From the Guy Who Started It All

Friday, June 29, 2007

While there was much debate over which of the fun and historically significant books in our Planet Stories line should take the crucial first few slots, picking the lead-off hitter was easy. As the internationally recognized father of fantasy gaming, Gary Gygax has done more to help advance and establish the modern concept of "fantasy" than almost any other figure, placing him alongside such notables as J. R. R. Tolkien in terms of historical impact. Yet for all that, surprisingly few people have ever read Gygax's original fiction. When the chance arose for us to republish several of his novels, we leapt at the chance.

In the first of these books, The Anubis Murders, Gygax opens the doors on an eerily familiar medieval world, a world of warring wizards and murderous intrigue that stretches from the pyramids of ancient Ægypt to the mist-shrouded cities of Avillonia. Someone is murdering and blackmailing the world's most powerful sorcerers, and the trail of blood leads straight to Anubis, the solemn god known by most as the Master of Jackals. Enter Magister Setne Inhetep, personal philosopher-wizard to the Pharaoh, and his beautiful and deadly bodyguard Rachelle. Can Setne use his magic and supreme powers of deduction to untangle the mystery before he himself becomes the next victim?

The Anubis Murders hits shelves everywhere this August, beginning with a promotion at Paizo's GenCon booth which will feature Gary Gygax himself, meeting and mingling with those who carry on his legacy. So pick up a copy, sit back, and see the world of fantasy through the eyes of the master.

James Sutter
Editor, Planet Stories

The Dragon Awakens

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Four brave adventurers have stolen from the Riddling Dragon's Hoard, the last one barely escaping with his life. Now the beast is awake and flying to a store near you for vengeance. Dragon's Trove has been released and you should be seeing it in your local game shop within the next week or so. As promised, here is the complete set list for the GameMastery Item Cards Dragon's Trove set.

01 Banded Mail 02 Chain Shirt 03 Crystal Armor 04 Dragonhide 05 Dragonplate 06 Dragonscale 07 Plate Mail 08 Spiked Half-Plate 09 Splint Mail 10 Studded Leather 11 Dragon Shield 12 Tower Shield 13 Wooden Shield 14 Bastard Sword 15 Crossbow 16 Dagger 17 Darts 18 Falchion 19 Fang Dagger

20 Glaive 21 Greataxe 22 Hammer 23 Javelin 24 Kukri 25 Lance 26 Longbow 27 Longsword 28 Longsword 29 Morningstar 30 Pick 31 Pistol 32 Rapier 33 Short bow 34 Short sword 35 Shuriken 36 Potion 37 Potion 38 Potion

39 Potion 40 Potion 41 Potion 42 Potion 43 Potion 44 Potion 45 Potion 46 Potion 47 Ring 48 Ring 49 Ring 50 Ring 51 Ring 52 Scroll 53 Scroll 54 Scroll 55 Scroll 56 Scroll

57 Scroll 58 Scroll 59 Scroll 60 Scroll 61 Scroll 62 Rod 63 Rod 64 Staff 65 Staff 66 Staff 67 Staff 68 Wand 69 Wand 70 Wand 71 Wand 72 Wand 73 Wand 74 Wand

75 Wand 76 Wand 77 Wand 78 Amulet 79 Belt 80 Book 81 Bowl 82 Box 83 Bracelet 84 Circlet 85 Cloak 86 Coin 87 Crown 88 Gemstone 89 Gemstone 90 Gloves 91 Goblet 92 Goggles

93 Harp 94 Hat 95 Headband 96 Helm 97 Horn 98 Key 99 Lamp 100 Mirror 101 Necklace 102 Orb 103 Panpipes 104 Pendant 105 Periapt 106 Scarab 107 Scepter 108 Statue 109 Torch 110 Vestments

Week 4 Winner: Congratulations to Chris Cumming, who correctly answered the Riddling Dragon's question with "52.5," which happened to be the exact number we were looking for (although we accepted any answer between 50 and 55). Chris scored a free deck of Dragon's Trove. For those of you who might not have puzzled it out, the town we were heading for was Wolf's Ear, with a distance of roughly 315 miles between it and Urglin. Note that a wyvern can fly 6 miles per hour at an ordinary pace.

That wraps up our previews of this set. Next month, we'll preview some of the cards from the next Item Card set, Elements of Power.

