As a huge fan/player of WoW, do you think the concept of Items Sets in tabletop play is a good one??
WotC tried in Magic Item Compendium, but personally I think they fell a little short. Do you think this could be something we may one day see in Pathfinder?? or is it protected content somehow?
Hypothetical question...
Say through mismanagement and internal embezzlement (again...) Catalyst lost the rights to Battletech. Say Ironwind Metals is content to keep producing miniatures for it without wanting to deal with the books, like last time the license was up for grabs (when Wizkids lost it and Catalyst picked it up). Would Paizo be willing to take a swing at the Battletech universe? Would Paizo be willing to pick up the license?
Hypothetical question...
Say through mismanagement and internal embezzlement (again...) Catalyst lost the rights to Battletech. Say Ironwind Metals is content to keep producing miniatures for it without wanting to deal with the books, like last time the license was up for grabs (when Wizkids lost it and Catalyst picked it up). Would Paizo be willing to take a swing at the Battletech universe? Would Paizo be willing to pick up the license?
And would Paizo be willing to put up with the subsequent continuity-centric screaming matches that would subsequently occur?
Creative Director
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Hypothetical question...
Say through mismanagement and internal embezzlement (again...) Catalyst lost the rights to Battletech. Say Ironwind Metals is content to keep producing miniatures for it without wanting to deal with the books, like last time the license was up for grabs (when Wizkids lost it and Catalyst picked it up). Would Paizo be willing to take a swing at the Battletech universe? Would Paizo be willing to pick up the license?
Nope. Not at this time, at least. We've got our hands full with Golarion. Adding another setting... ESPECIALLY one that would require such a significant amount of additional rules material and expertise as Battletech would, would only result in both properties (Battletech and Pathfinder) suffering.
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Creative Director
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And would Paizo be willing to put up with the subsequent continuity-centric screaming matches that would subsequently occur?Hypothetical question...
Say through mismanagement and internal embezzlement (again...) Catalyst lost the rights to Battletech. Say Ironwind Metals is content to keep producing miniatures for it without wanting to deal with the books, like last time the license was up for grabs (when Wizkids lost it and Catalyst picked it up). Would Paizo be willing to take a swing at the Battletech universe? Would Paizo be willing to pick up the license?
Nope.
Nope.
So... where do I sign up to worship the ground you walk upon?
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Nope. Not at this time, at least. We've got our hands full with Golarion. Adding another setting... ESPECIALLY one that would require such a significant amount of additional rules material and expertise as Battletech would, would only result in both properties (Battletech and Pathfinder) suffering.Hypothetical question...
Say through mismanagement and internal embezzlement (again...) Catalyst lost the rights to Battletech. Say Ironwind Metals is content to keep producing miniatures for it without wanting to deal with the books, like last time the license was up for grabs (when Wizkids lost it and Catalyst picked it up). Would Paizo be willing to take a swing at the Battletech universe? Would Paizo be willing to pick up the license?
Thank you.
What would you say to a vrock antipaladin?
I know what the vrock antipaladin would say: "No one calls me a chicken!."
Edit: And I'll add my recommendation of The Simple-Minded Murderer. It's got a fairly high place on my movie top-10 list.
As an aside it could be mentioned that it was directed by Hans Alfredson, who is the father of Let the Right One In's director (whose name I always forget, because his brother also works as a director).
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Does having created a 350+ page wiki for one's homebrew game setting officially make one a dork? Or have I transcended into the realm that could only truly be titled Mega Dork?
Ancillary to this, what is the PROPER way to apply the OGL license to a Wiki, such as the one linked above? I'm still getting the hang of this whole collaborative publishing thing and want to ensure that I show proper respect for the spirit AND the letter of the OGL.
