We are going to do a live Kickstarter stream this Thursday at 10:00am EST // 9:00 am CST // 8:00 am MT // 7:00 am PST with Frog God Games & the World Anvil team to try and answer as many questions as we can about the Lost Lands Commercial License and Community Resource Hub. We are collecting questions in advance in case you cannot attend.
Please leave any questions you may have in the comments to this update. The video will be linked to the Kickstarter page in case you are not available to watch it live.
Thanks,
John
POSTED by ZG
Cranking along
about 5 years ago
– Mon, Mar 18, 2019 at 11:33:17 PM
The maps are almost final, printer contract signed, and all but one text section is in editing! We also bought about $5k worth of art last week alone!
Thank you all for the amazing support!
Bill
Closing in on $100,000!!! And Another Sneak Peak!
about 5 years ago
– Mon, Mar 18, 2019 at 12:59:34 AM
We've unlocked all of the stretch goals through $95,000, and are now less than $2,000 away from $100,000, when all backers pledging $15 or more will get a PDF copy of the Borderland Provinces Gazetteer! There are a lot more stretch goals we have in front of us, including a PDF of Bard's Gate once we have 1000 backers at $15 or more (we're already over 700). Let your friends know about this project, and share links; we've got 17 days left to unlock as many stretch goals as we can for everyone!
In the meantime, I thought it might be time for another peak at an entry in the book. As with the last one, this is unedited and preliminary, but it will give you a sense for the kind of awesome goodness that will fill this massive volume.
You've seen the artwork on the Kickstarter campaign main page, by the fantastic Colin Chan; now you can find out what this is!
Courghais
The Imperial City of Courghais (which means “Heartstone” in Gasquen), is the seat of the Overking of the Kingdom of Foere. Built on a peninsula on the eastern shore of the Star Sea, it rises up on the shoulders of a long hill overlooking the waters. The walls and many of the towers of the city are constructed of a white granite originally cut from the Rampart Mountains. During the day, the city shines white, but at sunset over the Star Sea on a clear day, some odd property of the granite transforms the slanting rays of the sun such that the city glows a brilliant, golden red color, giving rise to its Gasquen name.
Designed in a manner intended to mirror the ancient capital city of Curgantium, Courghais is divided into several quarters. The Royal Quarter, which sits upon the highest part of the landward portion of the city, includes the Citadel of Caene with its Throne Tower, built in homage to the Tower of Oerson of lost Curgantium. At the other end of the city, rising high above the waters at the end of the peninsula, is the Cathedral Quarter and the Cathedral of the Tesseract. On the northern side of the city, along the shore of the Star Sea, are the Docks, and, rising beyond that is the Merchant Quarter. Other quarters within the city include the Highborn Quarter (where are found the mansions of nobility), the Minstrels’ Quarter and the Low Quarter. Each quarter is, in turn, divided into wards.
For some 300 years now, since the beginning of the Foerdewaith Wars of Succession, the Kingdom of Foere has been in decline. Province after province has declared its independence from the Overking, and of those that remain loyal, the ability of the Court to enforce its wishes has grown weaker with each passing year. As wealth and power have failed, the intrigues of the nobility in the city have become ever more vicious and desperate. Increasingly, Courghais has become a city that boasts a veneer of virtue and respectability, covering a wicked and immoral heart. And now, with the Overking and many of his nobility, including almost all of the Knights of Macobert, away on campaign against the Huun, those remaining in the city are coming to resort to the darkest forms of conspiracy and scheming to achieve whatever dominance they can over their rivals.
Religion
High above the waters of the Star Sea, at the center of the Cathedral Quarter of Courghais, rises the Cathedral of the Tesseract, the seat of the Archbishop of Foere, dedicated to the entire Foerdewaith Pantheon (though Quell, the original patron of Saint Macobert, and Mitra, the patron of the Overkings since the Battle of Oescreheit Downs, predominate). It is by far the largest, most magnificent cathedral in all of the domains, current and former, of the Foerdewaith Empire. A massive temple of white marble columns with a burnished copper roof, the Cathedral is a beacon that can be seen for miles outside of Courghais, and far into the Star Sea. Here all gods of the pantheon are venerated, and many of the bishops, deacons and priests sent to minister to the peoples of Akados are trained within its walls. Pilgrims from far and wide travel to Courghais to visit the Cathedral of the Tesseract and to pray at the holy shrines of the gods of Foere. And for those wishing to bring home a memento of their visit, the market squares and streets of the city are full of sellers offering small statues of the gods and, so they claim, true relics of various saints and the gods themselves.
Government
Though it constitutes the seat and capital of the royal domain of the Overking, Courghais is ruled directly by the Lord Commander of the Citadel, an appointee of the Overking and usually a Knight of Macobert. The Lord Commander also commands the Overking’s royal army based here.
Administration of the city and enforcement of its laws is delegated to a group of quartermasters, ward captains and watch captains, all appointed by (or with the approval of) the Lord Commander. Justice within the city is overseen by Listeners appointed by the Overking, each sitting in one or more ward or quarter courts. A city militia, separate from the royal army forces based in the city, maintains order within the walls and is the first line of defense in the event of attack (which would be extraordinarily unlikely, here in the center of the kingdom).
