Well, it's Friday morning in the UK. I'll resign myself to waiting for Saturday morning since I don't know what US time zone you're in.
*Commence breathing exercises*
Cheers
Mark
I got my copy! Thank you, Legendary Games!
Got it!
Cheers
Mark
Some quick comments from the read-through of the PDF:
The Good:
The siege rules. Oh my yes. Such a wonderful collection of weapons and attics for conducting a siege. And I love the magical siege weapons -- zombie apocalypse siege shot, anyone? A new and novel use for all those corpses that pile up around a city under siege!
The new command boons are very good. I like the war chant and surgical strike ones in particular.
Aerial warfare -- I admit, going in I expected to dislike this. I'm rather a 'traditionalist', preferring a 'Dark Ages - Renaissance' level of of technology in my games. Thus convinced me otherwise, with the inventive tactics, the vehicles, and the ideas on how to use them in non-military ways, like for trade. The latter is especially good to me. Besides, if we go by books like the Dragonslayer Guide Player Companion aerial warfare already does exist in Golarion to some extent.
Naval Warfare -- Yes! I love the variety of ships, ranging from the real world to steampunk for those interested. You see ship types here that almost never get mentioned in fantasy -- Galleys and Longships and Roundships and Barges to such exotica as Dreadnoughts and Ironclads and Nautiluses. Truly wonderful, though it's a shame that I'll probably never get to use some of them (what with that Kingmaker campaign set along rivers rather than oceans). Nice range of tactics too as well as ways to see them in both war and peace aside from the standard 'sight enemy, sink same'.
The Bad:
There seem to be some minor errors with the lists of ships in the book. For example, Table 9 on page 21 lists the required types of buildings for every sort of ship except the Nautilus. Not a major error, as I'd assume it needs the same ones as the Dreadnought (and let me say, I love the addition of needing not just BPs but certin kinds of buildings to make certain vessels; as well as the idea of artillerymen and ships' crews being separate from the soldiers in armies while still counting against the maximum forces you can have).
Also, in Table 11 on page 23, some entries for things like required crew for the Dreadnought and Greatship, with a '1' for the former (just one crew? Talk about a ship that sails itself!) and a '?' for both crew and oars for the latter. I assume the proper number of crew for a Dreadnought is meant to be '100' and ''50' for a Greatship, the same as a Longship and Gallleass, and that it needs no oars given that no oar speed is listed for it.
And on page 22 something seems to be missing. Right after the lsiting for 'Crew' we get a paragraph that reads:
The number of passengers the ship can carry. This
number is halved if the passengers are Large; for mounted
units with Large mounts, each mount and its rider counts
as one Large creature.
However, there is no listing for heading for 'Passengers'. Again, this isn't a big thing but I thought maybe it needed to be brought up.
Also, with the listings for various ships for the number of oars -- are these to mean 'oarsmen' in addition to the regular crew, or just the number of oars on the ship?
Sorry to be a nit-picking pain but I wanted to be sure that I wasn't misreading some of those entries. Again, I [b]LOVE[/b} this book and am looking forward to the hardcopy. It really is great and I'm looking forward to the next one in the series, Ultimate Armies, whenever it comes out.
Thanks again for all the great books you publish.
It's Saturday morning here in Oz & I'm just starting to peruse through Ultimate War.
Thanks Jason & crew!
You can't see me (and that's probably just as well), but I am totally Rainbow-Dash-gushing right now. omigoshomigoshOMIGOSH! :)
(Now I have to work on integrating the text into the combined mass combat rules document that I pass out to the players, and hope I'm keeping it comprehensible!)
So the next combat book you were talking about -- would that be more rules expansion, or a book of army lists, or both? (Lists? I've never even played Warhammer and it's still contaminated my vocabulary.)
Got it!
But why is the PDF missing the cover?
RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4; Contributor; Publisher, Legendary Games
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Got it!
But why is the PDF missing the cover?
I'll bet that when I uploaded the fixed version, I accidentally uploaded the CreateSpace version (the one for the interior of the print product and cover separate, since they are uploaded into the system separately) instead of the "web version" (with cover and interior together).
I'm away from home at the moment but I'll check back on it when I get home and make sure the files are correct (and send the correct version to you and any other purchasers).
Got it!
But why is the PDF missing the cover?
That's odd. My PDF has its cover but it has some of those other little problems I listed in an earlier post. It's also labeled 'UltimateWar2', I don't know if that means it's a different version from yours or what.
In any event, I really do enjoy this PDF, it was more than worth the wait.
I have a file called UW-Interior_v21.pdf in my downloads at makeyourgameslegendary.com. Weird.
Fixed file uploaded and emailed to all purchasers!
Sorry to be a pain, but the new PDF doesn't seem to have arrived in my Inbox.
Fixed file uploaded and emailed to all purchasers!Sorry to be a pain, but the new PDF doesn't seem to have arrived in my Inbox.
It's a 14MB file. Is it possible your email service blocks emails over 10MB?