I'm using elements of multiple OGL/d20 games in my game, and while it's very clearly in the realms of "I'm never going to publish this" I also want to be living in the capital city of Pleasedon'tsuetheskirtoffmeopolis. (Not that I think Paizo would. Again, letter and spirit)
If making a 350 page wiki makes you a dork, then what does that mean to those of us who have a bookshelf full of hand-written or typed out notes about our campaign settings? Primeval dorks, I guess?
If you're not going to put your work into the public, you don't need to use the OGL at all. But if you do, you should seek the advice of a lawyer to get it all right. And since I'm not a lawyer, I can't really provide much advice.
Good point. Such is the level of dorkness that I one day aspire to achieve. Thank you for setting the bar a bit high, it's good to stretch for it.
Thanks! By this measure, does a wiki that is viewable/editable by the public count?
I appreciate all that you do for us in the dork world and look forward to many more returns to this well of awesomeness.
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What do you consider to be the most "tired" cliche of fantasy?
What do you consider to be the most "tired" cliche of sci-fi?
Tired Fantasy Cliche: Tie between the normal guy/gal who's forced to become a hero after the bad guy destroys his village, and the whole prophecy element to many fantasy stories.
No, strike that. My LEAST favorite cliche is the one where the fantasy story is told in a framing device that grounds the tale as a story told in the REAL world. See "Princess Bride" or "Neverending Story" for variants. Laaaaaame.
Tired Sci-Fi Cliche: Defeating the alien with a virus.
Would a revmap of war of the worlds where humanity has to figure out the 'martian' technology to go back to their homeworld to find a cure for a disease that almost wiped out humanity after we opened the ships after the first interplanetary invasion?
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Creative Director
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What would you say to a vrock antipaladin?
Meh.
Antipaladins work best, flavor-wise, when they're mortals who have become super evil. Vrocks and other fiends are already there. Making a demon antipaladin is like putting chocolate syrup on a chocolate cake that already has chocolate icing covered by chocolate chips. It's too much, and the added flavor isn't going to change the flavor enough to justify the resulting mess.
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Creative Director
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I apologize if this has been asked before.
What are some of the adventures you would recommend in order to introduce people to DnD?
If you mean D&D, as in 4th edition D&D or D&D Essentials... I wouldn't know. I haven't kept up on those releases.
If by "D&D" you mean Pathfinder, I'd recommend starting with a module like "Crypt of the Everflame." That one's not only designed to start up new characters in a classic setting, but also starts a mini 3-part campaign arc if the players are into the game. Alternatively, I'd start with an Adventure Path. That's a LOT of commitment, though, but you surely don't have to play to the end. At the same point, the adventure paths are the adventure products that best capture the way we feel Pathfinder should be played. It's out of print (but still available as a PDF), but the first AP adventure, "Burnt Offerings," was designed not only to provide a classic intro to the game, but also to introduce new players to the world of Golarion.
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Creative Director
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Would a revmap of war of the worlds where humanity has to figure out the 'martian' technology to go back to their homeworld to find a cure for a disease that almost wiped out humanity after we opened the ships after the first interplanetary invasion?What do you consider to be the most "tired" cliche of fantasy?
What do you consider to be the most "tired" cliche of sci-fi?
Tired Fantasy Cliche: Tie between the normal guy/gal who's forced to become a hero after the bad guy destroys his village, and the whole prophecy element to many fantasy stories.
No, strike that. My LEAST favorite cliche is the one where the fantasy story is told in a framing device that grounds the tale as a story told in the REAL world. See "Princess Bride" or "Neverending Story" for variants. Laaaaaame.
Tired Sci-Fi Cliche: Defeating the alien with a virus.
War of the Worlds did the virus thing first. A remake/revamp of that storyline, in my opinion, CAN use the virus resolution with no fear of feeling cliche, because that's where the cliche came from. The idea of the martians (or whoever) bringing a deadly plague to Earth is interesting, but it's at odds, I think, with the central story of an alien invasion; it competes for the plot. Setting a movie in a post-invasion world where the weird alien disease is already running amok and the actual invasion has already happened would work a lot better.
