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I am reading along. And Owen and I have had a couple of conversations about things we might want to update. Of course, we want to do new stuff too, not just play our old hits. :) Chris
Yes, you'll be able to get the PDF and print version upon release even if you don't back the Kickstarter. This isn't a Kickstarter exclusive; backers just get it first.
In today's update I thank Paizo for letting me be a guest blogger and announce a new reward: now all pledges $20 or above get a copy of the Ultimate GM Screen II from Fat Dragon Games!
Today's update to the Advanced Bestiary Kickstarter has another free sample monster: the Toxic Goblin! This is a level 1 goblin warrior with the poison creature template from the Advanced Bestiary applied. Enjoy!
We will certainly point out which templates originally appeared in the AB and where they can be found if not in the new book.
Thanks, Lisa! Chris
Let me put it to you this way: I would be quite cross if we didn't have this for PaizoCon. Which is in July. Chris
We just launched our new Kickstarter: the Advanced Bestiary for Pathfinder! I've had a lot of people ask for this over the years. Now's your chance to make it happen! Chris Pramas
Is this a full time job? Congrats, Owen! It's a part time job. Owen is still part of Super Genius Games and will continue freelancing for other companies as well.
We are happy to announce that game industry veteran Owen K.C. Stephens is joining Green Ronin Publishing as our Pathfinder RPG Developer. Owen's experience with the d20 System and its descendants goes back to the early 2000s, when he worked at Wizards of the Coast with me during the development of Dungeons & Dragons, Third Edition. Owen's design credits include the Star Wars Saga RPG, The Wheel of Time RPG, Dragon Magic, Inner Sea Magic, and The Guide to Absalom. His extensive freelance work with Green Ronin includes Thieves' World, The Black Company, The Advanced Gamemaster's Guide, A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying Campaign Guide, and one of our favorite books from the d20 era, Bastards & Bloodlines. Owen is also the Lead Developer for Super Genius Games. Owen will be taking over and expanding our Freeport line. He will also develop a new edition of a book well-familiar to Pathfinder fans: The Advanced Bestiary! And that's just for starters. Please welcome Owen aboard! We are delighted to have him on Team Ronin. Chris Pramas
Hmm, maybe I should start a service for visiting gamers. :) Chris
146% funded! Thanks for all the support!
Only 45 minutes left!
So, unless this Kickstarter makes at least 75,000$, there will be no Kickstarter for a PF Advanced Bestiary? Or is only the bonus adventure tied to the stretch goal and the Advanced Bestiary will get its Kickstarter nonetheless? An Advanced Bestiary Kickstarter is still likely even if we don't hit 75K, but you're right that we would not do the bonus Freeport adventure.
It has no author yet, so maybe!
We've got 9 hours to go and we've got a new stretch goal that should make Pathfinder fans happy. For years now we've heard that you folks want a Pathfinder version of the Advanced Bestiary. Certainly many Pathfinder publishers, including Paizo, have used it extensively in its original form. Our (final?) stretch goal is that we will commit to doing the Advanced Bestiary for Pathfinder (likely as its own Kickstarter). To give you folks something concrete for helping to make that happen, we'll also do a new 32-page Freeport module that uses monsters created with the new Advanced Bestiary. All backers at Mariner level and up will get a PDF of the adventure for free! This stretch goal will be unlocked at $75,000. Can we get there in 9 hours? I think that we can! Time for one final push. No sleep 'til Freeport!
