How are bonus adventure authors picked ?

[Oiseau]

Out of curiosity, how do you decide which fan-authors will write the mini-adventures in the new releases ? Do people just send you mini-gamebooks and you choose the best one ? Or do you offer contracts to specific fans ahead of time ?

Put another way, suppose, hypothetically, that a friend of mine wanted to write one (lol), how would he go about offering his services ?

 

[The Wolf]

Normally, they ask you. That's what they did with me.

 

[Oiseau]

Okay, but how do they know who's available ? Is there some kind of list of mini-gamebook authors floating around ?

 

[The Wolf]

Not that I know to. I'm afraid Mongoose would have to pitch in directly here for a proper answer. In my case I submitted work to Signs and Portents and then...I was asked to write a bonus adventure.

 

[Zager Krahl]

What did you submit to S&P, out of interest's sake? I've already submitted several character classes to Nick - would that qualify me, or would I need something more substantial?

 

[MongooseMatt]

Bonus adventure writers are by invite only, usually people who have caught our eye or Joe's in one way or another.

 

[The Wolf]

What Matt said, however to clarify. I've worked closely with Mongoose in terms of communication and so forth for quite a while, I wrote Port Bax for Signs and Portents way way back and Sommerlund after that which was originally for the d20 game.

I was invited by Mongoose to write the Bonus Adventure: Masquerade in Hikas and the articles for Magnamund Uncovered.

That all led to Sommerlund and the Bestiary.

 

[Oiseau]

Ah, so now I know who to blame for Winter Song — lol.

 

[The Wolf]

Yep, you can blame Joe as well since he vetted it

 

[Oiseau]

That's the part I don't "get", actually. I mean, the whole premise of the Lone Wolf series is that LW is the Last of the Kaï™. Every book treats this fundamental idea as canon fact. But the mini-gamebook basically discards it — with Joe Dever's approval.

Granted, no date was ever specified in Masquerade, but Winter Song hints that Païdo will soon meet Lone Wolf, placing the adventure somewhere before Book 8, but certainly not before Book 1. So Winter Song is a Kaï survivor. Why was she never seen before ? Does Lone Wolf know of her existence ? Given her apparent age (twenty-ish), she must have been a child in Book 1 — barely a Kaï Novice. So who taught her the Kaï Disciplines ? (She's a Savant in Masquerade.) Doesn't her very existence negate all the "Lone Wolf is the only one who can save us" scenarios ? I mean, sure, it was always a bit illogical that every single Kaï in the land was there on the day of Zagarna's attack, but nevertheless, the whole series is based upon that premise. Why throw it out now ?

Are these questions officially answered somewhere ? Or is it left to the reader's imagination ?

 

[AguilaSaber]

There is also a chance that she is the product of Lone Wolf's tutelage.

The Kai Monastery was rebuilt after the massacre. Teaching of the basic Kai disciplines could be held in Lone Wolf's absence, once there were other pupils that had mastered them.

 

[beowuuf]

I would agree, the reason a second order could not be built up until Lone Wolf had gained all the Lorestones would be because the Magnakai disciplines were not all in his possession. Not having a 'full' grand master in the past was not an issue becuase the knowledge was floating between many different masters.

Lone Wolf could still begin teaching the basic disciplines to whoever had potential, and was helping restore the manestery. Though he would be too distracted to keep training them,after all he needed to study the book of the magnakai himself once he became a Kai Master, So they could not keep goign as Lone Wolf had. He had many masters and proper teaching, even though he was an intiate when they died. He was an initiate who knew the steps to master status, I assume the savant would remain a savant without Lone Wolf's direct tutelage, because they only knew what they had been slowly taught.

 

[Zager Krahl]

Sounds like she was one of the first of the New Order then. The Kai Monastery was rebuilt sometime between LW 2 and 4, memory serving, so if she is around by the time of LW 8, it's quite plausible.

 

[BlackCat]

Granted, no date was ever specified in Masquerade, but Winter Song hints that Païdo will soon meet Lone Wolf, placing the adventure somewhere before Book 8, but certainly not before Book 1.

It's all relative to what "soon" means to you. Paido meets LW in book 7, which takes place approx. 7-8 years after book 1. Quite frankly, when you are young, 7-8 years seems to be a huge amount of time, but as you get older, this seems pretty short. So this bonus adventure can take place before Spring MS 5050 (when the First kai Order exists), or shortly before the beginning of book 8 (with new Kai recruits).

 

[The Wolf]

Indeed, good answers by the way. And hi, Black Cat

 

[BlackCat]

Hi Wolfie! Hope to read another of your bonus adventure soon!

 

[The Wolf]

No more bonus adventures for me at the moment. But you'll be able to read my Lost Wolf campaign adventures in Signs and Portents, Sommerlund and the Magnamund Bestiary though.

Not bad at all!