"With the discovery that Ameiko Kaijitsu is the last in the line of a family destined to rule in the Dragon Empire of Minkai..." I read that line and laughed.
A little background, I play with Player P who has had, in his years (ok, decades) of playing, 2 characters fall in love with ladies...who have turned out to be crown princesses (and the last of their lines) in hiding. He is currently playing in a Rise of the Runelords game and his character is pursuing a relationship with Ameiko (and she with him). So this will be his 3rd character to fall in love with a hidden crown princess.
Just thought I would share my moment of levity. I now return you to your regularly scheduled programing.
Maybe he has Scent(nearly extinct royal bloodline) and the flaw "Fall for the royal."
|
This is intended for James Jacobs, as noted in my post in the related thread:
I play a character who has become romantically involved with Ameiko in RotR. This seems to be a pretty common occurrence, so I was wondering if Jade Regent has been written to allow GMs to take these relationships into account without derailing the plot. It would be a shame if he had to interrupt the continuity of his version of Golarion, or else contrive to break the lovers up in order to run the AP. I wouldn't even mind having my character relegated to NPC status for the duration, if the alternatives were either to re-write history or lose his love. (Of course, since we haven't completed the AP yet this might be a moot point, as my character might not survive the final chapter--but hope springs eternal).
Of course, I realize that if Ameiko were to have a high-level partner hanging around it might make it difficult to justify a 1st level party getting involved in her affairs ("what's that, honey? Someone who might be a challenge for those noobs over there has been giving you trouble? Let me take care of that for you").
It's weird to feel jealous and protective over an RPG character's romantic interest, but I do (at least a little bit) so I'm hoping there will be a way for my GM to make the new AP work without spoiling my PC's "happily ever after".
This is intended for James Jacobs, as noted in my post in the related thread:
I play a character who has become romantically involved with Ameiko in RotR. This seems to be a pretty common occurrence, so I was wondering if Jade Regent has been written to allow GMs to take these relationships into account without derailing the plot. It would be a shame if he had to interrupt the continuity of his version of Golarion, or else contrive to break the lovers up in order to run the AP. I wouldn't even mind having my character relegated to NPC status for the duration, if the alternatives were either to re-write history or lose his love. (Of course, since we haven't completed the AP yet this might be a moot point, as my character might not survive the final chapter--but hope springs eternal).
Of course, I realize that if Ameiko were to have a high-level partner hanging around it might make it difficult to justify a 1st level party getting involved in her affairs ("what's that, honey? Someone who might be a challenge for those noobs over there has been giving you trouble? Let me take care of that for you").
It's weird to feel jealous and protective over an RPG character's romantic interest, but I do (at least a little bit) so I'm hoping there will be a way for my GM to make the new AP work without spoiling my PCs "happily ever after".
I somewhat know where your coming from, had a PC (as player) and a few NPCs (as DM) have romances.
This is intended for James Jacobs, as noted in my post in the related thread:
I play a character who has become romantically involved with Ameiko in RotR. This seems to be a pretty common occurrence, so I was wondering if Jade Regent has been written to allow GMs to take these relationships into account without derailing the plot. It would be a shame if he had to interrupt the continuity of his version of Golarion, or else contrive to break the lovers up in order to run the AP. I wouldn't even mind having my character relegated to NPC status for the duration, if the alternatives were either to re-write history or lose his love. (Of course, since we haven't completed the AP yet this might be a moot point, as my character might not survive the final chapter--but hope springs eternal).
Of course, I realize that if Ameiko were to have a high-level partner hanging around it might make it difficult to justify a 1st level party getting involved in her affairs ("what's that, honey? Someone who might be a challenge for those noobs over there has been giving you trouble? Let me take care of that for you").
It's weird to feel jealous and protective over an RPG character's romantic interest, but I do (at least a little bit) so I'm hoping there will be a way for my GM to make the new AP work without spoiling my PC's "happily ever after".
That's a good question.
I am running RotRL as an E8 game and will probably be skipping/radically editing/compressing modules 4-6. I was hoping to play JR next, expanding/editing the 1st couple of modules. With E8 it wouldn't be as much of a chore as if the characters were 18-20th level. I figure I can compress the 1st couple of JR modules into 1 or 2 game sessions.
