Last year we started a long line of competitions to celebrate 30 years of Rolemaster, and now we’re finishing them!
So far we have completed Arms Law competitions and (almost) completed the Spell Law competitions. We’ll then move on to Character Law, Treasure Law and Creature Law. Winners from these contests will then be voted on by the fans to select an overall winner in each category. The category winners will receive a hardcopy version of the corresponding new Rolemaster book. The winners will then compete against each other to find an overall “Rolemaster’s 30th anniversary competition winner!”
So here’s the schedule:
Present – 04/30/2013
Spell Law – We’re looking for your best story involving Spell Mastery. Whether your spell mastery has saved you just in the nick of time or had terrible, terrible consequences, or even really interesting applications for the spells, we want to hear about it. Even if you don’t win, it’s always fun to reminisce over past glories (or failings as the case may be).
You can submit your stories in the contest section of the forums or on our facebook page.
All of May
Character Law – Throughout May we’ll be asking you to submit your character designs and judging them to find a winner in five different categories. We’ll announce the different categories at the beginning of the contest but you can submit as many entries as you want so why wait?
All of June
Treasure Law – In June we’ll be asking you to submit your “homemade” treasure and judging them to find a winner in five different categories. Again these categories will be announced nearer the time but you can make as many submittals as you want so start thinking of ideas now.
All of July
Creature Law – In July we’ll be asking you to submit your monsters. We’ll be looking for the best monsters in five different categories and then announce the winners at the end of the month.
All of August
In August we will begin the voting in the forums for the overall winners in Arms Law, Spell Law, Character Law, Treasure Law and Creature Law and then the “Rolemaster 30th anniversary competition” overall winner
We’ll be announcing further details on Character Law, Treasure Law and Creature Law at the beginning of the months via our mailing list and the news section of our website. To make sure that you don’t miss anything sign up to our mailing list now.
Now start submitting your Spell Mastery stories, we want to hear them all. Post them on the forums or Rolemaster or Iron Crown facebook pages.
Director’s Briefing April 2013
This is our twenty-first Briefing and is the fourth scheduled Briefing for 2013.
HARP Fantasy
In HARP Bestiary, some of the chapters have now been allocated, namely Land and Flying Monsters to John Duffield, and Water Monsters to Sam Orton. I will be working on the Undead, Elemental and Demon chapters (as I will be importing material for them from the Something Wicked draft). The Normal Animals, Dangerous Plants, Lycanthropes, and Dragons chapters are as yet unallocated. If you think you have what it takes to be a HARP writer, then drop me an email at director@guildcompanion.com. The first three Land Animals have already arrived in first draft format.
Cyradon
I have allocated most of the artwork for the reconstructed modules, The Ruins of Kausur and A Wedding in Axebridge. I will be perusing the portfolios of artists who have contacted me directly or ICE to see if their style would fit with these modules. I also have a cartographer exploring what is required to correct and improve the maps. Enya Lote is essentially complete in terms of its text, so a big thank you to Andrew and Heleen Durston for a job well done there. It will need an editorial pass to ensure monster stats match up with Bestiary and the new Cyradon. I will also be spending an evening identifying what art it needs in the next couple of weeks.
All being well, we should now have new material for both “Cyradon: Arrival” and “Cyradon: ReAwakening”. I am still keen for more Cyradon material in the post-Ritual / post-Compact periods. Don’t be shy – get in touch with me at director@guildcompanion.com
Shadow World
Cloudlords of Tanara will indeed be the first Early Edition Shadow World product and it will be coming out in both pdf and print-on-demand. I expect release of the pdf version this month – Terry has already sent me the new interior. Print-on-demand versions may be May, depending on the OneBookShelf/Lightning Source approval process.
I have approved the Emer 2 and Eidolon RMSS stat blocks already. The Haalkitaine RMSS stat block has been reviewed and I’ve asked for some additional material. The Jaiman RMSS stat block has arrived for review. Only the Emer I stat block to go.
Rolemaster
I have reviewed the current in-progress drafts of RMU Creature Law and Treasure Law; both are making progress. I’ve reviewed the second beta draft of RMU Arms Law and I believe that will address the issues raised by the playtest so far. The second beta drafts of RMU Character Law and Spell Law are next in my in-tray.