Hold on to your tricornes folks.... Freeport is funded! And then some! We smashed two stretch goals this weekend, so now the book will include a poster map of the city and feature a new Wayne Reynolds cover. We've added a lot to this Kickstarter since it began, so here's a run down of what you get at the Freeport Pirate level ($100 or more). * You get a print and PDF copy of Freeport: The City of Adventure. * You get all six parts of the Return to Freeport PDF adventure series as they release in 2014! This is all new material. * You get a 28mm degenerate serpmentman miniature. * You get a PDF of the forthcoming Dark Deeds in Freeport adventure from our friends at Kobold Press. * You get a book plate with art by John Kovalic of Dork Tower fame and signed by Freeport creator Chris Pramas. * You get two paper ship model PDFs from Fat Dragon Games, the medieval cog and The Sea Dragon. * You get PDFs of the Player's Guide to Freeport and the poster map of the city. * You get PDFs of not only the Pirate's Guide to Freeport, but also ALL the rules companions: Castles & Crusades, FATE, Pathfinder, Savage Worlds, 3rd Era, and True20. * You get PDFs of the Fiery Dragon Counter Collection Gold, Freeport Trilogy: 5-Year Anniversary Edition, Fiery Dragon's Summoned Monster Counter Collection, and Dark Wings Over Freeport. * Lastly, if the project funds, we will make the Freeport rules content available to ALL Pathfinder users of Hero Lab for FREE. 17 hours to go!
I am doing a Reddit AMA right now. Come on by if you have questions!
You may find today's update of interest. Why $50,000? Why a Deluxe Book? We’ve got five days left in the Freeport Kickstarter and we are still over $16,000 short of our goal. Throughout these last weeks, I’ve been reading your feedback and adding to or changing the campaign in response. People said they wanted more new content, so I added the Return to Freeport adventure series. I’ve also done things like offer a book-only reward level, and a way for Canadian backers to get more affordable shipping. The most common reason given for not backing the Kickstarter, however, is that the physical book is too expensive. I’d like to take some time to explain why I chose this format for the project and why our initial goal was $50,000. Freeport is important to me because Death in Freeport is what put Green Ronin on the RPG map back in 2000. It sold like crazy and won an Origins Award and the very first ENnie Award (given to me by Gary Gygax, no less). I had originally conceived of GR as a fun side project and I didn’t expect it to be my full time job, but due to the success of Freeport and other d20 lines it became just that in March of 2002. Freeport was also the first commercial setting I created that was always fully under my control. No business wonk or brand manager could tell me what to do with it. You can understand, I hope, why Freeport means a lot to me. During Freeport’s fallow period, it was always my intention to go back to it. The questions were when and how? Once Kickstarter began to change the face of RPG publishing, I of course thought of the City of Adventure. The way we used to publish, I would not have tried to do a 512-page full color hardback. It would be too risky and if it failed, could really hurt Green Ronin. That sort of calculus went into how we did the original Freeport hardback and its successor, The Pirate’s Guide to Freeport. The former was 160 pages with a black and white interior. The latter was nearly 100 pages longer but only 16 of its 256 pages were in color. Kickstarter thus seemed like a way to do the Freeport book I always wanted to do: big, sexy, and full color throughout. I considered doing the new book without any game specific info, as we did with The Pirate’s Guide to Freeport, but sales data suggested that wasn’t the best approach. From what we could tell, the biggest segment of our d20 fanbase was now playing Pathfinder so using those rules seemed to make the most sense. We had previously published a Pathfinder Freeport Companion of 160 pages. Combine that with The Pirate’s Guide and our starting point was 416 pages. We certainly did not want to just slap them together and call it a day though; there had to be new material. That’s how the book ended up at 512 pages in our pitch. We wanted at least 100 pages of new material (and at this point it’s looking like at least 150 pages). We also wanted to revise and expand the material in the Pathfinder Companion to make sure the rules material was as up-to-date as possible. When picking the goal for the Kickstarter then, I had to bear in mind the following costs: • Art Budget: a conservative estimate for quality interior art and a new cover is $15,000.
