Oh snap. Since I expect you want the good news before the bad news, I'll do that.
The good news: Lulu is up! It works. I can login, and I solved the problem of why my pdf files were not uploading. I can now proceed with a layout for Tales.
The bad news: I have to make a list. There's a lot of bad news.
1. Almost all of my old files have broken covers. Either (A) the covers have not finished porting over yet, and Lulu is still getting things up to speed (crosses fingers); or (B) the covers are not compatible with the new Lulu system, and I have to re-do them. Which sucks. So, I'm going to wait and see.
2. Lulu will not let me create a saddle-stitched book at 52 pages. Yes, it's divisible by 4, but that's not enough for Lulu. I created a dummy version where I cut 4 pages, and was able to create a saddle-stitched print edition. I am at a crossroads. I could (A) reduce the campaign setting information to a one-page overview (get rid of encounter tables) and cut the three tombs adventure - to get to 48. It's a solution I could live with. Or, I could (B) add 12 pages of content. I am leaning towards A, because I could see the campaign setting being its own setting book with significant expansion, and the three tombs could then be ported to that book as one of a series of adventures in the Splintered Realm. That's actually a workable solution to me. But, it means less game in the end. But 48 pages makes my heart happier, and sounds like a model I can replicate for the next book (the campaign guide). I see two more books right now: the Vault of the D'Ro and the Campaign Setting. If my target for each is 48 pages, I see a lot of possibility for both projects. I could always just put the three brothers up as a free adventure, or as the first in a series of free pdfs to support the game... or I don't know what. But it could easily be 'out there' without it being in the core rulebook.
While I’d be crazy not to see the appeal of extra pages, if (A) means getting it quicker in print then yeah - go with (A).
ReplyDeleteThanks for the feedback! Quick printing is a priority.
DeleteI want to thank Dr Emu a very powerful spell caster who help me to bring my husband back to me, few month ago i have a serious problem with my husband, to the extend that he left the house, and he started dating another woman and he stayed with the woman, i tried all i can to bring him back, but all my effort was useless until the day my friend came to my house and i told her every thing that had happened between me and my husband, then she told me of a powerful spell caster who help her when she was in the same problem I then contact Dr Emu and told him every thing and he told me not to worry my self again that my husband will come back to me after he has cast a spell on him, i thought it was a joke, after he had finish casting the spell, he told me that he had just finish casting the spell, to my greatest surprise within 48 hours, my husband really came back begging me to forgive him, if you need his help you can contact him with via email: Emutemple@gmail.com or add him up on his whatsapp +2347012841542 is willing to help any body that need his help.
DeleteI'm cool with option A! We've already got the additional material in the PDF anyway, and it sounds like trimming the setting info and using what you cut to seed more expansive products in the future lines up with your vision pretty nicely.
ReplyDeleteIronically, trimming the setting actually made for a perfect one-page handout for players as an introduction to the setting. It is all stuff that their characters might know, and it sets a foundation for a lot of further play. Another example of addition by subtraction.
DeleteQuick question about Sentinels of Echo City. I'm slightly confused by the Prodigy. The description says that they:
ReplyDeleteDon't have a PWR rating. (I get this.)
Roll 2d6 instead of 3d6 for attributes ... (I get this.)
... with a maximum rating in any attribute of 13 ... (This is the part that began to confuse me; shouldn't that be 12? Read on to see how I continued to process this.)
... EXCEPT for INT, DEX, or CHA. For ONE of these attributes, roll 1d6+12. (I mostly get this. I certainly get the 1d6+12 part. If not for the previous mention of no stat being higher than 13, I would have assumed that ALL attributes are rolled with 2d6 EXCEPT for the ONE attribute that's rolled as 1d6+12. Because you mention 13, however, I'm left wondering if STR and CON are rolled with 2d6 while two out of the list of potential exceptions are rolled as 3d6 (but with a cap of 13), and the one exceptional attribute is calculated at 1d6+12.
My apologies if I'm reading too much into it, but what's the correct interpretation?
Confusion aside, I'm having a blast making my first Sentinels of Echo City character! I'll post more about him later.
I'll try to get to all of this...
Delete14 is the game's default setting for 'super human'. Once you hit 14, you can attempt a superhuman check (page 11) for instance. So, 13 becomes the hard cap for 'normal'.
As a prodigy, the idea is that you are a normal human in all regards, but something is really, really special about you. You might be a world-class athlete (DEX), a genius (INT), or a gifted natural leader (CHA). You could end up with a 13, which would be the peak of normal human ability, but you're still pretty amazing (and you cannot ever get better than 18, because you are still human). The game has other mechanisms for increasing attributes, and you (as a prodigy) can use these to increase INT, DEX, or CHA and still be a 'human'.
Hope this clarifies my thinking around those numbers.
By the way, you could easily house rule prodigy as 1d4+13 and get your cake while eating it simultaneously. You are guaranteed to end up with a superhuman stat, but you also have the potential to get better at it at some point as you play.
DeleteThanks, Michael. I understand all of the reasoning. I was just stuck on the mechanics for a starting Prodigy. Sounds like it’s 1d6+12 for the one exceptional attribute, 2d6 for all the normal attributes, and a hard cap of 13 for all the normal attributes should you use other mechanisms to buff them beyond their starting values.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete