[Q&A] Darrell Hayhurst & Deanna Gilbert (Torg Eternity: The Living Land)

[19:33] <+DarrellHayhurst> Hi, I’m Darrell Hayhrst, line developer for Torg Eternity. We’re a refresh of the much-loved game from the 90’s. The Core Kickstarted late last year, and now we’re drilling down into the Cosm expansions, in this case The Living Land!

[19:35] <+DarrellHayhurst> I’m keeping it brief, Dan, so go ahead and hit me with questions. 😀

[19:36] <~Dan> Thanks, DarrellHayhurst! The floor is open to questions!

[19:36] <~Dan> I’d actually like to start with an observation: I’m amazed that you guys have made the Living Land into someplace interesting. Like, really interesting. 🙂

[19:37] <+RayAtHigherGrounds> Also an observation: It does look very interesting.

[19:37] <+DarrellHayhurst> Thank you so much! Shane loved the Living Land, he saw so much potential in it, and it was one of the cosms that didn’t quite work in the original, so it was super important that we really capture what it was all about this time around.

[19:38] <+DarrellHayhurst> (I mean, his first published adventure is set there, so go figure he’d have an investment! 🙂 )

[19:38] <~Dan> Can you give those not in the know a high-level view of the Living Land, along with the changes that you’ve made in this edition?

[19:39] <~Dan> (Welcome to #rpgnet, GMMatt!)

[19:39] <+Shayd3000> I see there is an adventure with LL and It appears the future KS will all feature an adventure plus cosm book. Will these adventures all be year 1 or will they be more of a “linked” campaign or metaphor?

[19:39] <+Shayd3000> Meta plot sorry

[19:40] <+DarrellHayhurst> Sure! So the Living Land is realm where technology practically doesn’t exist, but the powerful love of the goddess of life is everywhere. The big addition is rolling the “Law of Wonders” from the original Land Below (which some consider a more refined take on the Living Land) into the main cosm. That turns it into kind of the Land of the Lost, and gives you

[19:41] <+DarrellHayhurst> a reason to go into those dangerous jungles. Find crazy treasures from other places and times!

[19:42] <~Dan> As an aside, I like how you’ve used the Law of Wonders to explain the Core Earth ruins in the Living Land.

[19:42] <+DarrellHayhurst> Shayd, the plan is to tell Year 1 across the cosm updates. That plan may get changed as we go, however. Everything we do has an outline, but the expectation that what the players do may change it.

[19:42] <~Dan> That never made any sense before.

[19:43] <+Shayd3000> How many acts is God Box?

[19:43] <+DarrellHayhurst> Dan, yeah, we struggled with that too. I mean visually you want them there, so at first I was arguing that these Pure Zones are actually Mixed Zones or the buildings would vanish. Then we finally figured out Wonders lets them stay and we don’t have to change anything, and we were so relieved. 🙂

[19:43] * ~Dan chuckles

[19:44] <+DarrellHayhurst> God Box is 7 Acts, but some of them are pretty long compared to our other Acts so far.

[19:45] <~Dan> You mentioned the Land Below. It’s now a Wonder within the Living Land, correct?

[19:45] <+JohnC> Are there any plans to continue the fiction in stretch goals, I was glad to see a print version of the novelette from the core rules Kickstarter, since it takes place in the living land?

[19:45] <+DarrellHayhurst> Yep, again, that just fit really well. We realized we didn’t need different axioms or world laws for it.

[19:46] <~Dan> The Land Below doesn’t have its own axioms or world laws anymore?

[19:46] <+DarrellHayhurst> JohnC there are big plans for the fiction but right now that’s happening outside the Kickstarter.

[19:47] <+DarrellHayhurst> Dan yeah, it’s fully integrated into the Living Land. (Especially since most of its unique features got rolled into the Living Land as a whole.)

[19:47] <+Alukar> Delphi missions are all one act adventures?

[19:47] <+JohnC> Thanks love the fiction.

