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Welcome to 2018
Happy New Year to everyone. Welcome to the eightieth Briefing and the first scheduled Briefing of 2018.
My holiday reading this year has been Gail Z Martin’s Chronicles of the Necromancer quartet, a very enjoyable fast-paced fantasy epic of mayhem and magic, with a necromancer (or in the setting a Summoner) as a key hero. I dithered between following up with Elizabeth Moon’s Paladin’s Legacy quintet or Katherine Kerr’s Deverry series (having read the first two quartets but not the Dragon Mage or the Silver Mage sagas). In the end, I decided that I would try Gail Martin’s Ascendant Kingdoms quartet as this would be a different setting again and, when I am writing a fantasy rpg sourcebook on magic, I feel the need to read as widely as possible in fantasy to keep me inspired.
In the cinema, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle was enjoyable, Thor:Ragnarok funnier than most “comedy” films, Wonder Woman top superhero flick, but price of place for the year was Star Wars: The Last Jedi. While I gather some fans have been annoyed that various mysteries were not resolved, both my wife and I really enjoyed the latest addition to the Star Wars timeline. It will be very interesting to see how the Solo movie works out and how much (if any) of Brian Daley’s Han Solo trilogy feeds into it.
A retrospective on 2017
As we have done since 2012, let us begin our year with a look back at the previous year. We named 2017 to be the year of balance, where we would be jointly focusing on completion and ensuring that products for the future are commissioned.
2017 saw John Seal undertake a first reconnaissance of UK Games Expo, visiting as an ordinary attendee to get a lie of the land, and in December, the UK team ran a successful stand for the fourth time at the annual Dragonmeet convention. The highlight of the convention year was an ICE presence, thanks to our friends at Pointy Hat Games and a squad of loyal fans, at GenCon 2017. Probably our most effective marketing gambit of the entire year.
Last January, I said that 2017 would be a year where we would try to get Terry to focus in an effort to get two new Shadow World products to completion. This did not work out as expected. However, the observant will have noticed that a small free Shadow World product was released on 1st January 2018 – the protagonists who have been starring in some of Craig John’s fine artwork now have backstories and game stats. Terry also delivered a complete 190-page revised Jaiman manuscript in early December.
For HARP and HARP SF, 2017 saw the release of HARP Folkways by Jonathan Cassie, a wholly new sourcebook to support HARP Fantasy with new races, cultures and professions, as well as a wealth of game-independent material on creating realistic cultures. It also saw the release of HARP A Wedding in Axebridge by Chris Seal, in a new enhanced pdf and softcover edition as our first adventure module product. A veritable army of freelancers have been working on new supplements and adventures for HARP Fantasy and HARP SF – HARP Beyond the Veil (religions and divine magic), HARP Strongholds, HARP Subterfuge, HARP SF Vehicles Compendium, The Poseidon Gambit (sf adventure), Garden of Rain (fantasy adventure), and Caer Glais (fantasy campaign).
2017 was again a very good year for software support. AutoHARP received a new dataset, namely for HARP Folkways, and has been updated to version 2.3.1 (just after Christmas). ERA has continued to receive updates to its base software and new datasets such as ERA Arcane Companion, ERA Fire & Ice, and ERA Creatures.
Creature Law remains stubbornly incomplete and is the disappointment of 2017.
ICE was a frequent entrant on the top 15 publisher listing on RPGNow. OneBookShelf has discontinued the relative ranking facility so I don’t know if we continued to be in the top 2-3% of publishers over the entire year but we remained so during the period when it was possible to check.
2018
2018 is going to be the partitioned year.
At some arbitrary point in the year – and I have no control over when this will be – Jonathan and Joeri will appear in my inbox with Creature Law and say “It’s Done”. At that point, I move onto the critical path for Rolemaster as I commence the Master Edit and Rolemaster will be the most important ICE task that I will be involved in.
Before what we might call the Rolemaster singularity occurs, what can we predict about 2018 (barring disasters)?
In the convention arena, ICE will again have a presence at GenCon, through the auspices of our friends at Pointy Hat Games. If it works for Terry, we will seek to have Terry at GenCon. We will also be at Dragonmeet as traders and undertake a recon-in-force of UK Games Expo.
