Green Ronin News Archive for January 2002

January 29, 2002

Arcana Reviews Popping Up Everywhere!

Well, maybe not everywhere, exactly, but there is a new review of Arcana: Societies of Magic posted today on mortality.net.

In the review Kithmaker writes:
A new release from Green Ronin Publishing, this 64-page book offers a detailed look into 6 unique organizations that employ magic to achieve their ends, each in its own unusual way. GMs searching for good, fleshed-out organizations to add to their campaign should give Arcana: Societies of Magic a look.

Oh yeah--Kithmaker gives Arcana an overall rating of 8.25 out of 10!

January 25, 2002

Secret College of Necromancy: Not So Secret Anymore...

We're proud to announce our May 2002 release, Secret College of Necromancy! Written by David "Zeb" Cook and Wolfgang Baur, this Arcana Sourcebook details the terrifying yet fascinating school wherein your characters can learn creepy necromancer skills. Check out the product listing in our online store to learn more about the book, and you might as well pre-order your copy while you're at it.

Also be sure to check out the cover image preview under "Related d20 Fun"--this image by rk post is amazing.

January 16, 2002

Another Arcana Review

This review of Arcana: Societies of Magic on gameplaynews.com is almost a treatise on all the ways you as DM can use this (if we do say so ourselves) most excellent book to enliven your campaign world and keep your players elbow-deep in tricky plots. If you're not yet sure about getting Arcana, read this review, then come back here or go straight to your favorite local game store to buy your copy. You and your players will be glad you did!

As Jeff Ibach writes in his review, "I heartily recommend this excellent DM's toolbox."

January 14, 2002

And Here's a Review of Jade Dragons & Hungry Ghosts

roleplaygames.about.com features a review by Gamer Grrl Dru Pagliassotti of Jade Dragons & Hungry Ghosts.

In it she writes:

"Jade Dragons & Hungry Ghosts is an excellent sourcebook of Asian-style monsters for d20, and an indispensable supplement for those who have picked up Wizard of the Coast's recent reissue of Oriental Adventures."

January 13, 2002

Arcana: Societies of Magic Reviewed

Our latest release, Arcana: Societies of Magic, has been reviewed on gamewyrd.com. "Wyrdmaster" gives it 7/10, and says:

"Over all, I would recommend the book if you are about to run a large campaign (or if you're already in one) and you need to concentrate on your core plot but don't want to sacrifice quality elsewhere."

January 11, 2002

Freeport: The City of Adventure Art Preview!

Besides just being the terrific sourcebook on everyone's favorite pirate-infested port city, Freeport: The City of Adventure features some amazing art. We've got some samples for you in our Freeport Art Preview. Check it out!

January 9, 2002

And Speaking of Forums...

There are a couple unofficial Green Ronin forums that have sprung up elsewhere:

• Mortality.net



• Fiction-Fantasy.net / Game-Information.com

January 6, 2002

Shaman's Handbook Added to Catalog

We've just added The Shaman's Handbook, the first release in our Master Class series, to our online catalog. The Shaman's Handbook is being written by Steve Kenson, and introduces a new core class to the d20 System. The volume also provides new prestige classes, spells, skills, feats, and magic items, along with monsters and monster templates. Feel free to hurry off to our catalog now to pre-order the book, which we have slated for release in April.

You'll also want to check out the "Get a Close-Up of the Shaman's Cover" link under Related d20 Fun on the Shaman's catalog page. Stephanie Pui-mun Law did an awesome job on the cover art, and it looks more amazing the closer it gets to actual size.

January 4, 2002

Legions of Hell in Monte Cook's Top Ten

DMG designer Monte Cook has posted his picks for Top Ten d20 Products of 2001 at his Web site, http://www.montecook.com/, including our very own Legions of Hell. His list includes Wizards of the Coast products as well as books from independent publishers, so we're proud to be represented.

January 2, 2002

A New Year's Message from Green Ronin

With a new year upon us, I thought it'd be a good idea to look back at 2001 and then talk about what you can look forward to from Green Ronin in the coming months.

First, I'd like to thank all of our fans for making 2001 one hell of a ride. When I started Green Ronin, I didn't know if it was going to go anywhere. I was completely prepared to call it quits if Death in Freeport tanked and the d20 boom failed to materialize. I remember vividly calling distributors in the summer of 2000 to tell them about Death in Freeport and getting the following response: "d20 what?" Well, sixteen months after the debut of 3E and Freeport, no one is asking that question anymore. There are over 100 d20 publishers these days and more announced every week. And none of that would have happened without you all. You folks snatched up Death in Freeport and the rest of the Freeport trilogy, you cast the votes that brought Death in Freeport an Origins Award and an ENnie last summer, and you showed with your devotion and your dollars that there was a ready audience for third party 3E material. Green Ronin would not be here today without your encouragement and support and for that I thank you.

2001 brought some great highs. Legions of Hell is, I think, one of the best books I've written in my nine years in the game industry, and certainly the best illustrated. Hell in Freeport was our most epic adventure yet and our first chance to produce full color maps. The d20 System Character Record Folio was our first stab at an accessory and may well become our most successful product in the long run. We're already on the second print run and sales show no sign of slowing.

That said, 2001 was definitely a time of transition for Green Ronin. We got ourselves into a bit of a logjam at the end of the year, which caused several products to slip their intended launch dates. While that is a fairly common occurrence in the game biz, we take our commitment to the fans too seriously to just shrug it off. We've been working very hard to clear the jam and get our schedule back to normal. The first step in that direction is Arcana: Societies of Magic, which ships to distributors this week and should be in stores next week. Thus begins our 2002, which we've taken to calling the Year of the Ronin around the office.

Our plan is to release at least one book every month of the year. This will be over double the number of releases we managed last year and likely over triple that in page count. In 2002 you'll see the return of old friends when Freeport: The City of Adventure finally hits the shelves (in March, if all goes well), new twists with the introduction of the Master Class series, and a bold leap into a new genre with the Mutants & Masterminds superhero RPG for the d20 System. And those are just the projects we can talk about!

Over the next few months we'll be announcing a new series of sourcebooks, two new accessories, and the biggest book by far that we'll likely ever publish. If the stars are right, the Spaceship Zero RPG will also blast off this year, hopefully only destroying the universe once.

We hope you stick with us for 2002. We may experience some turbulence at takeoff, but after that we expect a smooth ride. Here's hoping your year is a good one!

Chris Pramas
Green Ronin