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| Tales of Zobeck |
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| Wolfgang |
 Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 5:38 am Post subject: Tales of Zobeck |
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Location: The Mines
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Tales of Zobeck, the Clockwork City
I've been trying to come up with a way to provide a non-exclusive project that also has exclusive elements, and this might be it. The Tales of Zobeck anthology is in some ways similar to the Six Arabian Nights project, in that it would feature at least 6 and maybe as many as 10 short adventures, playable in one or two nights and for a variety of levels.
Depending on how long people are willing to wait, I could write all of these, and I'd love the adventures to be fairly open work, shared with the patrons. If people want a shorter turnaround (say, September), the adventures could include some familiar names, such Jeff Grubb, Clay Fleischer, Zeb Cook, Joshua Stevens, Nicolas Logue, Tim Connors, James Jacobs, plus at least one or two new authors drawn from the senior patron ranks. This portion of the commission would be a limited edition.
In addition, this project would include a 30,000 word city summary/sourcebook by me, Wolfgang Baur. This material is half-written and it is a bit of an oddball, since I'm kind of overprotective of the setting bible/writeups. I'd want to complete this first, then share it with senior patrons and other designers, rather than sharing a lot of it in the Open Design style. This would cover most of the crucial locations in the city, the use of kobold PCs and the Kobold ghetto, a quick overview of history and pantheon, and a bit of clockwork magic.
This sourcebook is NOT a Ptolus-length treatment of the city, but it is enough that the shared world can truly be shared. Some version of the sourcebook would be made available to the broader public, a bit like the Player's Guides for the Paizo adventure paths.
Because of the cost of so many authors, plus the extra time, text, map, and art required, the commission should be about 60% higher than the straight adventures. However, I'm reducing it to the same level as the others because the sourcebook part of this project is not exclusive. It will be available to the public eventually, probably in print form. The adventures, which are the bulk of this commission, are a limited edition and will not be made available elsewhere.
Tales of Zobeck offers a combined MINIMUM length of about 80,000 words (about ~128 pages), plus eight design essays on NPCs, culture jamming, creating PC races, or whatever topics the senior patrons request. Senior patrons may pitch Tales of their own, and patrons who donate $100 will receive a signed print copy of the final book.
To become a patron, visit Open Design
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Wolfgang Baur
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Last edited by Wolfgang on Wed May 14, 2008 5:18 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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| varianor |
| Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 5:22 pm Post subject: |
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| Very cool. What if it featured locales that were the adventures. Short blurbs for each let you have multiple scenarios appropriate to different levels of adventure? |
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| Wolfgang |
| Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 6:06 pm Post subject: |
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It's definitely meant to work as a mini-campaign, as Six Arabian Nights did. Not as extensive as an adventure path, but a solid framework with room for DMs to run their own creations in between.
Might also fit in very, very well with Pathfinder.
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Wolfgang Baur
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| varianor |
| Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 6:24 pm Post subject: |
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Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner. I was thinking that philosophically and design-wise, there's already a good fit.  |
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| Wolfgang |
| Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 11:38 pm Post subject: |
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Yeah, I keep telling folks that Zobeck fits right in with the River Kingdoms...
And then again, I wrote the Pathfinder Gazetteer entry for the River Kingdoms, so perhaps the fit is not THAT surprising.
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Wolfgang Baur
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| terraleon |
| Posted: Fri May 02, 2008 1:07 am Post subject: |
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I think this is the best choice, too, because we can get the story themes from the other two options incorporated into a couple of the smaller adventures. This option allows us to have it all, in my opinion.
-Ben. |
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| Watcher |
| Posted: Fri May 02, 2008 1:55 am Post subject: |
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| Wolfgang wrote: |
Yeah, I keep telling folks that Zobeck fits right in with the River Kingdoms...
And then again, I wrote the Pathfinder Gazetteer entry for the River Kingdoms, so perhaps the fit is not THAT surprising. |
Ah, glad to have found this tidbit! I've often wondered where it would be placed in Golarion.. |
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| Watcher |
| Posted: Fri May 02, 2008 2:00 am Post subject: |
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| Wolfgang wrote: |
| It's definitely meant to work as a mini-campaign, as Six Arabian Nights did. Not as extensive as an adventure path, but a solid framework with room for DMs to run their own creations in between. |
Ah! So you would see some loose inter-connection between these short adventures? I haven't poured through Arabian Nights, but I was under the initial impression that those adventures skipped around a lot in level? (I should pull up the PDF and look for myself!)
I don't blame you for avoiding a strict Adventure Path, as that would be costly, but a loose ongoing theme or thread, with the adventures interspaced across levels would be awesome. If that is the case, this proposal becomes more attractive to me.
Of course, some of those ideas I wrote to you about in e-mail would also make the setting portion of the book likewise very attractive. |
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| Wolfgang |
| Posted: Fri May 02, 2008 2:17 am Post subject: |
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| terraleon wrote: |
I think this is the best choice, too, because we can get the story themes from the other two options incorporated into a couple of the smaller adventures. This option allows us to have it all, in my opinion.
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I hate to disagree with a patron, but...
Well, you see, I think that the themes might fit, but the Court and Lost Lords adventures are much, much too BIG to cut it as Tales. The short adventures won't run more than 3 to 5 encounters long, most likely. I don't think a lost continent or a planar journey fits in that space.
Or maybe you meant some other way of bringing the themes in? It's certainly possible to drop a short legendary hint about Lost Arbonesse.
