Age of Treason

[jarulf]

So, can you tell us more about this setting other than what's in S&P?
Who's writing it, planned books that sort of thing?

 

[ThatGuy]

+1

 

[cerebro]

I will buy it. It sounds very good.

 

[Simulacrum]

So, can you tell us more about this setting other than what's in S&P?
Who's writing it, planned books that sort of thing?

Hi Jarulf

I'm the author/developer, and will drop in here to answer any questions as often as I can. Age of Treason is planned to go out under the Mongoose's Flaming Cobra label, as an indie publication with Mongoose's support and distribution. The initial offering is a meaty tome, but it if people like the setting there's plenty more in the pipeline for future books or support via S&P.

Schedule currently depends on final delivery of the maps and illustrations, but we hope to have it print ready in no more than 6-8 weeks from now, and have some preview material up on the mongoose site before then. Then it's over to Matt and his Mongeese to get it to market as soon as they can.

What I can promise is a detailed and coherent setting that has been in the making (and actual play) for many years, plenty of adventure to get stuck into right there in the book, and for those who like to magpie stuff for their own homebrew worlds, plenty of new ideas and takes on using the [very brilliant] RQ system.

And thanks for being the first to want to know more!

 

[cthulhudarren]

So should we be expecting the Spanish Inquisition?

<insert Monty Python joke>

What's the tech level, general flavor of the setting?

 

[jarulf]

Sounds interesting, I'll definitely keep an eye on it.

 

[cerebro]

So, can you tell us more about this setting other than what's in S&P?
Who's writing it, planned books that sort of thing?

Hi Jarulf

I'm the author/developer, and will drop in here to answer any questions as often as I can. Age of Treason is planned to go out under the Mongoose's Flaming Cobra label, as an indie publication with Mongoose's support and distribution. The initial offering is a meaty tome, but it if people like the setting there's plenty more in the pipeline for future books or support via S&P.

Schedule currently depends on final delivery of the maps and illustrations, but we hope to have it print ready in no more than 6-8 weeks from now, and have some preview material up on the mongoose site before then. Then it's over to Matt and his Mongeese to get it to market as soon as they can.

What I can promise is a detailed and coherent setting that has been in the making (and actual play) for many years, plenty of adventure to get stuck into right there in the book, and for those who like to magpie stuff for their own homebrew worlds, plenty of new ideas and takes on using the [very brilliant] RQ system.

And thanks for being the first to want to know more!

Is an answer to my prayers.

 

[Simulacrum]

So should we be expecting the Spanish Inquisition?

<insert Monty Python joke>

What's the tech level, general flavor of the setting?

Tech and economic level is equivalent to late antiquity, including the stretch to some rare but quite advanced intrusions (but for Greek Fire, read black powder). It has quite a gritty/dark edge to it, but I have tried to make sure that background "fluff" always points towards the context and opportunities for adventure and intrigue etc rather than being there for its own sake - and that there is always room for a hero (or villain) to rise above the grim realities of life.

 

[SJE]

What is it about in your own words?

Any inspiration from Brandon Sandersons Final Empire?

What would the typical game be? Campaign premise, characters, plots etc?

Thx.

SJE

 

[Simulacrum]

What is it about in your own words?

Any inspiration from Brandon Sandersons Final Empire?

What would the typical game be? Campaign premise, characters, plots etc?

Thx.

SJE

I've never read any Brandon Sanderson...so no. The AoT setting first came into being many years ago as an alternative place to play RuneQuest to Glorantha. Not that we didn't love Glorantha - we did. But we wanted to do something that had a very different character, and not try and either replicate what RQ Glorantha already did very well, nor try and build a place that was *not Glorantha* but was in fact full of Gloranthan features (Questworld, anyone?). And while the desired flavour was realist and rationalist it was still all about generating adventures for fantasy roleplaying.

Adventures in this world generally have a conspiratorial back story driven by characters with complex but usually very human motivations - but they can take you to all kinds of places - ancient ruins exposed by a desert storm; an island chain full of exotic monsters and magic; a famous and ancient civilisation on the verge of total collapse - or simply into the seedy underworld of your home city.