Anyway, those are my thoughts, and they are worth what you paid for them. ;)
Creative Director
|
There will indeed be some advice in the foreword of "The Brinewall Legacy" about how to tie together Rise of the Runelords and Jade Regent. The easiest solution is to simply run the new campaign without any ties to what happened in Runelords, of course, but there are "stand ins" for Ameiko in the event that she's now too high level or dead or hooked up with another character or whatever (a close read of Council of Thieves' first adventure, for example, will reveal that there's a bard in there named Amaya who has close relatives in Sandpoint...).
But since we can't know just exactly how your Runelords game developed, your GM is going to be the one who will have to make all the actual decisions about how those events tie into your Jade Regent game. Best we can do is offer advice and suggestions... which we will.
|
|
There will indeed be some advice in the foreword of "The Brinewall Legacy" about how to tie together Rise of the Runelords and Jade Regent.
Great. Glad to hear it.
The easiest solution is to simply run the new campaign without any ties to what happened in Runelords, of course, but there are "stand ins" for Ameiko in the event that she's now too high level or dead or hooked up with another character or whatever (a close read of Council of Thieves' first adventure, for example, will reveal that there's a bard in there named Amaya who has close relatives in Sandpoint...).
It's good that those options are there, but I'd actually love to see Ameiko remain at the center of the AP and somehow have my retired PC remain invloved (even though he'd probably have to be shuffled away "off camera" to keep him from becoming a sort of deus ex machina). The idea of being an empress' consort would appeal to him--although the reality of it, once attained, might not exactly match his expectations.
But since we can't know just exactly how your Runelords game developed, your GM is going to be the one who will have to make all the actual decisions about how those events tie into your Jade Regent game. Best we can do is offer advice and suggestions... which we will.
Of course--and in the case of our RotR campaign neither the players nor the GM know yet how it will end. It's good that you go the extra mile and offer those suggestions, however.
There will indeed be some advice in the foreword of "The Brinewall Legacy" about how to tie together Rise of the Runelords and Jade Regent. The easiest solution is to simply run the new campaign without any ties to what happened in Runelords, of course, but there are "stand ins" for Ameiko in the event that she's now too high level or dead or hooked up with another character or whatever (a close read of Council of Thieves' first adventure, for example, will reveal that there's a bard in there named Amaya who has close relatives in Sandpoint...).
But since we can't know just exactly how your Runelords game developed, your GM is going to be the one who will have to make all the actual decisions about how those events tie into your Jade Regent game. Best we can do is offer advice and suggestions... which we will.
Glad to hear it.
After hearing the basic campaign description of Jade Regent, I could see this as being a problem. Amiko is pretty much one of the obvious "love interests" along with Shayless from the ROTR series so having her "romantically involved" with a PC by the end of the campaign is probably a pretty common thing...
|
Creative Director
|
There will indeed be some advice in the foreword of "The Brinewall Legacy" about how to tie together Rise of the Runelords and Jade Regent. The easiest solution is to simply run the new campaign without any ties to what happened in Runelords, of course, but there are "stand ins" for Ameiko in the event that she's now too high level or dead or hooked up with another character or whatever (a close read of Council of Thieves' first adventure, for example, will reveal that there's a bard in there named Amaya who has close relatives in Sandpoint...).
But since we can't know just exactly how your Runelords game developed, your GM is going to be the one who will have to make all the actual decisions about how those events tie into your Jade Regent game. Best we can do is offer advice and suggestions... which we will.
Glad to hear it.
After hearing the basic campaign description of Jade Regent, I could see this as being a problem. Amiko is pretty much one of the obvious "love interests" along with Shayless from the ROTR series so having her "romantically involved" with a PC by the end of the campaign is probably a pretty common thing...
Perhaps. Although whether or not PCs having love interests in and of itself is a "common thing" among the majority of groups out there is a good question.
It's also worth noting that your Jade Regent campaign doesn't HAVE to sync with your Rise of the Runelords game. Especially if you have a different GM running Jade Regent.
There's been multiple Spiderman stories with different continuities, after all. Why not multiple Ameiko stories?
|
It's also worth noting that your Jade Regent campaign doesn't HAVE to sync with your Rise of the Runelords game. Especially if you have a different GM running Jade Regent.
There's been multiple Spiderman stories with different continuities, after all. Why not multiple Ameiko stories?
Just promise me Paizo won't release a "Crisis on Infinite Golarions" ten years from now, okay?
Since Golarion basically doesn't have an advancing metaplot, like the Forgotten Realms had ( something which I kind of miss, to be honest ), I don't see the problem. Although Jade Regent assumes that Rise of the Runelords already has happened, most everything else is still the same in the world. Queen Ileosa rules Korvosa, there's some strange blot above Riddleport and so on.
