Hi Owen / SGG
Just a quick one asking as first quarter finishing soon, any plans you can reveal about when Time Thief 2 is going to be released, as you had planned in first quarter following poll at end of 2010?
Also any hints when the summoner advanced options see light of day...this is the one i am most looking forward to..
Whilst i am asking questions and have u captive so to speak...since plans afoot for godling follow up?
Cheers for your candor if you can answer.
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Always happy to answer questions!
First, The Genius Guide to the Time Warden (Time Thief 2) ran into an art issue (along with a couple of other books of ours) which may delay it past the end of March. If so it'll become my no. 1 priority to get it out asap. The sad fact is that sometimes projects get hung up a bit, and somehow the high-profile ones tend to have a higher occurrence of that, I'm still committed to getting this out soon.
Having done Advanced Option books for alchemists, cavaliers, inquisitors, oracles and witches, I can only say summoners (Advanced Options; Summoners' Evolutions) is "next." The playtesting on this one has turned into something of a bugaboo. A lot of people feel the eidolon is already overpowered, which means even if I don't give a single combat-capable option, they're unhappy with the result. That makes feedback more of an issue to get through, and I certainly don't want to take a good character choice and make it an overwhelmingly great choice.
Even so, I think it's safe to say 6 to 8 weeks at the outside, and at least 3, before AO:SE hits the virtual shelves.
I DO have godling followup plans (I'd be an idiot if I didn't, it's one of the things people ask for most often), but again playtesting is a bit of a snarl and I've gone back to the drawing board a couple of time. Mostly, I don;t want to put out any-old-options with "godling" in the name to make a quick buck, and what I've produced so far just doesn't quite hit my own exacting standards. I don't have a good feel for timeframe on this one, since I'm honestly not sure exactly what's bothering me about what I have, so I'm not sure how I'm going to fix it. especially with Time Warden, Vixens and Viragos, and a new idea for modern rules are all demanding so much of my time right now.
How that answers your questions, and that actual candor doesn't make me look too scatterbrained...
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Always happy to answer questions!
First, The Genius Guide to the Time Warden (Time Thief 2) ran into an art issue (along with a couple of other books of ours) which may delay it past the end of March. If so it'll become my no. 1 priority to get it out asap. The sad fact is that sometimes projects get hung up a bit, and somehow the high-profile ones tend to have a higher occurrence of that, I'm still committed to getting this out soon.
Having done Advanced Option books for alchemists, cavaliers, inquisitors, oracles and witches, I can only say summoners (Advanced Options; Summoners' Evolutions) is "next." The playtesting on this one has turned into something of a bugaboo. A lot of people feel the eidolon is already overpowered, which means even if I don't give a single combat-capable option, they're unhappy with the result. That makes feedback more of an issue to get through, and I certainly don't want to take a good character choice and make it an overwhelmingly great choice.
Even so, I think it's safe to say 6 to 8 weeks at the outside, and at least 3, before AO:SE hits the virtual shelves.
I DO have godling followup plans (I'd be an idiot if I didn't, it's one of the things people ask for most often), but again playtesting is a bit of a snarl and I've gone back to the drawing board a couple of time. Mostly, I don;t want to put out any-old-options with "godling" in the name to make a quick buck, and what I've produced so far just doesn't quite hit my own exacting standards. I don't have a good feel for timeframe on this one, since I'm honestly not sure exactly what's bothering me about what I have, so I'm not sure how I'm going to fix it. especially with Time Warden, Vixens and Viragos, and a new idea for modern rules are all demanding so much of my time right now.
How that answers your questions, and that actual candor doesn't make me look too scatterbrained...
So, where's news on the SGG RPG game? ^_^
Kidding aside, how does the playtesting work on all the above products? Do you have a specific group(s) that you personally play in to test the betas? Or circle of friends / gamers who test the product and send you their input? Or just run numbers? I've always been curious how rpg products are tested, especially 3PP who don't have WotC budgets.
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So, where's news on the SGG RPG game? ^_^
I'm working on new ways to get some ideas I had for P20 Modern into the light. None are ready for announcing.
Kidding aside, how does the playtesting work on all the above products?
Obviously I run numbers and scenarios with any new rules, I would guess all 3pp writers and/or developers manage that much.