[19:48] <~Dan> DarrellHayhurst: Hmm… That’s somewhat disappointing, since IIRC Merritecka (sp?) included magic and pulp powers. Is that no longer the case?

[19:48] <~Dan> (Welcome to #rpgnet, USNA_Deanna!)

[19:48] <+DarrellHayhurst> Alukar the plan is usually for 1 Act, but Greg Gorden’s looks like a 2 act this time…or maybe a super-sized act.

[19:48] <+USNA_Deanna> Hi everyone! >waves<

[19:48] <~Dan> ( USNA_Deanna: Here for the Q&A? 🙂 )

[19:49] <+USNA_Deanna> Yes, for about 35 mins.

[19:49] <+DarrellHayhurst> Merittika. Magic ended up un-necessary, nobody really used it. Pulp Powers work anyway because they mysteriously don’t contradict within Wonders in general. 🙂

[19:49] <+JohnC> Is the white zone going to be explained or is that still a wide open area for GM’s to decide what is there?

[19:49] <+DarrellHayhurst> Hey Deanna!

[19:49] <+Shayd3000> I am assuming there are adventures like God Box planned along with each cosm release – is the plan that they can be played as part of a single campaign by the same group of characters? I guess I’m trying to get a sense of your plans campaign/adventure wise going forward

[19:49] <+DarrellHayhurst> White Zone is the player playground. We’ll see what people do with it.

[19:50] <~Dan> (Welcome to #rpgnet, GM!)

[19:50] <+FrankG> I’d like to hear about what’s happening with the Deep Mist and the Compass Curse. The Deep Mist is mentioned once or twice in the core rules, but as an aside.

[19:50] <+DarrellHayhurst> Yes, a single group can play through all the Cosm Campaigns, they don’t happen simultaneously.

[19:50] <~Dan> What is the White Zone? The Living Land in Canada?

[19:50] <+USNA_Deanna> @Dan, yes that’s the White Zone.

[19:51] <+DarrellHayhurst> FrankG, Deep Mist isn’t as big a thing. It can still happen, but its an occasional plot device rather than a constant issue. We wanted to tell stories of heroes finding stuff, not getting lost. 😀

[19:52] <+FrankG> Plus, the Deep Mist kind of goes against a lot of the cool art

[19:52] <+USNA_Deanna> @FrankG It’s something that comes up in the Cosm cards, so the players have some control over whether it’s a big deal.

[19:52] <+DarrellHayhurst> And a few regions. Its more common on the West Coast and really heavy in the White Zone.

[19:53] <~Dan> Another improvement, IMHO. Not only have you given people reasons to go to the Living Land, you’ve made finding the cool stuff feasible. 🙂

[19:53] <+DarrellHayhurst> That’s flavor to taste, but the nice thing is the GM has that as a lever to pull, and so do the players.

[19:55] <~Dan> How have the Edeinos changed in this edition?

[19:55] <+JohnC> Since the delphi missions were brought up , how close are we to the hardback?

[19:56] <~Dan> (Welcome to #rpgnet, Dalhyp!)

[19:56] <+Shayd3000> WOW trying to wrap my head around 7 acts * 7 cosms * 5xp per act. Heroes are going to be insane by year 2 😉

[19:56] <+FrankG> I noticed the “Eyes of the Saar” cosm card in the stretch goals. That’s pretty hard core. I assume you really have to drive home to the players that if Kaah shows up… you run.

[19:56] <+USNA_Deanna> @Shayd3000 Alpha is actually pretty ‘

[19:57] <+JohnC> Hoping the new deck is the 100,000 goal.

[19:57] <+USNA_Deanna> ‘narrow’ compared to the other clearance levels. Beta should last awhile.

[19:57] <+USNA_Deanna> Kaah is like the Agents in the Matrix. 🙂

[19:57] <+DarrellHayhurst> Edeinos are scary, something we’re trying to cling to for as long as we can. The other big difference is the variety. There’s tons of differentiation in clans, mutations, and so on with them. Keeps them more surprising and interesting.

[19:57] * ~Dan nods

[19:57] <+Shayd3000> Okay thanks. Was assuming all were 50xp – thanks for clearing that up!