Maybe he has Scent(nearly extinct royal bloodline) and the flaw "Fall for the royal."
Well, the way they always pea on mattresses, that's not far off.
I play a character who has become romantically involved with Ameiko in RotR. This seems to be a pretty common occurrence, so I was wondering if Jade Regent has been written to allow GMs to take these relationships into account without derailing the plot. ...
I somewhat know where your coming from, had a PC (as player) and a few NPCs (as DM) have romances.
Same thing is happening in our RotR game, I was thinking of having the finale battle twist time so that the heroes emerge "several years" later. But, our group tends to keep a common world/timeline so it becomes more important to string everything. We have a RotR set in 4707-8, a LoF in 4709, a SS in 4711, and CC in 4711.
Well, the way they always pea on mattresses, that's not far off.
That's a Good one.
Same thing is happening in our RotR game, I was thinking of having the finale battle twist time so that the heroes emerge "several years" later. But, our group tends to keep a common world/timeline so it becomes more important to string everything. We have a RotR set in 4707-8, a LoF in 4709, a SS in 4711, and CC in 4711.
Wine, not have the RotR characters decendants do the Jade Rejent AP, It could work.
|
|
Same thing is happening in our RotR game, I was thinking of having the finale battle twist time so that the heroes emerge "several years" later. But, our group tends to keep a common world/timeline so it becomes more important to string everything. We have a RotR set in 4707-8, a LoF in 4709, a SS in 4711, and CC in 4711.Wine, not have the RotR characters decendants do the Jade Rejent AP, It could work.
This...
Wind it on 30-40 years or so. Change the character names and a bit of the personalities of same and have "Ameiko" be the couple's daughter. Problem solved.
Unless elves are involved, then you're screwed :p
Wine, not have the RotR characters decendants do the Jade Rejent AP, It could work.
Descendants has possibility but...see below.
This...Wind it on 30-40 years or so. Change the character names and a bit of the personalities of same and have "Ameiko" be the couple's daughter. Problem solved.
Unless elves are involved, then you're screwed :p
The offending character is Half-Elf. But the idea of Ameiko Jr is very, very interesting. You have given me much to ponder my friend.
The offending character is Half-Elf. But the idea of Ameiko Jr is very, very interesting. You have given me much to ponder my friend.
If the offending character is Half-Elf, then have the blood tilt to a more desired outcome. (like full human, if it was with a human partner)
or use the racial flaw I made up in the "Advanced Race Guide" Wish List.
There will indeed be some advice in the foreword of "The Brinewall Legacy" about how to tie together Rise of the Runelords and Jade Regent. The easiest solution is to simply run the new campaign without any ties to what happened in Runelords, of course, but there are "stand ins" for Ameiko in the event that she's now too high level or dead or hooked up with another character or whatever (a close read of Council of Thieves' first adventure, for example, will reveal that there's a bard in there named Amaya who has close relatives in Sandpoint...).
But since we can't know just exactly how your Runelords game developed, your GM is going to be the one who will have to make all the actual decisions about how those events tie into your Jade Regent game. Best we can do is offer advice and suggestions... which we will.
Glad to hear it.
After hearing the basic campaign description of Jade Regent, I could see this as being a problem. Amiko is pretty much one of the obvious "love interests" along with Shayless from the ROTR series so having her "romantically involved" with a PC by the end of the campaign is probably a pretty common thing...
Perhaps. Although whether or not PCs having love interests in and of itself is a "common thing" among the majority of groups out there is a good question.
It's also worth noting that your Jade Regent campaign doesn't HAVE to sync with your Rise of the Runelords game. Especially if you have a different GM running Jade Regent.
There's been multiple Spiderman stories with different continuities, after all. Why not multiple Ameiko stories?
Well, my players like having all of the assorted advetures take place in the same universe, so that things that happened before are the history of what's happening now. but that's me and mine.
And not everyone had a romance with Ameiko. (Though I enjoy any adventure that has or at least encourages some decent non-combat roleplaying and ROTR, especially BO, was full of RP goodness.) Like I said, I'm delighted to see that Paizo took the possibility into consideration when making Jade Regent. (though you guys already have a good track record for making flexible games..)
