Age of Treason and other stuff

[Arawn76]

Ok so I was happy to find out that Age of Treason was still slated for an August release but a few questions.

When in August (yes I want it that damn much)?
Will this be the last book for Runequest before the rebranding?
Will the next Deus Vult adventure(s) still be released?
How cool is Deus Vult?
With the Legends release will Deus Vult see any new supplements?

Will a new setting be forthcoming to accompany the Legend rebranding?

Thanks for this great game, whilst I could probably spend years having fun with just the books released I really hope we see years more support for this engine under the Legends Brand from both Mongoose and great 3rd party groups like Cakebread and Walton.

 

[Arawn76]

Wow! 75 views and not even an I don't know...

 

[Simulacrum]

Hi Arawn

Still for August - probably (certainly) late August as we had to go back into the file and replace the RQ rules references with Legend ones. As you know the change of rules name does not change the rules...

Also, the book cover is awaiting the new Legend logo. So probably going to print by the end of next week.

Any questions about book and content, let me know. I'm prepping two follow ups at the moment - The Iron Companion - which is a companion to the core book with more on the Taskan Empire setting, a whole bunch of major characters described and statted, some new stuff on trade, commerce and pricing, scenario hooks in the form of some major treasonous conspiracies afoot in the Empire, and of course some fully written up adventures. Also something with the working title Shores of Korantia, which describes a new region that gets players into a new cultural zone they'll know about from the core book, and provides the opportunity to launch seafaring adventures heading off into the Inner Ocean. We'll see about completion and release of those if people respond well to the core book. They should be ready to go quite soon if all is well.

 

[Arawn76]

Hi Arawn

Still for August - probably (certainly) late August as we had to go back into the file and replace the RQ rules references with Legend ones. As you know the change of rules name does not change the rules...

Also, the book cover is awaiting the new Legend logo. So probably going to print by the end of next week.

Any questions about book and content, let me know. I'm prepping two follow ups at the moment - The Iron Companion - which is a companion to the core book with more on the Taskan Empire setting, a whole bunch of major characters described and statted, some new stuff on trade, commerce and pricing, scenario hooks in the form of some major treasonous conspiracies afoot in the Empire, and of course some fully written up adventures. Also something with the working title Shores of Korantia, which describes a new region that gets players into a new cultural zone they'll know about from the core book, and provides the opportunity to launch seafaring adventures heading off into the Inner Ocean. We'll see about completion and release of those if people respond well to the core book. They should be ready to go quite soon if all is well.

I'm holding high hopes that your setting is the one that pulls my group from the accursed D&D at last :lol:

The companion sounds great as does Shores, I've been thinking about a seafaring based game for a while.

By the way I love the cover art! So much it's become my ipad background. The artist really fits a lot of flavour into what is essentially just a single character (simulcram :wink: ) in front of a plain background. Makes me wish I could draw more than stick figures.

Any chance of some more previews before August? Maybe some more art or a little about the setting. That said the vampire in the previous preview was a great bit, I really enjoyed how young they are and the way the world is reacting to them.

 

[Stainless]

I'm also very much looking forward to this setting as an anodyne to the treadmill of IP licensed rehashes. Something truly original will be a breath of fresh air.

 

[Simulacrum]

I have not played DnD for many many years - but my assumption is that those who do are mostly in pretty high fantasy territory. in which case also very much worth looking at Wraith Recon, which has DnD style fantasy in its DNA, but adds a bit of a twist..

AoT retains some high fantasy elements - such as putting magic in the hands of your adventurers and society at large, rather than just the odd evil wizard - but it otherwise has a pretty gritty S&S feel. In the introductory campaign, combat (which can be deadly) is usually the climax moment of a session rather than regular punctuation.

And it would be worth taking note that it is not a "balanced" setting - it is unapologetically realist in that respect, and the Adventurers should think hard about when to fight, and how to fix the odds in their favour so no one except the enemy gets maimed.

These are generalisations about the first book and introductory campaign - future material is will also include some classic fantasy stuff like delving into an anarchic city full of magical secrets, or plundering a long dead sorcerer's lair. I hope the book has the balance right between material that brings the setting alive and conveys the feel of the place - and stuff that directly inspires or is used in a play session.

One thing about introducing DnD players to Legend/RQ via AoT is that they won't find a lot of "monsters" (although supernatural ones are there in plenty) and there is a distinct lack of dwarfs, elves and the like. It's very humanocentric, but humans can get quite extreme.

I'll have a word about whether we can refresh the preview and show a few more pages and illos. Glad you like the cover art. Steve Maher was responsible for, among other things, the Dr Who 'Infinite Quest' animated adventure. He's very talented and very skilled, and I am lucky to be able to tap him. Mark Stacey, who did the interior artwork, is someone Steve has worked with in the past and is busy on a bunch of stuff for Osprey right now.

