Paizo will be releasing two compilation hardcovers later this year.
Dungeon Classics: The Shackled City Adventure Path™
This much-rumored, highly anticipated release will be available as a single hardcover in July.
The Dragon Compendium
This collection of the most popular "classic" articles from throughout Dragon magazine's 29-year history is scheduled for release in October.
Download the details at http://paizo.com/download/news/PaizoCompilations2005.pdf (252k PDF)
Anybody know if The Shacked City and the Dragon Compendium hardcovers will be available from Amazon? I just checked and they aren't currently listed there, but I'll probably pick them up if I can get the usual 34 percent hardcover discount Amazon offers.
Will the new Shackled City book still be Greyhawk specific and be considered "official" Greyhawk material? If so, any chance we'll see an official Greyhawk logo on it? Also, will it all be 3.5? I remember the earlier parts were published pre-3.5.
I'm somewhat in shock from the idea of an official 3.5 Greyhawk book (not to mention the equivalent of a super-mega-module) being published.
Finally, can we see a list of articles to be presented in the Dragon Compendium?
According the the information here:
http://www.gamingreport.com/article.php?sid=16433&mode=thread&order =0
which was posted in another thread about this issue, it states that there is an extra adventure that will fill in an experience gap in the early going. I am running a group through the AP now and we just finished Life's Bazaar. It doesn't look like there is a gap between that adventure and Flood Season, so is the gap between FS and Zenith Trajectory? Anybody have an idea on this one?
I hate to have to wait till July for this to come out and possibly miss out on an additional adventure because we passed the timeline for it.
Chief Technical Officer
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The early sections will be updated to 3.5.
I *believe* that the added section, by Christopher Perkins, comes between Life's Bazaar and Flood Season. (I'm not actually working on that project - I'm sure somebody will chime in if I'm mistaken.)
I can't say if/when it will be available at amazon, but it will be available for preorder right here on paizo.com very soon.
The cover art in the PDF is a mock-up; final product will likely be substantially different.
-Vic.
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Will the new Shackled City book still be Greyhawk specific and be considered "official" Greyhawk material? If so, any chance we'll see an official Greyhawk logo on it? Also, will it all be 3.5? I remember the earlier parts were published pre-3.5.
Was the AP ever Greyhawk-specific?
And yes, the AP will be completely updated to 3.5.
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Creative Director
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The added section will indeed take place between Life's Bazaar and Flood Season. Although there's a chance it might end up going between Flood Season and Zenith Trajectory. In any case, it will likely be self-contained enoguh that it could be shifted around to anywhere.
Also, while Cauldron and Sasserine do appear on the Greyhawk maps we published in issues #118-#121, the adventures themselves have always been fairly "generic" as far as where they're set. They'll still use the core deities, and here and there when location names are needed we'll probably use names from the World of Greyhawk, but by and large it'll be compeltely divorced from world continuity and the like, so it can be placed with ease into any campaign world. Pretty much the same way they were when the adventures appeared in Dungeon, really, so if you consider those adventures to be Greyhawk-friendly, you'll consider the compilation to be Greyhawk-friendly. :-)
As for the Dragon compendium... that's still a ways off. We're not quite ready to release a list of what's in there yet.
My biggest question is will the hardback feature an "aftermath" map that will show the signifigant changes that have happened in Cauldron. Mainly the damage to the city. Sorry, trying not to give anything away to players, but having a before and after map of the city would be fantastic if even as a web enhancement.
Neomorte
*does the happy dance*
Anyone want to join me?
Strangely enough, I was shopping around the idea of a hardcover "campaign in a book" idea about two years ago, but could never pull it off. (I've even got the email from SJ Games to prove it.) I was going for a retail price of around $40 or so, so naturally $60 seems a bit steep to me. However, I'm going to get it... after all, if I'm willing to drop $300 on 2 cases of D&D minatures, I better be willing to drop $60 for the hardcover!
Serious question... is a hardcover planned for AP2?
Squid
Great news !!! I'll order it as soon as it is avalaible. Will foreign retailers receive it as a "normal" Dungeon issue or will I need to order it from Paizo ? I live in France and I have to fight for each issue of the magazine because retailers here are so afraid to get stuck with an unsold issue they do not even fill the demand... :o((
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Creative Director
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I'm not sure exactly how it'll be distributed, apart from the fact that you'll surely be able to order the book from the Paizo store. But one thing I do know is that it's gonna be a book, which means it isn't going to be distributed as a magazine. Which means that if your FLGS carries a wide selection of d20 products, you can probably expect to see Shackled City show up there as well.
