Kiss the Frog!
Two new PDFs for the Pathfinder RPG are available from Frog God Games!
In the early days of Third Edition D&D, a small company called Necromancer Games partnered with White Wolf Publishing to take the RPG world by storm. Necromancer's "Third Edition Rules, First Edition Feel" products set a high-water mark for d20 products, but as third edition slowed down, so did Necromancer Games. But now that the Pathfinder RPG has reinvigorated the scene, Bill Webb—half of the Necromancer Games team—has decided to come out of his slumber to start Frog God Games!
The Slumbering Tsar Saga began its journey years ago as a single mega-adventure for Necromancer Games. It then became a trilogy of adventures, and then a trilogy of mega-adventures, and now it comes to you as a monthly series of PDFs designed for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, each the size of a full adventure in its own right. After all 14 PDFs have been released, the entire work will be collected into a massive hardcover book containing over a half million words of pure First Edition-style adventure.
Something Stirs in the City of Evil. Over the distant northern hills, beyond The Camp, and past the Desolation stand the pitted walls of Tsar. A hundred armies have crushed themselves against this bulwark in futile attempts to breach the city. Even the combined might of the Heavens and Earth were unable to break through in the final battle of Tsar. So why was the city suddenly abandoned on the verge of victory, and what waits for those foolish enough to enter the Temple-City of Orcus?
In Slumbering Tsar: The Desolation, Part 1—The Edge of Oblivion, the sleeper awakes as Slumbering Tsar arrives. Here at the very edge of the Desolation is where it all begins. The Edge of Oblivion details the environs and inhabitants of The Camp, the wretched settlement situated on the edge of nowhere, and the events that lead adventurers deeper into the Desolation. Starting at 7th level, the Edge of Oblivion provides the doorstep taking players into the mind-shattering oblivion that awaits beyond.
The adventure continues in Slumbering Tsar: The Desolation, Part 2—The Ghosts of Victory. The Battle of Tsar was won, or so the history books say, but that victory came at a cost of thousands of heroes and stalwart defenders of good. The Ghosts of Victory provides the players' first steps into the wasteland that is the Desolation in the areas known as the Ashen Waste and the Chaos Rift where the Army of Light once encamped. Every victory comes at a price, and none know this better than the ghosts of those who paid it.
Written by Paizo-favorite author Greg Vaughan, this epic fantasy adventure is sure to please those looking to combine Pathfinder RPG rules with a First Edition feel!
More Blog.
http://www.necromancergames.com/pdf/gods_and_demons.pdf
That is the Necro God's link.
Turin, I am not surte I understand your question. But possibly, if you subscribe before I end subs...here is link
http://www.talesofthefroggod.com/index.php/news
see the June 29 blog post.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber
tsathogga wrote: http://www.necromancergames.com/pdf/gods_and_demons.pdf
Perfect. Thank you!!!
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
tsathogga wrote: Gods and Demons Link
That is the Necro God's link.
Turin, I am not surte I understand your question. But possibly, if you subscribe before I end subs...here is link
news blog
see the June 29 blog post.
Fixed the links for you.
Thanks DM!
In other news; I sent out an email to everyone who bought from our site on "How to download"
Was the message clear and easy to use? What should I change when I send the same one next month?
please advise,
Bill
I am not ready to bust open the pinata of news yet, but I do have some questions for all of you. What would folks think of a "book of the month" club, where FGG produced a 24-42 page book once per month, folks could subscribe or buy it individually, maybe save $2/book or so for annual subscription.The fees would/could look something like this for costs (including a POD shipped to US/Canada/Mexico or overseas (by column).
Monthly
$11.99
$15.99
$21.45
Quarterly
$29.99
$31.99
$40.99
Costs include shipping (hence the discount if we shipped 1/quarter instead of each month. Maybe PODs would normally cost $9.99, and e-books $4.99 or something, but you got both for $8.99 if you subscribed...Maybe PDF only subscriptions would knock $1 off each book.
TO BE CLEAR Prices are just make-believe; I need to validate costs first, but they are probably somewhere close to the mark. I also need to assess shipping costs.
What I am looking for is feedback "in general" on the concept. Should I just sell books 1/time or would folks like this to save a bit and make it easier to buy and sell? Let me know.
Bill
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
I replied over at Necro already.
August 11, 2010
Greg is back from Gencon, and I whipped him, so now he is diligently working on finalizing Chapter 4! Probable release date is August 20. In other news, we are proud to announce another book by Carla Harker (of Necromancer Games Family Affair fame). Text and maps are done, and we are awaiting art. Still counting pages, but I am estimating 84. It may release as three shorter books. Likely date is November.