For Shadow World, we have begun the year with a little present for fans – a free six-page pdf giving the backstory and the Rolemaster stats of the adventurer party who have been appearing in many of our recent Shadow World products. The first major release for 2018 will be the enhanced edition of Jaiman. I have 190 pages from Terry to edit, Charles has some more RMSS stats to create, and there’s some more art to come in, but the hardest part is over in that Terry has finished the draft. Terry is currently shuttling between the Haalkitaine and Emer IV manuscripts. If we are fortunate, then we will have all three products this year, but the goal is at least two new Shadow World products for 2018.
For HARP Fantasy and HARP SF, HARP Bestiary has only thirteen more demon types requiring statting and then we have a fully complete manuscript. So we should expect HARP Bestiary as the definitive big release for HARP this year. The Poseidon Gambit and Garden of Rain are essentially racing each other to see which will be completed first. My suspicion is that Poseidon Gambit will be released first because Joel has the advantage of being able to create his own art (and has been creating some as he has been writing the module). I am making good progress on Something Wicked, Something Wondrous, but whether I bring it to a complete refreshed manuscript before the singularity occurs depends on when the singularity occurs. HARP Beyond the Veil, HARP Strongholds, HARP Subterfuge, HARP SF Vehicles Compendium and Caer Glais are still in varying levels of progress so it would be premature to make plans based on them. That said, Jon Cassie is hopeful that he will have a full draft of Beyond the Veil to submit in a few months. In terms of HARP and HARP SF therefore, our goal is to publish at least three new books in 2018.
I have described HARP Bestiary as being a logjam product with many other products dependent on it. As we made progress on it, we were able to release TGA4 in 2016 and HARP A Wedding in Axebridge in 2017, even though Bestiary was not itself finished. Now that it is virtually there, one of the great dependencies that can be unlocked is the Cyradon setting. Several years ago, I went through the Cyradon main sourcebook and updated all of its chapters except its Bestiary chapter. I also had four adventure modules commissioned – Ruins of Kausur, M for Murder, Enya Lote, and Escort Duty – all of which are complete manuscripts, needing only their monster stats updated in line with HARP Bestiary. We also have Allen Maher’s excellent scenario trilogy in the Vault, which we have permission from Allen to enhance to full module status. Colin, having won his spurs in writing several HARP Bestiary chapters, will be taking the lead in reawakening Cyradon. The goal for Cyradon is to get the base book and the adventure modules ready for release, but we won’t hit the release button until we have multiple products ready to go.
In the software arena, I expect additional datasets and improvements to AutoHARP and ERA. I know for certain that Max is currently hard at work on Treasures datasets for RM Classic and RMSS/FRP.
Until next time
Back to editing and writing before the singularity, and the necessary corporate admin of preparing the 2017 financial data for the company accountant. The next scheduled Briefing will be in February 2018.
Best wishes,
Nicholas
Director, Iron Crown Enterprises Ltd
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Director’s Briefing – January 2018
2017’s New Releases
As we approach the end of the year, now seems as good a time as any to look back over what we have achieved this year and what you might want to spend any money you get over the festive period on.
2017 saw the release of five new e-support products and two new pdf/print products for High Adventure Role Playing (HARP) Fantasy.
HARP Folkways
You can take a hero out of the Borderlands but you cannot take the Borderlands out of the hero.
Enrich your characters and your world with unparalleled cultural depth. Explore the diversity of cultures across twenty folkways drawing upon our world and fantasy classics. Make your own unique cultures by defining how they handle matters of kinship, authority and the supernatural, how they dress and what they eat, and more. Worked examples including cultures from Shadow World and Cyradon will inspire your creativity.
HARP Folkways provides GMs and players with:
- The Twenty Folkways – a technique to create believable cultures for any setting
- A cultural perspective on well-known fantasy worlds from literature
- Practical examples of culture creation including examples from Shadow World and Cyradon
- Eleven new HARP races
- Six new HARP cultural adolescence packages
- Ten new HARP professions
- New skills and talents
- Twenty-three new HARP training packages
A Wedding in Axebridge
A Wedding in Axebridge is designed as a HARP Fantasy adventure module for 4-6 characters of up to 4th level. This module is set in the Aeden Isles which form part of the southernmost Shatterings of Mithra (aka the world containing Cyradon), but the adventure may be readily relocated to a different fantasy setting.