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| Wolfgang |
| Posted: Fri May 02, 2008 2:24 am Post subject: |
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| Watcher wrote: |
| So you would see some loose inter-connection between these short adventures? I haven't poured through Arabian Nights, but I was under the initial impression that those adventures skipped around a lot in level? |
Six Arabian Nights ran from about 3rd to 9th, IIRC. They didn't skip around very much, because I wanted a range that worked for more patrons.
And yes, you're absolutely right about the loose inter-connections. The 6AN adventures are all set in Siwal, City of Gardens, and have some connecting tissue in shared NPCs and the like. But they don't form a big save-the-world plot arc. They're all just fun, heroic nights with sand pirates and crazed djinn.
I might try for tighter integration this time, but... I actually sort of like the variety of 6AN. Something for every taste, from humor to dark scimitars.
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| Eyebite |
| Posted: Fri May 02, 2008 3:01 am Post subject: |
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I thought we covered a lot of ground in the mini-adventures in 6AN. We only had 4,000 to 5,000 words per adventure, and some amazing stories were told.
Here, we would have twice that much wordcount to work with per tale.
The more I mull it over, the more I love this pitch. |
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| Daigle |
| Posted: Fri May 02, 2008 3:32 am Post subject: |
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| I'm a late-comer to OD and one of the things that KQ and relentless searching and listening made me realize is that I want more Zobeck! This is a sexy idea! |
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| varianor |
| Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 4:58 am Post subject: |
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| Wolfgang wrote: |
| Six Arabian Nights ran from about 3rd to 9th, IIRC. They didn't skip around very much, because I wanted a range that worked for more patrons. |
Technically, 4th to 10th, but you could scale down to 3rd easily enough and up as high as 12th I'd say. The adventures aren't in level order in 6AN, which may be why Watcher got that impression. You have to consult the sidebar in the initial chapter for the suggested (by no means required) adventure path.
| Wolfgang wrote: |
And yes, you're absolutely right about the loose inter-connections. The 6AN adventures are all set in Siwal, City of Gardens, and have some connecting tissue in shared NPCs and the like. But they don't form a big save-the-world plot arc. They're all just fun, heroic nights with sand pirates and crazed djinn.
I might try for tighter integration this time, but... I actually sort of like the variety of 6AN. Something for every taste, from humor to dark scimitars. |
It was a huge selling point for me. I've subsequently been very inspired by it and run several takeoffs.
Zobeck has the potential to tell hundreds and hundreds of stories, which is why it would also be cool to see a looser framework. (Otherwise individual authors are shoehorned into a long adventure path, and it becomes a chore to get everything consistent.) Hence also my suggestion that it could be a series of locales with different encounters for different levels.
Example: You have a wharf/warehouse, call it the Black Sun Pier, which at levels 1-4 has kobold smugglers. At level 5-8, the kobolds are inside disguised clockwork scullions so they appear to be humans and elves and whatnot (or better yet live inside and control trolls with magic). At level 9-12, there's an order of hag monks smuggling evil religious artifacts into Zobeck to the Empire of the Ghouls, or the kobolds now have a pact with Hisillinia, the Lady of Steam and Pain (a devil) and have flesh golem "walkers". |
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| terraleon |
| Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 5:13 am Post subject: |
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| Wolfgang wrote: |
| terraleon wrote: |
I think this is the best choice, too, because we can get the story themes from the other two options incorporated into a couple of the smaller adventures. This option allows us to have it all, in my opinion.
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I hate to disagree with a patron, but...
Well, you see, I think that the themes might fit, but the Court and Lost Lords adventures are much, much too BIG to cut it as Tales. The short adventures won't run more than 3 to 5 encounters long, most likely. I don't think a lost continent or a planar journey fits in that space.
Or maybe you meant some other way of bringing the themes in? It's certainly possible to drop a short legendary hint about Lost Arbonesse. |
Yes, I meant some other way-- that the smaller tales would allow patrons to get that sample spoon taste of elements from either Court or Lords...maybe something with a fey messenger of the Shadow Court in the alleys of Zobeck, or crazy sailor on the run across the docks with a figurine from the deep...smaller tales that would allow thematic elements from the other two pitches to season the greater Zobeck whole and draw in patrons who really wanted Court or Lords-- because those shorter pieces could later be used as preludes to future projects (because, quite frankly, I'd love to see both of them done, just not right now, and I don't think I'm alone in that sentiment.).
I certainly don't advocate trying to shoehorn the full aspects of Court or Lords into portions of the Zobeck book, that just wouldn't do justice to any of the pieces. 
-Ben.
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| Watcher |
| Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 1:33 pm Post subject: |
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| terraleon wrote: |
Yes, I meant some other way-- that the smaller tales would allow patrons to get that sample spoon taste of elements from either Court or Lords...maybe something with a fey messenger of the Shadow Court in the alleys of Zobeck, or crazy sailor on the run across the docks with a figurine from the deep...smaller tales that would allow thematic elements from the other two pitches to season the greater Zobeck whole and draw in patrons who really wanted Court or Lords-- because those shorter pieces could later be used as preludes to future projects (because, quite frankly, I'd love to see both of them done, just not right now, and I don't think I'm alone in that sentiment.).
I certainly don't advocate trying to shoehorn the full aspects of Court or Lords into portions of the Zobeck book, that just wouldn't do justice to any of the pieces.
-Ben. |
That's not a bad thought when explained that way. I ended up voting for Zobeck, but it was only by a hair... and I plan on advocating that the other options be revisted in a future project (unless of course Zobeck doesn't win, in which case it will be Zobeck that is revisted).
Anyway... a little foresight could open doors in the future that could not be opened at this particular juncture.. |
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