[19:57] <+DarrellHayhurst> We’re close. I think 2 more hidden authors and we hit the page count where hardback is viable.

[19:59] <+DarrellHayhurst> ShayD yeah, as Deanna hinted, there’s more to the Clearance Levels. We’ve got a goal coming up that’s basically a “Primer” that goes into all that, along with how to scale up adventures meant for Alpha when you’re dealing with stronger groups.

[19:59] <+DarrellHayhurst> Frank good eye. I love that card. Kaah is a hands on kinda guy.

[20:00] <~Dan> Yes, he’s definitely no longer a laughing stock.

[20:00] <+FrankG> I LOVE the idea of cosm specific drama deck cards.

[20:00] <+JohnC> Yea Kaah seems much more of a threat this time around.

[20:00] <+USNA_Deanna> Great thing about that card is… players have to play it. They don’t have a choice not to. Muahahahahah.

[20:00] <+USNA_Deanna> I’ve compared Kaah to Genghis Khan.

[20:01] <+FrankG> He’s no match for Elvis the Edeinos. I assume he’s coming back. </sarcasm>

[20:01] <+Shayd3000> Excellent- I was very curious about that. BTW I love the idea of cosm specific drama decks!

[20:01] <~Dan> Is Kaah still an ally of Mobius?

[20:01] <+DarrellHayhurst> That was a Markus brainstorm. When he said it I was like “But that’s what the Cosm Cards are for!” then he said no, more like minor fluctuating effects. I went away and tinkered for a day and then I fell in love with them too.

[20:01] <+USNA_Deanna> Yeah, when Darrell told me and showed me them, I started grinning because I knew that was going to be killer.

[20:02] <+DarrellHayhurst> I’ll play coy about Kaah and Mobius’ future relationship. Stay tuned.

[20:02] <~Dan> Fair enough. 🙂

[20:02] <+USNA_Deanna> The surprising thing is that [[redacted]] and [[redacted]] … hmmmmm…having problems there. 🙂

[20:03] * ~Dan chuckles

[20:03] <+JohnC> Won’t be too long till we know more about Nile Empire .

[20:03] <~Dan> Darned Godnet.

[20:03] <+FrankG> And some of my players aren’t the biggest fans of the cosm cards. “We’re going to spend more PPs dealing with this than we are going to get back for it”

[20:03] <+Dalhyp> The Delphi Council is everywhere. 🙂

[20:03] <+USNA_Deanna> Nile Empire previews will start right after this Kickstarter finishes, I think.

[20:03] <+FrankG> Of course, I have other players who love them for the story… even if it does cause a possibility deficit

[20:03] <+DarrellHayhurst> We want to keep to some things the same with the old war, just lull those familiar with it into a sense of comfort…then blow that up with dynamite when a new twist happens.

[20:03] <+USNA_Deanna> >-)

[20:04] <+FrankG> So, cosm specific drama deck is welcomed by me

[20:04] <+JohnC> I like these map stretch goals

[20:04] <~Dan> I see that the LL has spread across parts of the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. Can you say anything about Kaah’s strategy there?

[20:04] <+Shayd3000> What was the thinking behind doing away with unlimited ammo ?

[20:04] <+DarrellHayhurst> Frank Cosm cards kinda depend on the story flow. If they’re at a slow spot I try to be more generous than if they’re just blowing the card fishing for Possibilities.

[20:05] <+USNA_Deanna> He’s a lizard. Hard to say. 🙂

[20:05] <+JohnC> Edenios of the Carribean lizard man pirates😜

[20:05] <+DarrellHayhurst> Thanks, I’m glad the first image of a map is up, I think they’re one of the cooler new things with this wave.

[20:05] <+Dalhyp> And it’s nice to see the Living Land winning.

[20:06] <+DarrellHayhurst> Kaah needs to keep his guys busy. If they sit around too long they have time to think how maybe Lanala isn’t cool with all these zombies and killing being perpetrated in her name. He’ll attack where ever he can.