A wedding is normally a time for celebration and festivities, but in the village of Axebridge the celebration takes on a sinister undertone. Axebridge is a small, close knit village that lies on the south bank of the River Clearwater. The village takes its name from the ancient stone bridge that spans the river, and the crossed axe insignia that decorates its walls. Across the river, on its north banks, two ruined watchtowers stare out across the vast expanse of the Alfwood.
The lands around Axebridge are renowned for strange happenings. Unbeknown to the inhabitants, these occurrences happen because Axebridge is situated close to a place of great magical power, which was once the site of a great druidic temple. In more recent times, fey creatures have been drawn to the nexus. With the inevitable contact between fey and mortal, old wounds have been reopened. When a jealous admirer is thrown into the mix, the village of Axebridge finds itself under threat, and hope for the village’s future lies in the hands of a few bold souls marked by fate.
E-support products
AutoHARP Folkways
AutoHARP Fantasy: Folkways is an add-on database (drawing upon the HARP Folkways supplement) for the AutoHARP Fantasy software. AutoHARP Fantasy combines a Character Creator and a Combat Tracker, both of which are fully compatible with HARP Fantasy and helps speed up your gaming and take some of the administration out of GMing.
The database file includes all the new professions and races introduced in HARP Folkways and is a great addition for all HARP Fantasy GMs.
ERA
ERA (Electronic Roleplaying Assistant) is the ultimate companion for Rolemaster campaigns. Just by running this free application players can create their characters using a step by step wizard, then level them up and configure all details in stats, skills and special abilities, even overriding the automatic calculations. Afterwards, they can be added to a running campaign in the adventuring module. From there, the game master can control all aspects of the game: resolve maneuvers, resistances, resting, and of course, spell casting and combat.
Players can also oversee the current status of their characters as the adventure progresses, simply by accessing the application with their mobile devices. This also allows them to check all known spells with full descriptions, current skill values and more. Inventory and game master-to-player communication also have their own systems.
ERA is compatible with Windows, Mac OSX and Linux.
ERA for Rolemaster RMFRP Arcane Companion
The RMFRP Arcane Companion package for ERA includes 4 professions, 4 attack tables, 2 critical tables, 46 spell lists, and a brand new realm with 2 additional spell fumble columns.
The power and the risk of using magic reaches a new level with the addition of Arcanists and Wizards. This unstable new realm can be randomly exploited by the Chaotic. Those who abuse the use of magic will be tracked and brought to justice by the the Magehunter.
New attacks are available to those wielding Mana and Void spells. Apart from Ball and Bolt attack tables, the destructive Mana and Void critical tables are provided.
You will also find all Arcane spells. Open, closed and evil magic with a power that surpasses all other realms. Arcane Healing will fix most wounds, Bladerunes will give the friends of the Arcane caster a new edge, and several spell lists allow the manipulation of earthnodes. When Arcane spell users really want to boast, they just copy any spell from their friends using Realm Law.
ERA for Rolemaster RMC Creatures
With the RMC Creatures package for ERA, you get 451 creature templates to choose from in your adventures.
For each and every entry in RMC Creatures and Treasures, information on movement, attacks, defenses and critical resolution will be automatically loaded when selecting a creature. Get your combat ready in no time with all the options at your disposal.
Dragons can be sent sweeping down to breath fire, and killer rabbits can be added to smile upon the party. Plants, demons, unicorns, and more, all included in this single package!
ERA for Rolemaster RMFRP Creatures
With the RMFRP Creatures package for ERA, you get 778 creature templates to choose from in your adventures.
For each and every entry in RMFRP Creatures and Monsters, information on movement, attacks, defenses and critical resolution will be automatically loaded when selecting a creature. Get your combat ready in no time with all the options at your disposal.
Dragons can be sent sweeping down to breath fire, and killer rabbits can be added to smile upon the party. Plants, demons, unicorns, and more, all included in this single package!
ERA for Rolemaster Fire and Ice
The RMFRP Fire and Ice package for ERA includes 11 professions, 9 attack tables, 2 critical tables, 50 spell lists, and 80 creature templates.
Add an elemental touch to your campaign with the hottest and coolest RMFRP content. Create an elemental specialist for any of the 6 elemental powers, or combine them all under an Arcane Elementalist. Travel the elemental planes with an Elemental Explorer, or fight alongside the elemental companions of an Elemental Champion.
Special attack tables are presented. From the gigantic Boulder, to the powerful ball attacks of Aether and Nether (accompanied by their very own critical tables).
All characters can benefit also from access to the Closed Elemental spell lists. Control light and wield fire, create ice and move the very earth under your enemies.
Elemental creatures of all kinds can take form in your adventures. Fight against an Air Serpent, charge into battle on an Earth Steed, or roam the skies on an Ice Riding Drake.
Bundles
As well as four new modules for the brilliant ERA, we also made ERA modules available in bundles to help you get everything you need for your game quickly and easily. You can now get the following ERA bundles:
ERA RMFRP Companions Dataset – ERA for Rolemaster RMSSFRP Arcane Companion, ERA for Rolemaster RMSSFRP Channeling Companion, ERA for Rolemaster RMSSFRP Essence Companion and ERA for Rolemaster RMSSFRP Mentalism Companion in one bundle
ERA RMFRP Core Datasets – ERA for Rolemaster RMFRP Arms Law, ERA for Rolemaster RMFRP Core and Character Law, ERA for Rolemaster RMFRP Creatures and ERA for Rolemaster RMFRP Spell Law in one bundle
ERA RM Classic Core Datasets – ERA for Rolemaster RMC Arms Law, ERA for Rolemaster RMC Character Law, ERA for Rolemaster RMC Creatures and ERA for Rolemaster RMC Spell Law in one bundle.
Summary
In short, 2017 has been a busy year but we’re expecting 2018 to be even busier and with even more great new releases. If you want to make sure that you’re kept up-to-date with all the latest news and releases, make sure you sign up to our mailing list.
Director’s Briefing – December 2017
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Welcome
To the seventy-ninth Briefing and the twelfth scheduled Briefing of 2017. November was an unhappy month in terms of me making personal progress in editing or writing, with at every turn some new demand on my time from the day job, usually with incredibly short deadlines.
Dragonmeet 2017
John, Colin and I attended Dragonmeet, running our annual stand. We had some great chats with fans, we sold books and generally had a good time.
What we did not have this year were any games being run by Chris Seal as he could not make the convention (and I really wanted to present him with his author copies of HARP A Wedding in Axebridge in person – his copies are on their way by Royal Mail.) Next year, we will have at least one demo game – I may well GM a game myself.
UK Games Expo
Over the past eleven years, UK Games Expo has grown from a modest event in 2007 of about 1,000 attendees to the 2017 extravaganza of 16,300 unique attendees (30,000+ attendee-days). UK Games Expo caters for roleplayers, boardgamers, card gamers, wargamers, and gamers who defy such categorisation. It is a three day event held in Birmingham in late May/early June, so not as easy for us to organise a full-blown presence but in terms of our growth, it’s the next obvious convention presence. I suspect we are looking at reconnaissance in force for 2018, with a proper stand in 2019 if it looks like it should work for ICE.
A Wedding in Axebridge
The print masters were accepted and HARP A Wedding in Axebridge makes for a slender perfectbound book. Really pleasing. We look forward to publishing further adventure modules in 2018 (with Poseidon Gambit for HARP SF and Garden of Rain for HARP Fantasy at the front of the queue.)
You can purchase HARP A Wedding in Axebridge HERE
Shadow World
All I have to say is “Keep writing, Terry!”
HARP and HARP SF
All I have to say is “Keep revising Something Wicked, Something Wondrous” and “Keep editing HARP Bestiary” to myself, and “Keep working on HARP Beyond the Veil, HARP Strongholds, HARP Subterfuge, HARP SF Vehicles, Poseidon Gambit, Garden of Rain and Caer Glais” to the other freelancers. Duly refreshed from his break after completing his work on various chapters of HARP Bestiary, Colin has accepted another writing assignment from me, but he has to read himself in first.
RMU
To Joeri and Jonathan, keep fighting those creatures.
Until next time
I am off to heed my own injunctions on editing and revising, so all that remains for me to do is wish you all a very Merry Christmas (or other holiday of your choosing) and a Happy New Year. The next scheduled Briefing will be in January 2018.
Best wishes,
Nicholas
Director, Iron Crown Enterprises Ltd
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Spacemaster 2nd Edition Player Book goes Electrum!
Iron Crown Enterprises are thrilled to announce that Spacemaster 2nd Edition Player Book is now an electrum pick product on RPGNow!
We’re incredibly proud that Spacemaster 2nd Edition Player Book has joined a number of other Iron Crown products in reaching the level of ‘electrum pick’ which very few products ever reach.
