
silverhair2008 |

Didn't see the email for the PDF download until this morning. However I am glancing over the contents and am amazed at the detail that went into creating this book. I now have both the original book and the new one. Whatever was missing from the d20 version has apparently been corrected or added in this copy. Well done FGG.

DSXMachina |

Without trying to spam/necro other FGG threads, just wondering from those that know the time-lines/products.
Wondering whether I should set the Rappan Athuk-Slumbering Tsar war (including Splinters of Faith & Barrakus*) during either:
1) Where Aroden kills the Whispering Tyrant
2) The Shining Crusade where Tar-Baphon is imprisoned. (year 3827)
So either super ancient & maybe lost or newer, but more relevant. Shining Crusade may work better with the 'Armies of Light' Vs. Orcus thing.

cycnet |
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According to the Bard's gate timeline the army of light defeated Tsar around 300 years ago (3210 IR Tsar defeated - 3400 Rappan Athuk "discovered" - Current year is 3517) . So,even Tar-Barphon happened a lot longer ago than the defeat of Tsar... more than 800 years ago it looks like.
So I'd go with the latter as the former happened much too far in the past.

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I think the books are on a boat right now, heading to the US? They should be getting mailed out as soon as they arrive.
That matches with Bill's note that they were setting sail from China at the beginning of October. Figure about a month to get here, clear customs, get to the FGG Compound, and then a couple of weeks to pack and ship. So I would think they would be shipping from FGG maybe beginning of December or so? I know the Frogs were at Gamehole Con last week and will be at U-Con this week so I'm factoring that in.
No, I'm not stalking them - they post this stuff publicly! I swear!

Qu0zl |
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Here's a couple of web tools that I created to support Bard's Gate. They're things that I wanted as a GM - my players have been in Bard's Gate since a couple of days after the PDF released. Maybe 2 months or so now?
An online rumour generator. It currently has 191 rumours. A few are BG adventure plot hook pointers, some point to minor encounter/adventure areas in the city and some are just general information and Bard's Gate athmosphere.
Rumour generator
Complete implementation of the 20+ pages of random encounters (with permission from the Frogs). NB: this currently only displays the Swords & Wizardry stats and page numbers, as that's the version that I have. If anyone wants to volunteer (for quite a few hours of data-entry) then adding Pathfinder support is only a matter of replacing the S&W data already in there. If you ignore the stats, then the text will still work for PF, and I give the section headings as well as the page number.

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Funny thing, I just sent out a question involving Bard's Gate since it was out of stock on the main site, didn't realize there was a kickstarter going for it. I very much want to get a color hardcover of the book, even if it does cost a $100 it is well worth the price... the map is surprisingly expensive though, more then the cost of the book.

Sqn Cdr Flashheart |

Funny thing, I just sent out a question involving Bard's Gate since it was out of stock on the main site, didn't realize there was a kickstarter going for it. I very much want to get a color hardcover of the book, even if it does cost a $100 it is well worth the price... the map is surprisingly expensive though, more then the cost of the book.
Yeah it's 'out of stock' because it hasn;t even been printed yet. As to the map, you realise that is 77"x71" sized! That's humongous!

Rednal |

I think you can order it right now on their website - although, obviously, the physical version won't actually ship until it's arrived in the US. XD They might send stuff out to KS backers first, too, but it shouldn't take more than a few days. That's probably the fastest you can get a physical copy (and since FGG provides PDFs when you buy hard copies, you can start enjoying that right away).

Quintain |

Funny thing, I just sent out a question involving Bard's Gate since it was out of stock on the main site, didn't realize there was a kickstarter going for it. I very much want to get a color hardcover of the book, even if it does cost a $100 it is well worth the price... the map is surprisingly expensive though, more then the cost of the book.
Will there be opportunity to purchase the map outside of the kickstarter?

The Herald Frog |

If my ancient brain recalls correctly I believe Bill mentioned they would have a few of the Large maps available after the KS. I'm not completely sure how many, but you could ask in their Forum.