As for Spiderman, yeah, there have been multiple continuities, but most of them were horrible...not the best comparison. I trust you guys to do a lot better than that... (Then again, Asmodeus making it so that Amiko's father never died but she has to give up her true love DOES sound like an interesting PF adventure...it just was a sucky Spiderman one...)
That's a Good one.
Well, the way they always pea on mattresses, that's not far off.
I shamelessly stole it from Sir Pratchett. My favourite knight!
I shamelessly stole it from Sir Pratchett. My favourite knight!That's a Good one.
Well, the way they always pea on mattresses, that's not far off.
It's as good as when Kev from Zorgonia said "Nobody Avenges a Gnome, like No one Avenges a Squirrel."
|
I'd present a B-plot for the high-level character, have them somewhere in the background running interference and fighting off high-level assassination crews or something. Something that the Jade Regent group and Ameiko are completely useless for and would only get in the way with. Then every once in a while the high-level character could show up bloody and beaten with another demon lord's head on a stick.
Just figure out something plausible for him to do elsewhere.
If my group ends up doing this one we'll have the opposite problem. She was so whiny and annoying in Rise of the Runelords that it will be difficult not to leave her in the middle of nowhere at the first chance and try to claim the throne our-selves.
|
Creative Director
|
If my group ends up doing this one we'll have the opposite problem. She was so whiny and annoying in Rise of the Runelords that it will be difficult not to leave her in the middle of nowhere at the first chance and try to claim the throne our-selves.
Just so you know, your GM broke my heart.
If my group ends up doing this one we'll have the opposite problem. She was so whiny and annoying in Rise of the Runelords that it will be difficult not to leave her in the middle of nowhere at the first chance and try to claim the throne our-selves.Just so you know, your GM broke my heart.
That's the sort of thing I had to get past a lot when GMing (and playing). Someone's favorite NPC comes off as annoying to one or more of the party members and they either dump a key NPC or even allow them to get killed.
I've had heroes find the villain to be so charismatic that they joined him. I've had heroes hate the key good-guy NPC to the point that undoing him becomes the focus of their campaign.
I've played in campaigns where the GM didn't read the reactions of the party and ended up with a "playful" NPC coming off as annoying and untrustworthy. (In one online campaign, one of the key NPCs used her mental powers to read my character's mind. An invasion of privacy. Killing her, one of the elven princesses, became the driving force that kept my character from giving up. Confused the GM for a while.)
I even playtest an adventure for TFT that a friend wrote where the party is escorting a noble ambassador and his entourage across a mountain pass. The nobleman is demeaning to the heroes and his flunkies use authority to try and take every bit of loot the party gets in the first few encounters.
Then the ambassador is captured and the heroes find only his horses and gear. So, when they encounter him, chained up in a dungeon, they are SUPPOSED to rescue him. Instead, the party I was Gming said something like, "So, the ambassador is definitely chained up and can;t get free without our help? Cool! Free horses!"
And they left him there...
The author had to go back and rewrite the ambassador encounters and show the party how important he is to regional stability...
It happens. What one Gm finds amusing will be the exact personality that one of his players hates...
I intend to run this AP (my first) but I really can't stand the idea that the goal is to install an NPC on the throne of an empire. This makes the NPC the star of the show, doesn't it? Would it derail the plot too much for one or more of the PCs have Ameiko Kaijitsu's role as heir?
|
|
I intend to run this AP (my first) but I really can't stand the idea that the goal is to install an NPC on the throne of an empire. This makes the NPC the star of the show, doesn't it? Would it derail the plot too much for one or more of the PCs have Ameiko Kaijitsu's role as heir?
James has stated elsewhere that this is a possibility.
The only problem I can see with it is that it elevates one PC (and thus one player) above the rest, which might cause friction in the group.
|
Creative Director
|
I intend to run this AP (my first) but I really can't stand the idea that the goal is to install an NPC on the throne of an empire. This makes the NPC the star of the show, doesn't it? Would it derail the plot too much for one or more of the PCs have Ameiko Kaijitsu's role as heir?
Wait until you see the entire AP for how it all pans out for one thing.
But even if the NPC ends up taking the throne, that doesn't make that NPC the "star." Anymore than it makes Aragorn the star in Lord of the Rings.
|
|
I intend to run this AP (my first) but I really can't stand the idea that the goal is to install an NPC on the throne of an empire. This makes the NPC the star of the show, doesn't it? Would it derail the plot too much for one or more of the PCs have Ameiko Kaijitsu's role as heir?Wait until you see the entire AP for how it all pans out for one thing.