Huge congratulations and thanks to everyone involved in creating Spacemaster 2nd Edition Player Book and thanks to everyone who has bought it, played it and supported it. We couldn’t have done it without you.
Spacemaster 2nd Edition Player Book
The Spacemaster system is usable in a variety of environments, from a dark near future of post-holocaust Earth to a culture of high-tech exploration to a distant time when civilisation has fallen to superstitious ruin. Spacemaster 2nd Edition can also be integrated with Rolemaster 2nd Edition -used together they set the stage for sweeping, coherent, science-fantasy and multi-genre campaigns
This is the Player Book of ICE’s original science-fiction roleplaying game (Spacemaster 2nd Edition), containing character creation rules, personal combat, psionic rules and general adventuring rules
If you haven’t bought your copy of Spacemaster 2nd Edition Player Book yet, you can get your copy from RPGNow where you can also get a wide range of other Spacemaster products from Iron Crown Enterprises.
Tips for new GMs
Making the move from playing to GMing can be daunting. You know how you want things to go but how do you make your dreams a reality? We recently asked our friends, followers and forum members what advice they would offer new GMs. Here’s what they had to say:
1. Don’t Panic
2. Remember that your primary goal is to make sure your players are having fun so find out what your players enjoy (Combat? Role-play? Accumulation of wealth or fame (or both)? Do they think adventurers are above average examples the population or just like everyone else?
3. Rules aren’t written in stone. If something isn’t fun, change it.
4. Listen to your players. They may not know what they want, but you can read it between the lines.
5. Start each session with a recap of last session’s details.
6. Players brainstorming as they try to figure out what is going on is a great source of ideas as to where to take the campaign next.
7. Remember that neither the rules nor your plot are the star of the show; the players are. That doesn’t mean you have to give in to their every whim or demand. But it does mean you have to be flexible.
8. Keep the game flowing, move it along if the players seem to drag. If you have to get some strange help for them to get over a hump do it.
9. Understand that your players will often derail your best laid plans. Learn to anticipate this possibility and know there will be times you have to wing it. However, remember you can sometimes ‘move’ your planned event into the players path.
10. Don’t leave players with nothing to do for long periods of time. If someone is captured or incapacitated figure out a way to not leave them twiddling their thumbs.
11. Have your players write up a bit of a background that you can then incorporate into the campaign. It engages the players even more when something they wrote gets into the campaign.
12. If you need a number between 1-100: 42. It’s the answer to everything.
Thanks to everyone who contributed their tips for new GMs. If you have any tips that aren’t on our list of if you have specific questions about GMing for the first time, visit the Iron Crown Enterprises forum and let us know.
Director’s Briefing – November 2017
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Welcome
To the seventy-eighth Briefing and the eleventh scheduled Briefing of 2017. Deliberately short this month as I want to focus on the editing and writing of sourcebooks.
Dragonmeet 2017
Dragonmeet is imminent – it is 2nd December this year. Colin has been involved in lots of preparations already. John has been doing the annual stock check. I have ordered a supply of HARP Folkways in both softcover and hardcover.
If you are in the UK and available for a visit to Dragonmeet, then we would be delighted to see you at our stand. All fans are always welcome. Any GMs willing to run HARP or Rolemaster or indeed any of our game lines, please let us know. Dragonmeet is our UK con presence.
A Wedding in Axebridge
We believe we have fixed the pdf version of HARP A Wedding in Axebridge. In doing so, Terry has produced the print masters. It’s unclear to us whether the print version has to be staple-bound (it is right on the page count cusp) so I have uploaded the staplebound cover and am awaiting the word from OBS/Lightning Source. Terry has already prepared a perfectbound cover so I am ready to upload that version.
Obviously the goal is to have a whole bundle of AWIAs for Dragonmeet.
You can purchase HARP A Wedding in Axebridge HERE
Shadow World
Terry has exported a bundle of new high-level NPCs in RM2/Classic format for Jaiman, so I’ve asked Charles nicely if he can generate RMSS/FRP versions. Will we be able to complete Jaiman in time for Christmas? Keep writing, Terry!
HARP and HARP SF
On HARP Bestiary, John Duffield has sent over a number of Demons, trying his hand at Archdemons, Battle Demons and Demon Trees as his starter batch. You can tell that we have the number of Development Points available per level is about right when even Demons have to think about what they spend their points on.
