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This month has been a funny one. It may have seemed a bit quiet on the surface but there has been a whole host of things going on in the background. I for one have got a huge list of things to be getting on with, so I will keep this brief…
Catch up on what you’ve missed with this month’s Director’s Briefing.
ROLEMASTER
Last month we announcement that we were working on a brand new e-support product called the Rolemaster Combat Minion. We have now made some great progress on the product and it is now available for playtesting.
You can now access the web app by following the link on THIS PAGE. Once you’ve been on and had a go, let us know what you think on our dedicated Rolemaster Combat Minion thread on our forum.
The free web app comes with 6 Rolemaster weapon/critical tables and we will be making more databases and tables available through RPGNow once the final release is made.
HARP
This month saw the release of AutoHARP Fantasy: College of Magics and AutoHARP SF Xtreme. Both of these are currently still available at the special introductory price of $5.00. This offer ends soon however so don’t delay.
For those of you not acquainted with AutoHARP, it combines a character creator and a combat tracker to help make running your HARP game even quicker and easier.
Both AutoHARP Fantasy and AutoHARP SF, along with a number of add ons are available at RPGNow.
SETTINGS
Emer III the edging ever closer to release. The page layout is nearly done and there is now only a few pieces of art and a few stats left to do. Terry K. Amthor continues working on this and a whole host of other projects including reviewing two very promising manuscripts from other authors.
The revisions of Emer I and II and Eidolon continue, though at the moment they are playing second fiddle to the work on Emer III. In addition Terry is working on a brand new book set in NE Jaiman.
PARTNERS
13Mann
Our partners over in Germany are currently working on their next Rolemaster release, “Erweiterung: Mentalismus” (Mentalism Companion). They haven’t set a date yet for an expected release (much like ourselves, the good folks at 13mann are perfectionists).
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Create the ultimate Sci-Fi adventure with HARP SF Xtreme
Are you looking to expand on your HARP SF adventure to create the ultimate Science Fiction role playing experience? Then look no further than HARP SF Xtreme
HARP SF Xtreme expands on the HARP SF system and takes your game to the next level of excitement. It gives you the ability to upgrade your heroes to their full transhuman potential with the complete range of cyberware (from mind-enhancing nanoware implants to complete cybernetic replacements of limbs and organs that are faster, stronger, and better than the biological originals), transcend the biological and upload your hero’s mind into the virtual world of cyberspace, then download it into the robotic body of your own construction or one of the nine archetypal example robots and join the machine revolution and create a character who is a pure Artificial Intelligence!
In addition HARP SF Xtreme offers:
- A complete set of vehicular rules for both slower-than-light and faster-than-light travel, whether you fly at the speed of plot or like to crunch the numbers
- An extensive catalogue of land, marine, air, space and hybrid vehicles to get your heroes from Alpha Centauri to Betelgeuse and everywhere else
- Deck plans of the featured starships and interplanetary craft
- Vehicle combat rules that scale from starfighter dogfights to epic battles between mighty dreadnoughts that will engage the entire party in the action
HARP SF Xtreme is one giant leap for your HARP SF gaming!
Director’s Briefing – November 2013
Welcome to the twenty-ninth Briefing and eleventh scheduled Briefing for 2013.
Delayed in the Real World
As you might know, I upgraded myself to a Lecturer position (tenured in North American jargon) over the summer. The downside of my new post is that being a new lecturer, I have no stockpile of lovingly crafted lecture materials with which to educate my students. So I’ve been fiendishly busy creating lectures, class exercises, homework exercises, assignments, and exams as well as doing the actual teaching and dealing with admin. This has limited my ability to get fun stuff done as the creation treadmill has steadily eaten more and more commutes, evenings and weekends in addition to the proper day job hours. The treadmill will not last forever, however. At some point in the future, I hope to be able to harness my cohorts of eager students into building programs for me (to support Rolemaster and HARP) though I might need to inveigle myself into teaching on the Computer Games Design degree first!
Fortunately me being temporarily overwhelmed does not prevent freelancers from getting on with their projects.
HARP & HARP SF
The second set of PoD copies of HARP College of Magics turned out to be fine in terms of art and text, and so College of Magics is now available in pdf, softcover, and hardcover.
