World's Largest City [Merged]

[jdrakeh]

Who's the new line developer? If you can't say due to an NDA, I totally understand. Curious, me, since a great many WLD contributors were promised slots for writing WLC, which obviously wasn't followed through on for whatever reason.

Apparently there were some small, debatable number of copies (people that were there said everything from 5-50) available at the AEG booth, as an update.

Over on RPGNet "DougSun" (an AEG affiliate and the apparent line developer for WLC) stated that five copies of the book were available at the con and had sold out by the time he arrived.

 

[Jim Hague]

Over on RPGNet "DougSun" (an AEG affiliate and the apparent line developer for WLC) stated that five copies of the book were available at the con and had sold out by the time he arrived.

Oho. Ok, that jibes with the stuff I heard after asking around some. Thanks for posting the update, since I can't access RPG.Net these days. Interesting. I'm curious as to how well WLC stacks up against Ptolus, a book with similar price point and intent.

 

[Olaf the Stout]

Over on RPGNet "DougSun" (an AEG affiliate and the apparent line developer for WLC) stated that five copies of the book were available at the con and had sold out by the time he arrived.

They only had 5 copies at the con? How big was their print run? 20?

Olaf the Stout

 

[catsclaw227]

So..... OK.

Does this mean it is out? Is it available?

 

[Patrick O'Duffy]

They only had 5 copies at the con? How big was their print run? 20?

It's not unusual for a publisher to order a small amount of advance copies ahead of the main print run, which they can use for marketing or promotional purposes until the bulk stock arrives. We do it all the time in my day job.

(We also get a lot more than 5 advances, but we're a lot bigger than AEG.)

 

[DaveMage]

Oho. Ok, that jibes with the stuff I heard after asking around some. Thanks for posting the update, since I can't access RPG.Net these days. Interesting. I'm curious as to how well WLC stacks up against Ptolus, a book with similar price point and intent.

I don't think they should really be compared unless the WLC not only proports to be a city, but a complete campaign.

Ptolus is (currently) a unique beast.

The WLC should probably be compared to other city sourcebooks instead. Ptolus is a complete, very in-depth, campaign

 

[catsclaw227]

Ptolus is (currently) a unique beast.

And quite a special one at that. It would take quite a product to meet it's production qualities, content, and usability. Ptolus truly is a magnum opus.

That said, one can never have too many cities for their campaign. I will likely get this one.

 

[jdrakeh]

Oho. Ok, that jibes with the stuff I heard after asking around some. Thanks for posting the update, since I can't access RPG.Net these days. Interesting. I'm curious as to how well WLC stacks up against Ptolus, a book with similar price point and intent.

Here you go. . .

As to how it compares with Ptolus.... Well, Ptolus seems to be a much more self-contained product than WLC was ever really meant to be. We deliberately left a lot of ragged edges in WLC to allow the material to be included into someone else's campaign world more seamlessly, especially in terms of including hooks linking the NPCs and locations to elements that could easily exist in a range of theoretical campaign worlds outside the city's walls.

Based on the line developer's response here, I'm looking forward to WLC (even if it breaks my bank). My main issue wth Ptolus was that, without some serious handwaving, it wasn't going to be easy to drop it into any of the settings that I game in. WLC is, apparently, less a self-contained setting with its own built-in cosmology than it is a giant, generic, city sourcebook. And that's exactly what I need.

[Note: Since it has been mentioned in this thread as a possible WLC contender, CSotIO didn't quite meet my standards for "generic" either -- it has a lot of setting-specific baggage attached to it. It's an excellent product, mind you, simply an odd fit for settings that aren't the JG Wilderlands.]

 

[jdrakeh]

Given the quality of Warlords of the Accordlands I hope they release it.

Yep, WotA is easily the best realized d20 fanatsy setting that I've seen in print -- rather than simply slot in the standard PHB classes, feats, and spells, they tweaked all of those things specifically to reflect the reality of the Acoordlands setting. I've not seen too many other d20 fantasy settings that have done this (GR's Black Company and Thieve's World are contenders, but they're done on a much smaller scale).

Sadly, I traded my WotA collection after not being able to sell any local players on it for the very reasons that I think it's so fantastic (i.e., it wasn't bog standard D&D, so many people were reluctant to give it a spin). Oddly, my True20 World's Largest Dungeon campaign ended up being an easier sell. Weird

 

[Treebore]

Here you go. . .



Based on the line developer's response here, I'm looking forward to WLC (even if it breaks my bank). My main issue wth Ptolus was that, without some serious handwaving, it wasn't going to be easy to drop it into any of the settings that I game in. WLC is, apparently, less a self-contained setting with its own built-in cosmology than it is a giant, generic, city sourcebook. And that's exactly what I need.

[Note: Since it has been mentioned in this thread as a possible WLC contender, CSotIO didn't quite meet my standards for "generic" either -- it has a lot of setting-specific baggage attached to it. It's an excellent product, mind you, simply an odd fit for settings that aren't the JG Wilderlands.]

I put CSIO (original) in the Bandit Kingdoms of Greyhawk, and as one of the border cities along the western edge of the Horde Lands. I thought it was rather easy to do. Guess this falls under the "different things for different folks" category.