I just bought and downloaded this book, and read Mharot's and Blood Mother Margase's entries in stride.
They mesh pretty well with how I envisioned Midgard's powerhouses and legends - and they rock ! If the rest of the book is of such high quality, I'm gonna be an happy GM gnome :-).
Ho, I read the Black Sorceress' entry too. I didn't realize which family she was a part of (trying not to spoil anything here), and I really liked this option !
I apppreciated the background info on the Caelmarath's revolt against the Elves, too. As a GM and a player I like that the legendary world I tread in has such well conceived, evocative and ample background and backstories.
One thing I noticed: the Master of Demon Mountain is not in the book. Perhaps he will appear in the upcoming Midgard Tales ?
Though, to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure I'd like to have the statblock of the Master of Demon Mountain.
Regarding that, I noticed the supplement's NPCs are not all statted - which is perfectly fine by me: some things are best left to the (feverish) imagination of the GM.
Contributor; Publisher, Kobold Press; RPG Superstar Judge
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Glad you like the Legends! It's an attempt to do some worldbuilding that is both fun to read, and that serves a practical end in play. Thus, spells, artifacts, and the like are part of the legends, not just NPCs.
And I agree, the Master of Demon Mountain probably does not need a stat block. He's a bit like the Lady of Pain in Planescape, or Baba Yaga for that matter. Sort of a capstone figure who deserves his own book...
Quiche Lisp, you mentioned the three that me (Blood Mother Margase), Wolfgang, and Ben McFarland wrote. Very happy you liked them! And kudos to the editor, Amanda Hammon.
This pdf is part of the Midgard Tales project, btw.
Well, I am all the more eager to read the Tales themselves, then !
I may get this tonight!
Got it. Skimmed it. Liked what I read. Sadly, not a single one of the pictures works in Goodreader on iPad.
As usual, they were fine in the adobe reader app. Similar to some issues with Hellfrost's main books and some Earthdawn 3e books. Too bad adobe reader sucks.
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Sorry to hear that, Mead. There's an issue with Apple products for some reason.
Sorry to hear that, Mead. There's an issue with Apple products for some reason.
Yes, it is the most annoying Apple issue out there. It is bad enough that since ios5 my 1st gen barely runs anymore without crashing.
So that's why some images don't appear on my mac - using Preview. I' m still yet to see some of the images from the Midgard bestiary!!! Some of my Paizo PDFs crash when using Preview too..
The cover for this book looks awesome!!!
I always use Adobe Acrobat and never have a problem ...
As do I.
Regarding the art, it's true that the cover is gorgeous !
About the worldbuilding effort mentioned by Mr Baur, and its actual use in game play, I really appreciate the idea, and I think the book serves it well.
If my dreams came true, a similar book would exist about the great contemporary political figures of Midgard: the nobles of the Great Duchy of Dornig, the court of the Magdar, the entourage of the Despot of the Ruby Sea, etc.
Of course, by "political" I really mean "deep and personal": like, for example, the personality of some archmages of Bemmea, their quirks and the reason they love/hate each other, their illegetimate fiendish progeny... shakespearian politics, if you like.
Of course, the commercial appeal of a book like that could be hard to evaluate. But in a world with a strong flavor and coherence like Midgard, and with a high degree of "believability", that could be worth a try (for some reason I am reminded of the statblockless Kindred Most Wanted book for the Vampire the Masquerade line by White Wolf).
I like that idea QuicheLisp. I do a lot of freelancing for Wolfgang, and I'll note that on a possibility list for him when we all get caught up on everything that's currently in motion. There's much more to come from Kobold Press over the next few months, believe me!
Quiche Lisp, you mentioned the three that me (Blood Mother Margase), Wolfgang, and Ben McFarland wrote. Very happy you liked them! And kudos to the editor, Amanda Hammon.
This pdf is part of the Midgard Tales project, btw.
Sounds great! Is this then an out-take of Midgard Tales? i.e. will all this also be in that?
The Midgard Legends pdf came out of the Midgard Tales kickstarter project, but it is a stand-alone book, so no duplication will appear. The Midgard Tales book will cover 13 adventures by authors like Richard Pett, Ben McFarland, Brian Suskind, Crystal Frasier, and others. I'm currently editing the book. Also, as part of the kickstarter project, I am writing a 15th-level stand-alone adventure called "Freeing Nethus," and Wolfgang Baur is writing the 16-page "Raven's Call" adventure.
It's actually not too late to join that project through the Kobold Press website's store...though time is running out.
RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 32
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As a contributor to this product (Saint Vadim) I was excited to get a look at the art and the layout. But I have to say that I am very impressed with everyone's legends. This is a wonderful compilation. Why? Because of the imaginative quality of the each legend. This is a great example of what collaborative projects can accomplish. I'm so pleased!
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The Midgard Tales book will cover 13 adventures by authors like Richard Pett, Ben McFarland, Brian Suskind, Crystal Frasier, and others. I'm currently editing the book. Also, as part of the kickstarter project, I am writing a 15th-level stand-alone adventure called "Freeing Nethus," and Wolfgang Baur is writing the 16-page "Raven's Call" adventure.
I have a lot of the art in for these and I am thrilled! The interior art AND cover art for these are just ... awesome! Add the actual adventures themselves and you have a pretty can't miss combination!
When I saw the cover, I immediately thought of Daniel Horne's Dragon mag cover. Good stuff!
I especially enjoyed the incantations, if only for the tools they put at GMs' disposals. For once, you will be able to back up the threat....
"Shhhh, don't talk about him. He'll know..."
-Ben.
Reviewed first on Endzeitgeist.com, then sent to GMS magazine, Nerdtrek and posted the review on OBS. Cheers!
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Wow. An absolutely fantastic review! Definitely the strength of the Midgard Campaign Setting lies in its rich attention to story - everything from classic injustices, motes of grandeur or humble beginnings - and environment, and the link between them. The beauty here is that Midgard's regions and history together provide the perfect framework on which to create myths and legends - the stuff of tales!
Thank you endzeitgeist for taking the time to not only read but parse this offering. I think all the kobolds involved will be well gratified by your comments - it was a joy to work on Legends...
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Thanks, Oceanshieldwolf! Products like this make reviewing worthwhile. ^^
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Reviewed first on Endzeitgeist.com, then sent to GMS magazine, Nerdtrek and posted the review on OBS. Cheers!
Wow, EZG, thank you so much for taking the time to read this book so thoroughly -- and to write such a great review! I'm really glad you liked everything, and I hope lots of folks find these legends as fascinating as you did. They certainly are incredible!
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This being the first RPG product I've been a part of, thanks so much for the review EZG! Reading it was a real buzz :)
Oh, wow! Definitely checking the PDF out ASAP.
I've been a Midgard tear lately trying to figure out 'what is what' on the map, so anything that fills out the world knowledge and feel for the world is helpful.