But even if the NPC ends up taking the throne, that doesn't make that NPC the "star." Anymore than it makes Aragorn the star in Lord of the Rings.
Wait. He's not? But he's so rugged and dreamy! I kept getting confused as to why they kept focusing on the wandering midgets!
Just so you know, your GM broke my heart.
This... right here... needs to be on a big +size dark blue t-shirt in Pathfinder script...
I'd buy that.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Wait until you see the entire AP for how it all pans out for one thing.But even if the NPC ends up taking the throne, that doesn't make that NPC the "star." Anymore than it makes Aragorn the star in Lord of the Rings.
This gives me "Hero Fits". That's heroism, right there... it's not the queen who is the most heroic character in the story, it's her champions. It's the guys who stood up and buckled their belts and dinged first level when she read the letter. That's the birth of heroes.
"No s#!t, there I was... A dark and stormy night... the old man had just given the little girl bartender her letter and settled into a seat near the fire to dry off the rain. I had my beer half raised to my lips when she started reading, and it stayed there the whole time... I was just a caravan guard, man... I never knew. I never felt the... *need* to be an adventure. To be so bad-a$$ that this perfect tiny little Tian girl would feel safe in the middle of nowhere with just me and my sword to keep her from the ravages of bandits and monsters. Man, I spilled my beer all over myself when I jumped to my feet, just the second she stopped reading, to cheer her on and pledge my loyalty. That's the day I became an adventurer. That's the day I became level one."
Nice imagery man.
@James Jacobs - Hey, I hope you're having a good weekend so far?
I just wanted to say that I'm about to run Rise of the Runelord's in exactly a months time, but just wanted to check something.
I know that Rise of the Runelord's and Curse of the Crimson Throne continue on from each other (with some returning characters), so does Jade Regent continue straight on from CotCT?
Also, is there anything you suggest I do to make all three adventure paths seamlessly play into each other?
I wasn't originally going to get Jade Regent, but knowing it continues Ameiko's story, I'm thinking I may as well in fact run RotRL's, CotCT AND Jade Regent. It's a lot of work and I really wanted to play CotCT with a character (I'm more of a player than a DM), but if I'm the one telling the story as a DM for RotRL's, and assuming the stories carry on into each other, it'd probably be the best thing to do, as I could put the stories from all three adventure paths into one big story for the players.
I just wondered what your opinion on this was?
Thanks very much for reading, and have a great afternoon! :)
|
|
I know that Rise of the Runelord's and Curse of the Crimson Throne continue on from each other (with some returning characters), so does Jade Regeant continue straight on from CotCT?
Well, not exactly. CotCT isn't linked with RotRL. It's set in Varisia and features two (IIRC) story elements that appear in RotRL, but those are more "cameos" than full connections between both APs.
Actually, there's more in common between Jade Regent and Second Darkness, because
appears both in SD and JR (however her role in SD is rather small).
I know that Rise of the Runelord's and Curse of the Crimson Throne continue on from each other (with some returning characters), so does Jade Regeant continue straight on from CotCT?
Well, not exactly. CotCT isn't linked with RotRL. It's set in Varisia and features two (IIRC) story elements that appear in RotRL, but those are more "cameos" than full connections between both APs.
Actually, there's more in common between Jade Regent and Second Darkness, because
** spoiler omitted **
appears both in SD and JR (however her role in SD is rather small).
So is it more of a case of RotRL's and CotCT are fairly connected, but more in cameo form, rather than a continuing story, with Jade Regent not being connected?
Orrrrr is Second Darkness connected via cameo's with the other three as well, meaning if I link them together somehow, I should in fact do all 4 in the order of Rise, Curse, Second and Jade?
I think more than anything, I just wanted official clarification to tell me the ins and outs (as simply as possible, saving time for everyone), and to give me a little bit of advice on fusing them together, so to speak.
|
|
I know that Rise of the Runelord's and Curse of the Crimson Throne continue on from each other (with some returning characters), so does Jade Regeant continue straight on from CotCT?
Well, not exactly. CotCT isn't linked with RotRL. It's set in Varisia and features two (IIRC) story elements that appear in RotRL, but those are more "cameos" than full connections between both APs.
Actually, there's more in common between Jade Regent and Second Darkness, because
** spoiler omitted **
appears both in SD and JR (however her role in SD is rather small).