[20:07] <+USNA_Deanna> He’s tried southern California one or two times. Been stopped so far.

[20:08] <+DarrellHayhurst> Shayd Ammo is always a story point. We don’t want to get bogged down tracking every bullet, but in some places (especially the Living Land) it matters, so we need a broad notion of when you’ve gotta reload and when you are empty. Every rule about ammo is aimed around keeping it light, but also feeling right.

[20:09] <~Dan> Regarding the Wonders, are they literally uprooted from other worlds and plopped down in lands the LL has conquered? Like, if they’re a space-age dome or something in the LL, did it leave a big hole in the ground someplace else?

[20:10] <+JohnC> Is there a reason that The bridges come down mostly on the coasts?

[20:10] <+USNA_Deanna> The Wonders are generally from cosms that have been invaded by High Lords.

[20:10] <+Shayd3000> I’m okay with it – but I kinda liked the old way “you slam your last magazine in” on a setback result

[20:10] <+FrankG> How much can you tell us about the Miracles system. It was said on the boards that the miracles section is a bit light since it will do a deep dive in the first expansion (The Living Land). Is this just going to be a bunch more Miracles? Or are there changes to the rules as well?

[20:10] <+USNA_Deanna> So the places that they represent don’t exist anymore.

[20:10] <+JohnC> If I remember too some of the wonders appear and disappear.

[20:11] <+DarrellHayhurst> We leave that pretty mysterious. I like to think it’s actually in both places, there’s just bent space around it, which is why there are little subtle changes when you’re in a Wonder (like Pulp Powers working) and in a few cases even axiom changes.

[20:11] <+USNA_Deanna> @JohnC. Yes. Most of them do actually. That’s why it’s critical for Storm Knights to explore them as soon as they can.

[20:12] <+JohnC> Would hate to be half out of the wonders when it disappears.

[20:12] <+USNA_Deanna> As for the coasts, that’s where the population is, mostly.

[20:12] <~Dan> I heard that happened to one guy. His left half was in a Wonder when it vanished.

[20:12] <~Dan> He’s all right now.

[20:12] <+DarrellHayhurst> The biggest reason for coasts is so you get good coverage without having to put stelae underwater. They want people with possibility energy, not fish. 🙂

[20:13] <+DarrellHayhurst> Ugh.

[20:13] <+USNA_Deanna> You could say we looked at population density maps a lot. 🙂

[20:13] <+JohnC> Lol

[20:13] <+USNA_Deanna> groan

[20:13] <~Dan> 😀

[20:13] <+USNA_Deanna> <tosses Dan a Possibility>

[20:13] <~Dan> \o/

[20:14] <+DarrellHayhurst> Don’t encourage him!

[20:14] <+USNA_Deanna> Then drops a Ravagon on him.

[20:14] <~Dan> (Welcome to #rpgnet, Guest18!)

[20:14] <+DarrellHayhurst> Better.

[20:14] <+Dalhyp> OH so close.

[20:14] <~Dan> (Howdy, Catseye!)

[20:14] <+Catseye> ((hi))

[20:14] <~Dan> Can you tell us what the Gospog are like now in the LL?

[20:15] <+USNA_Deanna> Some 4th planting and all 5th planting gospog are reality-rated. >-)

[20:15] <+DarrellHayhurst> Bigger, badder, hungrier. Kinda like the edeinos.

[20:15] <+DarrellHayhurst> Yeah, that’s a big change.

[20:16] <+USNA_Deanna> Fluff reason (which I don’t think we get into in the Living Land book, but we do in the Nile Empire book) is that 5ths especially need to be planted with the bodies of Stormers.

[20:16] <+DarrellHayhurst> I like the one with flesh-eating moss all over it.

[20:16] <+JohnC> Are the cryptids core Earth cosm or were they activated by the living land or the law of wonders?

[20:16] <+Catseye> I’m an old school Torg fan. So things like this make the new Torg really attractive to me

[20:16] <+USNA_Deanna> @JohnC A bit of both.