So that’s $50,000 right there and that leaves us no profit at all. That just makes the book. Our plan is to do larger print run than the Kickstarter requires and then sell the rest of it through distributors, retailers, and our online store. That’s where our profit would actually come from if we only reach $50,000 with the Kickstarter. I’ve been asked how much the book will cost at stores after the Kickstarter. Our estimate right now is $75. That makes the Scurvytown Special, in which you get the finished PDF and the book shipped to you, a pretty good deal at $80. At $100, of course, you get a whole lot more (like the Return to Freeport adventure series and the serpentman promo miniature). Some people have suggested that we should have started smaller and built it up with stretch goals. Maybe so. Frankly though, I didn’t want to play that game. I wanted to clearly lay out my dream Freeport book and try to make a reality, and Kickstarter makes that possible. It tells you how much interest there really is in your project before you spend a lot of money on it. If this campaign fails, it will still have served a purpose. I will know this was not the right project at the right time. I will also have tried to give the Freeport fans something new, which they’ve been patiently waiting for these past few years. But we aren’t done yet. We have five days to get Freeport: The City of Adventure funded and I think we can do it. We’ve already gotten some great promotion from our friends at Paizo and Steve Jackson Games, as well as game sites, podcasts, and fans the world over. Thanks to each and every one of you. We just need a final push to get the word out, to find old Freeport fans and make new ones. So tell your friends, tell the internet, and tell your old gaming pals that Freeport is looking for a new generation of buccaneers! Let’s hoist the skull and bones, spread the word, and find this booty for Freeport!
The Player's Guide takes all the player oriented material from the main book and combines it with an introduction to the city that doesn't reveal its secrets. The idea is that the GM can give it to players when they want to make characters or level up without fearing they'll learn things they shouldn't.
We've got one week left to fund Freeport: The City of Adventure, so we're starting off Monday with some great news. Backers at $100 and up get a PDF of the new Dark Deeds in Freeport adventure from Kobold Press for FREE! This official licensed adventure should be released by June, so you can get some Pathfinder Freeport goodness to tide you over until the new book is ready. What is Dark Deeds in Freeport? Let the Kobolds tell you all about it! Dark Deeds in Freeport Why has truth suddenly become so commonplace in Freeport? Can the city support not one but two churches dedicated to truth-speaking? How are the secrets of thieves, assassins, Captains' Council members, and "legitimate businessmen" becoming common knowledge, and what can be done about it? What should be done about it? And is any of this linked to the rash of thefts, murders, and insanity plaguing the city? Dark Deeds in Freeport is a 64-page adventure arc of five connected Pathfinder RPG scenarios designed for a group of four PCs beginning at 9th level and ending at 12th. Dark Deeds in Freeport... * features new spells, new magic items (from minor to near-artifact level), news monsters, new fully-statted Freeport NPCs. * mixes swashbuckling, investigation, and insanity in ways familiar to fans of Green Ronin's popular Freeport setting. * is fully integrated into the history and ongoing storylines of the Freeport setting and its adventures can be used individually or in a level-spanning mini-campaign. * is written by Christina Stiles (editor of Green Ronin's Black Sails Over Freeport and lead designer of Kobold Press's Journeys to the West) and Mike Franke and Phil Minchin with contributions from Ryan Costello, Jr., Robert Hahn, Carlos Ovalle, and Rory Toma. * is edited by Spike Y Jones (editor of Green Ronin's Testament and Wild Cards and Kobold Press's Midgard: Player's Guide to the Crossroads and Monsters of Sin series). If you pledge at Freeport Pirate or above, you'll get Dark Deeds as soon as it releases!
I'll just note that the book is looking to be at least 150 pages of new material at this point. Return to Freeport would be $24 if you bought all the PDFs as they came out. So $30 for both of those, plus the Player's Guide plus the map is pretty good deal.
I've updated the page to clarify the rules again and to note that Scurytown Special backers do not get the Return to Freeport adventures.
The $80 level is just the physical book and the PDF of Freeport: The City of Adventure. If you want the other rewards and the Return to Freeport Adventure series, you want the Freeport Pirate level ($100).
Two new updates for the Freeport Kickstarter today! Freeport: The City of Adventure is shaping up to have at least 150 pages of new material. We’ve heard from a lot of folks who want more frosting on their Freeport cake though and who are we to argue? We are pleased to announce Return to Freeport, a brand new adventure series that will be released in six parts over 2014. The format will be similar to our Mutants & Masterminds adventure series, Emerald City Knights. Every other month starting in February, we’ll release a new chapter of Return to Freeport in PDF format. Each will be about 20 pages and retail for $3.99. The first chapter will be for 3rd level characters and it will scale up from there as the PCs gain xp. If you back the Kickstarter for $30 or more, you will get all six chapters of Return to Freeport for FREE! Confirmed authors right now are Steve Kenson (Mutants & Masterminds, Pathfinder Game Mastery Guide), Stephen Radney-Macfarland (Pathfinder Advanced Player’s Guide and Ultimate Combat), and Chris Pramas (Dragon Age RPG, Pathfinder Chronicles: Guide to the River Kingdoms). We will announce the remaining three as they come on board. In response to your commentary, we've also added three new reward levels. We've also opened up 5 more slots of the Barroom Hero, so hurry if you want to name your own bar in Freeport! The new reward levels are: Pledge $80 or more SCURVYTOWN SPECIAL: This is for those who want the book and nothing but the book. You get a print and PDF copy of Freeport: The City of Adventure Third Edition and no other rewards. Add $30 for international shipping, or $15 if you are in Canada. Pledge $115 or more CANUCK PIRATE: This is a special level for Canadian backers. You get the same rewards as Freeport Pirate, but shipped to Canada for half the usual international shipping rate. You are encouraged but not required to buy Chris Pramas poutine if you see him in Canada. Pledge $200 or more PIRATE CAPTAIN: As Freeport Pirate, but you get to name one of the pirate captains that calls Freeport home and name his or her ship as well! These will be listed in the final book. Names are subject to our approval. Limit of 15 backers. Thanks for your support. Now who wants to be a pirate captain?
Watch for Monday's update. If you're wavering about spending $100, we've got something just for you.
We've just announced Hero Lab support for Freeport. If we make our goal, we will add the rules content of the book to Hero Lab and make it free for all Pathfinder users! On Monday we announced that we're doing a degenerate serpmentman miniature and all backers at Freeport Pirate level and up get one for free. Any backer can buy up to 10, so you can get enough for a serious encounter. See our updates (linked above) for more info! Chris Pramas
It's no secret that I love miniatures, so I've added a degenerate serpentman promo mini to our Freeport Kickstarter. For more info and a look at Brian Snoddy's awesome concept art, check out today's update!
I just added three new entries to the Kickstarters FAQ that should answer some of the questions asked here. Q: Which rules set is this for, Pathfinder or D&D 3.5? A: Freeport: The City of Adventure Third Edition and the Player’s Guide to Freeport are straight up Pathfinder. Some of the PDF rewards, like Dark Wings Over Freeport and The Freeport Trilogy, are older books that use the D&D 3.5 rules. Q: Green Ronin has only published one Pathfinder book before. How can we be sure the Pathfinder rules in Freeport: The City of Adventure will be up to snuff? A: The answer is simple: we are hiring experts to design and develop the rules sections. Green Ronin and Fiery Dragon have a lot of experience with the d20 rules but we understand that Pathfinder is its own beast. Our focus will be on the expanding the city with new locations, NPCs, adventures, and the like. For the rules sections we are working with experience Pathfinder freelancers to make sure they are cutting edge. We intend to use existing Pathfinder classes, monsters, magic items, and so on where appropriate. We want this to be a great book in every respect. Q: I only want the printed book of Freeport: The City of Adventure itself. How can I just buy that? A: We will be selling the finished book through game stores, book stores, and our webstore after it ships to backers. If you only want the book, you’ll be able to get it that way. You could also try talking to your local store and seeing if they’ll buy into the Kickstarter at the Sea Lord’s Guard level.
Let me just say: Chris is VERY AWARE of my interest in working on this book--in any way, shape, or form. It could very well happen. But whether or not it does, I hope you'll support this endeavor because it could herald big things for the Freeport line, a line many of us want to see thrive. Thanks for the vote of confidence, Christina (and Erik, Wolf, and Owen). Christina approached me about working with us again a few months ago and I told her I had a project coming up she'd be perfect for. This is it and we're talking about specifics.
Slightly offtopic but what are the chances of a thieves world update to pathfinder? It really depends on how this Kickstarter goes. If it does not fund, the chance is maybe 5%. I know that's a blunt answer, but if it turns out the Pathfinder fanbase is not interested in seeing material from us, we are unlikely to try again.
I understand the concerns that some of you folks have. I saw the same sort of thing when older companies jumped into the d20 market. Some of them thought they could put out any old thing, slap a d20 logo on it, and it'd sell. They didn't bother to learn the system well or hire people who already did. Those companies did not do well in the d20 era. With Freeport and our other d20 releases, we always tried to put quality first. That has not changed. Some of the things you have suggested were already in the works before we even launched the Kickstarter. We have 28 days of this campaign left. There are many more announcements to come and I think you'll be happy with what we have planned. The goal here is to make a great Pathfinder Freeport book and we will do whatever it takes to make that happen if we get funded. Thanks.
After the Pirate's Guide we published Cults of Freeport, Buccaneers of Freeport, The Lost Island adventure, the d20 Companion, True20 Companion, Savage Worlds Companion, Castles & Crusades Companion, Pathfinder Companion, and featured Freeport in Warriors & Warlocks for Mutants & Masterminds 2E. So yes, totally ignored.
The answer in the Kickstarter description is lots of new, full-color art, plus 100 pages of new, playable material. Wolf is correct. As for what's going in the 100 pages, it'll be more material that expands the city. New locations, NPCs, adventure hooks, and a good-sized adventure. Maybe some new rules material if it's warranted but we'll be assessing what's already available first. As for why we are doing this project when the Pirate's Guide and the Pathfinder Companion for it already exist, there are several reasons:
The end result is big new book. However, we didn't want to just smash the two previous books together and call it a day. Thus 100 new pages of material. We also wanted to do a Freeport core book the way we always envisioned--in big beautiful color. This is how we arrived at the goal of a 512 page full color hardback. Naturally, we also hope that newer Pathfinder fans who weren't around in the d20 days will also check out Freeport and a Kickstarter campaign is a great way to raise awareness. Chris Pramas
Our new Kickstarter is live. Hoist the skull and bones, it's Freeport: The City of Adventure for the Pathfinder RPG! http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1780208966/freeport-the-city-of-adventu re-for-the-pathfinder You asked, we listened. Let's make it happen, mates! Chris Pramas
The Freeport Companion: Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Edition is now available for pre-ordering from our Green Ronin Online Store. When you pre-order this book in our online store, you'll be offered the PDF for just $5 during checkout. If you pre-order the book through a game, book, or comicbook store that's participating in our GR Pre-Order Plus program, they'll give you a coupon code that will get you the same great $5 deal on the PDF version of the book. Ask your favorite retailer if they've signed up yet. The PDF is also available separately. Chris Pramas
We've allowed folks to use "Pathfinder RPG Edition" after the title, so "Guide to Freeport—Pathfinder RPG Edition" would be just fine with us. Ah, good to know. Thanks, Vic. Freeport Companion: Pathfinder RPG Edition is clear and works with our previous branding.
The problem here is that this is what was done by the 4E Companion, which Expeditious Retreat just released. I'd be concerned about retailers getting confused when they saw two books with the same title. As you can see, this landscape is a minefield. :) Chris Pramas
This may be a dumb question, but how about The Pathfinder's Guide to Freeport, using the word as RJ Grady suggests, as the possessive instead of the name of the system? I say dumb, because perhaps that would still violate the license. Even if it didn't technically violate the license, it would certainly go against its spirit and I wouldn't do that to my peeps at Paizo. Chris Pramas
The nice thing about using Revisited is that it's something we can use again if we update any of other d20 era products. We could do Book of Fiends Revisited and Advanced Bestiary Revisited, for example, and that would have a consistent meaning without us creating a new brand and logo. I had forgotten that Paizo did a couple of books with the word in the title, but that's not a big concern. Revisit is common enough. I also considered Freeport Companion Unearthed. That's good from a D&D reference POV, but it doesn't necessarily scream out Pathfinder. I may be over thinking. I do that. :) Chris Pramas
So a few years ago we published a new core setting book, The Pirate's Guide to Freeport. It is a systemless book, a pure sourcebook without game stats for any RPG. Since then we've done a series of companion books that provide mechanical support for various games. To date we've done True20, d20, Savage Worlds, and Castles & Crusades, and Expeditious Retreat Press just released a 4E version under license. The titles are usually titled [System] Freeport Companion, so we've had the True20 Freeport Companion, the Savage Worlds Freeport Companion, etc. The tricky bit is that the Pathfinder compatibility license does not allow a publisher to use "Pathfinder" in the title, so we need to figure out what to call it. Which option do you think would be better? A) Call it Freeport Companion Revisited and rely on the PF logo and the sales text make it clear that this was for Pathfinder. B) Call it something like the Voyager Freeport Companion. This could potentially make people think it's for a non-existent game called Voyager though. Opinions? Chris Pramas
So the mystery behind Chris Pramas' tweet "Paizo: I'll put my peanut butter in your sandwiches" is revealed at last ! I believe it was, "Paizo, I'm getting my chocolate in your peanut butter."
