Sweet!

The shadow fey have long been considered a threat to more civilized creatures: cruel, capricious, and utterly without remorse, they go where they please and do what they will with little regard for the consequences. Now the shadow fey ambassador has claimed the city as a fiefdom of the Shadow Court, and he listens to no one who claims otherwise. "Speak with the Queen if you must complain," offers the ambassador.

The party visits the Plane of Shadow and becomes embroiled in dueling, attempted assassinations, and infiltration of the Queen's bedchamber to defeat the Queen of Night and Magic and her Moonlit King. The two fey have threatened to vastly expand their hold on the material plane
The adventure includes at least a half-dozen Shadow planar locations, new brute and lurker fey, as well as riddle and trickery encounters, and a shadow fey PC race.

Full details here.

I have to admit I want to write this one pretty bad. No idea whether enough folks will support it, but .... It's a pretty b~+*$ing adventure.

I have to admit I want to write this one pretty bad. No idea whether enough folks will support it, but .... It's a pretty b*&@~ing adventure.

If there's not enough patronage, Wolfgang, would KQ/OD be willing to repackage the idea to work in another game system (i.e., Pathfinder)?

Wolfgang Baur wrote:

I have to admit I want to write this one pretty bad. No idea whether enough folks will support it, but .... It's a pretty b*&@~ing adventure.

If there's not enough patronage, Wolfgang, would KQ/OD be willing to repackage the idea to work in another game system (i.e., Pathfinder)?

Oops. Please ignore. Apparently it had been offered for 3.x but didn't get patron support.

It did get patron support, but the rather hugely successful Halls of the Mountain King got more support.

If the 4E crowd isn't interested in it (and it's MUCH too early to tell that until, say, September), it might eventually come back as a Pathfinder proposal in the late winter or early spring.

It did get patron support, but the rather hugely successful Halls of the Mountain King got more support.

Damn democratic process ^_^

If the 4E crowd isn't interested in it (and it's MUCH too early to tell that until, say, September), it might eventually come back as a Pathfinder proposal in the late winter or early spring.

Coolio. It's a win-win for whatever system and KQ/OD ;-)

Wolfgang,

Do you mind saying a bit more about the flavor? Right now, it sounds fairly similar in terms of atmosphere to Wrath of the River King (which I'm having great fun running here as a pbp), enough so that I'm less likely to patronize it.

Please convince me!

It *is* similar in flavor to Wrath of the River King, but with a couple of important differences. In some ways, it is a Paragon-tier sequel to Wrath, but not a direct sequel. Wrath was level 4 to 6, this will be somewhere around 12 to 14, or 14 to 16, so that alone is a big difference in play.

However, while Shadow Fey involves fey, the tone is different, the plot is different, and the planar scope is COMPLETELY different. While more details are spelled out on the KQ boards, here's how I see the differences:

• Shadow Plane! Lots of Shadowfell means shadow magic, weird illusion encounters, shadow monsters, and a darker gloom realm. Heroes really need to stay sharp, or they will fail.
  
• Gods and Godlings. This is Paragon, so we're starting to look at Demon Lords like the Lord of Roaches (from KQ#8), ancient horrors that the fey keep locked in their cupboards. Big contrast with the natural Feywild of Wrath.
  
• Stealth. The Wrath adventure didn't really emphasize stealth and assassination. This one does.
  
• Big Roleplaying Scenes. I have a couple ideas for entirely RP encounters. I won't say more than that.
  

I dunno, to my mind, it's like saying that two adventures are the same because both feature demons, or undead, or some other creature type. Shadow Court has some superficial similarities, but it's not a romp in the wilderness. It's a struggle against shadow fey on their home plane...

I dunno, to my mind, it's like saying that two adventures are the same because both feature demons, or undead, or some other creature type. Shadow Court has some superficial similarities, but it's not a romp in the wilderness. It's a struggle against shadow fey on their home plane...

Thanks, I'll check out the KQ boards. I understand your point here, and I didn't mean to offend. I was thinking in terms of two of the three actual or prospective 4E OpenDesigns being fey-centered seeming a bit heavy, specifically from the perspective of a 4E-only player/DM. By my own habits, I don't take advantage of the variety of OD options.

I am a fan of your work (Wrath is by far my favorite published 4E adventure with which I'm familiar) and your business model, and a patron of the first two 4E creations; I'm looking for a way to convince my wallet to continue the streak!

If I can sort out the money, I will be signing up for this I think.

Signed up for this one.

Will definitely sign up for this. Roll on payday!

Not offended in the slightest, Pat, just a bit of designer defensiveness coming through. The similar themes worry me in some ways, but I think they also present a great design opportunity.

That is, there might wind up being a "Fey Trilogy" by Open Design, just as WotC did the Orcus series.

Thanks, Wolfgang.

Ooh, and Rev Rosey's signing up. If I can free up the money, I'll sign up to support the project and not read it, then, in hopes she'll run it here!

Who asked about payday? :)

I will certainly run it here. Are you pre-booking yourself a slot?

I will certainly run it here. Are you pre-booking yourself a slot?

Ooh! Pick me!

Rev Rosey wrote:

I will certainly run it here. Are you pre-booking yourself a slot?