Jason Bulmahn
GameMastery Brand Manager

Falcon's Hollow

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

In celebration of the release of the free PDF of GameMastery Module D0: Hollow's Last Hope, the start of our Module Subscription Service, and the eminent release of D1: Crown of the Kobold King, we thought it was high time that we gave you some information about the small town featured in both modules: Falcon's Hollow. For more information, make sure to check out the appendix in Crown of the Kobold King.

Falcon's Hollow makes an excellent base of operations for a party of PCs seeking adventure in Darkmoon Vale and the dungeons beneath Droskar's Crag. In addition, the schemes of crooked politicians, lumber tycoons, and flesh-peddling crime bosses in Falcon's Hollow offer a breadth of opportunities for conflict and action. The party may become embroiled in local politics as this fledgling settlement grows and factions arise who seek a formal government in hopes of throwing off the crushing yoke of the Lumber Consortium. Additionally, the party may become involved in religious struggles between various sects devoted to all manner of strange deities, some merely against the grain of common theocracy, others downright evil and bent on corrupting the souls of the simple folk who call the Hollow home. Finally, crime is one of the largest sources of revenue in town, and gangs of organized thugs engage in every illicit activity imaginable. Good heroes residing in Falcon's Hollow won't go long without rubbing these syndicates the wrong way, and the PCs may be swept up in street wars with local criminals before they even have the chance to venture into the Vale and seek their fortunes.

Places of Note:

Church of Iomedae: With all the downtrodden to preach to in Falcon's Hollow, missionaries of Iomedae, Goddess of Valor and Justice, have established a foothold in town. Many other religious sects who fled to the Hollow to escape the Church of Light's persecution resent Iomedae's followers, and tensions run high between congregations, often resulting in less-than-holy brawls on the muddy thoroughfares of Worship Way.

Goose'n'Gander: The local general store in Falcon's Hollow is run by the only gnome resident, named Brickasnurd Hildrinsocks, who sells everything from standard amenities such as grain, lamp oil, ink, and mining supplies to such rare oddities as alchemist's fire, antitoxin, a fat petrified pseudo-dragon, and stuffed nixies (all the rage this season).

Hollow Tribunal: This is where the diminutive halfling Magistrate Vamros Harg dispenses merchant licenses, stamps mining and lumber claims, and passes judgment on criminal and civil cases. Most Falconers enjoy the irony of the Hollow Tribunal's name, since the justice meted out there is rarely equitable. The fact that Harg is firmly in Gavel Thuldrin's pocket is well known, but rarely uttered in public by those who value their lives.

The Sitting Duck: Located a little too close to the town palisade for many folks' comfort, the Duck is the local hotspot for adventurers, explorers, and other rapscallions looking for adventure. The tavern serves a potent local brew of fermented darkwood leaf that can floor an ogre in a few tankards. Raucous games of "knivesies" and "mig-a-mug-tug," two dangerous local recreational activities, both with a high rate of maiming injury, often rage late into the night. Many adventurers share tales of Darkmoon Vale and information on Droskar's Crag, and other surrounding locations can be gleaned here for the price of a mug of ale.

Jason Bulmahn
GameMastery Brand Manager

"Burnt Offerings" Ships to the Printer!

Monday, June 25, 2007

Now that the first volume of Pathfinder is out the door to the printer, take a few moments to check out this gorgeous sample spread (284KB PDF), pulled from one of the volume's supplementary pieces on ancient Thassilon. And remember—there are 94 more pages where these came from...

James Sutter
Assistant Editor, Pathfinder

Free RPG Day is Tomorrow!

Friday, June 22, 2007

Tomorrow, June 23rd, is the first annual Free RPG Day, where you can stop by your local game store and pick up a free product. As mentioned in the post from April 24th, you can pick up the very first GameMastery Module, D0: Hollow's Last Hope tomorrow as part of this exciting event.

Hollow's Last Hope is a prequel to D1: Crown of the Kobold King and covers much of the lead-up to that adventure, taking brand-new 1st-level characters up to 2nd level and getting them ready for the challenges the kobold king has in store. The adventure also features a plot that allows it to be run as a stand-alone event. Here is some of the text from the back cover:

The Town of Falcon's Hollow Needs a Miracle
The plague has come to the town of Falcon's Hollow, and not even the town's priest can abate its wretched course. With the coughs of the sick and the wails of the dying echoing through town, the local herbalist uncovers a cure, but she needs some brave heroes to retrieve the ingredients. Finding the cure means risking the dangerous Darkmoon Vale, infiltrating a witch's haunted hut, and delving the ruins of an abandoned dwarven monastery.