So is it more of a case of RotRL's and CotCT are fairly connected, but more in cameo form, rather than a continuing story, with Jade Regent not being connected?
Orrrrr is Second Darkness connected via cameo's with the other three as well, meaning if I link them together somehow, I should in fact do all 4 in the order of Rise, Curse, Second and Jade?
I think more than anything, I just wanted official clarification to tell me the ins and outs (as simply as possible, saving time for everyone), and to give me a little bit of advice on fusing them together, so to speak.
There's no story link between Rise, Curse and Second. There are tiny bits that return, but it's a common thing in Paizo APs - Carrion Crown features an NPC from Curse, for example.
You don't need to run any of them in order, and actually doing that won't change much.
Ah okay, so it's nothing really that significant, meaning I could in fact just run Rise, and actually play Curse, Second and Jade at later dates.
Thanks for the info. :)
Yep! I'm finishing my own RotRL game soon and wondering if I should run CotCT or JR next, both seem like good choices :)
Ah, I know very little about either, other than the fact I think Curse is a Horror (although from all of the RotRL campaign books I've so far read, Rise also features horror), but the plan was to start and finish my Rise campaign and then go onto playing curse (although I'll be playing Serpent's Skull in parallel with DM'ing Rise with a badass, anti-social, cold hearted and uncaring Neutral Good Demon Hunting Cleric of Iomedae - what a mouthful).
Still, I've never tried a play by post before, so if anyone ever has a slot for me to play Jade Regent online, it'd be interesting and something to do I guess. Keeps me away from my Playstation. :p
|
Creative Director
|
@James Jacobs - Hey, I hope you're having a good weekend so far?
I guess so... played some Fallout: Old World Blues until it locked up on me, but the rest of the weekend is looking like mostly Gen Con prep and some weekend work on Bestiary 3.
I know that Rise of the Runelord's and Curse of the Crimson Throne continue on from each other (with some returning characters), so does Jade Regent continue straight on from CotCT?
Actually... no. There's an easter egg or two that players from Runelords might get a kick out of if they then go on to play Crimson Throne, but with the exception of Jade Regent, ALL of our Adventure Paths can be played in any order. You don't have to play Runelords before Crimson Throne at all.
In fact, while we assume that Jade Regent begins 4 years or so after Runelords... even THAT isn't required. We'll be giving some advice on how to handle playing Jade Regent both after and before playing Runelords. Jade Regent doesn't really interact with Curse of the Crimson Throne at all in any way, really, aside from the fact that both APs begin in Varisia.
Also, is there anything you suggest I do to make all three adventure paths seamlessly play into each other?
Since all three APs assume PCs start at 1st level... not really. With the exception of Jade Regent assuming that the events of Runelords ended 4 years prior, we assume that the PCs in Jade Regent are NOT the same PCs as those who played through Runelords.
|
Creative Director
|
Yep! I'm finishing my own RotRL game soon and wondering if I should run CotCT or JR next, both seem like good choices :)Ah, I know very little about either, other than the fact I think Curse is a Horror (although from all of the RotRL campaign books I've so far read, Rise also features horror), but the plan was to start and finish my Rise campaign and then go onto playing curse (although I'll be playing Serpent's Skull in parallel with DM'ing Rise with a badass, anti-social, cold hearted and uncaring Neutral Good Demon Hunting Cleric of Iomedae - what a mouthful).
Still, I've never tried a play by post before, so if anyone ever has a slot for me to play Jade Regent online, it'd be interesting and something to do I guess. Keeps me away from my Playstation. :p
Rise of the Runelords has a lot of horror elements... far more than Crimson Throne or Second Darkness.
That said... those of us who build the APs are huge fans of the horror genre, and so you'll see elements of horror showing up in every AP as a result to a certain extent.
Yep! I'm finishing my own RotRL game soon and wondering if I should run CotCT or JR next, both seem like good choices :)Ah, I know very little about either, other than the fact I think Curse is a Horror
As someone who GM'ed CotCT from start to finish, I beg to disagree. It's a very good campaign. :)
Rise of the Runelords has a lot of horror elements... far more than Crimson Throne or Second Darkness.
That said... those of us who build the APs are huge fans of the horror genre, and so you'll see elements of horror showing up in every AP as a result to a certain extent.
Thanks very much for the reply!
