It is my great thrill to announce that From Shore to Sea, my next project from Wolfgang Baur's Open Design Project, will be published as an official adventure by Paizo, set in their incredible Golarion campaign setting! Featuring rediscovered secrets of lost Azlant that threaten a small coastal town, From Shore to Sea will be fully developed, edited, illustrated and published by Paizo in the PATHFINDER Modules line in 2010.
As an Open Design Patron, you have the chance to work with me and help shape the adventure from the ground floor all the way up to publication of the final adventure. You'll get to see what goes into designing and writing an official adventure module, contribute ideas, influence encounters, see feedback from Paizo staff, get sneak peeks, vote on important decisions and thoroughly playtest the adventure before it hits the shelves! We'll also be producing a 64-page Pathfinder-compatible supplement entitled Sunken Empires that will provide adventure hooks, spells, monsters, and variant rules for exploring lost and sunken ruins in any campaign.
This is a grand opportunity for Open Design patrons to contribute to this incredible setting, and I am both grateful and honored to lead this expedition through uncharted waters to finally reveal some of the secrets of Azlant -and create some mysteries of our own.
Anticipation for this one is high, and patronage is capped to ensure that everyone gets the most out of the experience. Check out the official announcement at KoboldQuarterly.com and sign up today!
Brandon Hodge
wooot!
EXCELLENT!
CONGRATULATIONS!
And thanks be to Paizo (James, Wes, Erik, Sean, Etc...) for giving this their consideration. I realize that it needed to be a thoughtful and measured decision on their part, and I appreciate their huge part in making this happen.
Freaking Awesome! Big Sexy Congrats to both Brandon and Wolf! This is huge!
I'm definitely signing up for this Open Design!
For those of you who don't know Brandon - he is a madman genius. I had the distinct pleasure of rapping with him at Gencon this year and I got to see him in action running an amazing CoC adventure he wrote. From what I saw at the con trust me you don't want to miss this Open Design.
Awesomeness!
Huzzah! Well done Brandon!
Forgive the question, but I'm only semi-familiar with the Open Design projects.
Does this essentially mean that this is a patron/open-design created/managed adventure, that is then wrung through the Pathfinder Modules spiffying editorship?
Kobold Press
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That's exactly what it means. It's the first time for that particular arrangement, but I have high hopes for a stellar project.
Details are here, and the Open Design FAQ is also available.
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That's exactly what it means. It's the first time for that particular arrangement, but I have high hopes for a stellar project.
Details are here, and the Open Design FAQ is also available.
Already signed on as a patron... low level... but still a patron. Thanks!
Very cool, I like the openness and cross-pollination between the various cool RPG companies that's forming around Pathfinder/Golarion. I'm in!
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If anyone is still unsure, let me vouch for Brandon. His work on Open Design's Halls of the Mountain King was steller! Go Brandon!
Still unsure? Perhaps this algebraic formula may help:
[(B+W)/D]x[(G+M+C+A)x(L²)]x[(P³+O)/3.75]=Win!
B = Brandon
W = Wolfgang Baur
D = Open Design
G = Golarion
M = Mummified Aboleth Lord
C = Cheliax
A = Azlant
L = Lovecraftian Inspiration
P = Paizo Publishing
O = Official
Wondrous news!
If anyone is still unsure, let me vouch for Brandon. His work on Open Design's Halls of the Mountain King was steller! Go Brandon!
Still unsure? Perhaps this algebraic formula may help:
[(B+W)/D]x[(G+M+C+A)x(L²)]x[(P³+O)/3.75]=Win!
Wow. *sniff* My first game equation! And it didn't involve calculating CR! Thanks, Z!
Do all these points from the FAQ still apply?
First and foremost, you gain access to the Open Design site for the project. You can participate in the discussions regarding material. You can vote in polls that determine the project directions. You’ll get to read design essays.
If you’re a bigger patron, you can suggest an NPC or a monster and/or template. Senior patrons also see the unfinished manuscript in progress, request design essay topics, preview maps and artwork, pitch their own adventures for anthology projects, and submit other materials such as spells or rituals if they are so inclined. That’s all purely optional, but senior patrons tend to be more involved in the collaborative sides of the design.
All patrons receive a PDF of the final product, plus all errata in an updated edition, and a pointer to the Lulu site with the option to purchase a print copy of the project. Most patrons simply use the PDF, but the Lulu version is sold at cost, with no profit to Open Design.
Do all these points from the FAQ still apply?