Strange Bedfellows is a d20 adventure for 4-6 PCs of level 2 or higher. A circus show erupts in mayhem when goblinoids crash the performance, slaughtering performers and audience members alike. PCs investigate the attack, leading them into an ancient dungeon and uncovering ancient secrets and harbored grudges. Their decisions affect the politics and economics of three unique towns. Strange Bedfellows includes three fully-developed towns, numerous unique NPCs who offer an extensive assortment of side quests, and a wide range of challenging opponents.
Carla is a fantastic writer with difficult plots and plot twists. Her adventures are for a thinking person. Anyone who has played Family Affair knows that a straight bash approach will result in an early TPK.
Starting on or about September 1, FGG will be offering PRINT versions of the individual chapters of Slumbering Tsar, as well as the two lost Necromancer Games books, Eamonvale Adventures and Demonheart as real books at the FGG site. These books will have limited print runs and will be clearly marked "First Edition" to differentiate them from later print on demand copies.
Finally, interior art and maps are done for Fane of the Fallen, and the cover for Fane, Strange Bedfellows (awaiting interiors), and Splinters of Faith (awaiting maps) will be done by the end of the month. November release is still on target for all 3 in both print and pdf.
tsathogga wrote: August 11, 2010
Greg is back from Gencon, and I whipped him, so now he is diligently working on finalizing Chapter 4! Probable release date is August 20. In other news, we are proud to announce another book by Carla Harker (of Necromancer Games Family Affair fame). Text and maps are done, and we are awaiting art. Still counting pages, but I am estimating 84. It may release as three shorter books. Likely date is November.
Strange Bedfellows is a d20 adventure for 4-6 PCs of level 2 or higher. A circus show erupts in mayhem when goblinoids crash the performance, slaughtering performers and audience members alike. PCs investigate the attack, leading them into an ancient dungeon and uncovering ancient secrets and harbored grudges. Their decisions affect the politics and economics of three unique towns. Strange Bedfellows includes three fully-developed towns, numerous unique NPCs who offer an extensive assortment of side quests, and a wide range of challenging opponents.
Carla is a fantastic writer with difficult plots and plot twists. Her adventures are for a thinking person. Anyone who has played Family Affair knows that a straight bash approach will result in an early TPK.
Starting on or about September 1, FGG will be offering PRINT versions of the individual chapters of Slumbering Tsar, as well as the two lost Necromancer Games books, Eamonvale Adventures and Demonheart as real books at the FGG site. These books will have limited print runs and will be clearly marked "First Edition" to differentiate them from later print on demand copies.
Finally, interior art and maps are done for Fane of the Fallen, and the cover for Fane, Strange Bedfellows (awaiting interiors), and Splinters of Faith (awaiting maps) will be done by the end of the month. November release is still on target for all 3 in both print and pdf.
One word comes to mind, SWEET!!!
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber
Thank you for the update!
August 24, 2010
Slumbering Tsar 4 should be released this week. The Eamonvale Incursion and Demonheart are both live and for sale (ships next week).The product page has been (significantly) updated, and well....there is a bit more news.
August 24, 2010 - Poulsbo WA
Frog God Games, the successor to Necromancer Games, is pleased to announce that effective immediately, Mythmere Games, headed by award-winning author Matt Finch, will be joining up with the Frog God Publishing team to produce even more of the true old-school gaming resources that Necromancer Games and Frog God Games have always been known for.
Matt explained one of the reasons for the agreement as “"There is a large and active community of gamers playing various out-of-print editions of fantasy role-playing games. This alliance is going to be a big leap forward in terms of providing new resources and adventures to those of us who prefer an older-school type of game. It doesn't matter if you're an old-school grognard, a brand-new player, or an experienced gamer trying out this whole 'old-school' thing the internet keeps talking about. You're going to like this".
As a result of this merger, Frog God Games will be publishing the Complete version of the old school, ENnie Award-winning Swords & Wizardry™ fantasy role-playing game, which will be released in November.
“This merger is very much in line with my philosophy on game design, I play an old school game at my table, and have always written and produced books of that genre”, said Bill Webb, CEO of Frog God Games. Frog God Games and its predecessor, Necromancer Games both are known for producing d20 and Pathfinder adventures and sourcebooks with a distinctive “old school” feel. Necromancer, where Bill was partnered with Clark Peterson, produced over 50 books between 1999 and 2007, including Wilderlands of High Fantasy™ (under license to Judges Guild), Gary Gygax’s Necropolis™ and Rappan Athuk, Dungeon of Graves™.
