Fellow Gamers -
A quick update about what's new with 5th Epoch Publishing and the Metal, Magic and Lore RPG.
We just updated our website, see us at:
http://www.metalmagicandlore.com
Early in the month of February we posted our binder covers as a free download here in the Paizo site. The covers were popular with the folks who follow the game in NYC, so we wanted to share them with people who enjoy the game, and live outside the tri-state area.
This past week we posted our newly revised Errata Booklet PDF. This free download addresses the errors and ommisions we found in the Basic Game Player's Rulebook. It also contains three Dwarven SAPs that had a series of numbers omitted and an Index. A number of fans had indicated they felt an index was missing from the book, so we took this opportunity to get this tool out there.
We are working hard on a number of PDFs that will be available here through Paizo. The next one to be completed should be our GM's Starter Kit. I'll write a little more about this in the coming days.
Thanks to everyone for their support and we're happy to answer any questions. So, post away!
Best Regards,
Andy.
Is this a relatively new system? I havent heard of it before you had mentioned it to me in another thread. Im pretty intigued by it.
Is this a relatively new system? I havent heard of it before you had mentioned it to me in another thread. Im pretty intigued by it.
Yes, we're relatively new. The Game was debuted at Origins 2007. We appeared at the 2008 Origins and Gen Con conventions where we ran events to introduce more folks to the game.
We've been on Paizo since November and we're in the process of preparing a number of PDF offerings that are optional supplements to the game. We also maintain an updated Errat Booklet as a free download.
As I mentioned above, we have our own modest website at:
http://www.metalmagicandlore.com
Our game is part of a number of other forums such as RPG.net, Skirmisher Publishing, and Planet Strat. These are useful to see what gamers are saying about the game in general. We also have a small, but growing, community on Facebook.
I do hope you check us out, becuase the description in your post captured a number of things that are central to Metal, Magic and Lore.
Best Regards,
Andy.
Ive been getting into the idea of this system and doing some browsing on it. You may have a buyer here! I just have another question: What dice does MML use? Does it use a single die or a single type of die or what? How are rolls resolved? Thanks.
Oh and I just had to let you know that your artist, Ryan Pancoast is amazing! If his art is in MML then that is a big plus to me.
Ive been getting into the idea of this system and doing some browsing on it. You may have a buyer here! I just have another question: What dice does MML use? Does it use a single die or a single type of die or what? How are rolls resolved? Thanks.
To answer my own question, I just read on your website that MML uses a percentile-based rolling system. Thats very refreshing as I havent used a percentile-based system since my friend ran a rolemaster session for me 11 years ago as pitch to get me into roleplaying. Does combat get nice and gritty with lots a bloody variables? If I design a setting for it I will just use that symbol magic you had mentioned. Ive got alot of ideas brewing!
I could continue my beloved high-fantasy setting Arko on D6 Fantasy but I could create a very low-magic gritty dark world with MML!
Ive been getting into the idea of this system and doing some browsing on it. You may have a buyer here! I just have another question: What dice does MML use? Does it use a single die or a single type of die or what? How are rolls resolved? Thanks.To answer my own question, I just read on your website that MML uses a percentile-based rolling system. Thats very refreshing as I havent used a percentile-based system since my friend ran a rolemaster session for me 11 years ago as pitch to get me into roleplaying. Does combat get nice and gritty with lots a bloody variables? If I design a setting for it I will just use that symbol magic you had mentioned. Ive got alot of ideas brewing!
I could continue my beloved high-fantasy setting Arko on D6 Fantasy but I could create a very low-magic gritty dark world with MML!
We wrote the game with three campaign settings in mind: Spartan, Adventurer and Heroic. I'll focus my comments on the Spartan setting here because it sounds like you would enjoy that one the most.
In Spartan settings there is deliberately little magic used. Player characters in these settings often find themselves with limited resources and a skill set that must be developed through game play.
Speaking directly to your question, we use percentile dice for all task resolutions within the system, including combat. The MML system is free of classes which we felt are cumbersome and restrictive. Instead we based everything on skills which can be combined in any way the player and GM see fit.