I heard Fallout: New Vegas has massive freezing issues, so I've been waiting for a Game of the Year edition to come out (hopefully fixing these issues). I'm still waiting, but have hope one will come out either around Christmas or sometime early next year. Either way, I expect I'll hear something before most people, as I'm a voluntary games journalist for a gaming news site that's doing pretty well for itself. Maybe I'll venture off to E3 just yet. :p
I'm also making my own edition of a D20 Gantz game (up to 42 pages so far), but don't know if it's worth continuing due to not knowing how to get things published, and also needing the rights from the Manga and Animé creator himself.
Anyway, that aside, the horror element is a real surprise to me, as I thought Curse of the Crimson Throne was meant to be the eeriest AP to date. I'll be sure to set an eerie tone throughout the whole entire Runelord campaign now though, hopefully playing under dim light too.
Quick question that's unrelated to this forum; Goblins - I always imagined them to speak dark, deep, gruff and as if they're permanently choking on something (whilst being completely insane), but the guy who usually DM's for us thinks they should be high pitched and mental. Which one would work best for a Runelord campaign in your opinion?
Back to the subject; From what you've said, would it be better to go straight into Jade Regent after Runelords, if it's set only 4 years later? I'll try my best to keep Ameiko alive, but judging from book 1, it doesn't look as though she'll be fighting much anyway.
If it came down to it, I'd say the players all start off with new characters in Jade Regent, but just to keep things familiar, might put stories of the previous heroes success (if they beat Runelords) throughout the AP of JR. Ameiko might even be able to compare the new heroes to those who came before. Subtle hints and all.
|
Creative Director
|
I heard Fallout: New Vegas has massive freezing issues, so I've been waiting for a Game of the Year edition to come out (hopefully fixing these issues). I'm still waiting, but have hope one will come out either around Christmas or sometime early next year. Either way, I expect I'll hear something before most people, as I'm a voluntary games journalist for a gaming news site that's doing pretty well for itself. Maybe I'll venture off to E3 just yet. :p
It does have freezing issues. It just froze on me earlier this morning, in fact. But the game is SO MUCH FUN that, honestly, I don't really care. I just make sure to save multiple slots and save often, in addition to relying on the autosave feature (which saves whenever you rest or enter a new building... aka all the time). And even then... the game's so fun that if I have to replay a few hours of content due to my own poor save game management, I really don't mind.
Anyway, that aside, the horror element is a real surprise to me, as I thought Curse of the Crimson Throne was meant to be the eeriest AP to date. I'll be sure to set an eerie tone throughout the whole entire Runelord campaign now though, hopefully playing under dim light too.
Actually, the "eeriest" AP to date would be Carrion Crown, if we did our job right. That AP was one where we specifically set out to build an entire Adventure Path with gothic/cosmic horror themes.
Quick question that's unrelated to this forum; Goblins - I always imagined them to speak dark, deep, gruff and as if they're permanently choking on something (whilst being completely insane), but the guy who usually DM's for us thinks they should be high pitched and mental. Which one would work best for a Runelord campaign in your opinion?
Goblins are small. They're also manic, crazy, hyper, and insane. High-pitched voices is always how I've imagined them talking, and thinking of them speaking in deep gruff noises, to me, sounds really weird and wrong. Hobgoblins and bugbears, sure. But not goblins. They're too little and too quick to talk like the hulk.
Back to the subject; From what you've said, would it be better to go straight into Jade Regent after Runelords, if it's set only 4 years later? I'll try my best to keep Ameiko alive, but judging from book 1, it doesn't look as though she'll be fighting much anyway.
If it came down to it, I'd say the players all start off with new characters in Jade Regent, but just to keep...
Ameiko's actual role in Rise of the Runelords is actually pretty small. On purpose. I've been planning Jade Regent pretty much from the start, after all, and I put Ameiko in "Burnt Offerings" mostly as an easter egg and to foreshadow the upcoming Jade Regent Adventure Path. Of course... at the time, I thought that we would be doing the Jade Regent AP as the third AP, and then when that fell through, I thought it'd be the 5th, and then the 7th. That it's going to actually end up being the 9th AP is a testament to how difficult it was to pull together everything we needed to have an AP that spans 3 continents work.
In any event, you should start new characters whenever you start a new Adventure Path anyway. Jade Regent might start in Varisia, but it only stays there for 1 adventure. By the time you start the second adventure, "Night of Frozen Shadows," it's heading north and doesn't come back, so links to previous Runelordy PCs won't really make sense for 80% of the AP.