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War of the Worlds did the virus thing first. A remake/revamp of that storyline, in my opinion, CAN use the virus resolution with no fear of feeling cliche, because that's where the cliche came from. The idea of the martians (or whoever) bringing a deadly plague to Earth is interesting, but it's at odds, I think, with the central story of an alien invasion; it competes for the plot. Setting a movie in a post-invasion world where the weird alien disease is already running amok and the actual invasion has already happened would work a lot better.Would a revmap of war of the worlds where humanity has to figure out the 'martian' technology to go back to their homeworld to find a cure for a disease that almost wiped out humanity after we opened the ships after the first interplanetary invasion?What do you consider to be the most "tired" cliche of fantasy?
What do you consider to be the most "tired" cliche of sci-fi?
Tired Fantasy Cliche: Tie between the normal guy/gal who's forced to become a hero after the bad guy destroys his village, and the whole prophecy element to many fantasy stories.
No, strike that. My LEAST favorite cliche is the one where the fantasy story is told in a framing device that grounds the tale as a story told in the REAL world. See "Princess Bride" or "Neverending Story" for variants. Laaaaaame.
Tired Sci-Fi Cliche: Defeating the alien with a virus.
Well that was always my one main beef with the story. If they died out from our common cold what did they, the aliens, leave behind for us to have become ill from?
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James,
This question is going to take a bit of explaining, so please bear with me.
I'm currently preparing for my first Pathfinder campaign, Serpent's Skull. One of my players is a Rondelero duelist, and wants to be the descendant of a great Taldan hero whose family has fallen on hard times.
I'm also currently reading Prince of Wolves, which is quite good and has definitely gotten me in the mood to run Carrion Crown after SS. So, I've been kicking around the idea of having the player's character being a descendant of General Arnisant, whose sacrifice imprisoned the Whispering Tyrant. That way, the idea of Tar-Baphon and the Whispering Way will be well seeded in the minds of the players by the time we make the jump to Ustalav.
My concern is running into unforeseeable continuity errors, as I have no idea what role (if any) the Arnisant line plays in Carrion Crown, or what history of General Arnisant is revealed. Now, I know you can't spoil future products, but could you please answer the two following questions:
1. Do the descendants of General Arnisant play any role in Carrion Crown and, if so, would it be feasible for a direct descendant of Arnisant to still rule in Ridonport, Taldor?
2. Is there (or will there be) any information that will directly contradict the idea that General Arnisant was, himself, a Rondelero duelist?
I understand if you can't answer these questions, but who better to ask?
Thanks!
EDIT: Also, I imagine that all of the writing/editing for Carrion Crown is still subject to change and, as such, there's no guarantees to any answer you might give.
I also know that, like in any game, the GM has final say and can change things to suit his or her needs. Still, I've always been a bit of a continuity nerd (comes from a childhood obsession with comic books), and I'd love to have this match the materials in the books.
Well, maybe it was something more common in the groups I've played in, but after reading the descriptions of item making, and taking into consideration that you needed to be level 12 back then to make any non potion AND that it could cost you permanent con, it always seemed like there would be fewer magical items in the world, and most of it ended up in someone’s possession, someone who did not care to share.
Players would hoard any item they got, one character carried a +1 Heavy pick from lv 2 til lv 17, never once used it, never even learned to use picks at all, but it was magical so he treasured it enormously.
Anyway, favourite room in your home?
Least favourite dinosaur, knowing as we do you most favourite.
Do you prefer whodunit or howcatchem when it comes to crime shows? A good example of the later is Columbo where the audience always know who did it, and well almost any other show as an example of the former.
Any favourite author from Games workshops Black library?