[20:17] <+JohnC> I like how the gospog were portrayed in the novelette.Gave a good feel for them.

[20:17] <+DarrellHayhurst> We leave that kinda up in the air, but we’re clear that cryptids existed in Core Earth even before any invasion. It’s a cinematic world.

[20:17] <+USNA_Deanna> Yup. That’s why the Magic and Spirit Axioms are fairly high.

[20:17] <+Dalhyp> OH! I know this might have already been asked, but what about the other races of the from Classic Torg, do they make a come back?

[20:17] <~Dan> Like the Stalengers, you mean?

[20:18] <~Dan> (Welcome to #rpgnet, Guest52!)

[20:18] <+Dalhyp> YES! Always wanted to play one. . .

[20:18] <~Dan> (Everyone with a Guest## name, you can set your nicks with the /nick command; e.g., /nick Dan 🙂 )

[20:18] <+DarrellHayhurst> Varies by race. I am gonna keep my mouth shut about stalengers.

[20:18] <~Dan> Do they not have a starring role?

[20:18] <+USNA_Deanna> I’ve got about 10 mins left if there are any questions I can specifically answer.

[20:19] <+USNA_Deanna> Are we just focusing on the LL for this chat?

[20:19] <+DarrellHayhurst> Arg Dan! I’m just gonna leave that one up in the air.

[20:19] <+FrankG> How are Miracles addressed in the Living Land book? Expanded rules or just more miracles?

[20:19] <+Catseye> how manay Cosm books are expected to be put out per year?

[20:19] * ~Dan golfclaps

[20:19] <+USNA_Deanna> @FrankG More miracles, though we do some extra things with them.

[20:20] <+DarrellHayhurst> Mostly more miracles, but there are a few rules added. For example there are more “default” miracles that anyone can without knowing them there because of the high spirit axiom.

[20:20] <+FrankG> Dan is the host right? We can’t kick him for the horrible puns? 😉

[20:20] <~Dan> 😉

[20:20] <+JohnC> Any hints to upcoming stretch goals?

[20:21] <+USNA_Deanna> We also basically do the old ‘divine intervention’ in one of the miracles.

[20:22] <+FrankG> I’m still praying for the return of Focus. In vain of course.

[20:22] <+DarrellHayhurst> So my favorite upcoming is waaay cooler than it sounds. They’re these acrylic tokens that we’re looking at for blips and tokens, and at first I was like “big deal” but when I played with the prototypes I absolutely love ’em.

[20:22] <+JohnC> Is the survival box in photo the final look? I know the Delphi council box look changed a lot?

[20:22] <+USNA_Deanna> Focus is gone gone gone.

[20:22] <+FrankG> And that’s why I cry cry cry

[20:22] <+USNA_Deanna> My favorite upcoming I’m not sure if I can say. 🙂

[20:22] <+DarrellHayhurst> Yeah, sorry. One of our hardest rules is no new skills.

[20:22] <+Dalhyp> Spiritual struggles…conversions….sigh… 😦

[20:22] <~Dan> I know that transformed Core Earthers no longer become Neanderthals… Can you tell us the reason for that particular change?

[20:22] <~Dan> (Howdy, DLB_Chuck!)

[20:23] <+FrankG> interesting. What was the rational for no new skills? And was it a heated debate?

[20:23] <~Dan> (Howdy, egyptian!)

[20:23] <+USNA_Deanna> We didn’t like the idea of them becoming ‘dumb apes’.

[20:23] <+DLB_Chuck> Howdy dan

[20:23] <+DarrellHayhurst> No, the photos on the site are all mockups. We do the best we can with that, but its not final until it comes back from the printer.

[20:23] <+USNA_Deanna> @Frank No, that ‘no new skills’ we’ve all been in agreement with from the start I think.

[20:24] <+FrankG> @Dan, transformation doesn’t change any race. So that makes sense. That was an original Torg rule right? I can’t quite remember

[20:24] <+USNA_Deanna> @Frank That said there definitely was a debate on what skills we wanted to keep on the big list.