It does have freezing issues. It just froze on me earlier this morning, in fact. But the game is SO MUCH FUN that, honestly, I don't really care. I just make sure to save multiple slots and save often, in addition to relying on the autosave feature (which saves whenever you rest or enter a new building... aka all the time). And even then... the game's so fun that if I have to replay a few hours of content due to my own poor save game management, I really don't mind.
Ah, I loved Fallout 3. I just don't know if I could bare to save every 5 minutes, seeing as the Fallout 3 took 89 hours of my life away. :p
Actually, the "eeriest" AP to date would be Carrion Crown, if we did our job right. That AP was one where we specifically set out to build an entire Adventure Path with gothic/cosmic horror themes.
Oops, I forgot about that one. I doubt I'll get the chance to play that one as the usual DM (a friend I've known for 12 years) is starting it with another group he plays with in several months time.
Goblins are small. They're also manic, crazy, hyper, and insane. High-pitched voices is always how I've imagined them talking, and thinking of them speaking in deep gruff noises, to me, sounds really weird and wrong. Hobgoblins and bugbears, sure. But not goblins. They're too little and too quick to talk like the hulk.
Ah, I was thinking more along the lines of Gremlins (from the films), as they're quite deep, gruff and raspy to me.
As for Ameiko, it sounds as though it really needed to be a separate AP, seeing as the amount of content you had planned was seemingly originally going to lengthen the Runelords campaign from 6 to 9 books. That's a lot of pages and a lot of work (to read and write), but somehow I think it worked out better that it had its own path, and hopefully I'll get the chance to DM or play it. :)
Thanks a lot for the insight.
You don't happen to have any advice on trying to get a D20 game published, before I go to bed do you? (it's midnight here in England)
What I've got is actually a pretty good start, but putting it online for everyone to use freely risks it being stolen and published by someone else, and not trying to get it published (once it's finished) means it would have been a lot of effort for only four people (the players) in the world to see. :p
I hope you continue having fun on Fallout though, and I'll look forward to more of your content in the future!
Thanks once again for taking the time out to respond, and all the best. :)
|
Creative Director
|
You don't happen to have any advice on trying to get a D20 game published, before I go to bed do you? (it's midnight here in England)
What I've got is actually a pretty good start, but putting it online for everyone to use freely risks it being stolen and published by someone else, and not trying to get it published (once it's finished) means it would have been a lot of effort for only four people (the players) in the world to see. :p
If you're building a d20 game... one of the initial things you need to come to terms with and be at peace with is the fact that unless you're Wizards of the Coast, you have to use the OGL to publish your game. That means that you have to be willing to make part of your game open content—and thus free. If you decide to publish your game, you need to include the OGL as part of your game, and also need to include somewhere in the game a list of what is and isn't open content from your game. SOME of your game has to be open content, but not all of it.
Paizo generally makes ALL of its rules content open content, and makes ALL of its world content (aka anything with story elements, proper nouns, and all that) closed content.
Once you put it out there for folks to check out, that OGL is there to protect you from having your game "stolen and published by someone else." But at the same time, it's dangerous to forget that, if you're doing a D20 game, you're building your game on rules that themselves were already published by someone else.
Ah awesome.
Would it be okay to email you about this at a later date when I've done more for it, just if you get a spare bit of time to go over things a little more please?
It saves me derailing this topic any further. :p
I think it's classed as a D20 game, due to using a D20 dice, but I've come up with original and unique rules, as to make it so I'm not copying Pathfinder or Wizards of the Coast D&D rules.
It just makes it a unique game really, but if you need open content and closed content, I'll just have to be clever with how I do that if it ever goes further.
Thanks very much James!
|
Creative Director
|
Ah awesome.
Would it be okay to email you about this at a later date when I've done more for it, just if you get a spare bit of time to go over things a little more please?
It saves me derailing this topic any further. :p
I think it's classed as a D20 game, due to using a D20 dice, but I've come up with original and unique rules, as to make it so I'm not copying Pathfinder or Wizards of the Coast D&D rules.
It just makes it a unique game really, but if you need open content and closed content, I'll just have to be clever with how I do that if it ever goes further.
Thanks very much James!
Actually... I don't have a lot of experience self publishing. And all of what I've had published has been by other companies (Wizards of the Coast, Paizo, Bastion Press, Open Design, etc.), so that was all just plain old freelance work.
I'm actually not comfortable serving as a game design advisor, especially when it comes to offering publication advice. Aside from my previous post, I'm afraid I don't have much else to add to the topic.