TheQuestionMan Posted October 18, 2006 Report Share Posted October 18, 2006 But you only need to look at the Maps.... Pretties QM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kristopher Posted October 18, 2006 Report Share Posted October 18, 2006 Re: PTOLUS Conversion Open Discussion Tell us more about this "Ptolus". The online references are...sparse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kristopher Posted October 18, 2006 Report Share Posted October 18, 2006 Re: PTOLUS Conversion Open Discussion Did you try ptolus.com? http://www.ptolus.com/cgi-bin/page.cgi?ptolus To give you the movie pitch version, it's 3e Greyhawk City / Waterdeep / Lankmar / Sigil as done by Monte Cook. First site I checked out. It's very thin on information, very heavy on hype and sales-pitch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kristopher Posted October 18, 2006 Report Share Posted October 18, 2006 Re: PTOLUS Conversion Open Discussion "Because Ptolus epitomizes all the standard assumptions of the d20 System, it's a city you can insert easily into most d20 campaigns." -- The FAQ, I'd seen. It doesn't tell us that much about the setting, really. I'm trying to look at the Player's Guide on DriveThu, it says it's free but so far it doesn't want me to actually get it. Unless they're claiming that the 6-page preview used to cost three bucks... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted October 18, 2006 Report Share Posted October 18, 2006 Re: PTOLUS Conversion Open Discussion AFAICT, Ptolus mechanically is almost wholly standard D&D/D20 - the setting is supposed to be the big selling point. KS, since there's already so much HERO stuff for that game extant (including your own), unless you have time to spare and interest in working on it, I would recommend expending your valuable conversion savvy on gaming roads less well travelled. IMHO that would be of greater value to the community. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thia Halmades Posted October 18, 2006 Report Share Posted October 18, 2006 Re: PTOLUS Conversion Open Discussion I'll chime in here. Monty Cook. Bleh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teflon Billy Posted October 19, 2006 Report Share Posted October 19, 2006 Re: PTOLUS Conversion Open Discussion I got through the first 120 pages at GenCon and have been too busy to read it since, but what I read I really liked. I like AD&D style fantasy for gaming, so this is right in line with my preferences. TB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southern Cross Posted October 19, 2006 Report Share Posted October 19, 2006 Re: PTOLUS Conversion Open Discussion Personally,I'd rather play in an Arcana Evolved campaign... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markdoc Posted October 20, 2006 Report Share Posted October 20, 2006 Re: PTOLUS Conversion Open Discussion Personally' date='I'd rather play in an Arcana Evolved campaign...[/quote'] That's Monte Cook too. I dunno that much about him, never having read any of his stuff, but what I do know about his sales suggests that just by himself, he probably outsells Hero Games. So I guess somebody must like his stuff. cheers, Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bismark Posted October 20, 2006 Report Share Posted October 20, 2006 Re: PTOLUS Conversion Open Discussion As far as Monte Cook's stuff is concerned - check out an old campaign setting he did for ICE back in about 1991 - Darkspace (a RoleMaster/SpaceMaster hybrid with a lot of Call of Cthulhu-style nastiness added). It's pretty good (magical nanobots, anyone?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithcurtis Posted October 20, 2006 Report Share Posted October 20, 2006 Re: PTOLUS Conversion Open Discussion As far as Monte Cook's stuff is concerned - check out an old campaign setting he did for ICE back in about 1991 - Darkspace (a RoleMaster/SpaceMaster hybrid with a lot of Call of Cthulhu-style nastiness added). It's pretty good (magical nanobots, anyone?) Nanobots are magical. Keith "At least the way gamers want to use them" Curtis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eosin Posted October 21, 2006 Report Share Posted October 21, 2006 Re: PTOLUS Conversion Open Discussion Champions Presents #2.... (1993)... Hero Games.... Editing Dark Champions.... (1993)... Hero Games.... Development and Editing Viper (Champions).... (1993).... Hero Games..... Editing Champions Universe.... (1992).... Hero Games.... Series Editor Champions Universe.... (1992).... Hero Games.... Writing and Design Fantasy Hero Companion II .... (1992).... Hero Games....Development and Editing Normals Unbound .... (1991).... Hero Games..... Development and Editing Champions in 3-D.... (1990) .... Hero Games..... Author Champions Presents.... (1989).... Hero Games.... Development and Editing He had fairly significant input into the Champions line under ICE. If I recall, he never worked for Hero Games, he was strictly an ICE employee. I'd also agree with Shrike and posit that Monte Cook sells more books than anyone except WOTC and that some of his books probably post similar numbers (I know one title sold near the 100,000 mark, something unheard of from anyone but him.) I expect that Ptolus will take its seat as the number #2 RPG setting in the next 6 months to a year surpassed only by Forgotten Realms (though it may wane after that due to his moving on to a new profession). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eosin Posted October 21, 2006 Report Share Posted October 21, 2006 Re: PTOLUS Conversion Open Discussion He announced just prior to Gencon that he would be leaving Malhavok to pursue other interests .... In truth, by the time of the announcement he hadn't done any RPG work in several months. Ptolus is his swansong for RPGs. I talked to him at Gencon (in that not quite fanboy kinda way) and he hinted that he would be doing some novels. I never was a fan of his products (too D&D, with all its' internal connotations for me) but he sure seemed like a great fella. I think the industry as a whole will be poorer for his absence. It is rare to maintain the "celeberity status" the way Monte has done while interacting with the fan base on a daily schedule. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadowcat1313 Posted October 21, 2006 Report Share Posted October 21, 2006 Re: PTOLUS Conversion Open Discussion So, if any of you are out there looking at the only book on the market that can sit next to 5er and not look tiny and wondering how you can make the two work together, chime in here.... uhmmm... the World of Khaas sourcebook for the Arduin Grimoire makes 5ER look tiny, its 850+ pages another great fantasy sourcebook, although a bit pricey at 70.00, I have the hardback but its on loan right now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadowcat1313 Posted October 22, 2006 Report Share Posted October 22, 2006 Re: PTOLUS Conversion Open Discussion yes, but it also had a lot of interesting ideas, especially for throwing curve balls at rules lawyers and folks who knew the monster manual and other books backwards and fowards http://empcho.bizhosting.com/arduin_ii_ca.html and for the World of Khaas sourcebook http://www.worldofkhaas.com/ the softcover version of the sourebook is 821 pages Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teflon Billy Posted October 24, 2006 Report Share Posted October 24, 2006 Re: PTOLUS Conversion Open Discussion Converted one of the Knights of the Pale from Ptolus using the D&D3e Conversion materials on my site. Not including this character's unique metal skin endowment' date=' he came in right on points. Personally I think Monte should have bumped this guys CR a level; a 13th level fighter with a +12 Natural Armor bonus with no armor penalties is likely a CR 14, not a CR 13. At any rate, enjoy: Prince Ironheart What Export Template are you using for HD? Is this webpage straight output? TB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjamma4 Posted October 24, 2006 Report Share Posted October 24, 2006 Re: PTOLUS Conversion Open Discussion Just my opinion' date=' but he caters to the lowest common denominator of D&D gamer.[/quote'] Interesting that catering to the "lowest" common denominator of D&D gamer resulted in so many sales. Perhaps just "most" common denominator would have been more accurate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rifter Posted October 25, 2006 Report Share Posted October 25, 2006 Re: PTOLUS Conversion Open Discussion Not even a glimmer of interest' date=' eh?[/quote'] I like it :-). I have Ptolus too and it is the only book for D&D i ever bought, only because i thought it is something special. Maybe I will play it in the future and then i will play it... ... of course with the Hero System :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killer Shrike Posted October 26, 2006 Report Share Posted October 26, 2006 Re: PTOLUS Conversion Open Discussion I will no longer be pursuing this material via these forums and have removed previous posts of mine on the subject; sorry for any inconvenience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithcurtis Posted October 26, 2006 Report Share Posted October 26, 2006 Re: PTOLUS Conversion Open Discussion Don't be sorry. You just picked a book that very few people here have, that serves a game that very few people here play. Keith "Where will you pursue it?" Curtis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killer Shrike Posted October 26, 2006 Report Share Posted October 26, 2006 Re: PTOLUS Conversion Open Discussion Don't be sorry. You just picked a book that very few people here have, that serves a game that very few people here play. Keith "Where will you pursue it?" Curtis Nothing in this thread itself is the reason Im not continuing to pursue it here. I havent decided where it will eventually reside yet, or if I will continue it at all. As an aside the advantages to picking PTOLUS as a set piece for providing sample conversions are several, whether many people here use it or not: I get fairly frequent contact from people, most of whom do not post on these boards, that are interested in either converting an existing D&D3e campaign or starting a D&D-esque Fantasy HERO Campaign and have stumbled across my site via google. While the site does provide a good deal of conversion material it tends to be abstract and black boxed and to lack concrete examples of actual characters and such. Im more of the teach them to fish rather than give em a fish school of thought. There is also the small problem that there is a ridiculous glut of 3e material and there is no possible way that anyone would ever be able to singlehandedly go thru and provide conversions of all of it, and especially not me as a I work 50 to 60 hours a week, have a family, and occasionally pretend to have an actual life. Particularly for something which is at best a side project for me. So there you go. All of the mainstream 3e campaigns are just too vast to even attempt it, not to mention the monetary aspect of acquiring the material, and the time needed to assimilate it. And, largely, other than Greyhawk I have no interest in any of them any way. Along comes Ptolus. While big, its still largely self contained in 1 big book. It's specifically