I guess I'll consider myself lucky I'm still at the Marriott by the convention center.
If you decide to go downtown to have a nice dinner, I always go to Cremant. It's a bus ride from downtown, but it's got the best door in Seattle and the food is amazing. Hate to break it to you, but Cremant went out of business like a month ago. They had a closing night blowout in which they invited people to come down and eat and drink everything on hand. It's a shame, as their steak tartar and bone marrow were awesome. There are tons of good places to east in Seattle. In the downtown/Belltown area you've got: Bamboo Garden: Kosher vegetarian Chinese food. Yes, really, and it's good. Near the Space Needle. Cafe Yarmarka: Unpretentious but delicious Russian food. They've got about three tables and plastic chairs, but they deliver on the food. Great pelmeni, stuffed cabbage,and soups. In Post Alley in the market. Can Can Kitchen and Cabaret: Have dinner and a show here or just the show. The Can Can has a resident cabaret troop that includes burlesque dancers, gymnasts, and even a goth belly dancer. Not cheap but fun. In the market. Ipanema Grill: As much grilled Brazilian meat as you can eat. I had dinner here with Erik Mona once and even that stout Midwesterner eventually surrendered to the relentless waiters and their giant skewers of meat. Near Pike Place Market. Le Pichet: French bistro with pate, sandwiches, and other country fare. The same folks run the equally excellent Cafe Presse in Capitol Hill. 1st Ave near the market. Macrina Bakery: You can get great baked goods to go or sit down for soups, sandwiches, and the like. 1st Ave north of the market. Panos Kleftiko: This Greek proclaims this the best Greek food in Seattle. They have a huge variety of small plates and we usually just pick a half dozen of those and call it dinner. Close to the Space Needle and the EMP. Pike Place Chowder: They have excellent clam chowder, and I say that as a New Englander. Salmon and other varieties also tasty. In Post Alley in the market. Shiro's Sushi: Traditional sushi place but high quality. Good for omakase dinners. 2nd Avenue. Umi Sake House: Excellent Japense food and hip decor. They have many unusual sushi rolls, some of which are tempura battered and fried. Mmmmm. 1st Ave north of the market. Wasabi Bistro: More good Japanese. If you go for lunch, they have a great pick and choose bento. 2nd Ave. Wild Ginger: Family style Chinese food. If you are a vegetarian, make sure you ask for their special veggie menu. On 3rd Ave near the post office. Zig Zag Cafe: They have food here but the reason to go is the drinks. Murray Stenson, one of the best bartenders in the country, is the star attraction. His knowledge of mixology is amazing and he ensures the Zig Zag drink list is always interesting. If you are feeling bold, just ask for Murray's choice with the alcohol of your choice and he'll surprise you. On the Pike Street Hill Climb. I could go on but I need to go to bed. If you are looking for a specific cuisine, just holler.