Due to its smaller size, Hollow's Last Hope does not include pregenerated characters. We wanted to make sure you could run the adventure as part of Free RPG Day festivities, though, so to help on that end, we've put together four ready-to-play PCs. You can download a PDF of these PCs right here.

To find a game store near you that is sponsoring the event, go to freeRPGday.com. If you miss out on Free RPG Day, but still want to get your hands on the module, you can order a physical copy through our store (for a small fee) or you can download it as a free pdf starting Monday.

Jason Bulmahn
GameMastery Brand Manager

Rob the Dragon's Trove, Week 4

Thursday, June 21, 2007

The Riddling Dragon's hoard has been plundered three times now, and he grows restless. Soon he might wake. Not surprisingly, his riddles have grown incredibly difficult. Dragon's Trove—the next set in the GameMastery Item Card line—is due to release soon, and in anticipation we are showing off the set and giving you a chance to score a free deck of cards.

The Riddling Dragon has asked one question each week, and this is the last. Answer it correctly and get entered into a drawing to win a free deck of Dragon's Trove Item Cards, shipped to you when the set releases. Answer incorrectly and your entry will be burned to a crisp. Just send an email with your answer, your name, and your paizo.com screen name to contest@paizo.com. Make sure to put the phrase "Dragon's Trove Contest 4" in the subject line of the email.

Last week, I mentioned that I would show off some cards everyone has been waiting for. What I meant was that I would show of some items that have been near the top of the list of items not yet represented. Adding the 110 cards from Dragon's Trove, there are now about 400 unique cards in the Item Card line. Some of the items in this set, such as the glaive, goggles, hat, and kukri, have been a long time in the coming and frequently asked for by fans. Next week, we'll announce the last winner and post a complete set list.

Week 4 Riddle: Assuming you started your journey in Urglin and went south, you would run into a river. By boat, you might travel down this river, making your way down a steep drop before proceeding on through a large lake. After the lake, you might head down the same river for almost 100 miles before venturing north by boat to continue through another body of water. On the north edge of this lake is a small town. If a wyvern flies at an ordinary pace directly between Urglin and this town, how many hours will it take to make this journey?

Here is a hint: The answer can be found in one of our blog posts and in your 3rd grade math book. All answers for the Week 4 riddle are due by 12:01 PM Pacific Standard Time on Thursday, June 28th. Good Luck!

Week 3 Winner: Congratulations to Todd Johnston, who correctly answered the Riddling Dragon's question with "7" and scored a free deck of Dragon's Trove.

Jason Bulmahn
GameMastery Brand Manager

First Look at Pathfinder

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Pathfinder #1 and the Rise of the Runelords Player's Guide ship this week, and as such, we thought it a good time to unveil a sample spread from the guide. Presented here for your perusal are two pages full of new animals, local takes on the core classes, and a full chart detailing all of the core gods of our setting. So what are you waiting for? Click the image to download a full-size version and dig in!

James Sutter
Assistant Editor, Pathfinder

GameMastery Module Subscriptions

Friday, June 15, 2007

You asked for it and we deliver. GameMastery Module Subscriptions are now available.

Starting today, you can sign up for an ongoing subscription and ensure that you don't miss out on a single sneaky kobold king, forgotten vale, or sinful sword. Sign up now and once D1: Crown of the Kobold King releases, it will be shipped to your door and you'll be able to download a PDF of the adventure (an $8.99 value) for free. The subscription continues with W1: Conquest of Bloodsworn Vale next month, and D2: Seven Swords of Sin in August. Each module includes a free PDF and your choice of shipping options.

Now for a couple of conditions. The ongoing module subscriptions are at the normal cover price, but soon you will be able to combine shipping with your Pathfinder subscription to save a few bucks. You will even be able to choose which one waits each month until the other is ready to ship. If you want your Pathfinder right away, it will ship with the previous month's module, or you can choose the opposite. Look for these options in the coming weeks (although you can sign up now and make your choices later). Note that this subscription does not include D0: Hollow's Last Hope due to extremely limited supply (although you can score a copy at Free RPG Day on June 23rd, check out www.freeRPGday.com for further details).

