Why is there no talk about the Castle Keepers Guide preview?

[Keefe the Thief]

Sorry if this belongs into another forum, i really wasn't sure were to put it. But... isn't this news? I mean, it is news to me. And when i say news, i mean i can't stop laughing. You can check out the RPG.net thread here, if you want.

Let me just use one thing to bring you up to speed:

One-shot adventures are called "one night stands".

 

[JeffB]

That preview was awful. 6 years of waiting for (more) bad prose from the Trolls.

I think they are very cool folks and have the right intentions/ideas: but with all the delivery issues, editing issues, lackluster production values, and especially the "wanna-be like-but horribly fails at" Gygax writing/tone, they drove me away. The execution is awful.

They really have not improved the product quality or writing in any significant way since the Codex of Erde surfaced in 2001-ish. The current products have the same problems that book had.

 

[catsclaw227]

That preview was awful. 6 years of waiting for (more) bad prose from the Trolls.

I think they are very cool folks and have the right intentions/ideas: but with all the delivery issues, editing issues, lackluster production values, and especially the "wanna-be like-but horribly fails at" Gygax writing/tone, they drove me away. The execution is awful.

They really have not improved the product quality or writing in any significant way since the Codex of Erde surfaced in 2001-ish. The current products have the same problems that book had.

Yea, I had a hard time with a lot of the writing style that the gang at Troll Lord uses. I have a bunch of their books (and only got the original couple of C&C books, though never played it).

The only person I have heard of that plays C&C consistently is Treebore, and if he hasn't commented on it, then I am not sure what to say.

 

[pawsplay]

I like their earnestness, and I like the idea of C&C, but the they really need to hire a lead designer to clean up their mess and an editor to fix their prose. I would never buy this; I will not buy the current versions of their books. Even when I saw one at Half Price, I wasn't sure to what use I would put one of these books.

 

[MichaelSomething]

I like their earnestness, and I like the idea of C&C, but the they really need to hire a lead designer to clean up their mess and an editor to fix their prose. I would never buy this; I will not buy the current versions of their books. Even when I saw one at Half Price, I wasn't sure to what use I would put one of these books.

May I ask if you are contradicting yourself or simply allowing an exception because the product is that distasteful to you? It may simply be that bad since I also read many dis-favorable comments from some other online RPG forum that I won't name.

 

[GreyLord]

Yea, I had a hard time with a lot of the writing style that the gang at Troll Lord uses. I have a bunch of their books (and only got the original couple of C&C books, though never played it).

The only person I have heard of that plays C&C consistently is Treebore, and if he hasn't commented on it, then I am not sure what to say.

I've played it regularly. I have no problem with the prose. I have no problem with the writing. I'm not going to use 90% of the rules in the book since I don't like many of them. Luckily, the CKG is only full of optional rules.

It has some interesting ideas that I may use later. Their take on alternate magic systems has some interesting ideas.

I think this is the best type of DMG style book I've looked at since the 1e DMG, which means it's sort of a conglomerate of everything they could think of tossed in...plus the kitchen sink...but probably should have had a lot of other stuff that they didn't toss in as well.

PS: I don't think many have room to mock it's grammar. WotC, Paizo, Mongoose, FFG, or any other RPG publisher definately do not have perfect prose by any shot, most are typically mocked by their detractors. You can tell I'm no giant of prose either. I do not find the prose distracting, and that's all that counts. I have found plenty of RPG's that have distracting enough grammar to detract from my ability to understand the meaning and/or intent of the rules. I can understand a dislike or mocking of those. I don't have that problem with the CKG (or most of the rest of Trolllord games publications for that matter). I understand that some have this problem however. They are blessed to never have to look at some of the stuff I've looked at I assume (and as they say, by assuming you make an...well you know...of yourself/myself).

 

[pawsplay]

May I ask if you are contradicting yourself or simply allowing an exception because the product is that distasteful to you? It may simply be that bad since I also read many dis-favorable comments from some other online RPG forum that I won't name.

Neither. There is nothing inconsistent between what I stated in that other thread and what I am stating here. I've already read several C&C books so I have gained all the practical value I am likely to at this juncture in time. As I said, if I could, I would own one of everything. But I can't. If you like, I could say more about the utility I have gained from C&C, but a small portion of it is primarily my subjective benefit, and the rest is unflattering to the product and unlikely to add more to what has already been said.

 

[Keefe the Thief]

"Optional Rules contains optional rules for playing C&C. These rules are not necessary to play C&C but offer something many players like, options and more detail."

"Little restricts visibility in the air. Technically, the human eye can see light millions of light years away, so long as that line of sight remains free from objects or obstructions."

"The list of non-class-based NPCs is extensive and includes any NPC not based on a class."

"CKs should note that NPCs are not limited to humans and demi-humans. Monsters, deities, and even sentient magic items can all be non-player characters (but not all are—the random goblin is meant to be skewered, not interacted with)".

"Active mountain chains are replete with volcanic activity and earthquakes as the colliding plates jostle one another, shaking the earth; vents form which fill with the molten material found beneath the earth’s crust, occasionally erupting onto the surface."

I will buy the .pdf once it stops costing 32 bucks. I have to get it.

EDIT: and i am still confused: does C&C stuff belong into General or into Legacy? I've seen lots of C&C posts in Legacy, that was why i was unsure.

 

[Deepfire]

I'm currently reading the whole book - it is full of extremely useful ideas, rules and tables for C&C. I don't really care about the writing style, have bought and read worse in the past from german publishers * or in translations.

As usual with C&C books, CKG is stuffed to the limit with information, ideas for new rules and a LOT of little goodies. The only negative thing I can see is, that the combination of their old school layout and the huge mass of content hinders the localization of all the goodies in the book - a fresh layout would help here.

So, Crusaders, don't judge the content by the writing style, enjoy the load of** content and support the book gives.


(*I remember waiting years for boxes with new stuff from germany's-main-RPG, only to find the content shallow, the information duplicated from other sources and the writing style childish. More expensive, much much less content)
(**Foreign as I am, I meant load of in the meaning of "huge amount of" - NOT in his other meaning - you see me corrected and I notice that one is never to old to learn something new )

 

[Crothian]

I will buy the .pdf once it stops costing 32 bucks. I have to get it.

$32 for the PDF? Wow, is that expensive!