Frog God Games is currently producing adventures to support the Pathfinder™ role-playing system. According to Bill, “This brings together the best of both worlds for me; our material is distinctly old school feel, regardless of the game system. By supporting both formats, I see an opportunity to provide high quality and exciting material to a larger audience. It’s a win for the gaming community.”
Frog God Games will now produce game supplements for both the Swords and Wizardry™ game and for the Pathfinder Game™ (published by Paizo Publishing of Bellevue WA).Swords & Wizardry builds and supports free-form role-playing games.That is to say, games where “light” rules create a framework instead of trying to cover every detail, every rule, and every situation. Over 30 books are currently in production for release in 2010 and 2011.
Matt explained , “There are a lot of gamers out there who are using out-of-print rules quite happily, or who have a vague feeling that they lost some of the game's spirit over the years and don't know how it happened. And then there's the thriving community of old-school gamers on the internet, who have been powering forward for years. I think this new development is going to take us to critical mass. With an old-school game like Swords & Wizardry breaking into the mainstream, with all the power of Frog God Games behind it, I believe that all these three gamer-communities are about to connect. This is when the thunder starts to roll.”.
The Swords & Wizardry game “clones” the original rules of the fantasy role-playing game that started it all back in 1974, when it was published by Gary Gygax and DaveArneson. Part of the reason for the merger was to expand distribution and enhance production quality by involvement of a larger company. Matt described this as, “a step that has been developing for years, as the old-school community has grown larger and larger, supported by more and more gamers, and, increasingly, even by publishers. And this is the point where it all reaches critical mass, I think. Frog God Games has the resources and the high profile to introduce this particular style of gaming back into the mainstream."
Most previously existing products created by Mythmere Games, including Knockspell Magazine™ will continue to be produced and distributed by Black Blade Publishing (http://black-blade-publishing.com/Store.aspx).
Distribution and publication of the Swords and Wizardry Core Rules will continue through Black Blade and other sources, and will be compatible with the Swords & Wizardry Complete Rulebook to be released in November by Frog God Games along with a full supporting line of adventure modules and other resources for the game.
Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber
tsathogga wrote: August 24, 2010
Slumbering Tsar 4 should be released this week. The Eamonvale Incursion and Demonheart are both live and for sale (ships next week).The product page has been (significantly) updated, and well....there is a bit more news.
Games is currently producing adventures to support the...
Sweet!
Edit: I can't find these two on the Frog God page. Am I missing something?
Will they be available via Paizo? Are they print or PDF only?
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
Zaister wrote: tsathogga wrote: August 24, 2010
Slumbering Tsar 4 should be released this week. The Eamonvale Incursion and Demonheart are both live and for sale (ships next week).The product page has been (significantly) updated, and well....there is a bit more news.
Games is currently producing adventures to support the...
Sweet!
Edit: I can't find these two on the Frog God page. Am I missing something?
Will they be available via Paizo? Are they print or PDF only? They are currently up at RPGNow as 3.5 PDF's. Bill has said on the necro forum that he will have those books up on his site likely tonight. He needs to finish a few things on the web page for costs for shipping etc before he can post them. So look for them sometime tonight or tomorrow.
Yeah, what the Mistress of the Dark said. I asked the same question on the Necromancer Games forum he said they should be up tonight which makes me very happy.
All in all very very good news.
Zaister wrote: tsathogga wrote: August 24, 2010
Slumbering Tsar 4 should be released this week. The Eamonvale Incursion and Demonheart are both live and for sale (ships next week).The product page has been (significantly) updated, and well....there is a bit more news.
Games is currently producing adventures to support the...
Sweet!
Edit: I can't find these two on the Frog God page. Am I missing something?
Will they be available via Paizo? Are they print or PDF only? The PDFs are now available here.
Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber
Thanks, Vic, I hope they will become available in print somehow.
Very cool that they use the original Necromancer cover layout.
Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder Adventure, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Mythmere and Frog God?!? This is so amazing!!! Man this is great news - I'm more of a B/X fan myself, but I have the White Box sitting right there on my self (over there next to Weird Fantasy Roleplaying - which is mind-blowing in itself).
Zaister wrote: Thanks, Vic, I hope they will become available in print somehow.
Very cool that they use the original Necromancer cover layout.
I believe that the version going up for sale on FGG are going to be print versions. The PDF's have been available at DTRPG for quite a long time and FGG has been trying to get POD versions to go live on DTRPG but they stated on the Necromancer Forums that they gave up on that idea and worked out some other print version which should be what is going live today.
