Author Topic: Settings for HARP (Read 8614 times)

PhillipAEllis · « **Reply #20 on:** June 25, 2013, 04:45:25 AM »

G'day, Ironmaul!

You're right: Nicholas/GCP can only do so much. I'm starting to do what I can to help get the material out there, in my currently limited ways. And I believe I'm not alone.

Just a thought: what do you think of players & GMs posting reviews in appropriate places, as another way of helping with the processes involved? They may, for example, help get word out as well as deliver feedback, especially if users can respond (eg. via blogs). And that should help with the publicity & promotion of the game & its settings, no?

ironmaul · « **Reply #21 on:** June 25, 2013, 05:58:47 AM »

Usually when a product has been released I post it on my blog with a sample illo since I've worked on it...I do this on Facebook too(writing this has just reminded me).
I think reviews here has merit and certainly would help in sales. I know that I'm personally influenced by product reviews before I think about purchasing.
I think the trouble is people taking the time to actually write up a review, we are a lazy bunch us humans

I've done a couple of book reviews(none rpg related)
that I liked the product(or not) that much to write something up to share with others.
Sometimes it's hard to make a call on spending x hard earned/limited dollars on a product not knowing how good it is, thats what makes reviews valuable.

Thom @ ICE · « **Reply #22 on:** June 25, 2013, 07:19:56 AM »

First, reviews, blog postings, comments in other forums, etc. are always welcome. Feel free to send either Colin or myself a link to it and we will do our best to social media it to increase viewing and contributions.

Second, Ironmaul did bring up a good point about Cyradon.... Cyradon is the HARP fantasy setting. As for refugee aspect, that's mainland Cyradon and current timeline. There are the Shatterlings, the rest of the Cyradon continent and other lands in that world.

I'm not going to go back and revise the poll or anything, but I'd like to hear thoughts about using Option #1 with Cyradon (various lands and times) for general Fantasy and use Option #2 for other genres.

Luxferre · « **Reply #23 on:** June 25, 2013, 07:22:12 AM »

I'd prefer a dark, gritty, multiculti, lowmagic setting.
Icy north with grim dwarves, dark forests with even darker elves and many, many human cultures and races.

Do you know the setting from GEMINI, this small and unknown RPG from Norway? It's great!
What I also wish, is a little less. Less magic, less artifacts, less everything.
Low magic is great with HARP, because it offers the opportunity to develop or even explore the old "High magic" (what I call Arcane Magic). Magic Users are rare, maybe even hunted (religious or for experiments...).
Having no magic user in one group doesnt destroy the gaming balance, as it would in D&D/Pathfinder for example.

My 5 cents...

Falenthal · « **Reply #24 on:** June 25, 2013, 07:47:04 AM »

Quote from: Luxferre on June 25, 2013, 07:22:12 AM

What I also wish, is a little less. Less magic, less artifacts, less everything.
Low magic is great with HARP, because it offers the opportunity to develop or even explore the old "High magic" (what I call Arcane Magic). Magic Users are rare, maybe even hunted (religious or for experiments...).
Having no magic user in one group doesnt destroy the gaming balance, as it would in D&D/Pathfinder for example.

100% agree! Low magic makes the players use their minds and skills. Why develop Climb when you can fly? Why swimm when you can cast "Walk on water"? Why have a thief when you can "Open Locks" and "Detect Traps" without risk? Why bring a ranger in your travels when a cantrip can "Detect North" and you can create food and water from nothing?

Just as an example, using my favourite setting, in Lord of the Rings no character had a flaming sword o invisibility cloacks... and it wasn't a boring story at all. Sometimes defeating an undead is not so much a matter of owning a holy-lightning-axe, but of luring them into a river or being able to frighten them with fire.

Zut · « **Reply #25 on:** June 25, 2013, 09:03:09 AM »

I'm with darb and dagorhir: option 1! Lots of adventures! Campaign books are interesting, but I'm still struggling to go from source book to adventure design. I do have story ideas, but these would fit more as background stories than (interactive) adventures for players.

Before feeling confident enough to design my own, I would need adventures with specific HARP mechanics to get me started.

Cyradon fits me very weel as a setting. I'm not a fan of dark settings, or high magic ones.

GrumpyOldFart · « **Reply #26 on:** June 25, 2013, 12:16:34 PM »

Quote from: PhillipAEllis on June 25, 2013, 02:54:34 AM

So there are some of us out there willing to take on the process of setting &/or adventure design.

Sure. But please understand, when I said

Quote

Making the miracle actually happen is the problem of the cast and crew, not the folks in the audience.

that doesn't mean I'm not willing to be part of that cast and crew whose problem it is to make sure the miracle actually happens. That only means I consider the question to be asked of us in context of our role as customers, not as the folks who may (or may not) be recruited to write it. In short, I'm assuming he's asking what I and others would be interested in buying rather than what I and others would be interested in writing.

Thom @ ICE · « **Reply #27 on:** June 25, 2013, 12:24:39 PM »

Correct - what is your interest as a customer?
Nicholas would be the guy to speak to if you are interested in contributing.

dagorhir · « **Reply #28 on:** June 25, 2013, 01:16:56 PM »

Quote from: Thom @ ICE on June 25, 2013, 12:24:39 PM

Correct - what is your interest as a customer?

Adventures, adventures and more adventures. That's what keeps the players busy and can take so much of a GM's time.