Good news indeed :) Any chance of getting a sidebar how to adapt it to other settings, like Forgotten Realms or Eberron?
congratulations.
I hope it's a huge succes, so you'll do this kind of thing more often. I have to say, the adventure path has made running a campaign a lot easier. 'specially since I have this great community here to help me out :-)
Hmmm... $60 for something I already have...
ASEO out
Sounds great! I definitely want to get it when it comes out, since I have none of the adventure path Dungeon issues. Adaptation notes for Forgotten Realms and Eberron would be very useful. I would probably run it in FR somewhere around Chult, Tashalar and the Lake of Steam, judging by what I've seen of the Shackled City adventure path, but if adaptation notes showed better support for other regions and deities in FR, I might go with those instead.
i agree with ASEO ... $60 for something i already have. However i do have a feeling that i will be buying it anyway. What i am afreade of is that we will be to far along the AP for it to be worth my money. we are half way threw senith traetory now. i figure two to three weeks per magazine. I figure that we will be near the end of the AP by the time it comes our.. grrr i will just have to look at it before i buy it
Hmmm... $60 for something I already have...
ASEO out
ASEO - sometimes I think you look for the negative in every thing. Have you considered that, as a hardback book on the shelf of a gaming store, it might attract the eye of people who might not otherwise consider looking at Dungeon. Those folks, on seeing the quality of the adventure could very well begin picking up our favorite magazine for Dungeon Masters every once in a while, even possibly subscribing as a result.
That potentially increases the reader base of the magazine which is a good thing for all of us. Besides... having the AP all in one place would be a great thing. My brother owns a gaming store and my birthday is in July... maybe I'll start dropping hints now.
- Ashavan
i think you are reading a little to much into it. i can;t speek for ASEO but i know that i think that the book is a great idea and i would love to have it however $60 for somthing i laready have is a bit steep So the way i look at it is will it be a smart way to spend my money? If i were not already part of the way threw the AP or having knowing that i would not be almost done with it by the time the book comes out then i would buy it hands down no questions asked.
as for right now it's we shall see
Wow! What a great idea. I am definitely going to buy the classic.
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I sincerely hope that Paizo makes a profit on this. It's hard for me to say whether $60 is a fair price, but considering that it's listed at 416 pages ... it just might be. Unfortunately, for me, that's a bit cost prohibitive ... especially since I already have the entire adventure path from Dungeon (sans fill-in adventure and aftermath information). In the end, I still hope that Paizo turns a nice profit on this.
BTW, any word on my request for official Dragon and Dungeon slipcases?
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This is excellent news!
Perhaps! Assuming there's enough room and we remember to write it up! ;)
I second the request for a sidebar or two describing how to adapt the adventure to FR Eberron (to which James was replying above). Since many people have begun this adaption process, I wonder if it would be helpful to the design team to sample our own ideas/choices while creating this material.
I also really like the idea on having a chapter that oulines major organizations and NPCs rather than bits of information them spread out through the various adventures in sidebars.
The $60 cover price was a bit of a shock, but it also seems quite a bit longer than the typical d20 product.
Would I pay $60 bucks for a 400+ page, hard cover super adventure that takes the characters from level 1-20? It is entirely possible.
But when the adventure path is made of 11 issues from DUNGEON, which I got at a cost of ~$35 for the annual subscription, is it worth an additional $25 for the few pages of maybe extra stuff and the hard cover?
Were it a brand new AP I might consider it, but $60, while in line with the industry standard, is still 24 issues of DUNGEON. And with three adventures per issue, I think I can get characters from 1st thrugh 20th level with the 72 adventures. Sure, they may not be linked as nicely, but $60...
I did drop $25 for the Lost City of Barracs (sp).
I just hope that this doesn't bite Paizo. This is a product that will be bought primarly by DMs, Many of those DMs will find the $60 too high a price, and many others are subscribers to DUNGEON, and won't buy it because they already have it. I just hope that this doesn't negatively impact DUNGEON, which despite Wil Save, is the single greatest DM resource available.