But dont quote me 100% on this.
Zaister wrote: Thanks, Vic, I hope they will become available in print somehow.
Very cool that they use the original Necromancer cover layout.
Print copies will be available from my site (talesofthefroggod.com) later tonight--I have to sort out shipping charges and how to bill them is all. I am likely going to have to flat rate them. That will evolve over time. If you buy the print--you get the pdf for free.
Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber
tsathogga wrote: Print copies will be available from my site (talesofthefroggod.com) later tonight--I have to sort out shipping charges and how to bill them is all. I am likely going to have to flat rate them. That will evolve over time. If you buy the print--you get the pdf for free. Awesome!
Shipping issues solved! books are live and for sale (ships Sept 5).
Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber
tsathogga wrote: Shipping issues solved! books are live and for sale (ships Sept 5). Hooray!
One question: What will be the differences between Black Blade's S&W Core Rules and Frog God Games S&W Complete Rulebook, rule-wise?
Tsar 4 will be posted tonite when I get off work!
tsathogga wrote: Tsar 4 will be posted tonite when I get off work! Hooray!!!
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber
tsathogga wrote: Tsar 4 will be posted tonite when I get off work! Posted?
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
Elorebaen wrote: tsathogga wrote: Tsar 4 will be posted tonite when I get off work! Posted? He means posted up for download aka to buy on his site.
I don't believe it was posted on his site yet after all.
Posted this morning--it was a bit bigger than before. It should be on my site today and DTRPG/Paizo by Monday
The lateness is my fault. Basically I tried to solve a problem and created a worse one.
-sigh-
Chuck Wright
FGG Layout Brochacho.
Pale wrote: The lateness is my fault. Basically I tried to solve a problem and created a worse one.
-sigh-
Chuck Wright
FGG Layout Brochacho.
*pat pat* It's still a beautiful layout. I think we can forgive its lateness. Well, at least I can. :) Keep up the good work lil Pale.
Actually Chuck--its my fault--I forgot to ping David last night--so he edid not know to activate it:)
Bill
So anyway, for all of you not in the know, Slumbering Tsar: Temple-City of Orcus, Part 1 - The Tower of Weepiong Sores is now available for sale at talesofthefroggod.com. I presume it will be available for sale here at Paizo and at DTRPG soon, as well (I'm guessing maybe tomorrow).
So what's the big deal, you say? Well, here's the big deal.
While The Tower of Weeping Sores is the 4th part of the overall Slumbering Tsar Saga, unlike the first three parts which saw publication a couple years ago in a 3.5 format as Slumbering Tsar: The Desolation, Temple-City of Orcus has never been published before. That's right. Though this thing was written 6 years ago along with the rest of it, this is the first time that anyone outside of myself, my playtesters, and the guys at Necromancer Games has ever seen a glimpse of the great Temple-City of Tsar itself.
So if you've read through or played through the adventures that comprise the Desolation , now you finally get to see what happens next rather than just being dangled in frustrating limbo for years.
Part 1 - The Tower of Weeping Sores covers only the actual various gates and walls of the city, including the gate fortress Kirash Durgaut and the dreaded Tower of Weeping Sores perched atop its battlements, but it also serves as the stepping stone for your first glimpse of what lies beyond--which includes the entire city map.
There are 4 more parts to the Temple-City portion of the saga that then explore the ruins of Tsar itself as they ascend through the various terraces that the city was built upon up to the foundations of the great Citadel of Orcus (to be explored in the final 5 parts of Slumbering Tsar: The Hidden Citadel).
So get it now and finally see the unseen, what lies beyond the Tar Pits of Malerix through the obscuring haze that before could only be seen as the vaguest suggestion of something terrible. That "something" is Tsar.
To further whet your appetite, Part 2 - The Lower City should be out in just a couple weeks to allow you to begin to explore the city within the walls as well. But at 37,000 words (a little longer than a typical Paizo AP adventure), the Tower of Weeping Sores ought to keep you occupied for a bit.
Enjoy!
Adventure Path Charter Subscriber
I'm very happy to have just downloaded my copy, but I was a bit shocked that the file size was in excess of fifty megabytes, since the others were around a tenth of that size. Is that correct, or did my file just download wonky for some reason?
Greg A. Vaughan wrote:
So get it now and finally see the unseen, what lies beyond the Tar Pits of Malerix through the obscuring haze that before could only be seen as the vaguest suggestion of something terrible. That "something" is Tsar.