For real playtesting, I run two separate playtest groups out of my house, in a mix of ongoing campaigns that use everything SGG has ever published (to help spot places where synergy between products might create severe unbalance), short campaigns (to look at specific ideas more in-depth), and even on-off fights and think-tank sessions. Ideas may be introduced into this environment months before they hit a SGG product, and a lot of things I thought were cool have been twisted into game-breakling evil by my players, requiring change or even elimination from their intended products.
Additionally, there is a secret database of all SGG Pathfinder-compatible PDFs and numerous upcoming manuscripts which trusted colleagues, trusted and experienced gamers, and a few diabolical rules-lawyers I know have access to. Some run actual playtests with our material, and a lot more read through them for enjoyment, and occasionally provide insightful commentary.
Then there's the other Geniuses, and our freelancers, editors, and proofreader, who are rarely shy about giving me their opinion on something.
And that's most of the process.
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So, where's news on the SGG RPG game? ^_^I'm working on new ways to get some ideas I had for P20 Modern into the light. None are ready for announcing.
Oh, kewl. Forgot about P20 Modern.
Kidding aside, how does the playtesting work on all the above products?Obviously I run numbers and scenarios with any new rules, I would guess all 3pp writers and/or developers manage that much.
For real playtesting, I run two separate playtest groups out of my house, in a mix of ongoing campaigns that use everything SGG has ever published (to help spot places where synergy between products might create severe unbalance), short campaigns (to look at specific ideas more in-depth), and even on-off fights and think-tank sessions. Ideas may be introduced into this environment months before they hit a SGG product, and a lot of things I thought were cool have been twisted into game-breakling evil by my players, requiring change or even elimination from their intended products.
Additionally, there is a secret database of all SGG Pathfinder-compatible PDFs and numerous upcoming manuscripts which trusted colleagues, trusted and experienced gamers, and a few diabolical rules-lawyers I know have access to. Some run actual playtests with our material, and a lot more read through them for enjoyment, and occasionally provide insightful commentary.
Then there's the other Geniuses, and our freelancers, editors, and proofreader, who are rarely shy about giving me their opinion on something.
And that's most of the process.
Thanks for sharing.
Oh, kewl. Forgot about P20 Modern.So, where's news on the SGG RPG game? ^_^I'm working on new ways to get some ideas I had for P20 Modern into the light. None are ready for announcing.
I haven't! :)
Always happy to answer questions!
First, The Genius Guide to the Time Warden (Time Thief 2) ran into an art issue (along with a couple of other books of ours) which may delay it past the end of March. If so it'll become my no. 1 priority to get it out asap. The sad fact is that sometimes projects get hung up a bit, and somehow the high-profile ones tend to have a higher occurrence of that, I'm still committed to getting this out soon.
Having done Advanced Option books for alchemists, cavaliers, inquisitors, oracles and witches, I can only say summoners (Advanced Options; Summoners' Evolutions) is "next." The playtesting on this one has turned into something of a bugaboo. A lot of people feel the eidolon is already overpowered, which means even if I don't give a single combat-capable option, they're unhappy with the result. That makes feedback more of an issue to get through, and I certainly don't want to take a good character choice and make it an overwhelmingly great choice.
Even so, I think it's safe to say 6 to 8 weeks at the outside, and at least 3, before AO:SE hits the virtual shelves.
I DO have godling followup plans (I'd be an idiot if I didn't, it's one of the things people ask for most often), but again playtesting is a bit of a snarl and I've gone back to the drawing board a couple of time. Mostly, I don;t want to put out any-old-options with "godling" in the name to make a quick buck, and what I've produced so far just doesn't quite hit my own exacting standards. I don't have a good feel for timeframe on this one, since I'm honestly not sure exactly what's bothering me about what I have, so I'm not sure how I'm going to fix it. especially with Time Warden, Vixens and Viragos, and a new idea for modern rules are all demanding so much of my time right now.
How that answers your questions, and that actual candor doesn't make me look too scatterbrained...
Hi Owen
Many thanks for the very thorough candor:) !
No scatterbrainedness there....just the thoughts of a (SG)genius! I am looking forward as said to above...time warden sounds intriguing.
cheers