Trailblazer is a "system optimizer" for your d20-compatible 3rd edition game. Our design approach has been straightforward and focused: Identify the major problems of 3rd edition, then rebuild or refit the system using the latest in game design philosophy.

Inside this work, you will find:

Available over at RPGNow. Price currently $4.95 for over 150 of gaming goodness!

"world's most popular role playing game" = code for Dungeons and Dragons

"d20-compatible 3rd edition game" = new code for Pathfinder?

Give it time, perhaps "world's most popular role playing game" = new code for Pathfinder.

Really suffers in comparison to Pathfinder when they keep close to the 1e era of design. Black and white with little to no art vs. full-color, loaded with art.

Trailblazer is a "system optimizer" for your d20-compatible 3rd edition game. Our design approach has been straightforward and focused: Identify the major problems of 3rd edition, then rebuild or refit the system using the latest in game design philosophy.

Trailblazer is both forward-looking and backwards compatible; innovative, but respectful of gaming traditions.

Inside this work, you will find:

Available over at RPGNow. Price currently $4.95 for over 150 of gaming goodness!

can you tell me more about this?

can you tell me more about this?

Its a PDF of amendments to the 3.5 rules. Kind of like Pathfinder, but with much lower production values (which is fine - I don't care how pretty it looks - except that the font is too small for my eyesight) and you also need the Players Handbook or the SRD as not everything is in it. It doesn't reproduce the spells which haven't changed, for example, but it does have the full class descriptions.

Overall, I like it. The changes make sense, quite often they are simplifications, and the reasons behind the changes are normally given.

Its pretty modular as well - if you don't like a new rule, it shouldn't cause too much trouble if you keep using the old one (or the Pathfinder one, or whatever). A possible exception is action points - their use is pretty much assumed in quite a few areas.

Overall it is well worth $4.95.

can you tell me more about this?

It's a set of rules variants, like you might find in Unearthed Arcana. I thought some of them were interesting (like adding rules for blocking or parrying) and some of them left me cold (like the 4E-style 5 minute rest rule). Mr. joela posted links to various previews in this forum, so you can check them out before you buy.

i think i had a mathgasm...this is better than fractals (math porn)!

i really like the magic system, very interesting.

i think some people are going to miss their animal companions (seems like the Summon spell ideas could have been used here) but I like the new familiar

boy, but it's going to take a while to digest.

when can we order a hard copy?

when can we order a hard copy?

Wulf and gang are working on it.

I like the new familiar

Me too. Reminded me of the Order of the Stick strip when V's familiar pops into existence the first time its needed. Great case of re-writing the rules to reflect the way people tend to play the game anyway.

Not having familiar abilities dependent on the familiar type is a great idea. Pick a parrot, or a penguin, or whatever you think would be cool for your character to have. Then choose your familar ability separately.

My only slight gripe is that I think +2 to a save is better than +3 to a skill, but not as interesting. So I'd probably ban the save option.

Reviews now available. My take? Run, don't walk, and download this five star product.

Still waiting for the promised free download. I will probably buy the hardcopy when it arrives tho.

Reviews now available. My take? Run, don't walk, and download this five star product.

I'm waiting for the POD version. Reading rules options on the screen hurts my eyes after a few minutes...

Still waiting for the promised free download. I will probably buy the hardcopy when it arrives tho.

If you're "still waiting" and you didn't get an email from me through Bad Axe Games, on the day it was released, then you did not have your email address turned on at RPGnow. (Just over 50% of those who downloaded the preview included their email address.)

Every person whose email address was set to show when they downloaded the preview has been contacted (and last time I checked about 90% of those downloaded their copy already).

Send me an email and I will send you a copy.

Well I thought there were some interesting ideas when I read the GM Day preview.

But I have a question: is the math in here designed to work with original 3.5 D&D or Pathfinder?

joela wrote:

Reviews now available. My take? Run, don't walk, and download this five star product.