The combat system is fairly detailed, but this does not get in the way of the action. The flow of combat is straight forward and fast paced. The percentile dice are used to attack and defend. If there is a successful attack, then a percentile dice is used to determine where on the body the blow will land. Injuries are scaled to the amount of damage received in relation to the hit points a combatant has available. We kept things neutral in our descriptions but it would be easy for GMs to fill in the details.
Combat does get gritty as fatigue sets in. Limbs become disabled as the wounds become more serious. An important point I wanted to make is that the rules are flexible and scalable. A good degree of detail is there for folks who don't mind a little extra complexity.
Using just Symbol magic will place your game solidly in the Spartan setting. There is little magical healing available so wounds received in combat become a big deal.
I hope this begins to answer your questions…
Best Regards,
Andy.
Co-Author Metal Magic and Lore
Thanks, Andy. I deploy to the middle east tomorrow and will be ordering it asap so I can delve into it over there in there in the sandbox. thanks man.
You're welcome, my pleasure.
Stay safe.
Let us know how you like the game and how your campaign ideas develop.
Well, I just ordered it along with a blank journal to write my campaign setting in. Im really excited as it'll keep my mind occupied in the craziness over here in the Middle East. The campaign ideas Im thinking of is a very frontier-esque wilderness setting with magic being based completely on runes and glyphs. I want it to be kind of a developing province of some far away empire. Im thinking of doing away with most monsters and making what monsters there are extremely rare. Hostilities to the characters will come from wild animals, the treacherous environment, and of course other humans. Im going to have an emphasis on realism and grittiness. Do this ideas sound doable with MML. Thanks.
Well, I just ordered it along with a blank journal to write my campaign setting in. Im really excited as it'll keep my mind occupied in the craziness over here in the Middle East. The campaign ideas Im thinking of is a very frontier-esque wilderness setting with magic being based completely on runes and glyphs. I want it to be kind of a developing province of some far away empire. Im thinking of doing away with most monsters and making what monsters there are extremely rare. Hostilities to the characters will come from wild animals, the treacherous environment, and of course other humans. Im going to have an emphasis on realism and grittiness. Do this ideas sound doable with MML. Thanks.
Yes, absolutely. Your ideas are clearly doable in MML.
Your description brought me right back to a campaign that I ran for a number of years in the early 90’s. We affectionately called it the “Kendall campaign”, and you’ll recognize him as one of the example characters in our book.
My campaign was set in the Middle Kingdoms (see the map on the end sheets of the book). I pictured this as a brutal feudal land where power hungry nobles vied for power in an atmosphere of near-constant warfare. Some areas were quite remote and government was strictly on the local level.
In the Middle Kingdoms, magic is outlawed and practicing any of the arcane arts is an offense punishable by death. Magic was limited to symbols and a limited selection of Wizardry spells. Magic items were extremely rare and the ones that the party did get a hold of had almost exclusively non-combat uses. The single character in the campaign capable of using magic went to great lengths to conceal his skills (for good reason) and was primarily a healer, and herbalist.
The focus of the game was travel and survival. In that campaign, I used very few Beasts, and the ones I did use took the form of semi-intelligent, or sometimes intelligent/cunning, minor races. So, most of the combat was against Mannish foes, armed with a wide range of weapons and armor.
My central themes for the campaign were a realistic immersive feel and creating heroic characters who were still human.
I think you’re off to a great start with your new campaign. Keep us posted as your ideas develop further.
- Andy.
Thanks for gettin back to me Andy and Ryan. My wife just let me know that she has my MML rulebook and fresh blank campaign journal as well as some more Glen Cook novels to keep me inspired, and she'll be sending them to me ASAP. I cant wait to dig into MML and make my setting. I've even been toying with the idea of converting my beloved homebrew high fantasy setting, Arko, to MML. I created the setting 8 years ago and I have a ton of lore and material for it. Converting it from D6 Fantasy would nicely fill my time over here in the sandbox.
MML reminds me somewhat of Epic RPG which is a good thing. It used D10s, was classless, and you created characters based on how they were raised. Such as what their parents did for a living, who they were apprenticed to as a teen, any important things that happened to them and so on and so forth. I cant wait to get into a game like that again with MML.