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Creative Director
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My concern is running into unforeseeable continuity errors, as I have no idea what role (if any) the Arnisant line plays in Carrion Crown, or what history of General Arnisant is revealed. Now, I know you can't spoil future products, but could you please answer the two following questions:
1. Do the descendants of General Arnisant play any role in Carrion Crown and, if so, would it be feasible for a direct descendant of Arnisant to still rule in Ridonport, Taldor?
2. Is there (or will there be) any information that will directly contradict the idea that General Arnisant was, himself, a Rondelero duelist?
I understand if you can't answer these questions, but who better to ask?
Thanks!
It remains to be seen exactly how much about Arnisant will be revealed in Carrion Crown OR in the upcoming "Dungeons of Golarion" (which has a 10 page entry on Gallowspire), because we're still getting those manuscripts in from the authors and only about half of them have been developed.
That said, I'll try to answer your questions as best I can. And in the end, you should ABSOLUTELY not worry about what happens if we "obsolete" your own world's canon with something in print; if that happens, just ignore what we wrote and run with what you've developed. That's the point of Golarion, after all—making it your own!
1) Arnisant's descendants do not play a role in Carrion Crown at all.
2) Arnisant was NOT a Rondelero duelist. He fought with a heavy wooden shield that is known today as the shattered shield; Rondelero duelists fight with a buckler. Therefore... if you want Arnisant to be a Rondelero duelist, you'll need to change the shattered shield (detailed first in Gods and Magic and then updated to the PFRPG in the upcoming Inner Sea World Guide) into a buckler.
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Creative Director
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Anyway, favourite room in your home?
Least favourite dinosaur, knowing as we do you most favourite.
Do you prefer whodunit or howcatchem when it comes to crime shows? A good example of the later is Columbo where the audience always know who did it, and well almost any other show as an example of the former.
Any favourite author from Games workshops Black library?
Living Room.
Barney.Howcatchems.
None; don't read Games Workshop fiction at all, so I'm not sure who writes for it.
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A quick question about drow society. Does the demon lord that the major families in each drow city influence the feel of that city? For example, if the major family of a city worship Zura, does that city have undead running it, or is city run by Nocticula worshipers similar to a very dark and deadly version of New Orleans at Mardi Gras?
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It is indeed weird. On the scale of wrongness, this one ranks a 6.2.Is it very weird and wrong when two men walk into a public bathroom together and continue their conversation through the cubicle walls as they each ‘do their thing’? Is it even weirder when the cubicle in between them is occupied by someone else?
Where does this rank on a wrongness scale with one of the guys (after the conversation has died down) beginning to sing a little ditty to himself from the (non-) privacy of his cubicle, the lyrics of which appear to be “lookin’ at my junk, my junk.”?
Is it wrong that my first thought of the thing to do would be to say clearly, "Yeah, I'm sorry you had to hear that too mom. I'll call you back later."
Well, Sandy Mitchell and Dan Abnett are the ones I like best myself, but that's just me.
Which would you say are better on average, brittish crime series or American crime series? If you have a third option that beats both them please share it.
Who is your favourite movie star of all times?
Is Terry Pratchet right when he claims to have no sense of humor?
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Seeing that you are waiting eagerly for Dragon Age II, I was struck by a question I am struggling with.
I play and enjoy Dragon Age on my PC. I have recently aquired a PS3, however. I have read that the ability to "import" previous play throughs from Dragon Age into Dragon Age II will be rather minimal, given the gameplay changes in Dragon Age II - and I think it might be enjoyable to play it on my larger TV screen instead of my monitor.
Any thoughts on if I should stay with PC or try the console version of Dragon Age II?
James,
I have a large group for my Savage Tide AP game. Before we set out on adventure three of the series, I would prefer they have a side quest. Currently, they're out of Magnimar (instead of Sasserine) and I was wondering if you had a large stack of Dungeon Magazines laying around, which module would you use for a bridge while Lavinna gets her things together for the voyage?