[20:24] <+DarrellHayhurst> The rationale was the original got a bit out of control with the addition of skills, and it got much harder to jump between cosms when everyone had kind of a different set. Now we’ve got Perks to offload the specific things those skills did, so if we’re missing something we can just add a Perk that modifies an existing skill’s use.

[20:24] <+USNA_Deanna> Yup, Perks solved a lot of our problems.

[20:24] <+JohnC> Transformation was another thing that was handled well in novelette.

[20:25] <+FrankG> A lament things like Climbing just being Strength instead of a skill. (And Toughness for that matter… not that that’s a skill)

[20:25] <+USNA_Deanna> Like I said, there was a debate. 🙂

[20:25] <+FrankG> haha

[20:26] <+JohnC> Torg eternity would really make a good mmorpg or even single player PC games.

[20:26] <+FrankG> I hope some debates were resolved with dice rolls

[20:26] <+DarrellHayhurst> Yeah, our watch-word when figuring out the skills was how often is it used, what is it used for, does everyone *have* to buy this skill just to do something they should be able to do anyway…and so on.

[20:26] <+USNA_Deanna> Getting rid of Toughness as a stat that you put points into went away pretty quickly without too much discussion.

[20:26] <~Dan> Regarding creatures in the LL, are they mostly counterparts to Core Earth dinosaurs and megafauna now?

[20:26] <+DarrellHayhurst> Actually Deanna we had a few rounds of wrestling with that again in the office.

[20:26] <+USNA_Deanna> I’m sure. 😀

[20:27] <+DarrellHayhurst> We’ve got some old favorites back in, and a couple of really weird ones too. The Living Land has insane diversity of life, so we wanted to hit a mix of that.

[20:27] <+FrankG> I’m surprised that there wasn’t much discussion about Toughness. I like weak but tough characters and strong but glass-jawed characters. But maybe that’s just me

[20:27] <+USNA_Deanna> The big reason was that it split the “strong” into two stats, but the ‘agile’ was only one.

[20:28] <+USNA_Deanna> Anyway, I can answer one more Q before I have to go get food for family.

[20:29] <~Dan> What percentage of creatures are mammalian megafauna as opposed to dinosaurs?

[20:29] <+DarrellHayhurst> Yeah, it just worked better overall as one. There’s edge cases where we wish we had room for “Disadvantages” that limit something. Maybe eventually we can find a good place to add those.

[20:29] <~Dan> (Howdy, fantomx11!)

[20:30] <+DarrellHayhurst> Oof, tough one. Fewer mammals and insects, more reptiles, then some just off the wall.

[20:30] <~Dan> There are still giant insects, though?

[20:30] <+USNA_Deanna> We gotta Borr Aka though. It’s a monster. (it says so in the statblock).

[20:31] <~Dan> Is it a carnivore or a herbivore? Because IIRC, the original rules were a bit confused on that point. 🙂

[20:31] <+DarrellHayhurst> Yeah, there’s at least one big bug.

[20:31] <+USNA_Deanna> Anyway, I gotta run folks! I’m always on the forums so if you have more Qs for me ask away there.

[20:31] <~Dan> Take care, USNA_Deanna!

[20:31] <~Dan> Come by any time!

[20:31] <+Dalhyp> A pleasure to “meet” you!

[20:31] <+DarrellHayhurst> Its an omnivore. It especially likes concrete and rusty cars.

[20:32] * ~Dan chuckles

[20:32] <~Dan> That’s delightfully weird.

[20:32] <+DarrellHayhurst> (Kinda like a really, really big goat.)

[20:32] <+FrankG> Thanks Deanna

[20:32] <+Alukar> Can you say more about that awesome insectoid armor you were talking about?

[20:32] <+JohnC> Does the 112 pages for the god box include the stretch goals we unlocked or did that up page count?

[20:33] <+DarrellHayhurst> It’s a relic of the Ustannah. Very rare, very potent. There’s a limit on it (and objects like it) that only one can exist inside a campaign.