ASEO out
Now I'm not purchasing the World Largest Dungeon because it costs $100+
I'm glad that Paizo is publishing the AP in HB for all those people who don't have it. I'm sure many people will enjoy it.
The $60 price sounds high, but Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil is only 192 pages, softcover, and $29.95, so the price isn't all that bad if it's 400 pgs+ and hardback. Still I bet many will put it down based on price alone.
I would like to have it but I will most likely decline. As stated by other $60 is a lot for something I already have, even if it is as one big collection. Also we're up to Lord of Oblivion so we may be done before the HB ever comes out, making the purchase that much more unusable by myself.
I'll start saving for AP2 in HB however. I subscribed to Dungeon only for the adventures since I don't have a lot of time to write my own anymore. Since I have a lot of unused material, more than enough to last a while, I let my Dungeon subscription run out. I was debating doing this for some time and losing out on the number of adventures helped me make that choice. Still, I enjoyed the work well enough I'd buy the AP2, w/o already owning it, for $60.
(BTW I know there are other threads about only 3 adventures per issue so I don't mean to sidetrack this threads subject)
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Creative Director
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...is it worth an additional $25 for the few pages of maybe extra stuff and the hard cover?
That's something that you'll have to decide for yourself once the book comes out, of course. However... the new content is going to amount to more than a few pages. I'm guessing we'll be adding something in the neighborhood of 20,000 words of new content (the new adventrue, an extensive introduction that provides tips for running the campaign, material that was cut from a few adventures, and a more in-depth presentation of Cauldron and the environs). Plus... new illustrations and new maps. At the very least, the new content will allow you to more easilly run additional adventures in the Cauldron region.
However... the new content is going to amount to more than a few pages. I'm guessing we'll be adding something in the neighborhood of 20,000 words of new content (the new adventrue, an extensive introduction that provides tips for running the campaign, material that was cut from a few adventures, and a more in-depth presentation of Cauldron and the environs). Plus... new illustrations and new maps. At the very least, the new content will allow you to more easilly run additional adventures in the Cauldron region.
Man, you aren't going to make this easy for me. I'd love to have this product. Even though I have owned the sub products, I have pruchased composit products in the past Scourge of the Slave Lords, Against the Giants, Desert of Desolation to name a few. This product promices to be awsome. 400+ full color pages, hard cover, extra material...
If I could do only one, would you prefer me buy this product, or add two years to my DUNGEON subscription?
ASEO out
If I could afford all the gaming materials I want, I'd have to but a much bigger house.
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Creative Director
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That's actually an excellent comparasion; Shackled City is being done in the same way Queen of the Spiders compiled seven different adventrues, added new bridging material and background info, and so on.
As for which to buy: Shackled City or a 2 year subscription to Dungeon... hmmmm. That's a tough choice. If you already have the full run of Adventure Path 1, a subscription to Dungeon'll probably do ya better. That said, I'm sure there's a way you can find the funds to buy both! I hear that wig factories pay lots of money for human hair... ;-)
If I could do only one, would you prefer me buy this product, or add two years to my DUNGEON subscription?
ASEO out...
take the dungeon subscription. I wouldn't want to miss out on you ragging on Will Save.
Heya folks-
My first encounter with the Adventure Path was ripping the text from the old magazines for James Jacobs and Co. to work with, but I've got to say that I think this book is going to be amazing. I've never been big on buying adventures, but these kept sucking me in (and, consequently, wasting time reading instead of working :). I sincerely hope that word of mouth spreads out to people beyond just those who've already bought the Adventure Math magazines... I imagine I'm not the only one who could be set straight regarding pre-made adventures.
As far as the price goes - this sounds like the standard greatest hits' dilemma. Any time your favorite artist releases a 'best of' album (usually with one new song), you have to decide whether you pick it up, knowing you've already got most of the material already. The way I think about those albums is:
a) I'm helping to support the artists I love.
b) If the band's good enough, that one new song might just be worth the whole price of the CD.
c) As somebody on here already mentioned, greatest hits albums aren't just for the die-hard fan... the people who really benefit are the casual enthusiasts who pick it up and suddenly realize what they've been missing.
d) Sometimes you WANT all the best songs collected in one place, as opposed to digging through all your albums.
Whether or not that's enough for you is a personal decision, but I think greatest hits discs like U2's "Best of 1980-1990" is one of the greatest albums in existence... and I'm hoping the Adventure Path book can inspire the same reaction.
