Hoping For New Legend Books In 2017
- Thread starter alex_greene
- Start date
Firstly, let me apologise for not being around much lately, our gaming group has been playing Pathfinder for the last year or so, primarily so that I and a couple of others can have characters for play at the occasional con.
Secondly, given the fact that Mongoose is focusing on other products, Traveller & Paranoia, that they no longer have the license for Moorcock's Eternal Champion series, plus all the other stuff happening in my life; work, Cub Scouts and an adorable Grandson who came into our lives last August, I hate to admit, but I lost interest.
I have Cities of Legend: Stormhaven 50% or thereabouts done and languishing somewhere on my hard drive. I spoke with Matt via email sometime ago and he was keen for me to finish, however, with no guarantee of the thing being published, to say I'm reluctant to put the effort into finishing it is an understatement, much like saying the Pope is a Catholic. This, I must stress, is no fault of Matt's. Had I been more professional and finished the job when I should have, not long after I completed Arcania of Legend, things may have been somewhat different (meaning it would probably have been published).
Also, my forays into self-publishing, a collaborative effort with Alex (Alex authoring and me doing layout, some cartography and editing) and my solo effort, have, to say the least, been utterly underwhelming. Whether that's due to the quality of the work or the type of material (both adventures; Alex's far more detailed and complex than my own) or a combination of the two I don't know. I've received little feedback on either in the way of reviews, so how can I tell?
So to finish, even though Mongoose is focusing on other products, there are those of us who want to write for Legend, so if you really want new books etc. show some support for the indie published stuff and if you have purchased indie product review it so those producing it can improve their work. As an example: Bedlam in Blackcliffe was originally written as a short adventure for Elric back when Signs & Portents was being produced and was to be the first in a series of such adventures, unfortunately, not long after I pitched the idea and adventure to Matt S&P was dropped, to date it has sold 19 copies. It would be foolish to continue putting the time and effort in to producing such pieces for such lacklustre results. Both I and the cartographer, who did an excellent job by the way, have barely made enough out of it to buy a lunch or two...
Secondly, given the fact that Mongoose is focusing on other products, Traveller & Paranoia, that they no longer have the license for Moorcock's Eternal Champion series, plus all the other stuff happening in my life; work, Cub Scouts and an adorable Grandson who came into our lives last August, I hate to admit, but I lost interest.
I have Cities of Legend: Stormhaven 50% or thereabouts done and languishing somewhere on my hard drive. I spoke with Matt via email sometime ago and he was keen for me to finish, however, with no guarantee of the thing being published, to say I'm reluctant to put the effort into finishing it is an understatement, much like saying the Pope is a Catholic. This, I must stress, is no fault of Matt's. Had I been more professional and finished the job when I should have, not long after I completed Arcania of Legend, things may have been somewhat different (meaning it would probably have been published).
Also, my forays into self-publishing, a collaborative effort with Alex (Alex authoring and me doing layout, some cartography and editing) and my solo effort, have, to say the least, been utterly underwhelming. Whether that's due to the quality of the work or the type of material (both adventures; Alex's far more detailed and complex than my own) or a combination of the two I don't know. I've received little feedback on either in the way of reviews, so how can I tell?
So to finish, even though Mongoose is focusing on other products, there are those of us who want to write for Legend, so if you really want new books etc. show some support for the indie published stuff and if you have purchased indie product review it so those producing it can improve their work. As an example: Bedlam in Blackcliffe was originally written as a short adventure for Elric back when Signs & Portents was being produced and was to be the first in a series of such adventures, unfortunately, not long after I pitched the idea and adventure to Matt S&P was dropped, to date it has sold 19 copies. It would be foolish to continue putting the time and effort in to producing such pieces for such lacklustre results. Both I and the cartographer, who did an excellent job by the way, have barely made enough out of it to buy a lunch or two...
Prime_Evil
Emperor Mongoose
I must admit that I'm disappointed about this too. I understand that Mongoose are busy with Traveller and Paranoia and we are unlikely to see new Legend material in the short term, but the ongoing silence about future plans is irritating. We have no idea whether the product line has been abandoned completely or if this is still an extended hiatus.
Bifford
Banded Mongoose
To all of you who write for Legend - You have my full support, and I buy what I can even if I am unlikely to ever run it.
I also try to read and review where possible - though my time for such is limited too.
