Glorantha Update
Issaries Communication
From Greg Stafford
This is a progress report on products that are in the long production process.
I do not feel it is fair or useful to report on products that are in progress but unfinished. The authors/project leaders don’t need that kind of pressure.
This edition:
Under the Red Moon
Blood Over Gold
RuneQuest
Under the Red Moon, ILH2
Mark Galeotti, Martin Laurie, Roderick Robertson, Greg Stafford, Wesley Quadros.
This manuscript is now copyedited and going into layout. We have all the interior art and also the cover, so in theory this could be done by GenCon.
However, we have run into another unanticipated problem, in that the layout templates are not accessible to me. They are being withheld from my possession for a number of reasons that I will not go into online in public. But it is very frustrating (to put it very mildly). I anticipate that reasons will be resolved promptly, or that I will recover a copy of the templates from other sources and get them to Roderick Robertson, who is doing the layout.
I am not holding my breath or planning to have them at GenCon, though I really would like that (even though I will not be there.)
Wish us luck!
Blood over Gold
Author: Jeff Kyer
You can see the cover of this here. The manuscript is being copy edited, the art is being assigned, and this is in good alignment to be released promptly on the schedule.
RuneQuest
A number of people have seen the announcement of the Mongoose acquisition of the RuneQuest license. This is done through Issaries, holder of the Trademark.
Issaries (Greg) will be working with Mongoose on this to approve of the material to make it correct and official. We are discussing the details of when and where this Gloranthan game will take place. Mongoose also plans to use the game system with some of their other licenses.
We will be putting up some kind of conversion notices or suggestions or their releases, and maybe they will be doing the same for ours. But the two games of RQ and HQ have many areas that simply do not overlap, so do not expect conversions.
I will not be detailing progress on the RQ game, as it is not an Issaries product. We will have some sort of link to their announcements, etc.
Glorantha Update
April 7, 2005
This is a progress report on products that are in the long production process.
I do not feel it is fair or useful to report on products that are in progress but unfinished. The authors/project leaders don’t need that kind of pressure.
This edition:
Under the Red Moon
Blood Over Gold
Update on my personal position
Under the Red Moon, ILH2
Mark Galeotti, Martin Laurie, Roderick Robertson, Greg Stafford, Wesley Quadros.
When I became acquisitions editor I got this manuscript from Mark and realized that I had still much to say about the Lunars to be sure that the mythical bones were in place. I subsequently critted my See Glorantha ability and simultaneous fumbled my Work with Authors skill, thereby stupidly alienating a pair of intrepid and hard working Gloranthan hard core authors. A regrettable error on my part, I can be an idiot. Sorry guys.
The good news of that cock up is that I’ve got a much more rigorous communication process in place to work on supplements. This includes, in part, my vigorous presentation early in the process of what shaping I feel necessary to do. This is in the Gloranthan details, generally. I don’t want to interfere with your plot and characters, just the core of the world, and some fiddly background that I’ve carried in my head for decades.
Nonetheless, I set out with the in house crew of Roderick Robertson, and filled in the gaps. In general, we complement each others’ skills (except when we are in conflict), and in the process have set the production of the book back by months, but come up with a much superior product.
Trouble with it is that it is now huge, too, about 100,000 possible words. We won’t put in everything, such as saving the details of the places (What is in “Time Is Art?” etc.) on the moon, or the details of Teelo Estara’s personal life for the for a web site pdf.
Most of the book, about half, is dedicated to the more than 50 cult write ups (exactly how many? Hard to say, do we count the two Jakaleel’s twice or once? Is the entry on Glamour a real entity or not? Are Erelia and Verelia one or two? And so on.) Though they are not called cults, but denominations.
Another large part is the explanation of the Lunar Magic, its ranks, how the cyclicism works and so on. It includes rules for Illumination and Occlusion, and on how to become an immortal. And more, though we will have to see what that “more” actually entails.
The gorgeous cover art is in, most of the interior art is done except for the maps. The art is largely by Simon Bray, who will now wow us all with his great renditions of Lunar art, in much the manner that he wowed us with the Heortlings’ art. The other half of the art, as well as the cover, are by the fabulous Project ART group in Japan, whose many portfolios present dozens of fantastic Gloranthan images. They have been generous to let us use some of it. It’s great.
It is just about to be finished by my latest pass through, and sent to the other co-authors to seek inconsistencies, errors and significant omissions. We will access it to the Heroes, and collect comments. Once that is done, we will look at what else to chop out to make it into a more reasonable size and package. I will then officially submit to Issaries for production.
When? I can not say. Watch here to see.
Blood over Gold
Author: Jeff Kyer
A Story Arc set in Wenelia, in the up and coming city of Fay Jee. A whole mercenary campaign with opportunities for personal and social advancement for the successful adventurers. You could end up running the place. Or dead.
Homelands for Trader Princes, Pralori, Wenelians and Islanders. Descriptions of Wenelia, the city of Fay Jee. Three phases of scenarios and character promotions. It’s a great adventure.
After preliminary communication, plans were made, I commented heavily to help shape the Gloranthan materials, Jeff submitted the final manuscript, it was scrutinized by me and commented upon, and subsequently revised, by the Author. Now, his work is done. Any subsequent changes will be done in house. Good work Jeff.
Next step is for the Heroes, and a couple of other folks, to read it over and return comments to us about errors and inconsistencies in the product.
The cover art is being assigned, interior art lists are being drawn up.
It looks like this will be about 80 pages, sell for $19.95.
My Personal Position
A number of people have expressed curiosity about my personal position at this time.
We have moved back to the US from Mexico. I loved it, but Suzanne was going stir crazy. Now, back here, she is happily hiking the hills again. We plan to go back to Oaxaca for a month or so to get some final information and experience for my book, and just to enjoy ourselves. I will probably put together an official “Sacred Tour of Oaxaca” too, so watch this space.
We live in Berkeley, CA and have been going house to house at the generosity of friends, and house sitting for folks out of town. We are currently house sitting for out friend John Carnahan (author of Pagan Shores, among other things) who is finishing up his doctorate in Wales. We expect to find an apartment of our own here in about a month. I will then set up an aquarium, proving we have settled for a while.
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