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RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4; Contributor; Publisher, Legendary Games
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Fixed file uploaded and emailed to all purchasers!Sorry to be a pain, but the new PDF doesn't seem to have arrived in my Inbox.
It bounced back from your email inbox with an error message about "maximum session size, so I waited until today to try resending it. Check your inbox again.
Fixed file uploaded and emailed to all purchasers!Sorry to be a pain, but the new PDF doesn't seem to have arrived in my Inbox.It bounced back from your email inbox with an error message about "maximum session size, so I waited until today to try resending it. Check your inbox again.
It was there, I just downloaded it. Thanks!
Thanks for the file, from me, too!
I haven't received the new version either :(
And got it, thanks :)
Wasn't Ultimate War going to have a system for coping with heroes vs armies combat? Or am I mis-remembering?
Cheers
Mark
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RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4; Contributor; Publisher, Legendary Games
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In the earlier planning and writing stages it was, but when the word count started pushing up close to 30,000 words with no end in sight I had to focus-test what THIS book was going to be about and broke off several pieces that were either finished or partially written that would fit more logically together. The most logically coherent grouping for Ultimate War ended up being tied together through the lens of siege warfare and siege weapons (since aerial combat and naval combat both were both connected with siege weapons) and combined arms (since it offers an alternate method of organizing aerial and naval squadrons as well as ground units). Even with that adjustment, it has a higher word count than either Ultimate Rulership or Ultimate Battle.
Something I learned in grad school is that every paper can't be about everything, and in publishing every product can't be about everything, much as I'd like to just keep writing. At some point you've gotta find a good place to stop and then start the next one. The heroes-to-armies piece was a casualty of that this time around, but it'll be front and center when Ultimate Armies comes to town. :)
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Thanks for that reply. I promise to calmly wait at least 6 hours before hassling you for an Ultimate Armies release date!
Cheers
Mark
At some point you've gotta find a good place to stop and then start the next one. The heroes-to-armies piece was a casualty of that this time around, but it'll be front and center when Ultimate Armies comes to town. :)
Both good advice and good news. I'll be looking forward to this book.
Aye, Ultimate Armies sounds like yet another must-buy for me. I'm a long-time fan of using war-focused campaigns and the concept of heroes actively participating in large-scale battles, so I'm very excited about Ultimate Armies.
Jason, I just noticed that the 5ed. stuff has, well, vanished. What's up?
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RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4; Contributor; Publisher, Legendary Games
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Jason, I just noticed that the 5ed. stuff has, well, vanished. What's up?
Had to make some edits in the product, and the layout guy who worked on them has been traveling the last few weeks and is just now back to work. They're in the queue to go back up, and we'll get them uploaded once the new versions are ready.
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RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4; Contributor; Publisher, Legendary Games
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Meanwhile, in other news, LET THE MYTHIC MAGIC ADVANCE!
Hi Jason,
Are there any plans for some more "?..Heroes" products? With the advent of the Advanced Class Guide, I was thinking it would be great to see some arcanists, slayers and hunters make an appearance. :)
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...I have a really weird and annoying problem. I was waiting with bated breath for Ultimate War for so long that I cannot stop waiting with bated breath for Ultimate War even though it's out and I have a copy. I keep checking this thread for news and then facepalming.
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EML: Tell Jason what you would like to see next and then perchance he may consider writing it and you can wait with bated breath for that. :-)
...Are there any plans for some more "?..Heroes" products? With the advent of the Advanced Class Guide, I was thinking it would be great to see some arcanists, slayers and hunters make an appearance. :)
There are two more "Heroes" pregen products in the works right now. Each is about half-finished and I'll get them wrapped up as soon as I can. They're one of the last, lingering assignments I have on my plate at the moment. But they're also coming at a time when I've significantly scaled back my writing to focus a bit more on family stuff. Of course, if more people did reviews for these products, maybe that might give me further motivation to get them out sooner. ;)
In the meantime, if you want to know which APs they'll cover, here you go...
Upcoming Stuff:
The first one will be "Nautical Heroes"...and it's meant to go with a certain Pirate-themed Adventure Path. We announced this product at PaizoCon. We even included a bit of early art for it at GenCon. There'll only be one hybrid class in this one, though. I had already settled on waiting until the ACG was out before completing it, because I specifically wanted to include a swashbuckler once Paizo had the final version set in stone.
The second one will be "Metal Heroes"...and it's meant to go with a certain Super-science Adventure Path. We announced this product at PaizoCon, too, I believe. Though, technically, we indicated it earlier during our Mythic Mania Kickstarter, since one of the backer goals was that anyone who pledged at a particular level could work with me on one of the character concepts during the design process, thereby ensuring their take on a chosen pregen PC would make it into the product. I'm happy to say that someone did pledge at that level and I've been working with them to craft something cool and interesting. As for hybrid classes making an appearance in this one, I've got an arcanist, bloodrager, and investigator on tap.
For both of these products, my preference would be to wait to release them until the ACG officially makes it into the PRD. But, in the meantime, I'm working on them wherever and whenever I can.