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Hi Bill,
This is your trusty printer here ~ confirming that the Bard’s Gate books are currently loading in the port of Hong Kong and shipping out to the US now. Books will be in your hands soon, looks like middle of next month!
Best,
Tiffany
Tiffany Chatham Smith
Regent Publishing Services
Bill or other Frogs, I was wondering if there was any word on when the shipment will be coming in? I would love to have this before my next session in mid-January.
They have been in Bard's Gate, and running things with the old book, map, and the PDF has been complicated. I am really looking forward to this update.
Thank you very much for all the good work that you do.

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Bill Webb wrote:Hi Bill,
This is your trusty printer here ~ confirming that the Bard’s Gate books are currently loading in the port of Hong Kong and shipping out to the US now. Books will be in your hands soon, looks like middle of next month!
Best,
Tiffany
Tiffany Chatham Smith
Regent Publishing Services
Bill or other Frogs, I was wondering if there was any word on when the shipment will be coming in? I would love to have this before my next session in mid-January.
They have been in Bard's Gate, and running things with the old book, map, and the PDF has been complicated. I am really looking forward to this update.
Thank you very much for all the good work that you do.
I am not a Frog, just a fan, but in a post on their Facebook page, Zach said:
"Bill just told me he got a message that Bard's Gate Books are still on time for shipping before Christmas."

GM Rednal |
The books are already available for order on their website - although it's possible that Kickstarter backers will get their orders fulfilled first. XD So if you want to order right now, you can, right over here.

Technotrooper |

The books are already available for order on their website - although it's possible that Kickstarter backers will get their orders fulfilled first. XD So if you want to order right now, you can, right over here.
You get an "out of stock" message if you try to place the book in your cart.

Rednal |

New Update: The books are still in Customs, and there is effectively no chance of them reaching the distribution center in time to allow for Christmas deliveries. (This, despite getting to the printer half a month early.)
Alas, shipping is what it is, and it's all outside their control. I do expect them to start shipping as soon as they receive it, though.

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I am not much of a PDF reader for books like this. I was trying to use the PDF for a couple of game sessions because my group happened to show up in Bard's Gate about the time I received the PDF, but looking through the book yesterday was fantastic.
It has so much more than the D20 book had. It is likely the best city book I have seen. I am very happy, and wish I had another month before my next game session so I could actually read every thing.
Thank you Bill, Skeeter, Greg and all the Frogs...

cycnet |
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Mine arrived today in sunny New Zealand, w00t!
Mine arrived in Canada today!
It's everything I was hoping for. I mean, I had the pdf so I knew how awesome it was, but I just can't really read a pdf properly, I get so distracted from them...
Anyway, it smells amazing, the pages are good and heavy, the stitching is excellent, the art is great, and there are almost 20 pubs detailed in the book! This is a city that feels REAL.
I am almost sad my players are in the valley of the shrines right now... cause playing in the city seems like it would be a lot of fun.

Rednal |
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Alas, this book isn't up here on Paizo yet, so I can't do a full review... but for those of you who may be following this conversation and are curious about the product in question, here's the short version for you:
Bard's Gate is the Adventurer's City - quite possibly the most complex and detailed urban environment from any publisher, this is the best place to base your party's adventures out of.
It has pretty much everything - detailed stores (legal and illegal), large numbers of unique NPCs, guilds, organizations, inns, services, crafters, encounters in every direction... all lovingly detailed and explained to help make anything the party does feel real.
Bard's Gate isn't simply a stopover point to use between adventures and handwave away - it's the kind of area where your players can have genuine fun exploring, getting to know people, and telling tales of their exploits. And if you want to have some adventures, well, there's that, too...
In many ways, Bard's Gate is the heart of the Lost Lands Campaign Setting - and what Absalom wishes it could be. It's also fairly easy to drop into your own campaign setting if you simply change the names around a little, so you don't have to worry if you haven't yet delved into Frog God Games' outstanding world.
The short version is this: If you want a real city for your game, a place for your players to truly think of as their home, Bard's Gate is that place.

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My plan was to very much build a campaign around this one source book, to creating a many number of city based adventures and challenges as the party goes up in level, prestige, and fame/infamy. From what has been described for the city of Bard's Gate, I would be able to do with with all of its content.