Many guilds are active in Courghais, but by tradition they have no role in government, though the request of a guildmaster does carry some weight with the Lord Commander. While not to the liking of most of the guilds, their lack of any authority over the city goes back hundreds of years, and the critical position of Courghais in the economy of Foere makes it impossible to simply depart the city. As a result, however, bribery (and, on occasion, blackmail) has long been a tool used by the guilds to ensure their voices are heard.
The Cathedral of the Tesseract is considered its own cathedral city enclave within greater Courghais. As a result, the laws applicable in the Cathedral Quarter are ecclesiastical, and are enforced by the Archbishop or the Mayor of the Palace (or other ecclesiastical magnates appointed by the Archbishop). Similarly, clerics found to have broken any laws within Courghais, even if outside the Cathedral Quarter, are usually remitted to the Cathedral for punishment; though in rare cases, the Overking has exercised the right to supersede religious jurisdiction.
Since 3515 I.R., King Ovar and his Knights of Macobert have been on campaign, chasing to the north the Huun invaders who had laid siege to Bard’s Gate. With him, he took the well-regarded Lord Unstan Dary, the former Lord Commander of Courghais. In the Overking’s absence, his son Prince Reynald now rules as regent, with the assistance of the less-well-regarded Baron Pelorious Vandon (a younger son of a noble, and not a Knight of Macobert), as Lord Commander.
Recently, rumors have swirled about the city that King Ovar has in fact returned to the Throne Tower of the Citadel of Caene, flying alone into the city at night astride his black dragon. If he has in fact returned without the army, rebellion among many of the noble families of Foere is a real possibility.
Online tools, 3rd Party License, World Anvil!
about 5 years ago
– Fri, Mar 08, 2019 at 11:35:34 PM
Greetings all!
This is a bit late as I am in the birthplace of Dungeons & Dragons, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, for GaryCon. If you are here as well, please come "buy" our booth in the Vendor Hall and say hello!
We passed the $75,000 stretch goal a few days ago which unlocked a vaguely worded goal of opening up the Lost Lands setting for commercial publishing by 3rd parties. Basically we will be giving permission to share your adventures and designs without complicated restrictions and allowing the sale of these creations for RPG games, fiction, illustrations and other related products. All without taking a portion of the sales (unless we mutually agree to distribute or promote your creations).
Additionally, many resources we developed internally will be made available for both commercial publishers and enthusiastic GMs alike. A many of these will be free, the rest will be as close to free as we can make it. We are working on a model for this, where our goal is simply to pay the individuals tasked with organizing and managing the communities and resources.
Resources?
WARNING: All of the features mentioned below are not finalized, might not be immediately available at launch (rough launch date is Jan 2020.), others will grow with the number of actual users with sustained interest.
Logistics and detailed terms of license to be determined, but the goal is to be as inexpensive and creator friendly as possible.
Potentially-
Access to huge archive of map files from both Necromancer Games and Frog God Games catalogs that can be used, adjusted, manipulated and repurposed for personal OR commercial use {This is expected to happen).
Access 1800 Black & White Illustrations for use in home campaigns, online games, or even as 300 dpi print ready files.
Access to specialty tools and templates including InDesign and Photoshop styles, Adobe libraries that focus on specific tasks like map alterations or custom shapes.
Access to a creator community that will have hang outs, possibly Q&A's events, possibly advice (freely given and worth it!).
WorldAnvil (see below)
and more....
So why do this? What is the catch?
Well, first we want to encourage people to enjoy the Lost Lands as creators as well as consumers. We hope having a existing setting with very, very light restrictions on commercial use can encourage that. Second, all of us at Frog God were aspiring creators and owe much of the amazing opportunity we have been fortunate enough to enjoy to other creators who took the time to share their knowledge and talents to fellow enthusiasts and creators. Third and beyond, we like RPGs and want more people to make them.
So is there a tangible stretch goal reward?
Yep, at least 3 months of access from the day of launch.
Forging the Lost Lands with World Anvil
What is this World Anvil? many other things you will love. The people behind it are impressive, dedicated to their vision and excited about the proposed project.
Just check it out here. Look around, be impressed and then come back.
The potential of the platform for the Lost Lands is easier to show everyone than it is to type it. Thus Pexx (John Barnhouse) and I (some guy asking questions) made this short video to preview the work already being done. Made from my hotel room at GaryCon it is light on my skill (we even begin the recording before I finished count
Who is behind it?
These two are the wizards that make World Anvil. We are excited about project potential and think you will be as well...
We are excited about project potential and think you will be as well...
As we finalize some of the early resources we will have more to share. Until then thank you for all your support of the Lost Lands and Frog God Games.
Zach Glazar, Frog God Games
Stretch Goals Crushed! New Stretch Goals Announced!
about 5 years ago
– Wed, Mar 06, 2019 at 08:36:31 PM
We are CRUSHING our stretch goals! Thanks to our backers, we're already past $85,000! When we hit $75,000, the Lost Lands commercial license and community resource hub were unlocked. More details to come on those.
In addition, by passing the next two levels, PDFs of MCMLXXV (1975) by Bill Webb and Grimmsgate by Matt Finch will now be available to all backers at the $15 level and above.
Next up, at $90,000: an updated version of Rogues of Remballo, also by Matt, including all-new maps!
Since we're just smashing our original goals, we've now added new ones every $5,000 from $100,000 through $150,000. Check out the main campaign page for details.