Hope that helps,
--Neil
Excellent, Neil. Looking forward to them. :)
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...Are there any plans for some more "?..Heroes" products? With the advent of the Advanced Class Guide, I was thinking it would be great to see some arcanists, slayers and hunters make an appearance. :)There are two more "Heroes" pregen products in the works right now. Each is about half-finished and I'll get them wrapped up as soon as I can. They're one of the last, lingering assignments I have on my plate at the moment. But they're also coming at a time when I've significantly scaled back my writing to focus a bit more on family stuff. Of course, if more people did reviews for these products, maybe that might give me further motivation to get them out sooner. ;)
In the meantime, if you want to know which APs they'll cover, here you go...
Upcoming Stuff:
** spoiler omitted **
For both of these products, my...
Neil,
from that spoiler, I really have to wonder about the third ACG class you mention for the second in the works Heroes product. Really? For that AP? The first one, maybe, the second one, of course, it's almost demanded, but the third? Why not just a pure Alchemist instead?
I like to see in metal heroes a kind of warforged race character who can a first level have a permanent armor like the adamantine body feats of eberron. And attachement stuff too.
...from that spoiler, I really have to wonder about the third ACG class you mention for the second in the works Heroes product. Really? For that AP? The first one, maybe, the second one, of course, it's almost demanded, but the third? Why not just a pure Alchemist instead?
Who's to say there's not also a pure alchemist in the mix? ;)
I like to see in metal heroes a kind of warforged race character who can a first level have a permanent armor like the adamantine body feats of eberron. And attachement stuff too.
These pregen products aren't the right venue to introduce new races. That's not what they're meant to do. Instead, they just use existing material from the PRD. So...with that in mind...would it help if I said there's an android? And an oread? Not exactly "warforged" but they can certainly play around with similar themes, if you choose to take such a character in that direction.
I don't suppose you've worked up a bloodrager version of the nanotech bloodline...? :)
I'm sure you mean the nanite bloodline (from People of the River). In which case...
Dumb question time: having ordered the hardcopy of Ultimate War when it became available, when will the books be getting mailed out? I know everyone's busy, but I just felt lie I should ask so I have an idea of when to keep my eyes open for it.
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...from that spoiler, I really have to wonder about the third ACG class you mention for the second in the works Heroes product. Really? For that AP? The first one, maybe, the second one, of course, it's almost demanded, but the third? Why not just a pure Alchemist instead?Who's to say there's not also a pure alchemist in the mix? ;)
Go on...
No, but seriously, an Investigator? Iron Gods doesn't really seem like the type of AP that would really benefit from one, at least as far as I understand both it and the Investigator class. What am I missing here?
No, but seriously, an Investigator? Iron Gods doesn't really seem like the type of AP that would really benefit from one, at least as far as I understand both it and the Investigator class. What am I missing here?
The investigator is a mash-up of the rogue and alchemist class with some handy abilities for studying his opponents so he can find innovative ways of overcoming them in combat. For someone who's going to be tasked with facing strange, new traps, creatures, constructs, and alchemical hazards while plumbing the depths of a starship that crashed over 5,000 years ago, he's an ideal character to bring along. On top of that, there are numerous mysteries to unravel all throughout this
AP, from the reasons behind why things work they way they do, to the secretive (and manipulative) wizards controlling things from the capital. Trust me, this investigator will be a good match. And, after you get an understanding of his particular background, you'll have even more reasons why.|
RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4; Contributor; Publisher, Legendary Games
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Dumb question time: having ordered the hardcopy of Ultimate War when it became available, when will the books be getting mailed out? I know everyone's busy, but I just felt lie I should ask so I have an idea of when to keep my eyes open for it.
We've been having a heck of a time getting the book processed with our printer; there have been all kinds of weird glitches, so layout's been working on fixing them, but each time we fix one another one pops up. It's been frustrating, but I want everyone to get a book that's done right. I'll post up an announcement here as well as email the various customers once they're finally ready to ship.
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Jason, a while back there was mention of a book about tournaments. Is that still in the pipeline?
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RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4; Contributor; Publisher, Legendary Games
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Yes, still in the pipeline. Some of my LG writing time has been sidetracked by a cascade of Paizo assignments (one of which I'm turning over today for a very fun product that I don't think has been announced yet so no-tellies), so it's continued to float along in my "to-do" pile with a dozen other things. We previewed some things from it at our PaizoCon and GenCon panels, but I haven't been able to work on it since earlier this summer.
Still coming, but it's a small company after all and there are only so many hours in the day. :)
Dumb question time: having ordered the hardcopy of Ultimate War when it became available, when will the books be getting mailed out? I know everyone's busy, but I just felt lie I should ask so I have an idea of when to keep my eyes open for it.We've been having a heck of a time getting the book processed with our printer; there have been all kinds of weird glitches, so layout's been working on fixing them, but each time we fix one another one pops up. It's been frustrating, but I want everyone to get a book that's done right. I'll post up an announcement here as well as email the various customers once they're finally ready to ship.
Thanks for the heads-up, and sorry to hear about the troubles.