AutoHARP has been released to version 1.0.4 with new databases for College of Magics and HARP SF Xtreme being released in tandem at introductory prices. Version 1.0.4 also has updates for the UNIX version.
Cyradon
I have second (and potentially final) drafts of “M for Murder” (which I think needs a different title) and “Escort Duty” to review.
Rolemaster
The big news for Rolemaster is the imminent release of the Rolemaster Combat Minion for public playtest to support all your Rolemaster combat needs. There are a lot of people out there who refuse to play or GM Rolemaster because they find grappling with attack tables and critical tables and d100 rolls too hard or too fiddly. Some of them will even claim that you need a computer to run Rolemaster . For all of them, we now have the solution to their problem – a killer app for Rolemaster combat. The Rolemaster Combat Minion engine will be free to download and will come with a selection of combat tables for trial purposes.
(Naturally those of us who can cheerfully handle d100 rolls, attack tables, critical tables, etc., using just the physical books, some dice and pen-and-paper may find it incredibly useful!)
Shadow World
Terry completed his additional adventure material for Emer 3 and I have already given feedback. The RMSS stat blocks are underway and Terry has made great progress in getting the rest of the layout whipped into shape. I have completed my review of the Lethys and Priest King of Shade module “works in progress”; they await Terry getting a proper read of both.
A reminder that our call for Shadow World adventures is still open – see last month’s Director’s Briefing for details.
Until next time
Back to work in the real and gaming industry worlds. The next scheduled Briefing will be in December.
Best wishes,
Nicholas
Director, Guild Companion Publications Ltd.
WANTED – Rolemaster Combat Minion Playtesters
WANTED: FEARLESS ADVENTURERS
We’re currently working on a brand new e-support product which we have named the Rolemaster Combat Minion and we’re looking for playtesters.
Rolemaster Combat Minion makes a GM’s life much easier. It speeds up play and minimises errors and, in the not too distant future we’re hoping to have the application, along with a small number of tables available for free download.
Before any of that happens however we need playtesters to try the application and let us know what works and what doesn’t work and how you think it could be improved.
If you’re interested in getting involved, you can access the web application by CLICKING HERE. Once you’ve given in a try let us know what you think on our DEDICATED FORUM THREAD.
Even if you don’t have the time to test it, keep up-to-date with the Rolemaster Combat Minion by visiting our forum or signing up to our MAILING LIST.
New Resleases for AutoHARP!
With the release of AutoHARP Fantasy: College of Magics and AutoHARP SF Xtreme which are available now for a limited time only for just $5.00, we take a look at the AutoHARP range and what it offers.
AutoHARP combines a Character Creator and a Combat Tracker, both of which are fully compatible with HARP Fantasy or HARP-SF.
The Character Creator comes with a full Wizard for creating new characters and Hybrid race creation, full support for Adolescence and profession rank selection, cleric base spell lists and talent selection for certain professions, easy access to character traits, offenses, defenses, skills, talents, magic, statistics, and equipment, ability to print full character sheets with avatars, frequently used skills, RR information, Initiative information, BMR information, offensive attacks: both melee and missile, skills, spells, and equipment and a fully customized database written in XML allowing the user to easily adjust information as specific worlds or house rules.
The Combat Tracker has the ability to create, edit, open and save encounters, create, edit, import or duplicate characters which make up an encounter, customize the character’s level, hit points, power points, Stamina, BMR, Armor, talent and shield DB, size, focus item, casting penalty, as well as create a character that doesn’t take stun, penalties or bleeding criticals and keep track of all spells, attacks, maneuvers, initiatives, character statuses, etc.
The download contains the HARP Fantasy/HARP-SF database and for convenience, a copy of the executable software application.
ADD ONS
There are now a number of add ons available for AutoHARP Fantasy and AutoHARP SF to help broaden AutoHARP’s capabilities and offer even greater levels of support to GMs and players alike.
AutoHARP Fantasy: College of Magics
AutoHARP Fantasy: College of Magics is now available at the introductory price of $5.00 for the next two weeks.
AutoHARP Fantasy: College of Magics expands on the breadth and depth of the magical capabilities of AutoHARP Fantasy. The database file includes all the new professions, new skills, new spells, new talents and more introduced in College of Magics.
Get AutoHARP Fantasy: College of Magics for just $5.00 before 18 November.
Buy it now!