We want to send 32-pages of evil to your mailbox every month. All you have to do is ask.

Jason Bulmahn
GameMastery Brand Manager

Rob the Dragon's Trove, Week 3

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Two have now taken from the Riddling Dragon's hoard. Such disturbances might wake him, and his riddles grow more troubling as a result. Dragon's Trove—the next set in the GameMastery Item Card line—is due to release soon, and in anticipation we are showing off the set and giving you a chance to score a free deck of cards.

Each week, the Riddling Dragon will ask one question. Answer it correctly and get entered into a drawing to win a free deck of Dragon's Trove Item Cards, shipped to you when the set releases. Answer incorrectly and your entry will be burned to a crisp. Just send an email with your answer, your name, and your paizo.com screen name to contest@paizo.com. Make sure to put the phrase "Dragon's Trove Contest 3" in the subject line of the email.

This week, I promised we would take a look at the riches hiding in the dragon's hoard. There are a lot of cards in this set that look quite a bit more valuable than just simple magic items. When ordering these cards, we asked for a lot of them to "gem encrusted" and made from precious metals. To show off this wealthy set, take a look at the ring, scroll, lamp, and harp cards. Next week, we'll take a look at the cards that everyone has been waiting for.

Week 3 Riddle: What would a dark talon hunter need to roll in order to successfully save against Kerrdremak's burning hands spell?

Week 2 Winner: Congratulations to Franz Lunzer who correctly answered the Riddling Dragon's question with "Horses and Dogs" and scored a free deck of Dragon's Trove.

Here is a hint: The answer can be found in one of our blog posts. All answers for the Week 3 Riddle are due by 12:01 PM Pacific Standard Time on Thursday, June 21st. Good Luck!

Jason Bulmahn
GameMastery Brand Manager

The Sandpoint Devil

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

The real world is a great resource for monsters. Many of the game's critters come from real-world myth and legend, but one venue that seems to have been largely ignored are cryptozoological accounts. I'm talking about Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster, of course, but also about more obscure creatures like the hodag, Mokele-Mbembe, and the Yowie. And, of course, the Jersey Devil, the inspiration for one of Pathfinder's first new monsters. Rumors and legends of a rarely seen but terrible monster have preyed upon the fears of Sandpoint's populace for decades. The rumors listed below comprise the most common—though oft-conflicting—tales regarding the famed Sandpoint devil.

Bad Omen: It's bad luck to see the Sandpoint devil. Any who do are cursed to suffer an ill fate. Before tragedies, murders, and shipwrecks, it's said the devil flies unseen by all but the doomed through the night sky.

Devil-Spawned: The Sandpoint devil is the son of a widow named Agatha Leeds, a woman who used to live north of town and was said to practice dark magics and consort with evil beings. When she wandered into town round with child, she ignored all questions about her pregnancy. Weeks later, her home was found reduced to cinders with its mysterious owner missing. It wasn't long thereafter that the first sightings of the Sandpoint devil began.

Disappearances: Evidence of Sandpoint devil sightings often disappears before it can be examined. Tracks, bitten animals, weapons dripping with its blood, and similar such evidence simply vanish, no matter how well watched or guarded. In fact, even those who have sought to catch or kill the Sandpoint devil have disappeared without a trace, both during their hunts and in the weeks after returning home from a failed attempt.

Fire Starter: Paintings and reports of the Sandpoint devil mysteriously catch on fire, sometimes burning entire homes to the ground.

Immortal Protector: Some Varisians claim they Sandpoint devil has lived along the Lost Coast for thousands of years, and that it protects the coast's resources from those who seek to exploit the land. Its modern misdeeds are merely its way of fending off the most recent encroachment of civilization.

One of Many: The Sandpoint devil is sometimes seen in the company of other local legends and spooks, most commonly a white stag, the ghost of a young girl, and a zombie with missing feet.

James Jacobs
Editor-in-Chief, Pathfinder

Making the Most of Map Packs

Monday, June 11, 2007

We've been doing GameMastery Map Packs for a while now. They started out as a way for us to give you full-color, miniatures-scale maps that you could arrange and set up however you like. While they still fulfill that function, we're always looking for ways to improve upon them to give you more great maps.