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Creative Director
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A quick question about drow society. Does the demon lord that the major families in each drow city influence the feel of that city? For example, if the major family of a city worship Zura, does that city have undead running it, or is city run by Nocticula worshipers similar to a very dark and deadly version of New Orleans at Mardi Gras?
Since a family tends to follow the teachings and interests of a chosen demon lord, if a particular drow city is primarily controlled by a single family, then yes, that city WILL echo the themes of that demon lord. Not because the demon lord set it up that way, though, but because of the influence of the drow family itself.
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Creative Director
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Do you listen to music while you work? If so, what type?
Sometimes, yeah. Popular choices of my work music vary wildly... some examples:
Dead Can Dance
Pink Floyd
Movie Soundtracks
Philip Glass
Nine Inch Nails
The Beetles
Classical Music
Raamstein
Duran Duran
Hybrid
Popol Vuh
Rolling Stones
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Creative Director
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Well, Sandy Mitchell and Dan Abnett are the ones I like best myself, but that's just me.
Which would you say are better on average, brittish crime series or American crime series? If you have a third option that beats both them please share it.
Who is your favourite movie star of all times?
Is Terry Pratchet right when he claims to have no sense of humor?
I'm more partial to American crime series. But Korean crime movies are REALLY good.
Favorite movie star = hard to say. Jodi Foster? John Cusack? Kiefer Sutherland? Natalie Portman? Kate Bekinsale? Ron Pearlman? Christopher Lee? Sigourney Weaver? Kate Winslet? Keira Knightley? Jason Statham? Asia Argento? All have a shot at my #1 spot.
As for Terry Pratchet? Probably. I don't find him funny either.
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Creative Director
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Seeing that you are waiting eagerly for Dragon Age II, I was struck by a question I am struggling with.
I play and enjoy Dragon Age on my PC. I have recently aquired a PS3, however. I have read that the ability to "import" previous play throughs from Dragon Age into Dragon Age II will be rather minimal, given the gameplay changes in Dragon Age II - and I think it might be enjoyable to play it on my larger TV screen instead of my monitor.
Any thoughts on if I should stay with PC or try the console version of Dragon Age II?
I played Dragon Age on the Xbox, and the comfort of sitting on a couch, playing on a 50 inch widescreen TV, and doing so with 5.1 surround sound was REALLY cool.
That said, the actual game play sounds more compelling on a PC, since you have a lot quicker access to your skills on a PC due to the menu bar; the XBOX/PS3 version essentially limits you to about 8 quick slots. If you want to use a skill beyond these 8, you have to pause the game to open up the radial menu to pick the skill. Now... for me, that wasn't that terrible, since I pause the HELL out of those games in combat to micromanage things...
Also, given Bioware's history, my gut tells me that the Xbox is going to be the one to get the downloadable content first. That said, the PC version will have user mod stuff, which could also be cool.
Tough call. Given the choice... I'd actually probably go with the PC version of the game, especially if you have a big monitor, a fast computer, and good sound for it.
My computer's a mac, so I don't have that option.
Do you listen to music while you work? If so, what type?Sometimes, yeah. Popular choices of my work music vary wildly... some examples:
Dead Can Dance
Pink Floyd
Movie Soundtracks
Philip Glass
Nine Inch Nails
The Beetles
Classical Music
Raamstein
Duran Duran
Hybrid
Popol Vuh
Rolling Stones
You, sir, have very good taste in music (in my assessment). d^.^b
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Creative Director
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Tough call. Given the choice... I'd actually probably go with the PC version of the game, especially if you have a big monitor, a fast computer, and good sound for it.Hm. So you're saying to solve this problem I need to buy a bigger monitor!
You'd be surprised how many problems a bigger monitor can solve.
Favorite movie star = hard to say. Natalie Portman?
So can you forgive her for being in a movie with Ashton Kutcher?
;)
(You can chalk the prequels up to youthful mistakes . . . )
How big of a monitor is too big?
I think the Anti-Monitor was way too big.