Until next time
Back to reading manuscript drafts for me, managing multiple projects and getting some of my own writing for Bestiary completed; the next scheduled Director’s Briefing will be in May, but expect unscheduled announcements for Cloudlords of Tanara and HARP Fantasy.
Best wishes,
Nicholas
Director, Guild Companion Publications Ltd.
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Iron Crown Newsletter OUT NOW!
March’s Iron Crown Enterprises Newsletter has just been released.
This month’s newsletter contains:
- A short survey on your product wants and needs (which can be taken HERE)
- Information on up-coming competitions
- The latest update on the beta test of the new Rolemaster system
- A progress report on new HARP products set for release later this year
- Exciting news about a new app for tracking XP in Rolemaster
If you’re already signed up to recieve Iron Crown E-mails check your inboxes and don’t forget to add us to your safe senders list.
If you haven’t already signed up you can do so HERE
Director’s Briefing – March 2013
This is our twentieth Briefing and is the third scheduled Briefing for 2013.
HARP SF Xtreme
As indicated during last month’s Briefing, standard colour versions of HARP SF Xtreme were created and uploaded into the OneBookShelf system. I received my softcover and hardcover proof copies and they both look great. A very careful examination of the standard colour versus premium colour copies shows that for some of the images, premium colour makes them look even better. Of course the per-page cost for premium is ten cents rather than three cents. From GCP and ICE’s perspective, it makes no financial difference to us which version of HARP SF Xtreme – black&white, standard colour, premium colour, softcover, hardcover or plain pdf – you buy. We earn essentially the same amount on every copy sold. Buy whichever format(s) suit your needs and budget.
What all the experiments with standard and premium colour have shown us is that we can avoid the messiness of transforming colour art for RMU into black&white (and hence avoid the risk of some of the art plain not working when greyscaled). The standard colour option is only marginally more expensive than pure black&white (3 cents per page rather than 2 cents) with only modest loss in quality for some artwork. Thus for RMU, I’m expecting that the print-on-demand versions will be standard and premium colour in both softcover and hardcover formats.
HARP Fantasy
You are probably wondering what has happened with HARP Fantasy. Our layout guru who was working on finalising the cleanup got a date for a serious surgical operation. We are moving the files to another guru so that the work can be completed and the templates reused for Martial Law and College of Magics.
Meanwhile I’ve produced the outline for the new HARP Bestiary and am allocating writers to the various chapters. I will also be producing a list of required art for this project (the list will grow as writers hand in physical descriptions of new monsters), so there will be opportunities for our existing artists and new artists.
Cyradon
The work on HARP Bestiary will necessarily encompass the remaining updates to Cyradon, namely its Bestiary chapter. In other news, I’ve reviewed a full draft of Enya Lote from Andrew and Heleen Durston, and this is already in very good shape. Chris Seal continues to toil away on his Caer Glais module.
I have had one expression of interest in adding material to the “Cyradon: Arrival” module, and none so far for “Cyradon: ReAwakening” (see the January Briefing). Don’t be shy – get in touch with me at director@guildcompanion.com
Shadow World
Last month, I put out a call for RMFRP game statistics for existing Shadow World books. Two fans are now working their way through Emer II and Haalkitaine. Meanwhile Terry has been working his way through his old layout archives for these and other books, bringing them into the modern age of InDesign. At the moment, Cloudlords of Tanara looks set to be the first product to complete the “early edition” process.
Terry is also evaluating third-party Shadow World material. I hope to be able to report on that front in next month’s Briefing.
Rolemaster
The next versions of the RMU beta test files will be landing on my desk in the next couple of weeks. In addition, I am also reading my way through the current drafts of Creature Law and Treasure Law.
Until next time
Back to reading manuscript drafts for me; the next scheduled Director’s Briefing will be in April,
Best wishes,
Nicholas
Director, Guild Companion Publications Ltd.
HARP SF Xtreme available now in harcover and softcover color
Iron Crown Enterprises are proud to announce the release of HARP SF Xtreme in hardcover and softcover color via print-on-demand from RPGNow.com
HARP SF Xtreme is one giant leap for your HARP SF gaming!
Buy it now!
Shadow World Player Guide available via print-on-demand
Shadow World Player Guide – The World is now available in softback printed color from RPGNow: http://www.rpgnow.com/product/83779/Shadow-World-Player-Guide—The-World
Let us know what you want to see next from Shadow World on our forum: http://goo.gl/29WOQ