There’s no way to buy it at your FLGS, and no downloads are available from KQ.com. What do I get for my patronage? [ooc]** spoiler omitted **
Only a couple of omissions:
1. All three of these Open Design projects will, for the first time, be publicly available, and not exclusive to patrons only. Pathfinder subscribers will still receive their copies of the adventure as normal, but will need to purchase the sourcebook separately. The exact details are in the announcement here. Look toward the bullets at the bottom.
2. As for the 'spoilered' entry, I only see one correction, and that is to say that this particular project is not an anthology project, so yours truly will be doing the writing on this one.
Does that answer it?
Brandon
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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I'd add that the development process alone is worth the price of admission.
For folks who are just used to seeing the finished product, Open Design allows you to see the 'how we got there' method. This one may be even more insightful, as input from Paizo may steer the project in different directions.
Spoilered meandering kind of OT story:
Awesome stuff. Patronage purchased!
Will Paizo be selling Sunken Empires as well? Or just From Shore to Sea?
It will be publicly available, and as they've carried other OD sourcebooks in the past, I am sure it will be available here. I'm not the last word on the subject, but I'd say so...
Sunken Empires FTW! Can't wait! Can I sign up yet? Linkie?
[shill for Wolf's underwater awesomness piece for Sinister Adventures available on the paizo webstore and at Sinister]
I imagine Death Beneath the Waves, a little supplement Wolf wrote for Sinister Adventures would come in SUPER HANDY for anyone using Sunken Empires. Its all about handling underwater adventures and includes a new monster, as well as tons of great options and rules for dealing with aquatic adventure.
You can get it here with other fine Sinister Indulgences: Death Beneath the Waves!
Or here: on the Paizo Store...where you can read some reviews of it too.
[/shill for Wolf's underwater awesomness piece for Sinister Adventures available on the paizo webstore and at Sinister]
I am pumped to see what Brandon does with this - and I can't wait to add my own juices as a patron! That's the fun of being a patron - you are partially designing the adventure yourself! YOU GET TO WORK ON AN OFFICIAL PAIZO PRODUCT! That's pretty awesome-sauce.
Azlant!
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Kobold Press
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Linkie for Sunken Empires/From Shore to Sea
And I can't believe I failed to shill for Sinister here. Glad to see you stepped in, Nick! :)
Well, I will be joining up once I get paid.
I signed up as a patron, and I'm totally stoked about it!
I also wanted to publicly thank Wolf for taking care of a customer service matter for me today, in a very generous fashion. If that's not deserving of some patronage, I don't know what is! I owe you a beer, Mr. Baur!
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I'm totally taking you up on that beer! Er, at GenCon. Next year. :/
In any case....
IT'S OFFICIAL: From Shore to Sea has met the commission and design is underway.
Very good !
Hey small question : I joined as a patron for from shore ... initially, is the rest included in my package, or do I have to add extra ?
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Kobold Press
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Hey small question : I joined as a patron for from shore ... initially, is the rest included in my package, or do I have to
add extra ?
All that extra stuff (the Sunken Empires book and the print edition of Shore to Sea) is included with your package.
No upgrade, no extra, no requirement to do anything, you just get more.
Hey small question : I joined as a patron for from shore ... initially, is the rest included in my package, or do I have to
add extra ?All that extra stuff (the Sunken Empires book and the print edition of Shore to Sea) is included with your package.
No upgrade, no extra, no requirement to do anything, you just get more.
One of those great perks for being an Open Design Patron, you usually get more than you signed up for! Of course, this particular project is extra special. Thanks for being awesome Paizo!
Does the ordering process only take Paypal and not credit cards?
I'm interested in this one, but will have to sign up for LiveJournal and PayPal, it looks like. (I'm not the most connected, obviously...)
Get on the GRID, Set! =-)
Signing for livejournal is free, easy, and doesn't require much personal information.
Paypal is a bit different, obviously. There, you can use a credit card or draw directly from a bank account. I use paypal daily and have been on board since it went live almost a decade ago, and I have NEVER had a single problem between my different accounts. Very secure.
Climb on board! We'd love to have you! We just posted initial Paizo feedback and are starting development...
We are in the THICK of it, folks! Outline of Part 1 of the adventure is posted, Senior Patron contributions are up for collaboration and discussion, and Paizo feedback has been shared. Fine tuning is currently going on with the hook and initial encounter sections, including a dramatic encounter with giant squids attacking a flooding lighthouse along the shore. How cool is that?
This thing of moving right along, and the brainstorms are FANTASTIC! If you are interested in participating, now is the time to get on board!
-Brandon
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Kay, I'm in.
Anyone know how to unsubscribe from the various mailing lists that LJ signs you up for? (Bing, etc.) During the account creation, it wouldn't allow you to join if you didn't agree to sign up for that stuff, but said you could unsubscribe, then, helpfully, didn't provide an option to do so...