The upcoming set Map Pack: Sewers is just one example of what we're trying to do. This set of eighteen 8" x 5" tiles (set to release later this month) is probably the most adaptable set of tiles to date. Using sewer corridors of various sizes, dead-ends, corners, and a host of other grime-filled passages, this set can be set up in dozens of different combinations. We made sure the artist, the incredibly talented Corey Macourek, gave us maps that not only set up some interesting chambers, but also allowed for as much flexibility as possible.

Just take a look at these sample tiles from the set, and prepare your group for a whole new (and honestly, rather disgusting) journey.

Jason Bulmahn
GameMastery Brand Manager

Sandpoint

Friday, June 8, 2007

Last week we showed you the map of Varisia, the region in which the Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path takes place. This week, we're zooming in to focus on Sandpoint, the quaint fishing town that provides the backdrop for the first adventure in the path, "Burnt Offerings." See if you can spot which street names and city features were snatched wholesale from Editor-in-Chief James Jacobs's childhood!

James Sutter
Assistant Editor, Pathfinder

Rob the Dragon's Trove, Week 2

Thursday, June 7, 2007

One brave adventurer has already stolen from the Riddling Dragon's hoard. Will you be next, or will his mighty fires burn you to a crisp? Dragon's Trove—the next set in the GameMastery Item Card line—is due to release soon, and in anticipation we're showing off the set and giving you a chance to score a free deck of cards.

Each week, the Riddling Dragon will ask one question. Answer it correctly and get entered into a drawing to win a free deck of Dragon's Trove Item Cards, shipped to you when the set releases. Answer incorrectly and your entry will be burned to a crisp. Just send an email with your answer, your name, and your paizo.com screen name to contest@paizo.com. Make sure to put the phrase "Dragon's Trove Contest 2" in the subject line of the email.

This week, I promised a look at some of the more "scaly" cards of the set, and by that I meant items with an obvious dragon theme. Take a gander at the dragonhide, fang dagger, scroll, and scepter cards. Each one of these scaly cards (and there are many more) is either made from dragons or sculpted to look like one. Next week, we'll see what riches hide in the slumbering wyrm's vast mound of loot.

Week 2 Riddle: What two animals are hated by all of goblinkind?

Week 1 Winner: Congratulations to Kevin Maschler who correctly answered the Riddling Dragon's question with "Merlokrep" and scored a free deck of Dragon's Trove.

Here's a hint: The answer to this week's riddle can be found in one of our blog posts. All answers for the Week 2 Riddle are due by 12:01 PM Pacific Standard Time on Thursday, June 14th. Good Luck!

Jason Bulmahn
GameMastery Brand Manager

Humans of Varisia

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

As mentioned in previous blog posts, the Varisian region contains three prominent human ethnicities:

Chelaxian: Monument-haunted Magnimar and imperial-minded Korvosa vie for control of southern Varisia. In these cities and the numerous vassal settlements of each, the majority of the populace can trace their ancestry to the sharp-featured people of Cheliax. Those of Chelish descent possess dark hair and eyes contrasted by pale skin—along with a taste for artistic fineries and high art.

Shoanti: Across the northeastern reaches of Varisia, the seven ardent tribes of the Shoanti make their homes. A turbulent people adhering to traditions unchanged in hundreds of years, these natives live harsh lives, preying upon predators and eking what they can from an unforgiving land.

Varisian: Passionate and fiercely independent, Varisians (shown in the sketch presented here) lend their name to their homeland. While these clannish wanderers can be found in many lands, nowhere are larger populations found than in the land of their ancestors.

Insular and adhering to an ancient, nomadic way of life, extended families of Varisians form wandering communities, traveling wherever fate directs them. Varisians don't believe in claiming land and thus see no hardship in their nomadic lifestyle. While nature provides for most of their needs, these wanderers often visit the cities and towns of settled people to trade art and curios from their travels, earn coin by entertaining and performing small jobs, and sometimes to con and steal from the unwary—a practice indulged often enough to make Varisians widely distrusted and unwelcome by those not of their society.

The typical Varisian possesses deep olive skin and hair that ranges from black to auburn, often worn long by both men and women. Customary tattooing leads most to exhibit complex patterns and symbols significantly different from those worn by the Shoanti who share their homeland. As wanderers and often entertainers, Varisian dress tends toward extremes, from functional garb fit for traveling to wildly impractical dress meant to accentuate their dancing, exotic tattoos, and naturally fit forms.