I'm waiting for the POD version. Reading rules options on the screen hurts my eyes after a few minutes...

same here.

But I have a question: is the math in here designed to work with original 3.5 D&D or Pathfinder?

Offhand I'd say for 3.5, but I don't think the numbers change greatly between the two, especially the monster numbers for now.

TriOmegaZero wrote:

Still waiting for the promised free download. I will probably buy the hardcopy when it arrives tho.

If you're "still waiting" and you didn't get an email from me through Bad Axe Games, on the day it was released, then you did not have your email address turned on at RPGnow. (Just over 50% of those who downloaded the preview included their email address.)

Every person whose email address was set to show when they downloaded the preview has been contacted (and last time I checked about 90% of those downloaded their copy already).

Send me an email and I will send you a copy.

Any news on when/where we can pick up a print copy?!?

Wulf Ratbane wrote:

TriOmegaZero wrote:

Still waiting for the promised free download. I will probably buy the hardcopy when it arrives tho.

If you're "still waiting" and you didn't get an email from me through Bad Axe Games, on the day it was released, then you did not have your email address turned on at RPGnow. (Just over 50% of those who downloaded the preview included their email address.)

Every person whose email address was set to show when they downloaded the preview has been contacted (and last time I checked about 90% of those downloaded their copy already).

Send me an email and I will send you a copy.

Any news on when/where we can pick up a print copy?!?

BUMP

and any news on the new classes book?

Back before it was ready I found some proposals in the preview at ENworld intriguing... sadly, as soon as the downloadable preview pdf came to my hands the difference in philosophies were just too much.

A book that denounces "players derailing the DM's story" or "3E usurping the DM's power" as a problem is a product I can in no way endorse. I'm sure, however, that Trailblazer is going to be a BIG hit among the right crowd.

There are some things I like, but overall I'm not impressed. I seriously question the viability of assigning numerical value to class features, especially spellcasting. I will probably pick up the hardcopy, because I like reference books. But I'll probably only use a couple items from it.

A book that denounces "players derailing the DM's story"

Your use of quotation marks there is likely to lead folks (such as myself) to wonder whom you are quoting.

I'm sure, however, that Trailblazer is going to be a BIG hit among the right crowd.

Aye. Folks who enjoy playing D&D.

You can quote me on that.

Any news on when/where we can pick up a print copy?!?

The "where" is Amazon, the "when," unfortunately, I cannot answer beyond, "ASAP."

When it's available, I'll announce it. I appreciate your interest and patience.

DitheringFool wrote:

Any news on when/where we can pick up a print copy?!?

The "where" is Amazon, the "when," unfortunately, I cannot answer beyond, "ASAP."

When it's available, I'll announce it. I appreciate your interest and patience.

W00t!

DitheringFool wrote:

Any news on when/where we can pick up a print copy?!?

The "where" is Amazon, the "when," unfortunately, I cannot answer beyond, "ASAP."

When it's available, I'll announce it. I appreciate your interest and patience.

Just don't want to miss it!

And while I have your attention - is there still plans for a sequel with new classes?

And while I have your attention - is there still plans for a sequel with new classes?

Yes.

But I've been spending my design time on Spells and Monsters.

(The "design weekend" in question was extra time I knew I'd have to jump around on such lesser priority projects.)

I bought the PDF of this a week ago and it made for an interesting read. All of the rule changes are very modular and I like the concepts behind them, but not always the end result; it would have been a nice bonus to be presented with some more options for fixes, but the reasoning behind them tends to be stated pretty well.

My only major nitpick is I would have liked to see some better sourcing on where much of the data was drawn from or how it was extracted from the core rules. Most of it made sense within the context though.

Updated version is up. (Linky)

According to THIS, the Amazon.com POD version is ready to go!!!

According to THIS, the Amazon.com POD version is ready to go!!!

Yup. Ordered it over the holiday weekend. Now just (impatiently) waiting....