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| Tip of the hat to +S Robertson |
The Folio #4 is a 1st Edition & 5th Edition combined gaming module. It will be produced as an 8x11”, removable cover [11x17" once removed], adventure with mostly b/w interior artwork. There are two interior booklets, The Gazetteer and The Dungeon, with the final size being roughly 40 pages of content.
The bulk of the module is complete, we only need to be funding so we can begin the full printing process. This means that PDFs will go out after the campaign wraps in September, and the physical copies should be to you no later than November!So much good gaming material, so little free time...
In Foot Soldiers, you are not what we consider "the hero." Characters in Foot Soldiers have no plot armor. Every violent encounter is a brush with death. A weapon is a weapon, intended to maim and kill, and even the unskilled can deal serious damage to an unlucky foe.
Foot Soldiers models locational damage, which means that every hit lands on a body part. Its location chart is based on a bell curve, meaning most unaimed hits will land on the torso, followed by the waist and head, with arms and legs being less likely, and a hit to the foot or hand being the least likely of all. However, in real combat, both opponents look for an opening wherever available, and will not hesitate to strike an extremity if it may be done without counter-attack.
Foot Soldiers also models bleeding, limb crippling, and dismemberment. It is a real possibility that your character may be disfigured or killed every time he or she enters combat. Medieval fighters played with live weapons, and armor was sparse. Not every injury will be a permanent one, and your characters will likely rack up more scars than missing limbs (after all, emotional investment in a character is difficult to justify if they could die at a moment's notice), but Foot Soldiers simulates the real fear of violence and encourages players to avoid combat where possible.
When played with a grid, proper positioning, tactical planning, and decision-making are vital to survival. The depth of the combat system allows for real teamwork and ensures that no one build is too overpowered. The acquisition of better equipment, skills, and knacks will result in a noticeable improvement in combat prowess.
Of course, physical violence is not the only threat to your life. The English landscape is harsh, and characters will need to ensure that they have enough to eat and drink, and a warm place to sleep at night, both of which cost money. Traveling too much without equipment is rough, and characters must ensure they dress appropriately, which also costs money.If nothing else I'll be using the art above on a personal level.
Now The Northlands Saga Complete updates and expands those original adventures with new material, completing the saga with six more adventures by Ken Spencer, Greg Vaughan, and Kevin Wright that follow directly after the originals. If you want, you can resume campaigns that “ended” after the last adventure was released in 2011, or start fresh. In addition, an eleventh new adventure is added as a “prequel” to the original four, so you can play an entire adventure path to take PCs from level 1 to 20 (about level 1 to 9 in the Swords & Wizardry version). You can play any or all of the eleven adventures as standalone sessions, or you can use them as a single continuous campaign to explore the Northlands and beyond. And as a bonus, authors Ed Greenwood, Ken Spencer, Kevin Wright, and Jeff Provine have committed to write four more adventures as stretch goals to take your campaign beyond the adventure path. This book has an estimated page count of 800-900 pages (this will vary depending on the number of stretch goals reached), and will be library bound, for years of use.
As a part of the Lost Lands campaign world, The Northlands Saga Complete includes a full-color poster map as well as a complete campaign guide detailing the cultures, history, races, nations, languages, geography, new monsters, magic, and equipment unique to those lands. In the Pathfinder version there is also a chapter dedicated to new optional rules that you can use in your game to capture the authentic spirit of the Northlands with rules for things like a character’s wyrd, death speeches, becoming a jarl, the examples of early representative politics in the Things and Althing, and trial by combat in the holmgang. In addition there are a multitude of new archetypes, feats, player-character races, and character traits for use in your Pathfinder game! (emphasis mine) When you delve into The Northlands Saga Complete, you step into the living, breathing world of the Northlands.Actually, maybe change the page count for the Swords & Wizardry version to 65% or so of the Pathfinder version. I guess the PF page bloat is paid for by the higher print run, as the Pathfinder / Swords & Wizardry pledges are running about 3 to 1 right now.
Recently, I discovered the one page zine called the Tolling of the Great Black Bell by +Christian Walker . I ordered an issue and a few days later open the mailbox and there I am again some thirty plus yearsago with excitement to see what awaits inside.