I have continued working on the manuscript previously known as Something Wicked. I am now calling it at least on my tablet “Something Wicked, Something Wondrous”. I have completed my work on Mana Sources as described in last month’s Briefing and have “completed” the Greater Rituals section as well. I say “completed” because I may be inspired to add some extra Greater Rituals to the chapter but I will see what inspiration strikes as I progress into other chapters. Thus three chapters have been fully revised.
I am now working on the Black Magic chapter. This introduces new cantrips, new High Magic and spells for the new professions and extra spells for existing professions. All of the spells need to be updated for compatibility with HARP Fantasy and HARP College of Magics.
If you have requests for spells that you would like to see, then please post on the forums. Ideally requests should be additions for existing professions (both the semis of Harper, Ranger and Warrior Mage, and the variant mage professions) and “Mentalism” spells. Spell requests that would be better positioned in the Cleric sphere and similar spheres or for Nightblades and similar are more likely to be passed on to the authors of the future HARP Beyond the Veil and HARP Subterfuge sourcebooks.
RMU
The creature update work continues. Joeri and Jonathan will surface for air in due course.
Until next time
Back to editing HARP Bestiary material and revising more of Something Wicked, Something Wondrous. The next scheduled Briefing will be in December 2017.
Best wishes,
Nicholas
Director, Iron Crown Enterprises Ltd
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The Sci-Fi timeline
As I was casually browsing the internet I came across this great graphic from Glow New Media. It illustrates the relatives times at which some of the most famous Sci-Fi films occur. Check it out to see where your Spacemaster or HARP SF game would fit.
Real life critical fumbles – The office
Fumbles exist because sometimes even the most experienced and prepared adventurers have a bad day. In gaming terms fumbles can lead to you injuring yourself, injuring your friends or aiding your enemies, but fumbling in real life can be no less disastrous. Some days life just feels like one critical fumble after another.
Had a bad day at the office? Here are our real life critical fumbles:
| 01 – 25 | You accidently bought decaf coffee this morning – Initiative at -10 |
| 26 – 30 | In your haste to get something printed, you load the printer with the wrong paper and it jams. Spend 15 rounds trying to fix it yourself before sneaking off and pretending it wasn’t you. |
| 31 – 40 | You open a window and all your papers fly everywhere. You must now spend 30 rounds picking them up and organising them. |
| 41 – 50 | You accidentally call your boss ‘mummy’ -50 to all charm type skills |
| 51 – 60 | You enter the toilets to find a colleague sobbing uncontrollably. Spend 60 rounds consoling them. |
| 61 – 65 | Your computer breaks and you have to spend the afternoon working in the spare office with Kevin and his knock knock jokes – Make a resistance roll against rubbish jokes (less than 50 results in -10 to all skill checks for the rest of the day) |
| 66 | Your new boss arrives and it’s your ex – All skill and RR are now at -20 as she makes life very difficult for you. |
| 67 – 70 | Run too fast to a meeting and run straight into your boss as you turn a corner -5 hits each, both prone for 5 rounds |
| 71 – 80 | The birthday cake you bought in for Susan in accounts had some bad eggs in it. Everyone is sick -50 to all charm type skills, all your relationships are ruined and pr at -10 |
| 81 – 85 | Miss your mouth and pour coffee all down your front -20 hits, A fire critical |
| 86 – 90 | Get trapped in a lift. Unable to do anything for two hours whilst you await rescue |
| 91 – 95 | Spill your coffee all over your computer causing it to break and starting a small fire -10 hits, B fire critical, any friendship you had with the IT team is now gone |
| 96 – 99 | Whilst trying to fix your own computer you accidentally electrocute yourself -20 hits and C electrical crit |
| 100 | In a hurry to find your next meeting you go into the wrong room where a voodoo cult are just discussing where they will find their next human sacrifice. Your last thought in this world is “why were they using a meeting room in this building anyway?” – Death |
Director’s Briefing – October 2017
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Welcome
To the seventy-seventh Briefing and the tenth scheduled Briefing of 2017.
A Wedding in Axebridge
The pdf edition of A Wedding in Axebridge has been released on OneBookShelf and is available now.
Buy A Wedding in Axebridge >>
A Wedding in Axebridge is an adventure module for four-to-six low-level heroes. It is set in the world of Mithra, but in an archipelago of the Shatterings far from the continents of Anias and Cyradon.