We updated the Holy Warrior to 3.5 and released it as a PDF, the Holy Warrior's Handbook. You can find that on greenronin.com or rpgnow.com. The 3.5 unholy warrior can be found in the Book of Fiends. You can get that as a PDF the same places or in print at Lulu.com. Chris Pramas
Yes, and it's called the True20 Pocket Player's Guide. This book has the the contents of the original core rulebook minus the GM material. If you are going to play the game, it's all you realy need and it's only $14.95. http://www.greenronin.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code =1001&Product_Code=grr1709&Category_Code=true20 Chris Pramas
It's a little bizarre that I've gotten more hostility from 4E fans on the Paizo boards than on EN World. Folks who read a little more of my blog might have noticed that I am trying out 4E right now. I'm running two groups every week, with a total of 13 players. Depending on what the GSL looks like, Green Ronin may also publish some 4E material. For the record. Chris Pramas
As for Green Ronin, I wasn't aware they still put out DnD stuff anymore. The d20 Freeport Companion (for 3.5) came out only a month ago. We also had the Bleeding Edge series of short modules, of which there are currently 7. Chris Pramas
Not sure how often I'll have a chance to update this but what the hey. When I first got to Flying Lab Software, I talked about starting a lunchtime RPG group. Well, it's taken me a year but I'm finally doing it. With Pirates of the Burning Sea content complete we have a little time to breathe, so it seemed like a good time. It was no great surprise to find out that the game they were most familiar with was D&D, so I said the hell with it and decided to go with that. Call it a last hurrah for D&D3. I invited all eleven members of my department, figuring I'd end up with one good sized group. Ten of the eleven said they wanted to play. Since that's way too big for a lunch game, I've split them into two groups and they'll be adventuring in the same locale. This will allow for some crossover and the possibility of joint sessions for big events. Two of the players have never played a tabletop RPG before, so I've decided to give them a taste of classic D&D. For the first time in like twenty years I'm going to run a game set in Greyhawk. I'm adapting one of Paizo's new modules, Conquest of Bloodsworn Vale, and working in other material (most notable Green Ronin's Escape from Ceranir adventure). The adventure has a nice Keep on the Borderlands vibe and it'll be easy to have two adventuring groups in the environment. I'm setting the game in the From the Ashes period of Greyhawk (hey, I'm a WFRP fan, I like Carl Sargent). Here's the setup. If this goes well, there's plenty of adventuring opportunity in the liberation of the Lost Lands and the giant-haunted Crystalmist Mountains. Chronicles of the Lost Lands It is the year 585 in the calendar of the Great Kingdom. It has been dubbed the Year of Peace because the Greyhawk Wars have drawn to a close—and there's a treaty to prove it. For three years war and chaos wracked all of Greyhawk. Nations fell, hundreds of thousands perished, and the forces have evil conquered vast swathes of new territory. In the Sheldomar Valley, the Kingdom of Keoland stands strong, but the nations of Geoff and Sterich were overrun by giants and savage humanoids. Now exiles from those lands and soldiers of Keoland have begun a campaign to reclaim these "Lost Lands." They know that this is the Year of Peace in name only. A treaty may have been signed, but the war goes on and will do so until Geoff and Sterich are liberated. The city of Flen is the center of the new military campaign. The soldiers there need tons of food and supplies to keep on the march. The economy of Keoland is straining to keep up. No only did the kingdom lose two trading partners, but also the influx of refugees from Geoff and Sterich increased the demand for goods and foodstuffs. The Yeomanry, whose citizen-soldiers defeated the giant and humanoid attacks, now has become Keoland’s key trading partner. Traditionally, such commerce has focused on the Javan River route, but this is a roundabout way to get to the Yeomanry capital of Loftwick. Not enough goods are getting to Flen and those that come take too long to get there. A faster route is needed. It was Flen's Merchant Guild that proposed the answer. Once there was a route through the mountains, they claimed, but it hadn’t been used for hundreds of years because it passed through the Bloodsworn Vale. A great battle was once fought there and it was said to be a place of ill omen. The guild masters convinced the military commanders that if the overland route could be reestablished, both Keoland and the Yeomanry would reap the benefits. The Freeholder of the Yeomanry agreed and so the plan was put in motion. Of course, with the military tied up in attacks against Sterich, few men could be spared to clear the vale of savage humanoids and other threats. So the call went out to mercenaries and adventurers to open the Bloodsworn Vale. They were promised gold, and the possibility of land and title. What adventuring party worth its ten foot poles could resist such an offer? Chris Pramas
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