Also I was wondering if as of right now you have any plans on putting a forum on your website specifically for MML? In my experience Ive found that it is an incredible resource for a game and the focus could lay completely with MML which cant really be done on a site like Paizo.
Thanks
Thanks for gettin back to me Andy and Ryan. My wife just let me know that she has my MML rulebook and fresh blank campaign journal as well as some more Glen Cook novels to keep me inspired, and she'll be sending them to me ASAP. I cant wait to dig into MML and make my setting. I've even been toying with the idea of converting my beloved homebrew high fantasy setting, Arko, to MML. I created the setting 8 years ago and I have a ton of lore and material for it. Converting it from D6 Fantasy would nicely fill my time over here in the sandbox.
MML reminds me somewhat of Epic RPG which is a good thing. It used D10s, was classless, and you created characters based on how they were raised. Such as what their parents did for a living, who they were apprenticed to as a teen, any important things that happened to them and so on and so forth. I cant wait to get into a game like that again with MML.
Also I was wondering if as of right now you have any plans on putting a forum on your website specifically for MML? In my experience Ive found that it is an incredible resource for a game and the focus could lay completely with MML which cant really be done on a site like Paizo.Thanks
We do have plans to add a forum to the MML website. Unfortunately this is very likely going to take some time for us to accomplish. I say unfortunately because we recognize the utility of an interactive environment dedicated to Metal, Magic and Lore.
Right now we are focused on getting some additional products to market. While these items are optional supplements, there have been a number of our players and fans of the game who have asked for more material in specific areas. So we have to focus our resources where they are most needed.
However, we do have a group page on Facebook. We operate this page as a place where gamers can come and exchange information specifically about MML. We post pictures of recent games and tournaments, as well as previews of artwork featured in upcoming products. The membership of this group has nearly doubled over the past month, so we see this as an increasingly useful tool for our players.
Best Regards,
Andy.
Co-Author Metal Magic and Lore
Andy, I cant find the page on facebook. What's it called? I just found out that i probably wont recieve my books for another two weeks so im gonna order the undead pdfs and the armor pdfs for wood elves and gray elves. Im really leaning towards completely rewriting my beloved elfish woodland setting Arko and placing it in a more mature and dangerous image. In Arko my elves have had their magic taken from them so it could work. What is the difference between gray elves and wood elves in MML? Im just curious and i cant find out for myself yet. Thanks!
Andy, I cant find the page on facebook. What's it called? I just found out that i probably wont recieve my books for another two weeks so im gonna order the undead pdfs and the armor pdfs for wood elves and gray elves. Im really leaning towards completely rewriting my beloved elfish woodland setting Arko and placing it in a more mature and dangerous image. In Arko my elves have had their magic taken from them so it could work. What is the difference between gray elves and wood elves in MML? Im just curious and i cant find out for myself yet. Thanks!
The group on Facebook is simply called “Metal Magic and Lore”. It’s under “common interests/hobbies”. Link follows:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=2441975953&ref=nfIn the standard MML setting, the Wood Elves are part of what we call the “tribal Elves”. These are large groups who have separated themselves from the rest of Elfin society. The tribal Elves, and especially the Wood Elves, are secretive and live in remote areas. Many live deep in the great forests, hence their name. Wood Elves practice simple magic, ranging from the less intricate Symbols to Mysticism (Life Elementalists). Other tribal groups live to the far north, others still in desert regions. The more exotic tribal factions and locations are not detailed in the Player’s Rule Book, and are left for future supplements, or for GMs who want to put their own ideas into play.
The Gray Elves hold to tradition, even though their society has declined from its apex in earlier Epochs. They try to live in accordance with the values handed down by their ancestors. Gray Elves practice metal craft and posses the ability to forge armors from strong steel and a special bronze alloy. Gray Elves are the foremost practitioners of magic and are active in all three schools: Symbols, Mysticism (magic of the five Elements) and Wizardry.
I hope that gives you an overview. There’s a good deal more background information in the PRB chapter 2: Character Creation, as well as additional information in the Armor Supplements.
BTW – If you like Ryan Pancoast’s illustrations, you’re in for a treat because he did some outstanding work for the Bestiary I: Undead PDF.