It has been updated to be consistent with HARP Fantasy and indeed its monsters are consistent with HARP Bestiary. It has new art and new cartography. One of the maps is not as clear as we would like so Terry and Joel have been collaborating to improve this. Once we are happy, we will upload an updated version of the pdf file to OneBookShelf so that everyone can have the best possible version. We will also be producing a slender softcover print version – this will be staple-bound, Axebridge is just too low on page count for a viable perfect bound cover.
Shadow World
Terry reports that he is closing in on completing his writing and reworking of the enhanced version of Jaiman. He is hinting that Emer IV is singing a siren song for his attention once Jaiman is finished.
HARP and HARP SF
On HARP Bestiary, Colin has completed his portion of the introductory chapter. Thom still has his designer notes to write, while John Duffield has demon stats and designer notes to finish.
I have been working on making revisions to the manuscript previously known as Something Wicked. The professions chapter has been duly revised and is marked done on my todo list. I have also revised the chapter on sorcery, a demon-inspired magic where knowledge of the truenames of Demons enables its practitioners to compel or bargain with these infernal beings. I am currently deep in a third chapter, wrestling with Greater Rituals and mana sources.
The manuscript formerly known as Something Wicked introduces five new types of mana that characters may utilise, namely black mana (an aggressive form of ambient mana), dark mana (sourced from Demons and the Abyss), elemental mana (sourced from the elemental plane), raw mana (sourced from the ethereal plane) and red mana (taken from life-force). It is quite possible that a character might wish to be able to draw upon multiple source of magical energy. There is an implicit assumption within the HARP rules that characters only develop one Power Point Development skill. Justifying how a single Power Point Development skill can cope with the varying natures of the mana sources and in particular the varying recovery rates among sources if a caster has the ability to tap two or more sources is challenging. GMs run the risk of requiring players record which spells used which mana (increasing book-keeping) or imposing ruling by fiat (the mana choice for the first spell of the day dictates the recovery rate for the rest of the day). Messy. However, nowhere in the published HARP rules that I can find have we explicitly ruled that characters may only learn one Power Point Development skill. So the simple solution is to declare that characters who wish to use mana from multiple sources need to possess the requisite Tap talents and need to develop Power Point Development skill for each mana type. As characters have varying racial Power Point bonuses, the racial Power Point bonus may only be applied to the primary mana source chosen by the character. This will prevent magically focused races becoming more powerful and will dissuade some players from buying 10 ranks in multiple PP Development skills just to optimise Development Point expenditure (as this is the obvious rules abuse.)
RMU
Jonathan and Joeri are battling with RMU Creature Law. I am pleased to report that they have broken through the logjam of the megaspreadsheet covering 843 creatures, which is a major victory. The creatures now have to be updated in line with the spreadsheet.
Until next time
Back to editing material and revising more of Something Wicked. The next scheduled Briefing will be in November 2017.
Best wishes,
Nicholas
Director, Iron Crown Enterprises Ltd
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New adventure for HARP Fantasy released!
Iron Crown Enterprises are thrilled to announce the release of a BRAND NEW adventure module for High Adventure Role Playing (HARP) Fantasy! Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome the newest member of the ICE family: A Wedding in Axebridge!
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A Wedding in Axebridge
A Wedding in Axebridge is designed as a HARP Fantasy adventure module for 4-6 characters of up to 4th level. This module is set in the Aeden Isles which form part of the southernmost Shatterings of Mithra (aka the world containing Cyradon), but the adventure may be readily relocated to a different fantasy setting.
A wedding is normally a time for celebration and festivities, but in the village of Axebridge the celebration takes on a sinister undertone. Axebridge is a small, close knit village that lies on the south bank of the River Clearwater. The village takes its name from the ancient stone bridge that spans the river, and the crossed axe insignia that decorates its walls. Across the river, on its north banks, two ruined watchtowers stare out across the vast expanse of the Alfwood.
The lands around Axebridge are renowned for strange happenings. Unbeknown to the inhabitants, these occurrences happen because Axebridge is situated close to a place of great magical power, which was once the site of a great druidic temple. In more recent times, fey creatures have been drawn to the nexus. With the inevitable contact between fey and mortal, old wounds have been reopened. When a jealous admirer is thrown into the mix, the village of Axebridge finds itself under threat, and hope for the village’s future lies in the hands of a few bold souls marked by fate.
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