designed to use the 3e core assumptions, so no odd ball skewing has to be dealt with. While it has its own setting to hold it, I suspect that many GM's will transplant it wholesale into their own worlds (which is a use it is deliberately flexible to). Further I also suspect that due to its visibility, hype, and curiosity factor many people that will never use or play it will buy it and thus general familiarity with it will be abnormally high among the 3e community, such that even those that have no direct experience with it will know what it is basically about and a good number of them will have access to a copy either from their personal library or a fellow gamers. So...a self contained, finite conversion target which uses the underlying mechanics I already have a vast amount of conversion content on, that gives every indication of being high visibility, and is an easy sell to both D&D DM's and Players. It is quite possible that concrete examples drawn from it would help some D&D3e groups that are looking to try a different game system but like that style of play take the HERO plunge. That's my thinking on it and why I think its a worthwhile undertaking, at least conceptually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Hopcroft Posted October 26, 2006 Report Share Posted October 26, 2006 Re: PTOLUS Conversion Open Discussion I'd also agree with Shrike and posit that Monte Cook sells more books than anyone except WOTC and that some of his books probably post similar numbers (I know one title sold near the 100,000 mark, something unheard of from anyone but him.) I expect that Ptolus will take its seat as the number #2 RPG setting in the next 6 months to a year surpassed only by Forgotten Realms (though it may wane after that due to his moving on to a new profession). Looking at the size of the book, and its price (my FLGS wants $120 for it) put one word to mind -- hubris. If this is not a monster hit, the only alternative would be it being one of the legendary disasters of the RPG industry's history, on the magnitude of a Dangerous Journeys. If Monte Cook really intends this to be his final RPG setting, though, it seems quite an expansive farewell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eosin Posted October 26, 2006 Report Share Posted October 26, 2006 Re: PTOLUS Conversion Open Discussion My word would by Opus. Monte has made it very clear that this is a project that he dreamed about doing and that he was in the unique position to make his vision into a full color, richly illustrated, superbly mapped, deluxe editon as he moved on to other things. There isn't anything wrong with building something better, faster, stronger (and in full color) - except in the minds of internet fans. That doesn't mean that I will like it, if I ever get around to buying one but with the numbers Monte sells, I doubt that he is overly worried about a flop. Even if it does, so what? He did it the way he wanted to and admits that he got great personal satisfaction from the project of his dreams. Where is the issue? Monte is the only person in RPGs who titles his products with his name - "Monte Cook Presents." He is also the one man show keeping pace with WOTC. Believe it or not, he probably didn't get there due to dumb luck. He probably has a brain bulging with RPG saavy, business accumen, and general like-ability. Most of these are readily apparent to anyone who takes a few minutes to listen to any RPG buzz anywhere. Don't be a hatar, mang!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithcurtis Posted October 26, 2006 Report Share Posted October 26, 2006 Re: PTOLUS Conversion Open Discussion The guys at the Fear the Boot podcast did a fairly in-depth review of the Ptolus business model recently. Not the actual product, just about how it is marketed. Keith "Feartheboot.com" Curtis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killer Shrike Posted October 26, 2006 Report Share Posted October 26, 2006 Re: PTOLUS Conversion Open Discussion Looking at the size of the book' date=' and its price (my FLGS wants $120 for it) put one word to mind -- [i']hubris[/i]. If this is not a monster hit, the only alternative would be it being one of the legendary disasters of the RPG industry's history, on the magnitude of a Dangerous Journeys. If Monte Cook really intends this to be his final RPG setting, though, it seems quite an expansive farewell. Actually, whether you care for the CONTENT or not, there is no arguing that there is value for the money. 120 bucks gets you nearly 700 pages of sidebared, indexed, well illustrated mapped and diagrammed, densely set content in color on good paper, well bound, with a nice textured and durable cover, plus about 20 or 30 pages of 8 1/2 x 11 handouts, maps, flavor bits, etc, and a cd rom with a bunch of pdf content including a full adventure, pdfs of all the handouts so you can print extra copies, and some extra material. Honestly, even if I don't ever use it for anything, I can't argue that it was $120 well spent. If I stacked up $120 of other gaming material, I could put together a $120 worth of HERO books that rivaled or exceeded the content if I cherry picked my collection (and I have almost every DOJ book), but Ptolus still wins out in the realm of presentation. However if I had to draw from my somewhat extensive non-HERO RPG book collection, I'd be challenged to find $120 worth of content that competed with it. As far as sales go, the buzz Ive been hearing is that the product is moving well. Don't be too quick to judge it sight unseen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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