One thing you can be sure I do though is get the item onto RPGGeek with images etc.
Also, if you were to send them to me I would be very happy to proofread the items (words wise and pointing out layout/improvement possibilities), with the only stipulation that I be credited for such. It can sometimes take me a while to find time and enough "awake" time do this but it Does get done (so send me the files early in the process and I'll work With you as you make them!!)
I wish to say - do not be disheartened!
One thing I ***WOULD*** suggest to you guys who have Matt's ear: The Bundle of Holding !!!!!!! Get him to throw together a "Legend" bundle! Legend + 3x Spider Gods Bride + your stories + the other Legend books. That is a fantastic way to get your books out there and while it would be for charity it gets the items out and circulating which is the best way to get people talking about them and therefore other people buying them after the Bundle has ceased!
Feel free to PM/email me re the proofreading offer (but you all knew that anyway, right?)
I also try to read and review where possible - though my time for such is limited too.
One thing you can be sure I do though is get the item onto RPGGeek with images etc.
Also, if you were to send them to me I would be very happy to proofread the items (words wise and pointing out layout/improvement possibilities), with the only stipulation that I be credited for such. It can sometimes take me a while to find time and enough "awake" time do this but it Does get done (so send me the files early in the process and I'll work With you as you make them!!)
I wish to say - do not be disheartened!
One thing I ***WOULD*** suggest to you guys who have Matt's ear: The Bundle of Holding !!!!!!! Get him to throw together a "Legend" bundle! Legend + 3x Spider Gods Bride + your stories + the other Legend books. That is a fantastic way to get your books out there and while it would be for charity it gets the items out and circulating which is the best way to get people talking about them and therefore other people buying them after the Bundle has ceased!
Feel free to PM/email me re the proofreading offer (but you all knew that anyway, right?)
Prime_Evil
Emperor Mongoose
They did do a Legend Bundle of Holding back in June 2016. Sales were modest, perhaps a third of the sales from Traveller bundles. And this is the crux of the issue - Legend is a niche market within a niche market.
Prime_Evil
Emperor Mongoose
One problem Mongoose faces is that the d100 market is more crowded than it was when MRQ II was the only kid on the block. We have BRP, Call of Cthulhu, OpenQuest, Mythras, Revolution d100, Delta Green, Renaissance, the Sabre System, and Raiders of R'yleh. Plus there is new edition of RuneQuest on the way. Mongoose deserves some credit for helping to start this revival. Unfortunately, this means that Legend has a bunch of competitors. And most of which are very fine games in their own right. This is not necessarily a bad thing. The OSR has been able to support a wide variety of D&D retroclones. But that is a much larger market. The kind of products likely to be successful in the current market is different than it was in the past. Forget large rule supplements for a while. Short PDF-only supplements are the way to go.
This is true, but also true for all the other companies making these games. Still they have stuck with them and produce new books, which keeps them competitive.
No it is not a bad thing because there has never been as much good quality material to choose from for D100 games, but unless Mongoose supports its Legend line it will be harder for it to remain competitive.
I don't agree - other companies seem able to make large books and also produce short PDFs too. I think what it comes down to is how much the parent company is interested in its product lines. Mongoose did not even mention Legend in its state of the nation announcement, and so I think that's the answer. As I say before, it's a shame because Legend is a great system but without support it will be forgotten.
Rikki Tikki Traveller
Cosmic Mongoose
Sadly, I think I have given up on Legend. I was REALLY hoping it would be supported and take off, but with the deafening silence over the last few months, it is hard to keep coming here and seeing NOTHING from the official people.
If anyone puts out OGL stuff, I am still interested, as I think the system is great, but as was mentioned above, so are a bunch of other D100 systems...
If anyone puts out OGL stuff, I am still interested, as I think the system is great, but as was mentioned above, so are a bunch of other D100 systems...
Prime_Evil
Emperor Mongoose
You can never have too many meercats!
Seriously though, it would be nice if Matt could drop by and let us know how things stand at the moment. It's been a couple of months since the last update and Mongoose have successfully completed a couple of big projects. Is there any light at the end of the tunnel for those of us who like Legend?
Seriously though, it would be nice if Matt could drop by and let us know how things stand at the moment. It's been a couple of months since the last update and Mongoose have successfully completed a couple of big projects. Is there any light at the end of the tunnel for those of us who like Legend?