[20:33] <+DarrellHayhurst> 112 is after the unlocks.

[20:35] <~Dan> Does the rotting effect of the LL only kick in with Cosm cards now?

[20:35] <+DarrellHayhurst> Insider note, everything tries to print in multiples of 16 pages, so when you see a page count its a bullseye around one one of those, then you hope you either come out a little below or waaaaay above.

[20:35] <+JohnC> Oh and when will you sell a bookcase to hold the core box and all the cosm boxes since I don’t think my shelves are big enough and won’t be able to support the weight after a few more cosms?🤐

[20:36] <+DarrellHayhurst> Yeah, it’s a story thing right. We never want the game to stop so everyone can roll on every item they have at random to see if its succumbed. The card is a good mechanism for that. It can also be a story point.

[20:36] <+DarrellHayhurst> Oooh, Torg branded bookcase! Noted for future stretch goals!

[20:37] <+Dalhyp> The Torg shelf.

[20:37] <~Dan> 🙂

[20:37] <+DarrellHayhurst> And the ends can look like stelae!

[20:37] <+JohnC> At this rate when cosms done will be around 135 pounds or so of weight

[20:38] <+Dalhyp> But can you have enough Torg goodness? Just saying…

[20:38] <~Dan> (wb, DLB_Chuck)

[20:39] * ~Dan chuckles

[20:40] <~Dan> What was the thinking that went into the new rules about “dead things” for the Edeinos?

[20:41] <+FrankG> Yeah, “dead things” is something I struggle with. There seems to be a difference of opinion between different writers and artists and just about everyone

[20:41] <~Dan> (Welcome to #rpgnet, Faerol!)

[20:41] <+DarrellHayhurst> Sort of like the buildings, they just looked cooler with leather and bones, and we were like wait…those are dead things so they shouldn’t use them. Then we took a step back and said if it was once alive, then it’s fine. I mean, they hunt, kill, and eat the meat, so there’s clearly a distinction there.

[20:43] <+FrankG> That makes total sense. And stone? I feel like (but could be lying to myself) I have seen stone weapons

[20:43] <~Dan> Makes sense.

[20:43] <+JohnC> What are the future plans with the infiniverse surveys ?

[20:43] <+DarrellHayhurst> So once we hit on that, then we had a clearer picture of what dead thing meant, and what they were all allowed to handle without being a gotak or renegade. Stone has a spirit in the Living Land, so its actually allowed.

[20:44] <~Dan> Really? That’s interesting.

[20:44] <+DarrellHayhurst> The next set should already be up on the website, or if not we’ll get them up soon. We’re gonna keep collecting results and using those to drive the meta game in different directions, similar to the original. There’s also a few other things that nudge, like our event games and even stuff in the Kickstarters.

[20:45] <+DarrellHayhurst> Like we had a ton of backers from Australia, so now that whole continent is going to feel the effects of the war much sooner than it would have otherwise.

[20:45] <~Dan> Oooo… Interesting.

[20:45] <+FrankG> That’s awesome

[20:45] <+FrankG> And smart

[20:46] <~Dan> Now I’m wondering who goes after Australia..

[20:46] <+FrankG> It’s a perfect place (thematically) for Tharkold

[20:46] <+DarrellHayhurst> I’ve joked internally that I’m going to have Baruk Kaah kill the first Living Land backer in the book somewhere. Time will tell if that’s stays a joke or sees print.

[20:47] <~Dan> Any hints regarding when Ungrosh will show up?

[20:47] <~Dan> (IIRC on the name.)

[20:47] <+DarrellHayhurst> I’ve got about 15 minutes before I need to jump off. Ungrosh gets a mention, but doesn’t show up physically. Yet.

[20:47] <~Dan> wb, USNA_Deanna2!

[20:48] <~Dan> DarrellHayhurst: No problem! That being the case, is there anything we haven’t covered that you’d like to bring up?