AutoHARP SF Xtreme
AutoHARP SF Xtreme is OUT NOW and for the next two weeks only can be bought at the introductory price of $5.00.
The database file includes Vehicle Combat, Vehicles in general added to the items, Cyberware, Interstellar Travel, a Virtual Character converter and the ability to create an AI or Robotic character, providing you with the full suite of options available in HARP SF & HARP SF Xtreme.
Get AutoHARP SF Xtreme for just $5.00 before 19 November.
Buy it now!
AutoHARP Fantasy: Martial Law
AutoHARP Fantasy: Martial Law is an add-on database (drawing upon the Martial Law supplement) for the AutoHARP Fantasy software.
The database file includes new combat rules, combat actions, new skills, weapons, armor, combat styles and martial art styles, new talents and new items. Players can now use Martial Law combat in the Combat Tracker which includes new critical tables and attacks by location. There are also new rules for social classes which include random starting money for the character based on their social class. Additional armor information from Martial Law is also included: new armor pieces, armor quality and armor material.
Buy it now!
Keep an eye on our website or sign up to our mailing list for information on more AutoHARP software solutions as they’re released.
AutoHARP SF Xtreme Out Now!
AutoHARP SF Xtreme is OUT NOW and for the next two weeks only can be bought at the introductory price of $5.00 from RPGNow.
AutoHARP SF Xtreme is an add-on database (drawing upon the HARP SF Xtreme supplement) for the AutoHARP SF software, which combines a character creator and combat tracker in one easy to use application.
The database file includes Vehicle Combat, Vehicles in general added to the items, Cyberware, Interstellar Travel, a Virtual Character converter and the ability to create an AI or Robotic character, providing you with the full suite of options available in HARP SF & HARP SF Xtreme.
Get AutoHARP SF Xtreme for just $5.00 before 19 November.
AutoHARP Fantasy: Collge of Magics Out Now!
AutoHARP Fantasy: College of Magics is OUT NOW and for the next two weeks only can be bought at the introductory price of $5.00 from RPGNow.
AutoHARP Fantasy: College of Magics is an add-on database (drawing upon the HARP College of Magics supplement) for the AutoHARP Fantasy software, which combines a character creator and combat tracker in one easy to use application.
The database file includes all the new professions, new skills, new spells, new talents and more introduced in College of Magics.
Get AutoHARP Fantasy: College of Magics for just $5.00 before 18 November.
The return of the Killer Rabbit!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!
We were so busy working away on the new HARP Bestiary we almost forgot it was Halloween. We wanted to give you all something to make this Halloween a special one and to give you a taste of what the HARP Bestiary might have on offer, so here it is…
THE KILLER RABBIT
| Level | 10 |
| Size | Small |
| BMR Type | Quadruped |
| BMR | 41 |
| Init | 20 |
| DB | 101 |
| Hits | 188 |
| Attacks | +119 Huge-Slash (Bite) |
| # Enc | 1 |
| Outlook | Hostile |
| Treasure | R R3 N |
| Stamina | 133 |
| Will | 42 |
| Magic | 72 |
A plump bundle of fluff identical to its harmless cousin, the killer rabbit betrays its true nature after the innocent wayfarer makes cooing noises of appreciation. The cute, bright–eyed bunny leaps for the throat, its jaws spreading to encompass an impressive chunk of neck. Steely muscles clamp sharp teeth together, frequently ripping the victim’s head from their body.
Abilities: Agile Defense, Assassin Training, Athletic, Blazing Speed (x4), Combat Awareness, Dense Musculature, Enhanced Scent, Extremely Nimble, Greater Resistance (Stamina), Instinctive Defense, Lightning Reflexes, Natural Weapon (Bite), Tough Hide (Lesser), Toughness, Nasty Bite (Grants Huge Bite to Small Creatures), Shrink (Minor)
DB: 101 (QUx2 = +38, Lesser Tough Hide, Agile Defense, Dense Musculature, Instinctive Defense)
Skills: Ambush (33) +103, Climbing (20) +101, Endurance (33) +143, Jumping (33) +104, Resistance – Magic (20) +72, Resistance – Stamina (25) +133, Resistance – Will (10) +42, Bite – Huge Slash (33) +119, Foraging/Survival Plains (33) +75
Don’t have High Adventure Role Playing (HARP)? Buy it now and start playing with the world’s cutest killer.