Best Regards,
Andy.
Co-Author
Metal, Magic and Lore.
Thanks, Andy! I cant wait to get started on MML.
MML GMs -
Work on the GM’s Starter Kit continues. At the last moment, we decided to add three pages to this PDF (bringing the total up to 24 pgs). This addition will allow us to include upgrades of not only the character sheets for all six character races, but the back up sheets as well. These upgraded sheets will update the ones found on pages 318 through 320 in the Player's Rule Book and include the skills/possessions sheet, the armor worksheet, and the spell/symbol listing sheet. We're going to need a few extra days to finish our work, but we feel this small delay will add value to the product, so its worth it. We'll keep everybody posted as to our progress.
- Andy.
Co-Author
Metal, Magic and Lore
Our MML GMs Starter Kit is complete and available for sales right here in Paizo.
The GM’s Starter Kit contains great information and tools for new and established GMs alike. The Kit contains an Initiative Management System with provides the GM with a tabular format to track initiative and all those events that happen in the course of a combat round. This tool allows the GM to spend less time keeping records and more time enjoying the action. The Kit also contains the MML Skill Advancement and Acquisition rules, which are useful for tournaments and an indispensible addition to any campaign. Finally all of the character sheets found in the Player’s Rule Book have been revised and updated. A new spell sheet organizes a magician’s available spells in a clean, well organized format.
Feedback on this and any other 5th Epoch products is welcome.
I'll write again in the near future to let everyone know our intentions for PDF product releases through the summer.
Thanks & Regards,
Andy.
Co-Author
Metal, Magic and Lore.
MML GMs -
Work on the GM’s Starter Kit continues. At the last moment, we decided to add three pages to this PDF (bringing the total up to 24 pgs). This addition will allow us to include upgrades of not only the character sheets for all six character races, but the back up sheets as well. These upgraded sheets will update the ones found on pages 318 through 320 in the Player's Rule Book and include the skills/possessions sheet, the armor worksheet, and the spell/symbol listing sheet. We're going to need a few extra days to finish our work, but we feel this small delay will add value to the product, so its worth it. We'll keep everybody posted as to our progress.
- Andy.
Co-Author
Metal, Magic and Lore
Great Product! I love the initiative tracker. Keep up the good work!
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YES! I finally got MML and my expensive leather journal to write up a campaign setting in!! This is the best roleplaying game I've ever seen! The paper and art are crisp and gorgeous and it instantly inspired me and filled me with ideas. And I love the simplicity of the cover. It just looks and feels like an old tome. I have got to get writing now! Im looking forward to the forum on your website as well as future supplements that'll suit my setting! Thank you for this product, 5th Epoch!!
Just a quick word to say hello to our friends on the Paizo message forum.
Its been an exciting Summer for us at 5th Epoch Publishing. We recently attended the Origins Game Fair, which is a great event to connect with fellow gamers and we had a great time this year (as always). In July we released our 9th Metal, Magic and Lore supplemental PDF product, or Bestiary II, and this is available right here on the Paizo website.
We are looking forward to Gen Con ’09 which is a just a little over two weeks away. Once we catch our breath after the Con, we’ll be back onto content development. We plan the release of or third Bestiary and a MML Travel Guide in the coming months.
Our own website has been fully updated and expanded. We are constantly at work on the site and update it as often as our hectic schedule allows. Drop by and check us out at:
www.metalmagicandlore.com
To Our Friends at Paizo –
We at 5th Epoch continue to visit shows and connect with gamers who might enjoy our premier fantasy role playing game Metal Magic and Lore.
We recently made an appearance at the Archon convention in Columbia. This was a great success and we thank Khat Jackson for his efforts. We also thank our new friends and fans from this event as we really do appreciate the support!
On October 23 -25 we will be attending the Charcon convention in Charleston, WV. We are looking forward to meeting new people and enjoying several MML events. The folks at 5th Epoch will run demo games all weekend. Corey Lake will run a Gladiatorial tournament on Saturday and our “Deeping Vale” adventure on Sunday. This promises to be a great event, so if you’re in the area, come on by.
We hope to see you there!