Wesley Schneider
Associate Editor, Pathfinder

What's the Difference?

Tuesday, June 5, 2007

One question we've run into repeatedly as we introduce the new world in which both Pathfinder and the GameMastery Modules will be set is, "What makes your campaign setting different?" In order to answer that, we've asked each member of the editorial design team—collectively known as "The Pit"—what they think sets our world apart.

Erik Mona (Publisher)

"The GameMastery world will contain a wider mixture of influences that most available on the market, making it easier to find a home for the type of adventures you and your friends are interested in playing. The world doesn't come burdened with a single overarching plot or expectation of play style, but rather allows for a wide variety of campaigns. Do you feel like exploring a savage frontier? The Lands of the Linnorm Kings or the Hold of the Mammoth Lords provide perfect backdrops. Players who enjoy urban roleplaying and intrigue will be drawn to the political world of Absalom or the treacherous courts of devil-tainted Cheliax. Players interested in science fantasy will find plenty to like in the barbarian nation of Numeria, greatest of the River Kingdoms, where a powerful sovereign and his council of witches rule from the ancient ruins of a mighty vessel fallen from space. They might even get a chance to explore the green and red worlds in the heavens above. The code-phrase we've been using for development of the world beyond Varisia (and including it) is "Planet of Adventure," because it is a place meant to accommodate great campaigns. We're hoping one of them will be yours."

James Jacobs (Editor-in-Chief, Pathfinder)

"I think that the big thing for our campaign setting is the fact that, unlike most other settings, we aren't kicking things off with a line of setting books that detail regions, religions, cities, and histories of the world. We don't want to drown our readers in canon. Rather, we'll be developing our world primarily through adventures written by the best writers we can find. Each adventure in Pathfinder or the GameMastery line can serve double-duty, because once you've run the adventure, there'll remain parts in there that you can use to expand your own campaign world, be it details of a city, a new monster, a haunted forest, a new religion, or whatever. Sooner or later we'll certainly have enough material to cull from the adventures that we'll be able to produce a setting book or something like that, but it won't have been designed in a vacuum. Everything in our campaign world will evolve out of things that are already adventures, rather than evolve from ideas that then have to be turned into adventures.

"Oh, and demon lords and archdevils and celestial paragons and archangels can grant spells to their cultists. That's pretty cool too."

Jason Bulmahn (GameMastery Brand Manager)

"One of our primary goals is to give a campaign setting that uses all of the advantages of the modern rules set while still maintaining a sort of "classic" middle-fantasy feel. We want our world to be one that has a place for almost any sort of play style without flooding GMs and players with a bunch of assumed baselines that make some play-styles impossible or difficult to run. If you want to use our setting to run an Egyptian-styled adventure, you can certainly do that, but it doesn't preclude a swashbuckling game, a feudal knights adventure, a lich hunt, or an urban political game. The trick is balancing these themes and flavors that everyone is familiar with, while still giving it a fresh take that fires up the imagination and allows for GMs to give it their own personal flair. After all, we want this to be your campaign too.

"And, of course, we got ninjas."

James Sutter (Assistant Editor, Pathfinder)

"My biggest problem with most campaign settings is the canon. While as a writer I understand well the joy of having your ideas set in stone, of watching people take what you've written and hold it up as The Way It Is, with gaming I find that it's ultimately a decadent and self-indulgent pleasure, and a little goes a long, long way.

"When I first started working at Dungeon, canon and I went head-to-head on a daily basis. It seemed like every time I had an idea I thought was interesting, someone smiled sympathetically and said, "Yeah, but you can't do that because..." As a GM, who wants to be told "no" all the time?

"That's what makes our new setting so exciting to me. Sure, any new setting will have less baggage than one that's been around for years, but throughout the design process of this world, we've tried to always keep that "less is more" mentality in mind. This is our world, but it's also the players' world, and every time you tell a GM or player, "You can't do that," you've just killed a fun session. It's too easy for a setting to reach a point where, through years of development and source material, it's been detailed down to the last commoner, with no room left to invent, explore, and innovate. Either that, or the broad, sweeping changes you've made to distinguish your setting ("All elves in our setting are XXX!") end up alienating portions of your audience. The rallying cry at our development meetings has been, "Never say never." We've all put in a lot of work to make this setting as interesting as possible, and there will undoubtedly be official supplements someday to support the adventures which are the setting's driving force, but know that as we go along, we realize that this isn't just our sandbox—it's the sandbox of everyone who does us the honor of playing in it. And with that honor comes a certain responsibility."