It has a very different take on religion and magic to the "mythic" approach taken in Glorantha and to some extent by MRQ2 in general. But the characters in this world are no less obsessed with the notion of harnessing gods, demons, spirits and sorcery to their own ends.

Over a quarter of the book will consist of an introductory mini campaign, so there will be plenty of material there to get GM and players' teeth into and try AoT out for size.

 

[taxboy]

Sounds damn good to me!

 

[cerebro]

Any previews?. A map,or a city description will do.

 

[johnmarron]

I've never read any Brandon Sanderson...so no. The AoT setting first came into being many years ago as an alternative place to play RuneQuest to Glorantha. Not that we didn't love Glorantha - we did. But we wanted to do something that had a very different character, and not try and either replicate what RQ Glorantha already did very well, nor try and build a place that was *not Glorantha* but was in fact full of Gloranthan features (Questworld, anyone?). And while the desired flavour was realist and rationalist it was still all about generating adventures for fantasy roleplaying.

Adventures in this world generally have a conspiratorial back story driven by characters with complex but usually very human motivations - but they can take you to all kinds of places - ancient ruins exposed by a desert storm; an island chain full of exotic monsters and magic; a famous and ancient civilisation on the verge of total collapse - or simply into the seedy underworld of your home city.

It has a very different take on religion and magic to the "mythic" approach taken in Glorantha and to some extent by MRQ2 in general. But the characters in this world are no less obsessed with the notion of harnessing gods, demons, spirits and sorcery to their own ends.

Over a quarter of the book will consist of an introductory mini campaign, so there will be plenty of material there to get GM and players' teeth into and try AoT out for size.

This setting is sounding better and better. I'll be snagging it when it comes out.

John

 

[Simulacrum]

Any previews?. A map,or a city description will do.

There will be. Probably 2-4 weeks before I get around to it, but there are proper (and pretty) maps and there are some cities to have a look at too.

 

[Lord High Munchkin]

Any previews?. A map,or a city description will do.

There will be. Probably 2-4 weeks before I get around to it, but there are proper (and pretty) maps and there are some cities to have a look at too.

Are you sure that those maps will actually see light of day?

Mongoose have a special programme to strip out such things, I hear.

 

[Krateros]

This setting is sounding better and better. I'll be snagging it when it comes out.

John

I thoroughly endorse your decision! I was one of the original players back in the old days, and have helped playtest Age of Treason with the new RQ rules. What you will find particularly good is the detailed world environment, which hangs together. A strong backstory setting means that any GM shouldn't find him/herself at a loss, and the atmosphere of the mini-campaign is great - some good, edge-of-your-seat stuff!

Cheers

 

[RandomNumber]

Sounds damn good to me!

Yeah... it actually really is.

I played this campaign in the early/mid-90's when I was living in London. It's a bit hard to describe but if felt really "real" - very authentic i.e. the campaign setting wasn't skin deep but very textured. The author has a background in the Classics tempered with a good dose of RPG's in the heydays of the 80's and 90's.

We often played Age of Treason with a very gritty tempo - for me a contemporary cinema reference would be the movie Centurion. That said the arcane is very much at the core of the setting and open to players and NPC's equally. After all one of the main protagonists is an Iron Simulacrum!

Cheers

 

[Krateros]

We often played Age of Treason with a very gritty tempo - for me a contemporary cinema reference would be the movie Centurion. That said the arcane is very much at the core of the setting and open to players and NPC's equally. After all one of the main protagonists is an Iron Simulacrum!

Cheers

I'd agree. I remember, when I watched "Centurion", I felt it was very RQ-like ... the way we played it. Except that the 'world' isn't really snowbound Scotland

Imagine more the grittiness of Centurion within a warmer, more desert-like environment!

 

[Simulacrum]

Are you sure that those maps will actually see light of day?

Mongoose have a special programme to strip out such things, I hear.

Hi LHM

A near-final example of Jared Blando's excellent map work for the project can be seen here (for as long as he keeps it up there):

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y182/Stormcrow135/Settingmap100dpi.jpg

I'm working on a trojan that smuggles in and reinstates maps "inadvertently" stripped out by Mongoose's master publishing control program.

 

[cerebro]

wao.Thas a lot of cities!.

And you have a description of every city that is on that map?.