We’ll get back to working on the HARP Bestiary now. If you want to be kept up-to-date with our progress on the HARP Bestiary or if you want to receive other news and updates (such as this) from Iron Crown Enterprises, sign up to our MAILING LIST
New College of Magics arrives
Hey – I just received a surprise – HARP College of Magics in hard and softcover!
Thanks Nicholas – I do like getting those surprises! Apparently Nicholas ordered these on October 14, it shipped on the 17th and arrived on the 21st.
As these find a hallowed place upon the gaming shelf, I again can see the high quality of the hardcover as it has no discernible difference to the many “print run” products I also have, and even playing around with them, opening and closing – these feel solid and well-bound. Hey folks, we don’t make ANY extra money selling hard or softcover vs. PDFs, so I have no agenda to push it other than to educate people to the fact that you have a choice and print on demand WORKS.
College of Magic’s will be a useful tool for any HARP campaign – good explanation on magic and how it works, with multiple types to fit any campaign. And to further fit into a home-grown world, rules on creating and designing spells – handy for GM and player’s alike. And for added flavour to any campaign, new magic using classes and lots more new spells.
Enjoy!
– John
Iron Crown Enterprises’ Newsletter – October 2013
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I don’t want to jinx it (given the month hasn’t actually finished yet) but October has been a brilliant month! We may not have made any earth shattering announcements this month, but what we have done is work on/start/complete a whole bunch of smaller projects which have got me really excited. Read on to find out more…
Catch up on what you’ve missed with this month’s Director’s Briefing.
ROLEMASTER
This month we made an announcement that, in conjunction with one of our fans, we were working on an new e-support product known as the Rolemaster Combat Minion.
The software is still undergoing some minor tweaks before being released, but the plan is to release the software itself for free with the ability to buy data files to populate it. These data files will contain weapons and critical tables so that you can manage the combat in your games quickly and easily.
We will release further information as we get it and will make an announcement the second the software is completed. In the time being you can read more information and take a look at a few previews of the software on the dedicated Rolemaster Combat Minion thread on our forum.
HARP
This month has saw the release of HARP College of Magics in softcover and hardcover format. College of Magics expands the depth and breadth of HARP magic and covers:
- What is magic and how does it work
- New types of magic, including natural magic, alchemy, and enchantment
- Rules for creating and designing new spells
- New HARP spells
- A primer on temporary and permanent magic item design
- New professions including the Elementalist, the Vivamancer, the Thaumaturge and the Necromancer
In addition to all this, a quartet of artists have provided a wonderful collection of new, inspiring and relevant illustrations which can now be enjoyed in the splendor of high quality printed hardcover and softcover books. Buy it now.
SETTINGS
This month’s director’s briefing saw an open call for Shadow World adventures. By this point the call has spread far and wide. If you’ve missed it however, here is what we’re looking for:
1) Adventures suitable for low level (to 5th), medium (6th to 10th), high (11th to 20th) adventuring parties.
2) Adventure locations, e.g. sites of interest to adventurers like outposts, fortresses, manses, cavern complexes, Coral Road entrances, etc.
3) Adventures and adventure locations for this round should be set in NW or NE Emer, or in Jaiman (with Xa-ar and Saralis of special interest).
4) Adventures and adventure locations must be consistent with canonical material and must not “break” Shadow World – no blowing up cities, killing off canonical NPCs, or derailing existing plotlines.
For more information and instructions on how to submit your adventures, visit our website.
PARTNERS
Battlefield Bangkok
ICE products are now available in Thailand thanks to our new partner Battlefield Bangkok. Battlefield Bangkok is a games store run by gamers for gamers, and is by far the leader and visionary for promoting table top gaming in Thailand. This unique agreement sees ICE allowing Battlefield Bangkok to print physical copies of English language product to be sold in Thailand.
ICE is hopeful that this relationship could serve as a model for other countries, as well as helping us generate ideas of how we can work with US and UK retailers to provide them with the ability to have physical copy in-store.
Echoes of Heaven
Our friends over at Final Redoubt press have released a brilliant adventure seed which can be used with Rolemaster and HARP. The best bit? It is absolutely FREE! All you need are this Adventure Seed, your game’s rulebooks, and whatever monster and NPC stats your game provides.
Download your copy from RPGNow for FREE
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