WoeRie · « **Reply #29 on:** June 25, 2013, 01:37:49 PM »

Quote from: dagorhir on June 25, 2013, 01:16:56 PM

Quote from: Thom @ ICE on June 25, 2013, 12:24:39 PM
Correct - what is your interest as a customer?

Adventures, adventures and more adventures. That's what keeps the players busy and can take so much of a GM's time.

Adventures are nice in addition to a full campaign to fully flesh out a setting. So, a campaign together with a setting and some additional supplements would be best and I would pay its weight in gold pieces!
Remember Echoes of Heavens? This was just what I was looking for but sadly it is not finished, yet.

ironmaul · « **Reply #30 on:** June 25, 2013, 04:08:46 PM »

Quote from: Falenthal on June 25, 2013, 07:47:04 AM

Quote from: Luxferre on June 25, 2013, 07:22:12 AM
What I also wish, is a little less. Less magic, less artifacts, less everything.
Low magic is great with HARP, because it offers the opportunity to develop or even explore the old "High magic" (what I call Arcane Magic). Magic Users are rare, maybe even hunted (religious or for experiments...).
Having no magic user in one group doesnt destroy the gaming balance, as it would in D&D/Pathfinder for example.

100% agree! Low magic makes the players use their minds and skills. Why develop Climb when you can fly? Why swimm when you can cast "Walk on water"? Why have a thief when you can "Open Locks" and "Detect Traps" without risk? Why bring a ranger in your travels when a cantrip can "Detect North" and you can create food and water from nothing?

Just as an example, using my favourite setting, in Lord of the Rings no character had a flaming sword o invisibility cloacks... and it wasn't a boring story at all. Sometimes defeating an undead is not so much a matter of owning a holy-lightning-axe, but of luring them into a river or being able to frighten them with fire.

Ok, as a customer I would buy this setting if it correlates with option 2. Several adventures or short campaign to run for my kids. If the material was there and guides to GM for a
HARP game then I would buy it. As others have said, we don't have a great deal of time on our hands and having everything in a "pick-up and play" module would be a seller for me...even have pre-gen characters. Most gamers here are rather experienced and don't need step by step instructions on how to play/gm a game. But if there was a product to help my kids run a game by themselves then that is a major plus for me because I'd like them to have the fun that I did when I was young. So I guess for me as a customer it's just not the setting but the target audience for a younger generation.

PhillipAEllis · « **Reply #31 on:** June 25, 2013, 04:27:40 PM »

As a customer I'd buy what I could, both the option 1 item (Cyradon) & option 2 items. The reasons? 1) To mine interesting tidbits for my campaign (set in the HARP equivalent of Rolemaster Rome). 2) To support the company. 3) To make sure my contributions weren't clashing or covering old ground. And; 4) To find inspiration & points of intertextuality.

Old Man · « **Reply #32 on:** June 25, 2013, 09:09:53 PM »

I'd be interested to see how well the various Pathfinder companies are doing with respect to single game world focus (Pazio has only Golarion, right? Kobold has Midgard). They do the main book and then issue adventure content (paths) and breadth (sourcebooks, city and castle guides, region guides for players, etc.).

The sense I get from my in-industry friends is that any ICE setting re-issue needs a filled pipeline for a year or so of content (say Cyradon plus 1/2 dozen to 1 dozen modules) else the interest will peter out.

Thoughts?

PhillipAEllis · « **Reply #33 on:** June 26, 2013, 02:13:22 AM »

I'll see what I can do to help supply material needed.

NicholasHMCaldwell · « **Reply #34 on:** June 26, 2013, 06:01:42 AM »

For Cyradon, I'm trying to expand it along three lines:
C) The Cyradon continent, so this is the refugee setup
A) Anias (the Old World), and I am in on and off email contact with someone who has expressed a desire to do some modules
S) The Shatterings, where different stuff can happen. Chris Seal's Wedding in Axebridge is being repositioned there in one of the chunky islands and his Caer Glais followup will be located.

C is where I'm trying to line up a flow of modules and sourcebooks at the moment. S will turn up as they are ready. A may need to wait for startup organisation until I've dealt with RMU.

Best wishes,
Nicholas

PhillipAEllis · « **Reply #35 on:** June 26, 2013, 07:43:13 AM »

Thank you for the update, Nicholas. I appreciate that you are among us and keeping us informed of things.

Ciao!

*waves*

sunwolf · « **Reply #36 on:** June 27, 2013, 05:27:18 PM »

I voted option 2 as that is probably the best over model if you have to pick from those three, but I would like to see a little extra support for one of the settings (Say Cyradon) and at least some limited generic expansion such as option 3 calls for.

Thom @ ICE · « **Reply #37 on:** June 27, 2013, 06:59:47 PM »

As Nicholas has indicated, Cyradon will definitely be further developed. There will be additional products (like #3). #2 seems to be an option of interest for many.

area51games · « **Reply #38 on:** July 28, 2013, 01:25:39 AM »

you got Harp SF, Harp Fantasy- how about Harp- Horror, HARP-pulp adventure/thrillers/Western/Modern action
HARP Victorian Fantasy- HARP-TIMETRAVEL-Alternaty realities<history>
'ok just a few questions or maybe I should repost some of them else where?

Old Man · « **Reply #39 on:** July 28, 2013, 08:00:37 AM »

Hmmm take any/all GURPS supplements and substitute HARP?

(Seriously HARP-steampunk and HARP-cyber/near future might be fun.)

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Author Topic: Settings for HARP (Read 8614 times)