Our first post about the project can be found over on the Rite Designs Blog
This is a guest post for Rite Publishing by Timothy Wallace who will be the lead designer on our newest patronage project which will launch on February 14th.
Imagine all the extra hits if the thread title said "ToB spiritual successor" :)
I am excited to be able to design a PFRPG supplement that, while not a direct conversion of the Tome of Battle, I like to think it will be the spiritual successor of it.
I'm highly interested, but that line makes me very wary. To me, the spirit of Tome of Battle was "over-the-top broken base classes" which is not what I'm looking for.
Hopefully Mr. Wallace will explain himself more fully with time. :)
Now that's a project I'm interested in. I wouldn't mind working on something like that.
Hi Chuck,
For me, the spirit of the Tome of Battle was that it felt like my character was a martial artist. Is it just the base classes that you found to be "over-the-top broken"? Or were there other elements as well? I am interested in what those who didn't necessarily like the ToB have to say on the matter.
As far as classes, the majority of the mechanics will be designed so anyone of any class can pick them up with the correct prerequisites.
Is there something specific that you would hope to come about in this project? What would you want a book titled the Martial Arts Guidebook to be?
Thanks,
Tim
Hi Chuck,
For me, the spirit of the Tome of Battle was that it felt like my character was a martial artist. Is it just the base classes that you found to be "over-the-top broken"? Or were there other elements as well? I am interested in what those who didn't necessarily like the ToB have to say on the matter.
As far as classes, the majority of the mechanics will be designed so anyone of any class can pick them up with the correct prerequisites.
Is there something specific that you would hope to come about in this project? What would you want a book titled the Martial Arts Guidebook to be?
Thanks,
Tim
If you are thinking about Base Classes, I personally would rather see new archtypes, feats and traits.
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I'd echo Chuck's sentiments. But ToB:Bo9S can be polarizing. I remember when Louis Porter Jr. Design decided to add such elements in his Undefeatable line for Fighters and it wasn't well received if you were to go by the reviews here.
I bought Bo9S when it came out, but I never actually used it until October 2010 when I played a Warblade for the first time. The simplest response would be to say that there are some elements that I do like whereas there are some elements that would be ripe for abuse.
On a tangent, I'd recommend perusing The Players Guide to Arcanis - specifically their combat styles section pp 181-185. They were essentially 5 level prestige classes (1st lvl - trainee, 2nd lvl - novice, 3rd lvl - adept, 4th level - expert, 5th lvl - master) that covered 8 different combat style schools. They had their prereqs with a minimum BAB and assumed that the Combat Expertise feat was taken. Certain schools demanded a specific weapon requirement, carried their advantages and limitations, and brought in special abilities. Some were even targeted toward certain races or regions. Similar to Bo9S, this also had their own style maneuvers to choose from. Some schools could dip into similar style maneuvers while some were exclusive to a specific school. The difference is that this wasn't as manga / Exalted influenced as was Bo9S at the time and made things a bit more palatable.
I don't mind having magic elements introduced into a martial art style of fighting, but not excessively so.
I'm intrigued, but I'd have to see some samples before convincing myself to buy in on a project.
@Realmwalker - Right now, the intent is to focus on new archtypes, feats, and traits rather than base classes. If there are any new base classes, it will only be one or two, and only if the patrons decide they want them.
@Urizen - I will see if I can get a hold of a copy of The Players Guide to Arcanis and look into what you are talking about.
Congrats, Tim! I'll be aboard! I liked the ideas of To9S, but the execution was so broken I only allowed the original classes asa sort of "Prestige-base-class" and culturally limited access in my home-brew... Looking forward to seeing your take on it! :)
@Urizen - I will see if I can get a hold of a copy of The Players Guide to Arcanis and look into what you are talking about.
It can be bought affordably on the second-hand market, which is why I provided the Amazon link.
@Realmwalker - Right now, the intent is to focus on new archtypes, feats, and traits rather than base classes. If there are any new base classes, it will only be one or two, and only if the patrons decide they want them.
@Urizen - I will see if I can get a hold of a copy of The Players Guide to Arcanis and look into what you are talking about.
Sweet I like the sound of that.
The ToB's most attractive feature was that it gave martial characters tactical actions. Instead of a full attack you could manage some other act. That variety was very fun at the table.
If this product does the same thing via different or similar means, it's an obvious choice to buy. If it adheres to the existing mechanics too much, I'll likely pass. I'm watching with bated breath.
And a bit more of a Q&A with Timothy on today's Rite Blog. You can read it here!
-Ben.
Even more Q&A from Timothy Wallace about the upcoming Book of Martial Arts today... you can read it here!
Tim talks about design considerations and artist choices! Good stuff for more insight on the direction of the project.
-Ben.
The Martial Arts Guidebook patronage project will launch tomorrow (seeking patrons). Timothy "Hawkins" Wallace lead design, Ben McFarland developer, Eric Quigley lead artist. Here is a teaser thumbnail for you.
Any link yet, Steve?
Any link yet, Steve?
We're having a slight technical issue. I think the page will be up tomorrow or the day after.
Tim's been cranking on some preview material though, so we should see that before long. :)
-Ben.
This sounds great can't wait to get a look
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And the funding site is live! The promotional video shows some of the artwork for this project, too.
-Ben.
Sweet!
What is the difference between Indiegogo and Kickstarter? They look essentially identical. I know the latter funds through your existing Amazon account.
I pledged and it seems that Indiegogo works via Paypal and not amazon payments. Apart from that, there does not seem to be much difference. Feel free to correct me on that, though.
What is the difference between Indiegogo and Kickstarter? They look essentially identical. I know the latter funds through your existing Amazon account.
I believe Kickstarter will wait until complete funding is provided to withdraw funds while Indiegogo will take those funds now and provide them to the project even if the total is not reached. However, incomplete funding doesn't release the project from it's promised obligations-- they'd just have to either return the funds or figure out how to make it work on less money.
But the project is at $425 of $1000 and less than a day out, which is a good sign. I know we've got plans for material expansions for every $1000 which is funded, starting with $1000, so with some good support, this can grow to anywhere from 32 to (iirc) 100+ pages. :)
-Ben.
Hi Everyone!
The first bit of preview material that had me working on for the past few weeks is up here. Stay tuned, there is more to come.
Thanks!
Tim
Hoping this makes the next goal to give it more room to delve into the topic.
Here is an audio interview with Steve Russell, the publisher behind The Martial Arts Guidebook, on the Geek Sourcing podcast.
125% to goal with 8 days left. .
I've also posted another bit of preview, some background material on the school we've been showcasing thus far. I'm interested to see how Tim works with the others going forward
-Ben.
Woohoo! 4 days left and at $1300 in funding!
It would be absolutely awesome if we reached $2000 for a book of double the size...
It would be absolutely awesome if we reached $2000 for a book of double the size...
Just 24 hours left--here's hoping! We've got the book right now and with any luck, you'll help us push this to an even larger collection of schools...
-Ben.
Wanted to bump this in the home-stretch...
Has there been any progress on this? I was looking forward to buying this!
Has there been any progress on this? I was looking forward to buying this!
We've got the playtest manuscript being reviewed and then we'll adjust some based on that feedback, but it's moving, albeit slowly. If you're interested in playtest review, send me a private message.
-Ben.
I probably would not be much good at the feedback - I am not a regular enough player, but I will keep on monitoring this thread!
thanks
Matt