Ooh! Pick me!

Of course! - two players already and the adventure isn't even commissioned yet. Wolfgang needs to note this enthusiasm :D

I have to admit I want to write this one pretty bad. No idea whether enough folks will support it, but .... It's a pretty b#~#&ing adventure.

Man.. every hour I feel more and more torn.

There is almost too much coolness to choose from at one time.

I remember our discussions of likening this a little to the political intrique of Roger Zelazny's Amber series, and that was just "hot".

Not that it would emulate any specifics of that series, but Zelazny had this way of presenting a milleu where you talked and haggled with your enemies. You danced, you kissed, you poured the wine (dumped it on the floor), and then you killed the sonuvabtches.

Not all in that order. But nothing was black and white, it was politics. Your enemy could be your friend, you had a nastier enemy to do deal with in the interm.

That's Royalty in a Court of Immortals.

I will certainly run it here. Are you pre-booking yourself a slot?

Why, yes, yes I am. I'll definitely try to free up the patronage money to try to make this happen.

I'm in!

Of course! - two players already and the adventure isn't even commissioned yet. Wolfgang needs to note this enthusiasm :D

Enthusiasm noted! I'm actually quite excited by the possibilities, and hope the project does get commissioned soon.

My guess is it will be commissioned sometime in September, and complete by January.

Rev Rosey wrote:

Of course! - two players already and the adventure isn't even commissioned yet. Wolfgang needs to note this enthusiasm :D

Enthusiasm noted! I'm actually quite excited by the possibilities, and hope the project does get commissioned soon.

My guess is it will be commissioned sometime in September, and complete by January.

I'll make sure I have time on hand to do it justice. If it's something you're feeling that buzzed about, it's likely to be a very good sign. Won't make the grind of writing it any easier, but will help with getting through it.

Part of my excitement is just that it's a planar adventure. I don't get to do that many of those. And the Plane of Shadow has a special place in gaming lore for me.

It has a special place in gaming lore, but have there been many adventures that have really put the Shadowfell/Plane of Shadow to great use?

I'm signed up - your pitch sounds great, and given how good your take on the Feywild/Plane of Faerie was in Wrath of the River King, I have every reason to expect great things again here.

This project is at 75% -- there's still time to get in on this project and add your thoughts to the brainstorm and make an impact on the story.

This is a great way to see the design process, to participate in the discussion, and to get a fantastic adventure you won't find anywhere else.

-Ben.
--
Small but Fierce.
Kobold Quarterly's News Minion

Wolfgang Baur wrote:

Rev Rosey wrote:

Of course! - two players already and the adventure isn't even commissioned yet. Wolfgang needs to note this enthusiasm :D

Enthusiasm noted! I'm actually quite excited by the possibilities, and hope the project does get commissioned soon.

My guess is it will be commissioned sometime in September, and complete by January.

I'll make sure I have time on hand to do it justice. If it's something you're feeling that buzzed about, it's likely to be a very good sign. Won't make the grind of writing it any easier, but will help with getting through it.

Rosey, you just know I have a PC who would love to go to the Shadowfell and cause a ruckus!

Rosey, you just know I have a PC who would love to go to the Shadowfell and cause a ruckus!

Yes. Yes, I do.

In case you were pondering it, a teaser for _Courts of the Shadow Fey_ has been posted for your enjoyment.

You can see it here.

Come check out the Deathshade Wisp and stay for the project...

-Ben.
--
Small but Fierce.
Kobold Quarterly's News Minion

OK so I popped over to the KQ site but I can't seem to find the section that tells me how I pay or how this would all work. I'm interested but not yet committed and I want to see what the deal is.

Sure, here's the project description, the Open Design FAQ, and the payment option.

Folks on the KQ boards are also pretty good about answering questions. Hope you join us!

But wait ... there's more! We're currently voting on which design essays we'd like to see:

1. Basic Design Principles and Philosophy
2. Campaign Structures: Building a Narrative
3. Design Failures and Recovery
4. Location as a Design Tool
5. Optimizing Design for Roleplay
6. Sandbox Design Core Principles

So if you'd like to get a peek into the mind of a designer, sign up now.

And we're about 80% of the way there right now. So close on this project; please help put it over the top!

We've gotten a surge of support, and we're close...91%.

You know you want in on this one! Get in now! There's talk that if this doesn't make commission, it may fade into the black for good. (it is the third attempt for this pitch.)

-Ben.

Sometimes, the Shadow power source is strong. Other times, not so much.

We've bumped up to 93%, but need a couple more people to make this fly. Illusions, shadow demons, creepy Shadowfell locales and a lot of things to make a party of brash heroes think twice.

I love this adventure; hope some of you join us in designing it.

You can count with my purchase just as soon as I mail some signed contracts... :P

We're at 96%, so close you can taste the icy cool goodness. You know you want in on this, if only to steal the flavor!

-Ben.

Just bought myself a patronage of the project :)

+1!

Now on to Drandon's Sea and Shore adventure!

This project hit the greenlights last week and has launched into brainstorming the outline and some fey names for random NPCs.

Still plenty of time to get involved and make a contribution!

-Ben.