True20 Setting Search

[GoRocket]

I have a question.

When re-using/modifying material from the Core Rules in our setting submissions, would you prefer that we just reference the name of the skill, feat, power, etc, or spell it out entirely, effectively reprinting the material from Core?

I'm just thinking about ways to cut down on the word count since I am getting dangerous close to 15k already and I'm about 60% done.

Thanks.

[timemrick]

When re-using/modifying material from the Core Rules in our setting submissions, would you prefer that we just reference the name of the skill, feat, power, etc, or spell it out entirely, effectively reprinting the material from Core?

My absolutely UNofficial opinion is: Why repeat any text that you don't have to? It's all going to be in the same book, after all. If it's a major modification, then reprinting the text, including your changes, might be justified. Otherwise, I'd much rather see that word count go towards more cool new stuff.

[GoRocket]

That's the way I was leaning as well. I'd just like to see an official answer on this.

[Pramas]

I have a question.

When re-using/modifying material from the Core Rules in our setting submissions, would you prefer that we just reference the name of the skill, feat, power, etc, or spell it out entirely, effectively reprinting the material from Core?

It would be pointless to reprint material that's going to be in the very same book.

[skywalker]

That's the way I was leaning as well. I'd just like to see an official answer on this.

Just a suggestion that was strongly pushed with the WotCs setting contest, try to avoid changing the basic ruleset too much. I imagine GR will prefer to see a setting which uses the True 20 ruleset as written and spends more time on an inventive setting. The advantage True 20 has over D&D is that it is very easy to add and flavour the existing rules to suit a much broader spectrum of settings.

[Tim Gray]

On the other hand, GR has indicated that it's interested in rules embellishments and flourishes.

[aaronil]

Hey Chris,

I produced a free .pdf adventure for True20 and it was pointed out to me that I used the True20 label. Who should I talk to about getting permission or removing the label? Thanks!

Warm Regards,
Aaron Infante-Levy
aaronil@yahoo.com

[GoRocket]

Any news on when the revised True20 PDF is going to be available for download? Those of us working on settings would like to be able to refer to the new changes in our submissions. Well, at least I would.

[Tim Gray]

Any news on when the revised True20 PDF is going to be available for download? Those of us working on settings would like to be able to refer to the new changes in our submissions. Well, at least I would.

It's just appeared (yesterday, though there was a brief glitch - see other thread). PDF purchasers should have had an email from RPGNow with a download link (assuming you left a proper email address, which I note people don't always do).

It's debatable whether I'll get my submission done in time anyway (have to send it by Monday from here), so scanning through for changes is probably out at this stage.

[urizen]

I'm curious...

Is the content in the BLue Rose companion such as Summoning and Rituals is off limits for this contest?

Does anyone know?

[carpedavid]

Well, it's officially one week until the submission deadline, and I wonder how many entries GR will end up receiving. I don't know if that's information that they could or would release, but I'm incredibly curious (if only to see how much competition we're up against).

[HalWhitewyrm]

Unfortunately, we won't be submitting a setting to the contest. My writer informed me that he didn't think the write-up was up to par, and opted to not turn in anything at this time, rather than something that would reflect bad on us. I agree with his decision, though. Downside is that we don't have enough time to put together another submission right now. We'll see what happens down the line.

[Tim Gray]

Well, it's officially one week until the submission deadline, and I wonder how many entries GR will end up receiving. I don't know if that's information that they could or would release, but I'm incredibly curious (if only to see how much competition we're up against).

I'd like to know too! But I think the most we're likely to get is a note once the deadline has passed giving a very vague idea of the response and initial impressions of quality.

[Tim Gray]

It occurs to me that one thing the setting search does is to nudge True20 slightly towards an open source approach, in the sense of development coming from a wider community. As well as genre and setting specific stuff, submissions will also suggest tweaks to the basic rules, even just simply from spotting things that Steve & co were just too close to see. Green Ronin will look at these, and some of them will find their way into the basic rules in the print edition (and an updated pdf)*. It might even find useful nuggets in settings that don't make it into the book and use them with permission, presumably with a credit for all those whose ideas and work improve the whole. It's an interesting process.

(* OK, I'm making assumptions about how GR wants to work. But it seems to weird to suppose it won't take full advantage of the brains trust it's mobilised.)

[GoRocket]

I'm curious...

Is the content in the BLue Rose companion such as Summoning and Rituals is off limits for this contest?

Does anyone know?

I don't know per se, but based on what I've read, only material from True20 can be used in the setting submission. Consider Blue Rose to be a setting for True20. You can't use material from other published settings in your submission, so it stands to reason you can't use Blue Rose material.

