2005. Si ce supplément connait un succès suffisant, ce sera le premier d'une longue série destinée à faire vivre pour longtemps le continent de Ghelspad."

That's exactly what Archibald and I mentioned in this thread .

 

[Nightfall]

Bren,

I can only do so damn much. I'm only semi-mortal. I'm not a titan nor am I a god. If I was, I'd be doing more.

Cith,

I can neither confirm or deny there will be something in the works for SL's future. Just wait and see.

FYI, I bought Strange Lands and Legacies of the Blood from DTRPG.com The latter was decent, but man...they went all out on this last one folks.

Rules for making your familiar THAT much more useful. True rituals for extraplanar (not elemental or titan spawn scion) Scion sorcerers that much more powerful. Dragon idealogy that is not only sensible it's damn cool. PLUS (and this is aimed at Trick) more stuff for your forsaken elf needs along with ACTUAL stats and stuff for Jandevos. (yeah I wish he was still dead too. But at least he looks cool.)

Overall, Strange Lands VERY good. Plus the maps are nice too.

 

[Trickstergod]

PLUS (and this is aimed at Trick) more stuff for your forsaken elf needs along with ACTUAL stats and stuff for Jandevos. (yeah I wish he was still dead too. But at least he looks cool.)

Suffice to say, this doesn't enthuse me much. Particularly since it at least sounds like reneging on that entire "The Faithful and the Forsaken was optional!" claptrap and seems to help confirm my opinion that it was only back-pedaling on Sword and Sorcery Studio's behalf after the backlash of criticism directed at it.

I'll have to see for myself, though. When I get around to browsing through it at a book store. Or read a review from someone I trust (no offense, Nightfall, but it's not unfair to say that our own tastes rarely match up).

 

[Acid_crash]

Nightfall, since you know what's in the last book, could you give a list of what new crunch is in the book. This book does look, and it sounds, really cool.

 

[Nightfall]

While the other thread about Strange Lands probably can give more details, crunch wise, revised familiar tables, some of the usual regional Pr-classes: Acoyle of the Shell: guys that study the sand tortoise of Asherak's Desert of Onn to increase their spiritual powers; Adept of the Rent Shield: Vangalite type blasters that while not completely on par with Warmage, are a very decent spellblaster; Avatar of Chaos: Like the name suggests; Unseen Eye: Specialized enforcers/assassins of the god kings. Very lawful, but don't mind killing heretics;

New Primal, Miracle and Totem feats. (Lots of those)

Plus lots of other stuff! It's all good baby!

 

[Nightfall]

ntf!= No text fool!

 

[woodelf]

I'm the same as Psion in pruchasing respects. Scarred Lands is the campaign setting I'm using but I couldn't keep up with thier release schedule. Game companies seem to think RPGers have an endless pot of money with which to buy thier stuff. Maybe if the only products I was buying were Scarred Lands ones I could have afforded it, but I was also getting D&D Miniatures and buying nappies for a new baby boy.

And thus, why, in any thread about "dead" gamelines, i always point out that i've never been turned off of game because new releases were "too slow" in coming, or there were no more new releases scheduled, but i'v given up on several game lines because there were too many releases. Maybe it's just you, me, and psion, but i suspect that the conventional wisdom that people don't buy "dead" gamelines isn't as iron-clad as some seem to think. There've got to be more of us that have a "too live" threshhold, as well as or instead of a "not live enough" threshhold.

(I hadn't bought a W:tA book for several years when they "wrapped up" the WoD, and i've since bought nearly a dozen--and only a couple of those were because of sale prices. Now that i can see what is available and know that won't change, and thus plan my purchases, i'm once again interested in the line. N.b.: i never lost interest in the game, just in buying. i think, specifically, the lack of the threat of a product being 'revised' into obsolescence is a large part of this (says the guy who hadn't even gotten to play W:tO1 before W:tO2 was released).)

 

[Nightfall]

It's not dead. Just rest.