Jeremy Walker (Assistant Editor, GameMastery)

"Often, a campaign setting is defined not so much by what elements it includes, but instead by what it precludes. Specific themes, elements, and quirks help players and GMs connect with the setting, but oftentimes the very things that first attract gamers become the things that drive them away, as, frustrated by the setting's inability to adapt, they move on to the next unique setting, only to repeat the process down the road when that setting's fresh ideas become stale.

"One might think, then, that the solution is to provide a setting as generic as possible, so that any story can be dropped in just about anywhere. And yet people are looking for more in a campaign setting than a blank sheet of canvas. They want a world in which to tell their own stories in their own way, but they also want a living world that seems real. In this way, a campaign setting is like a matte painting on a movie set. A richly detailed backdrop that, while it exists independently of the characters in the movie, gives their actions context and meaning beyond their individual stories. To create a purely generic world is like shooting a movie in front of a black and white painting—it is immediately, and obviously, unreal.

"So how to provide a rich and detailed world without running the risk of our conventions and ideas becoming stale? Our solution is to provide a campaign setting that includes many distinct areas, each containing their own themes, characters, stories, and ideas. Each area of our world is almost a mini-setting all to itself. Vibrant and lifelike, ready for any story you might wish to tell. And when you tire of a particular style of gaming, why there is always something new waiting over that mountain, up that river, or across that sea."

Mike McArtor (Associate Editor, GameMastery)

"1. Interaction: One of the things that sets Paizo apart is our willingness to listen to those who invest in our creation. Spend some time on the messageboards and I think you'll discover pretty quickly that we interact with our readers, and those interactions are never one-way. We're not going to create the setting through democracy, but when the masses speak, we tend to listen.

"2. Inclusiveness: The newest edition of The World's Most Popular Fantasy Roleplaying Game (TWMPFRPG for short) is all about showing you what you can do, not telling you what you can't. In that spirit, our setting is going to allow for whatever you want to include in your campaign. Everything does—or at least can—exist in our setting.

"3. Variety: It's the spice of life. It's also what happens when you put the seven of us in a room, add caffeine, and shake. Then open the floodgates to guys like Baur and Logue and man oh man, have you got something! If you like dinosaurs and Cthulhu, talk to Jacobs over there. If you like your games a little more whimsical, hey man, I've got your back. From the deepest pits of depravity to the most ludicrous non-sequiturs, you'll find it somewhere in this place.

"4. History: We have the advantage of looking back on three decades of what has come before to see what worked. (And of even greater importance: what didn't.) We're building off the initial groundwork of titans—Gygax, Kuntz, Greenwood, and Grubb, for starters. The seven of us are keenly aware of those who came before, and we want to ensure they (and more importantly, YOU) approve of our creation."

Wesley Schneider (Associate Editor, Pathfinder)

"We're only letting the coolest players and GMs use our world. Rabid, endlessly yodeling goblin warchanters will infest the homes of those found unworthy."

The Complete Zogonia

Monday, June 4, 2007

For quite some time, fans have been asking us where they can find a compilation of all of Tony Moseley's hilarious Zogonia strips from the pages of Dragon, and at long last we're finally able to give you an answer. Zogonia: Slice of Death contains every Zogonia strip ever published in Dragon, plus a few rare strips that ran in Games Quarterly or were judged too risqué for the magazine. As an additional bonus, the book contains an introduction and a strip-by-strip "commentary track" by the artist himself, plus a large sampling of the Mt. Zogon strips which ran in Dungeon.

Rest assured, if you're a fan of Tony's work, you won't want to miss this book. For sample pages, click here.

James Sutter
Editor, Planet Stories

Varisia

Friday, June 1, 2007

Presented here for the first time, in all its glory. We could say more—and believe me, we will—but for now we'd like to let Rob Lazzaretti's beautiful map speak for itself. To zoom in, click the image above.

James Sutter
Assistant Editor, Pathfinder