Hardboiled GMshoe Empyrea Q&A

[Big Mac]

I just missed an online Q&A chat that Frank Mentzer did with Hardboiled GMshoe. You might want to have a read of the transcript: [Q&A] Frank Mentzer & Ted Fauster (Worlds of Empyrea)

Here are a few (new to me) facts about Empyrea:

Most Settings are made by Game Companies, to promote and support their games. That’s normal. They’re also jam-packed with game-specific stuff, which is also normal.

Nobody has the extra cash to promote OTHER people’s games. But we’re all in the same Hobby, all sitting around tables and roleplaying, all fighting dragons and giants and such. The rule differences are minor, yet they’ve become walls, to some extent.

Settings don’t really HAVE to be system-specific. The crunch is, sure, and a lot of procedures, but for a setting that’s a small percentage of the whole.

That’s where we come in. Empyrea will be published for 10 game systems, and 8 of them are D&D or variations (Open Game License). Two aren’t: Runequest and Savage Worlds.

The others are D&D 5e, Advanced (1e/2e), BECMI, and OGL versions Pathfinder, Dungeon Crawl Classics, Castles & Crusades, Swords & Wizardry, and Hackmaster.

Each set will have ONE System Book with the crunch you select. You can add other System Books for minimal cost; don’t buy extra sets, most of them are the same.

[Havard]

It is interesting that Frank wants to support so many different systems. I guess that will attract a wide range of players. I really love the idea of a new BECMI supplement after all these years!

-Havard

[Baron]

It's really a nice gesture. 1st ed AD&D is the game I play the most, but who knows? Maybe I could use Runequest!

[Big Mac]

That certainly is a lot of different rules systems. The Talislanta Kickstarter recently had to drop Pathfinder and Savage Worlds support, so it's pretty ambitious for Frank to go for ten rules systems.

If the bar was all ten systems, I can imagine that the base Kickstarter goal would have to be very high.

I wonder if Frank is going to start off supporting one or two rulesets, and make the other eight into things that are unlocked by stretch goals. (That could allow Empyrea to still go ahead if they only got enough cash to pay for 9 rulesets or 5 rulesets or whatever.)

[ExTSR]

fyi:
https://gmshoe.wordpress.com/2017/09/29 ... f-empyrea/

[ExTSR]

If the bar was all ten systems, I can imagine that the base Kickstarter goal would have to be very high. I wonder if Frank is going to start off supporting one or two rulesets, and make the other eight into things that are unlocked by stretch goals. (That could allow Empyrea to still go ahead if they only got enough cash to pay for 9 rulesets or 5 rulesets or whatever.)

It was a topic for discussion. ;> The Goal is 250,000 $US.
Most other major RPG releases hit that, actually. Most don't reach that high at first, that's all.
But with all the guest stars, we need to go Big. Simple as that.

From one pov, the collection of Art and Design contributions from these legends will make it worth having.
After you enjoy all those, then discover that the campaign is worthwhile, too.

F

[Bud]

I hope that a higher pledge can result in the opportunity for backers receiving the Crunch Book for more than one system. My campaign is 1e/2e, but I also play 5e and Runequest, and I'd certainly take the opportunity to pledge more in order to receive hardcopies of the Crunchbook for multiple systems, though 1e/2e will be my first choice. The idea of a boxed set is nice!
Looking forward to the Kickstarter campaign and especially looking forward to seeing our GH campaign set sail for Empyrea.
Good luck, Frank and company!
cheers, Bud

[ExTSR]

I hope that a higher pledge can result in the opportunity for backers receiving the Crunch Book for more than one system.

No, can't do that, sorry. I won't jack up pledge levels for one booklet.
Instead, you select one system when you order, and can add extra system books for a reasonable cost, all you want.

Feel free to explore the higher levels, but if you just want more crunch you just pay for and get pure crunch, without fluff.

F

[Khedrac]

One question I have to ask - which version of RuneQuest?
I realise that most versions are fairly compatible, but with a new Chaosium version coming out soon it does seem a question worth raising.

[Baron]

Ugh. I would hope that it would be Classic Runequest, just re-issued last year. Since we're classic gamers. But, now that I think of it, the new regime did say that there would be no new material accepted for Classic, only for their upcoming seventh edition. <sigh>

[Havard]

Ugh. I would hope that it would be Classic Runequest, just re-issued last year. Since we're classic gamers. But, now that I think of it, the new regime did say that there would be no new material accepted for Classic, only for their upcoming seventh edition. <sigh>

Not sure what you mean by Classic RuneQuest, but from what I understand the upcoming edition will be using RuneQuest 2nd Edition as their starting point. I think See this thread for more discussion on the different editions of RuneQuest. I think RQ2 was the one they re-released last year?

-Havard

[Baron]

Yes Havard.