-James
That said, I'm sure there's a way you can find the funds to buy both! I hear that wig factories pay lots of money for human hair... ;-)
Yeah... I'm a secretary James, and mostly bald to boot!
Fortunately, having a brother who owns a gaming store does have some perks, and I can probably arrange for my brother to get it for me as a gift for my birthday.
I'm sure I'll have to suffer some jibes about my old age, but hey...
- Ashavan
Huzzah. We've only just begun, but at the rate my group games (last night was our third session, but being grown adults with nasty schedules, we are still only at the start of the Malachite Fortress of 'Life's Bazaar') it might still work out for me.
I'll buy it. I have to admit (he checks to the left and the right) that I manage a bookstore and thereby get an employee discount, so it's not as nasty a punch to my wallet (mind, since I work at a bookstore, it's not a very deep wallet to begin with, ba-dum-bum).
Way to go guys. More info on the Striders, right? :)
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Senior Software Developer
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That said, I'm sure there's a way you can find the funds to buy both! I hear that wig factories pay lots of money for human hair... ;-)
Don't forget about the plasma center. Plus, you get orange juice and a cookie!
Hmm. Maybe we could make T-shirts. "I sold my blood for the Shackled City!"
Hmm. Maybe we could make T-shirts. "I sold my blood for the Shackled City!"
that's how i'm giong to be able to affor this book... if you make the shirts you sold me ;-)
Don't forget about the plasma center. Plus, you get orange juice and a cookie!
No joke. My cousin used to sell blood for Magic cards.
The Shackled City Adventure Path is now available for preorder.
http://paizo.com/store/byCompany/p/paizoPublishingLLC/byBrand/dungeon/v5748 btpy7dx9
Have at it!
Cheers,
- Rob
My time in Iraq, and other places won't let me give blood for several years to come. My hair is just reaching the 1 or 2 inch length. Anyone want to rent a barfing cat?
ASEO out
Okay, I'm planning on getting it for one reason, even though I already have all the modules. (Heck, some of them are multiple copies.) I'll have the entire Path collected in one spot, updated, hardbound, and protected. I've run the whole Path once, and ran it partially for another group. I'll probably end up running it again for another group. I'm already slated to run AP2.
While I'm thinking about it, I think I can vouch for at least two, if not three other people buying the hardback, and that's just from my gaming group! I'm sure that once word spreads that other friends and acquaintenances of mine will buy it as well.
Squid
The Shackled City Adventure Path is now available for preorder.
<snip>
Have at it!
<staring blankly>Yes Master!<placing preorder /></staring blankly>
Uh... what just happened?
Behold, the power of Rob.
Well, I agree with others-$60 bucks is way too high. I'm not sure I follow the logic here-People who tend to buy published adventures for D&D probably already purchase Dungeon Magazine (by far the best value & resource on the market) and those who don't certainly aren't going to spring for one that costs $60 bucks...so I don't see this bringing any 'new blood' to the Dungeon fold. By the time this book comes out, I'll have already run my group through it, so I'll have no need for the book which I'm sure must fit many other DM's. That all said, I think this is a case of too little too late and too expensive. I'm simply posting this because I'm disappointed in the execution of an otherwise good concept. I'm really surprised you guys didn't do some polls or something to research price points with the customer base, or maybe you did and I just missed it. WOTC has been setting the wrong pace I think, rehashing pre-published material and re-selling it at higher price points (3.5 is a collection of ideas and concepts mostly published in numerous other sources not to mention the 'Complete' series), but if that's working for them, maybe it will work for Paizo...
$60 is cheap for what you get. You'd spend $60 on a six-part published adventure set, usually set around $10 each. And the published adventure arcs are often extremely loosely (if even) connected.
And... the World's Largest Dungeon sold like hotcakes at $100. I imagine that this book will do quite well.
And... the World's Largest Dungeon sold like hotcakes at $100. I imagine that this book will do quite well.
Did it? All the local gaming stores I've been to still have all the ones thay ordered sitting on their shelves gathering dust. Maybe that is just the OKC area.
ASEO out
So, no takers on renting a barfing cat. I have another one that sheds like a molting yeti. Anyone out there knit cat fur sweaters?
<staring blankly>Yes Master!<placing preorder /></staring blankly>
oooooo... valid tag structure.
I like you!