[20:48] <+DarrellHayhurst> WB Deanna! No, I like to answer questions. I’m more interested in what people want to know than I am with what I have to say. 😀

[20:49] <~Dan> (And by the way, all of you who showed up for the Q&A, please feel free to stick around! We’re always open for general RPG chatting. 🙂 )

[20:49] <~Dan> Alrighty then… Can you give us some examples of Wonders in the book?

[20:49] <+USNA_Deanna2> Not here long, on phone too🤣

[20:50] <+DarrellHayhurst> Oh gosh, lets see, one example is three ships from the real world. All three were the same class and sank at different times. All three can be stumbled across laying around in the Living Land, and if you can find all three you maybe unlock a secret about them.

[20:51] <+DarrellHayhurst> I don’t remember the names or I’d tease them more.

[20:51] <+FrankG> I want to say two things before you go. (1) Thank you and everyone you work with for bringing Torg back to us. And bring it back so damn well. I’m in heaven. (2) I hate you all. Purely out of jealousy mind you. Seems like a really fun job

[20:51] <+Dalhyp> Is there any discussion about Takta Kar?

[20:51] <+JohnC> Will there be any content between the Kickstarter?

[20:51] <+DarrellHayhurst> Thank you so much! It’s great, I work with amazing people on a game that I love.

[20:51] <+USNA_Deanna2> I really do pinch myself. 😁

[20:52] <~Dan> USNA_Deanna: Do you mind giving your last name? I want to give you credit in the log of the chat when I post it momentarily.

[20:52] <+DarrellHayhurst> Takta Ker we talk about a little, but it was important for us to keep the cosm books really focused on the realm, where stuff is happening and people are fighting. We’ll talk more about the other worlds if the war goes well and we start going to fight *there*.

[20:52] <+USNA_Deanna2> Gilbert

[20:52] <~Dan> Thanks!

[20:52] <+JohnC> Yes thank you for bringing back a game that was a large part of my youth.

[20:52] <+DarrellHayhurst> Content between Kickstarters is still an open discussion. It’ll come down to what makes sense and can be sustainable.

[20:53] <~Dan> Are there any rules about what’s supernaturally “allowed” by Spirit as opposed to Magic, since a high Spirit axiom clearly allows for the undead, for example?

[20:54] <+FrankG> I don’t know if anyone can speak to this, but how have sales been post Kickstarter

[20:54] <~Dan> And on a related note, to what degree do you cover the God of the Dead (brain freeze on the name) in the LL?

[20:54] <+FrankG> For the Core Rulebook and drama deck et al

[20:54] <+USNA_Deanna2> Not really. All the axioms effectively become wishes on the horizon they end

[20:54] <+DarrellHayhurst> There are different ways to get to the same effect, and different levels of power to do it. Rec Stalek is the god of death, and yes he gets his due! 😀

[20:55] <~Dan> Cool. 🙂

[20:55] <+DarrellHayhurst> I actually don’t know numbers. I think it’s actually just now arriving in regular distribution so we’ll know soon. If you’re seeing it a store now it’s because they backed at the retail level and got their stuff directly.

[20:57] <~Dan> Before we wrap up, I’d just like to mention that gratuities are welcome at (Link: https://gmshoe.wordpress.com/the-gmshoes-tip-jar/)https://gmshoe.wordpress.com/the-gmshoes-tip-jar/ for those so inclined. 🙂

[20:57] <~Dan> How are we on time, DarrellHayhurst?

[20:57] <+DarrellHayhurst> Thank you for moderating, this is a great forum!

[20:58] <+DarrellHayhurst> Couple of minutes before I need to run.

[20:58] <+USNA_Deanna2> Food is up so bye!

[20:58] <+DarrellHayhurst> Later Deanna!

[20:58] <~Dan> Thanks, DarrellHayhurst! Please know that you’re always welcome to hang out with us here. Many game authors do. 🙂

[20:58] <~Dan> Bye, USNA_Deanna2!

[20:58] <+DarrellHayhurst> Thank you! Until next time everyone. 🙂

[20:59] <~Dan> DarrellHayhurst: If you’ll give me just a minute, I’ll get the log posted and link you. 🙂