 

[Arawn76]

We've played enough D&D style games to fill a gazillion gencons. I decided on the runequest rules as their traditional enough not to put my group off like Burning Wheel or Fate but still fresh and innovative enough to give a great set of options and avoid many of my own bugbears.

My only problem was setting, ducks put them off glorantha, history put them off Elric (bad stormbringer game), Deus Vult steps to close to the real world as does Clockwork & Chivalry (they have a strange allergy to such settings). Wraith Recon appears a little too D&Dish for my tastes although I might be being unfair. Age of Treason seems to hit all the right buttons for me and I think enough to get my group to try it out.

I'm looking forward to seeing more of the artwork, even if it means waiting till I get the book.

 

[Arawn76]

Hmm thinking about it if theres anything you can reveal about the goals and motivations of the emperors god cult that would be great.

I love the concept of the emperor as a divine figure, very pharaonic or mesopatamian.

What would your thoughts be on introducing a Deus Vult like order for the cult? Imperial assassins dedicated to maintaing the empires stability. I have a player who has a strong inclination to play an assassins creed style character in one of my games.

 

[Simulacrum]

It's in there - the Emperor Cult has a small group of senior initiates (Acolytes), numbering a few dozen - who are divided among Agents (think British political officers on the North West Frontier in the days of the Raj), Companions (soldiers for special missions) and Inquisitors (who investigate cases of Treason - think Soviet political officers in the Cold War). Each has their own sorcery grimoire, access to Divine Magic spells etc - the down side is the Emperor has not ascended yet, so upon death the Acolyte is bound to his funerary urn and can be used by the cult as a spirit until such time as the cult has set up an afterlife for its members.

Assassin characters would fit in as Companions. You could generate these characters from scratch by allowing a much bigger Free Skill Point allowance (they would be overpowered for the introductory scenarios), but in the end, deeds rather than specific skill levels are what get you noticed and get you in.

These Acolytes are the prime candidates to eventually join the Iron Companions, who report directly to the Simulacrum.

The Emperor Cult's goal is to maintain and grow the number of initiates (citizens) through good governance, social control and imperial expansion. Every new worshipper who dedicated POW to the Emperor increases the Emperor's POW and speeds his path to Ascension.

 

[mwsasser]

Also something with the working title Shores of Korantia, which describes a new region that gets players into a new cultural zone they'll know about from the core book, and provides the opportunity to launch seafaring adventures heading off into the Inner Ocean. We'll see about completion and release of those if people respond well to the core book. They should be ready to go quite soon if all is well.

Will Shores of Korantia be Glorantha specific? I sure hope not. There are a lot of us out here interested in something more like a generic fantasy.

I've lost arguments for years with groups about converting to Runequest because of Glorantha. it just turns them off. When I suggest that we can dump that setting and do out own thing they argue it's so entrenched into the system that it's impossible to separate the two. I don't believe that for a second but it would be nice to see some "generic fantasy" source material with a Runequest spin on it.

 

[Simulacrum]

None of the Age of Treason material is Gloranthan. So apologies if I caused confusion there, Shores would be expansion for Age of Treason setting, not a different one.

 

[Arawn76]

That sounds great, perfect in fact for what I need.

I'm sure this is mentioned in the preview but what technological level does the empire / world sit at?

Also is the empire currently at war or in the process of conquest?

With the shores book will you be including any naval rules? Something RQ/Legend is light in at the moment.

 

[Simulacrum]

That sounds great, perfect in fact for what I need.

I'm sure this is mentioned in the preview but what technological level does the empire / world sit at?

Also is the empire currently at war or in the process of conquest?

With the shores book will you be including any naval rules? Something RQ/Legend is light in at the moment.

Tech level is generally late antiquity, with a few anachronisms thrown in from later - e.g. very limited distribution of black powder weapons.

There are no open wars at present, but there are 3 dangerous frontiers, and the empire is in process of pacification and cultural assimilation. A minor conflict is set off in the introductory scenarios on the desert frontier that could give the Empire pretext to make its next push 200 miles to the south. Alternatively you could choose to have the long term rivalry between civilised Taskan and Korantine empires turning into open war as your main background arc if you you are running a campaign.

I'll include naval rules in Shores if I need to; even if Legend Arms appears with naval rules in, I tend to elaborate on these things where a scenario calls for it.

 

[mwsasser]

Well I've said it sounds interesting and I'm waiting to pick the book up when it comes out.

 

[Mankcam]

I am so looking forward to Age of Treason...

 

[Simulacrum]

Well I'm delighted, thank you. I am told it is now at the printers, so not long to wait!

 

[mwsasser]

What part of the month is it due?

 

[Simulacrum]

You'd need to get a proper answer from Matt, but based on when it went to print i suspect it will be last week before the stock is in.

 

[mwsasser]

Ok well, I was hoping to see it a little sooner. Thanks for the quick response!

 

[Simulacrum]

As it happens I have seen photographic evidence that Mongoose had copies on their stand at Gencon last week. So I hope they'll have stock available to sell here very soon.