Added thread for new Goblinworks Blog: A Game of Thorns.

Sweet! Thanks for getting this out.

awesome news, downloading the book as we speak :)

Awesome! Can't wait to read it.

wow... ok I was half way internally dissapointed that the blog lacked much info on the game... For those who got it but haven't read the book, the end has quite a bit of info on the PFO game, I'm pretty sure several of the screenshots are new. I'm still skimming over the game info etc... some of it is things that were covered by the blog, but some may be new. I've only skimmed it so far, but I'm pretty sure some of it might not be old.

Thanks for pointing that out, Onishi. I wasn't going to dive into it right away, but now I will :)

Oh, I am so gonna run my players through this.

Screenshots look great. Looking forward to the tech demo video! (Can't be far away can it?)

Question for GW/Paizo people here, how much of this can we share or mention here? I mean, the squad is supposed to be on the inside track etc... so obviously what we can share is limited, can someone give guidelines for what is OK or not OK to talk about here, IE numerous quotes from Ryan and Lee make me want to jump for joy and shout how happy I am to read statements from people who get what I've been looking for in an MMO, but it clearly was put in a goblin squad reward and not public... so

AAAHHHHHHH.... squad forum plz lol.

Very nice screenshots. I love the art direction & how the graphics translate into 3D. Very much prefer the realistic version. Excellent Job. Can't wait to see it in motion now. =)

wow... ok I was half way internally dissapointed that the blog lacked much info on the game... For those who got it but haven't read the book, the end has quite a bit of info on the PFO game, I'm pretty sure several of the screenshots are new. I'm still skimming over the game info etc... some of it is things that were covered by the blog, but some may be new. I've only skimmed it so far, but I'm pretty sure some of it might not be old.

Great catch Onishi.

What a high quality product! I fully plan to use this as a DM--really like the content, love the artwork. I LOVE the old school rumors tables in Forest Stronghold section.

Still digesting the PFO information section, but very pleased by what I've read so far. This really increases my confidence in the project.

Question for GW/Paizo people here, how much of this can we share or mention here?

Particularly interested in how much of the "Behind the Scenes" section stuff we could share. I want to respect Paizo & GW's IP, but the info stuff seems to be in a different category.

Very cool, can't wait to run these adventures. The art looks great!

How true to final product are the renders? They look almost exactly like what I expect from expensive prerendered images, and nothing like I've ever seen done at 60 FPS on a consumer-grade system. I don't think I'm that far behind on what graphics should look like, and I think that pushing the limits of graphics quality isn't a goal of the project.

Any plans to polish up the alpha and bring it out to conventions to try to drum up interest in the video game community? PAX East seems well-timed, at the end of March. It would give everyone who can make it a reason to wear our goblin squad T-shirts and otherwise show off the physical spiffs.

There's nothing in the book that's a secret. :)

Some of the renders are from 3DS Max, and some are in-game. The large single -character images are 3DsMax.

My first exposure to a Paizo product. Quality took my by surprise, I was expecting a b&w pdf! What's noticeable is the paizo imagery seems to have a lot of identity/coherence, which I think makes a massive difference for any world-building. My first impression is the mystery of the description of Golarion and the adventure comes across: Just as important as the canvas is the frame quote-unquote G.K. Chesterton.

So 1 year from full production, eh?! ;)

There's nothing in the book that's a secret. :)

Start dishing out info folks! :D

There's nothing in the book that's a secret. :)

just don't go spoilering the dungeons for the players here ;-)

I'll be using this for my first campaign as DM eventually

There's nothing in the book that's a secret. :)

Woohoo. I figured such but I wasn't going to risk it, I'm appriciative to have the book so I really didn't want to risk breaking any rules.

Anywho I'm really looking foward to seeing the tech demo, I'm especially interested in seeing how the catipult siege demonstration will look.

Also Lee, this particular quote made me thrilled to see that someone else has the same opinion of the current MMO market that I do, I think he's summed up why I haven't been able to get into an MMO in years perfectly.

"On a basic level, I believe the core of Western MMO design is currently moving the wrong way: toward more single-player-styled games that focus less on the social interactions that make

MMOs really unique. Sure, you get somewhat social end-game raids in many games, but only after you’ve played the rest of the game. Before that, social interaction is something that happens by accident, or if you want a really good piece of gear in some particularly dangerous dungeon. You enjoy social interaction in some guilds, but the level of interaction is limited by level, gear, and other factors that divide players from participating in the same activities. All these barriers between players make it harder just to have fun together, or to have any social interaction greater than communicating over guild chat"

Also I do find it interesting on the topic of thornkeep itself. If I am understanding correctly, it's essentially going to be a low-sec starting zone, for those wishing to essentially jump right into the fray.

My question related to this, is what is the design to prevent this from turning into a paradise for mid level griefers from attacking newborn lowbies who are still learning to crawl?

I noticed that too Onishi. My single biggest disappointment in MMOs is that playing time separated me from my friends in game, so that social interaction became a chore, a loss for some members. I don't want me/my friends to have to decide to give up playing time/fun to get together.

@ AvenaOats

Welcome to the Paizo family -- all of their products are beautifully finished (I haven't looked at my copy of Thornkeep yet -- I was running my Pathfinder Adventure Path game last night).

I don't work for paizo (I wish) but they are awesome in their creative talent and writers and illustrators :)

Noobie

P.S. Someone at Paizo or goblinworks should send me a cookie :)

The Thornkeep pdf is just stunning! One-hundred pages of remarkably thoughtful content.

I've added a full product review in more detail.

Thanks for the fantastic PDF. I only wish that I could play the game right now and not have to wait a full year. :D