Buses & RPG products..... [Archive] - Wizards Community

Buses & RPG products..... [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
SJE
05-31-04, 08:10 PM Jebus, game products are just like buses. Nothing for ages, then 2 come along at the once!

To go with Eberron coming out this month, I've just heard that another long awaited d20 fantasy steam-punk setting is coming out- the Iron Kingdoms Campaign Sourcebook.

Might be some useful crossover material- certainly they look cut of the same cloth.- http://www.privateerpress.com

Also interesting to compare with Eberron. Iron Kingdoms has had a longer life (the Witchblade trilogy goes back to 2000 as I recall) and has already done the fantasy minature war game with big mecha. So the two will be competing not just on the table top front, but also the wargaming/minis side.

SJE
Azer Firelord
05-31-04, 08:28 PM I think I have seen the skirmish game based on Iron Kingdoms played at my local gaming club (I, alas, do not invest in models...)

It looked quite good- but it is very different in feel from Ebberon.

Well, for one thing, the 'War' hasn't ended, its still going on- that is of course the justification for the skirmish game.

For another, however, the mechanical beings do not work on their own- they need a wizard to power them (actually, the game basically revolves around killing the other side's wizard- you can win by killing the other side's robots, but the wizard is lot squishier.) Which probably means no PC robots, unless they chang things for the RPG...
Hellcow
05-31-04, 09:15 PM I will note that IK describes itself as "a realm like no other, a place where adventurers encounter steam power and gunpowder almost as often as swords and sorcery" -- and neither gunpowder or steam power are things you'll find in Eberron. Obviously there are some cases -- IE, the lightning rail -- where you could argue that it makes little difference whether it uses steam or magic. However, I would imagine that the use of gunpowder adds a different feel to the world. From what I've skimmed online (I'm not actually familiar with IK) warjacks are often equipped with cannons, and there appear to be human miniatures with handguns and rifles. Eberron may have a few elements that people see as steampunk, but it's a fantasy world; where warfare has advanced, it has been purely through the application of the magic present in the core rules, along with the artificer.

Which is not to say that IK doesn't look cool and that there may be elements in either world that can cross over to the other... looking at the website, I'm certainly interested in taking a look at the IK corebook when it comes out. But I suspect that the two settings will have more differences than similarities. To the degree that there is an Eberron minis game (two figures in an entire expansion doesn't really make an Eberron set), I don't really see it directly competing with Warmachine.
stone_dog
05-31-04, 10:57 PM Oh yes. Lots and lots of cannons and guns. Right down to having gun mages. Very neat stuff, but also very different from tone than Eberron. Darker. war is about to break out instead of end as a traitor returns with an inhuman army to conquer everything. Dragons are all great beasts that leave desolation and blight wherever they go. The elven diety is dying swiftly and may fade in this generation. There are no halflings or orcs that I can tell, but goblins and trollkin instead.

IK isn't really steampunk either though since it is more renaissance than Victorian, but that is really getting picky with the genre. Plus there isn't a real theme of individuality vs social institutions that makes x-punk go (megacorps in cyberpunk, victorian ideals and nationalism in steampunk etc).
Brasidas
06-01-04, 01:24 AM Privateer Press describes the Iron Kingdoms settings as a "Full Metal Fantasy" world.

From what I understand, although there are some similarities, they come at things from opposite ends.

In the Iron Kingdoms, magic items are more difficult to make--unless they're mixed with technology, creating mechanika items.

Whereas it's my understanding that all the goodies in Eberron come from having magic items being very common.

I think the opposite approaches to magic will result in two settings that while superficially similar, are actually very different.

Although, I do have to admit, I'm not terribly familiar with Eberron. I'm a Press Ganger for Privateer Press, which means I do demo work for them (similar to GW's Outrider program). Becoming involved in that has made me more curious about the Eberron setting. :)

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
SJE 05-31-04, 08:10 PM	Jebus, game products are just like buses. Nothing for ages, then 2 come along at the once! To go with Eberron coming out this month, I've just heard that another long awaited d20 fantasy steam-punk setting is coming out- the Iron Kingdoms Campaign Sourcebook. Might be some useful crossover material- certainly they look cut of the same cloth.- http://www.privateerpress.com Also interesting to compare with Eberron. Iron Kingdoms has had a longer life (the Witchblade trilogy goes back to 2000 as I recall) and has already done the fantasy minature war game with big mecha. So the two will be competing not just on the table top front, but also the wargaming/minis side. SJE
Azer Firelord 05-31-04, 08:28 PM	I think I have seen the skirmish game based on Iron Kingdoms played at my local gaming club (I, alas, do not invest in models...) It looked quite good- but it is very different in feel from Ebberon. Well, for one thing, the 'War' hasn't ended, its still going on- that is of course the justification for the skirmish game. For another, however, the mechanical beings do not work on their own- they need a wizard to power them (actually, the game basically revolves around killing the other side's wizard- you can win by killing the other side's robots, but the wizard is lot squishier.) Which probably means no PC robots, unless they chang things for the RPG...
Hellcow 05-31-04, 09:15 PM	I will note that IK describes itself as "a realm like no other, a place where adventurers encounter steam power and gunpowder almost as often as swords and sorcery" -- and neither gunpowder or steam power are things you'll find in Eberron. Obviously there are some cases -- IE, the lightning rail -- where you could argue that it makes little difference whether it uses steam or magic. However, I would imagine that the use of gunpowder adds a different feel to the world. From what I've skimmed online (I'm not actually familiar with IK) warjacks are often equipped with cannons, and there appear to be human miniatures with handguns and rifles. Eberron may have a few elements that people see as steampunk, but it's a fantasy world; where warfare has advanced, it has been purely through the application of the magic present in the core rules, along with the artificer. Which is not to say that IK doesn't look cool and that there may be elements in either world that can cross over to the other... looking at the website, I'm certainly interested in taking a look at the IK corebook when it comes out. But I suspect that the two settings will have more differences than similarities. To the degree that there is an Eberron minis game (two figures in an entire expansion doesn't really make an Eberron set), I don't really see it directly competing with Warmachine.
stone_dog 05-31-04, 10:57 PM	Oh yes. Lots and lots of cannons and guns. Right down to having gun mages. Very neat stuff, but also very different from tone than Eberron. Darker. war is about to break out instead of end as a traitor returns with an inhuman army to conquer everything. Dragons are all great beasts that leave desolation and blight wherever they go. The elven diety is dying swiftly and may fade in this generation. There are no halflings or orcs that I can tell, but goblins and trollkin instead. IK isn't really steampunk either though since it is more renaissance than Victorian, but that is really getting picky with the genre. Plus there isn't a real theme of individuality vs social institutions that makes x-punk go (megacorps in cyberpunk, victorian ideals and nationalism in steampunk etc).
Brasidas 06-01-04, 01:24 AM	Privateer Press describes the Iron Kingdoms settings as a "Full Metal Fantasy" world. From what I understand, although there are some similarities, they come at things from opposite ends. In the Iron Kingdoms, magic items are more difficult to make--unless they're mixed with technology, creating mechanika items. Whereas it's my understanding that all the goodies in Eberron come from having magic items being very common. I think the opposite approaches to magic will result in two settings that while superficially similar, are actually very different. Although, I do have to admit, I'm not terribly familiar with Eberron. I'm a Press Ganger for Privateer Press, which means I do demo work for them (similar to GW's Outrider program). Becoming involved in that has made me more curious about the Eberron setting. :)