[GoRocket]

I've just completed my setting submisison and sent it off to the publisher for final approval. It's a lot bigger than 15k words. I hope that's OK.

I haven't created a great deal in terms of new rule concepts, but I have filled in the blanks in areas specific to our setting. Some of this comes from (ie inspired by, not stolen from) other d20 books, and some of it is entirely new, or a complete redesign of rules that are found in other systems, but don't work well in True20.

[carpedavid]

I've just completed my setting submisison and sent it off to the publisher for final approval. It's a lot bigger than 15k words. I hope that's OK.

Just for comparison's sake, mine weighed in at about 17K words. I had to chop a lot out, though - I realized that there was simply no way to do a "full" setting in 15K. If I'm thinking correctly, the settings that are chosen will act as the "teasers" for larger treatments of each.

Therefore, someone can pick up the True20 book and have a wide variety of settings to simply sit down and play with. Then, if they like one, they can go pick up support products, and perhaps an expanded setting book.

[GoRocket]

I've just completed my setting submisison and sent it off to the publisher for final approval. It's a lot bigger than 15k words. I hope that's OK.

Just for comparison's sake, mine weighed in at about 17K words. I had to chop a lot out, though - I realized that there was simply no way to do a "full" setting in 15K. If I'm thinking correctly, the settings that are chosen will act as the "teasers" for larger treatments of each.

Therefore, someone can pick up the True20 book and have a wide variety of settings to simply sit down and play with. Then, if they like one, they can go pick up support products, and perhaps an expanded setting book.

As I see it, the setting previews in the True20 print edition will effectively act as free advertising for your products. If people like what they see, they will buy your setting and associated products. That's the way I approached it.

[Tim Gray]

I realized that there was simply no way to do a "full" setting in 15K.

Of course there is. It simply depends on your scope and level of detail. That's certainly enough to give readers a full flavour of a big world and equip them for adding fine detail themselves, or to get quite detailed if your whole game is set in, say, one town.

A lot of readers will find that length more appealing than something four times longer due to the amount of work and commitment required to shoehorn all that into their heads, and/or because they have the attitude that publishers shouldn't be telling them what to do in their games.

[GoRocket]

It really does depend on your setting and how much you have to create. If your setting is fantasy genre, True20 already has most of what you need. My setting is future/sci-fi, so I had to create a lot more since True20 barely mentions anything about modern, much less future/sci-fi. Thus, the increase in word count. I could easily have gone 30k words and still not been able to preview everything I have planned.

[Tim Gray]

If your setting is fantasy genre, True20 already has most of what you need. My setting is future/sci-fi, so I had to create a lot more since True20 barely mentions anything about modern, much less future/sci-fi.

That's certainly true. The True20 book wants to be a generic ruleset but the majority of the content is slanted towards fantasy similar to but not quite like D&D. You'll have had to comb through basic stuff like the skill and feat lists quite critically.

[GoRocket]

If your setting is fantasy genre, True20 already has most of what you need. My setting is future/sci-fi, so I had to create a lot more since True20 barely mentions anything about modern, much less future/sci-fi.

That's certainly true. The True20 book wants to be a generic ruleset but the majority of the content is slanted towards fantasy similar to but not quite like D&D. You'll have had to comb through basic stuff like the skill and feat lists quite critically.

Done and done. I had to tweak a lot, and add a lot. Hence the greater word count for my submission. I hope GR takes that into consideration.

[Blue Devil]

Our Passages proposal clocked in at a hair over 16k. We had to do some cutting as well. Recall, Passages was essentially "in the can" with its own ruleset. So, in addition to adding a few, necessary True20-specific rules, the real difficulty was in deciding which material to include and which to leave out. We had an amazingly detailed section on Victorian era weapons and equipment that I was pained to omit.

Now the hard part: waiting for 3 months.

[GoRocket]

I have a feeling we will know before the three months are up. In fact, the sooner they tell us whether we are in, the sooner we can start working on support materials for our settings. I'd like to have our setting book come out to coincide with the True20 print edition. It would be in the best interest of GR and the publisher for settings previewed in the book to be available for purchase right away. If I were a customer, I would want to pick up the rules AND one of the cool new settings in the back at the same time.

[urizen]

Well I just sent of Reality Deviant Publications' submission express mail. It should be in tomorrow.

So cheers to everyone who have gotten their submissions in, or will have them in by Monday. I wish everyone the best of luck and I hope to see my work alongside yours in the book!

GAH..Nervous....I think I'm going to puke