Oh boy is it ever! And it's guaranteed to completely creep out my players, assuming they make it that far. *rubs hands together in glee*
To Alzrius: Yep that was the size of the file, though you are going to have to ask Pale Writer (aka Chuck Wright - see above) what in the world he did to make it that size.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
He feed it a lot of butter and chocolate and it got fat waiting to be posted.
Dark_Mistress wrote: He feed it a lot of butter and chocolate and it got fat waiting to be posted. That explains much!
Yeah, we're still trying to figure out what dark ritual Chuck performed to cause such rapid growth in the file. That's not supposed to happen until you have downloaded all 14 and SkyNet emerges from them to take over your PC.
Dark Sasha, it could always be for their replacement characters. ;-)
The 50 MB file size is probably because the cover has all of the art elements put together right on the front and isn't one image done as a 300dpi .jpg.
I'm experimenting a bit (I know, great time to do it, right?) to try and get the best possible product out to everyone and working in as many formats as possible.
I think that I've finally figured out how to make everything nice and pretty on the iPad. Then I'll do more experimenting with the file sizes.
Greg A. Vaughan wrote: Yeah, we're still trying to figure out what dark ritual Chuck performed to cause such rapid growth in the file. That's not supposed to happen until you have downloaded all 14 and SkyNet emerges from them to take over your PC.
Dark Sasha, it could always be for their replacement characters. ;-)
Oh I see your game plan now, first you will replace my players, then the entire world. As for SkyNet taking over my computer, heck I think it already has my brain. Just yesterday I was looking at the newest smart phones and instead of thinking, "$15 more a month just to get email and such on my cell phone?." I was thinking, "Cool! Only $15 more a month to access my email and surf the interwebs!" OH yeah, it's too late for me, SkyNet already has me.
Greg A. Vaughan wrote: Resistance is futile. "The Weak Will Perish"
Turin; tyhat is what we did
ZEamonvale and Demonheart have arrived from the printer, and will ship this week!
Lots more news soon.
Bill
September 15, 2010
A bit of a delay will occur in shipping. Due to a few damaged books, I am changing shipping a bit. I ordered boxes and we will start shipping using these. I will have to up fees a bit (boxes are expensive), but you can rest assured you will get a better book that way. For recent orders, I expect a week or so until the boxes arrive. I will ship as soon as they do. I aplogize for the delay, but I want to make sure we maintain our quality.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
tsathogga wrote: September 15, 2010
A bit of a delay will occur in shipping. Due to a few damaged books, I am changing shipping a bit. I ordered boxes and we will start shipping using these. I will have to up fees a bit (boxes are expensive), but you can rest assured you will get a better book that way. For recent orders, I expect a week or so until the boxes arrive. I will ship as soon as they do. I aplogize for the delay, but I want to make sure we maintain our quality.
I think I can speak for most people and say. I would rather pay more to make sure my products come in great shape. So no worries.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber
Dark_Mistress wrote: I think I can speak for most people and say. I would rather pay more to make sure my products come in great shape. So no worries. +1
September 22, 2010
Updates on several fronts. First, thanks for your patience on shipping. I have invested in some bomb-proof shipping materials, that should arrive shortly. I expect to ship all back orders Monday or Tuesday next week. Next, I have in my hands (literally) the layout proof of Fane of the fallen (PFRPG version) and Matt has completed the S&W conversion, which Chuck is laying out now. Tsar 5 is also in layout, and should be ready to be posted in a week or so. The Complete S&W Rulebook is in final editing. Rowena has maybe 5 more pieces of art to complete and we will pass that book to Chuck.
Strange Bedfellows is next up, Matt will start the S&W conversion today, and the PFRPG version is ready to go thanks to Skeeter Greene! On the short book front, most of the planned ONS and SNS books are done in one version and awaiting translation into either S&W or PFRPG. Art has been ordered for all of them, and Robert has been cranking out maps. Splinters of Faith 1-4 are all done and edited, interiors done, and maps are done for 1-2. Rick will have the cover done very, very soon.
We are all on track for November releases for most of these as planned, but we have to make sure that Chuck gets some sleep too. We have picked up several writers (new and old), and I think may of you will be quite pleased when you see a few of the names. I will have many new book titles and announcements soon. One hint...does anyone like Viking adventures?
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
First off thats good to hear things are on track and going well.
tsathogga wrote: One hint...does anyone like Viking adventures?
That depends, do we get to do what Vikings do or be the target of vikings? Somehow i doubt I would enjoy the later nearly as much as the former. :)
Dark_Mistress wrote: First off thats good to hear things are on track and going well.
tsathogga wrote: One hint...does anyone like Viking adventures?
Ditto and Yes!
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