What can we expect from Hawkmoon?

[tarkhan bey]

There is already a thread on this forum that discusses what to expect from Stormbringer but I am equally interested to find out what Gareth has in store for us for Hawkmoon.
I already own the original Hawkmoon boxset that Chaosium released in the late eighties as well as the marvellous"Shattered Isle" adventure and Loz's recent Chaosium monograph.
Can I expect anything more in this new version of Hawkmoon?
For example,has Amarekh been updated and will there finally be a take on Asia Communista?
Are there going to expanded rules for the insane sorceror sciences of the Tragic Millenium?
Exactly how fast can an ornithopter fly :wink: and will the book only be based on the History of the Runestaff or will the Chronicles of Castle Brass get a look in?

 

[andakitty]

I too would like some info about this, especially the sorcery-science and mutation rules. A preview about these aspects would be nice.

 

[Mongoose Gar]

Amerekh and Asia Communista are discussed in brief, but the focus of the game is on Tragic Europe.

Sorcery-science is discussed in depth. Basically, the same system is used for all forms of magic and science; it's based on the Sorcery system from the RQ Companion, but there are loads of new spells and artefacts.

Mutations are an optional part of character generation, and are intentionally brief - mutants aren't the most important aspect of life in Hawkmoon's world, and pages given to them are pages taken away from the madness of Granbretan.

So, what else is in the book? A full gazetteer of Tragic Europe, incorporating material from all the novels, the monograph and the Chaosium games, and new ideas and adventure hooks. Every region has a background section, giving skills and bonuses to adventurers who hail from that land. Rules for Fate and swearing oaths, lots of monsters and NPCs, and campaign ideas, artefacts, and a summary of the novels...

 

[Lord High Munchkin]

Dear All,

I always ask this - why is there a summary of the novels included in the game book?

Almost everyone who buys the game has either previously read the novels (or certainly has the gumption to do so), or has potentially played the earlier editions of 'Hawkmoon'.

Is this simply page filling (as with the super-jumbo boarders)?

Yours in confusion

 

[Mage]

Wel l if you think about it, there will be some Runequest fans who may want to play who have not been able to find copies of the Hawkmoon novels yet.

Also, if you are trying to set an adventure in the story, it is nice to have a paraphrase rather than have to read the novel all over again. It is there for conveneince so you won't have to do the work.

I had a time wreckin my head looking for a place to set games in one of the seasons of Babylon 5. I ended up using a mongoose reference book. I love B5 but honestly, I could not watch an entire season in a day just for one or two ideas for an RPG.

 

[Loz]

It achieves several aims.

First, a handy summary of a complex saga. Some people might not have read all the books or any of them, but perhaps decided to pick-up the game based on playing it with someone else. The saga summary helps.

Second, it sets the tone. Sure, most players/GMs will have read the books but how long ago? It helps to set events and incidents in context, especially important in something like the Elric saga where the books were not written in a chronological order.

And Mage is right: some of the books might be out of print and thus hard to track down. A precise of the saga helps complete the overall picture.

 

[sidkfjjteidlkkf]

Lots of cool supplements!!!

 

[Sabbak]

I always ask this - why is there a summary of the novels included in the game book?

Is this simply page filling (as with the super-jumbo boarders)?

As a great fan of the Hawkmoon universe for a looong, looong time, I must admit I was a bit upset by the almost 10 pages of novel summary.
But I should say this is definitely unavoidable for a RpG based on 5-6 novels.
Not that the Hawkmoon serie is THAT complex...

And for the jumbo boarders: yeah... it smells like page filling but, believe me: i think this is unavoidable. If Mongoose can't sell products at a minimum rate, Mongoose can shut the doors up. The best way to sell products is to produce quick made books even if the borders have to be "a bit expanded".
Not that the RpG division of Mongooose is THAT important...

So you just have to thank Mongoose. A company that keeps producing cool RpG. And damn the RpG god for the RpG market being to thin to be profitable.

 

[duncan_disorderly]

The best way to sell products is to produce quick made books even if the borders have to be "a bit expanded".

Nope.
The best way to sell products is to produce a quality product at a reasonable price. Rushing out books quickly that look like the borders are expanded to disguise the lack of content, or are full of errors like rules, examples and tables all being mutually contradictory, or making corrections between print runs, yet not be able to confirm what changes have been made may enable you to sell some books in the short term, but it is likely to hurt sales in the long term as people get fed up of paying premium prices for sub-standard workmanship...

 

[Poi]

Rules full of holes, typos, delays, no errata.

Cynical, aren't I?

 

[toothill man]

.
Not that the RpG division of Mongooose is THAT important...

So you just have to thank Mongoose. A company that keeps producing cool RpG. And damn the RpG god for the RpG market being to thin to be profitable. [/quote]

why does that old chestnut not die as the mongoose crew have said time and time again that RPG sales fuel the whole company not minis etc or it would be a mini forge not a super printer takng up half of mongoose towers

 

[andakitty]

We just wish they would take a little more care with the product, that's all. It is a fact that a little more care and substance would have sold me many, many times the books I have bought from them otherwise. And that will change when the model and value improve. :wink: