A Warning About Mage20th! [Monday Meeting Notes]

Monday Meeting

The above photos show the massive size of the Premium Color PoD version of M20. It is a monster.

Uh, I mean a comprehensive tome of magickal wonder.

(And not something that you could kill your pet with if you accidentally dropped it.)

We’re waiting for the Standard Color version to show up here at Onyx Path Mission Control, but meanwhile, I thought I’d show you this version. Hopefully, we can get M20 Kickstarter backer discount links out this week and get it on sale to the public soon after once the Standard version gets here.

Just as a comparison, here it is with M:tA Revised:

So why am I going on about this? Just bragging in some “mine is bigger than yours” sort of way?

No, not really. (Well, a little.)

Mostly, I want folks to be aware that this book is huge. That means it costs A LOT to print, and its weight would suggest it will cost a fair bit to ship. It’s gorgeous and an amazing testament to Mage: the Ascension and all of its fans, so please remember that when you look at the price on DTRPG. I’m trying to help you all avoid sticker shock.

I also strongly suggest that you choose a shipping option other than Media Mail when you order either of the PoD versions. Those boxes are just really a sleeve of cardboard, which might work fine for most normal sized books, but the weight of M20 means that it is more likely to smash up its corners when joggled even a bit in the truck. We don’t have any control over the packaging the PoD printer uses, so if the corners are a concern for you (and maybe if this is the copy you intend for actual play at the table then the corners aren’t a big thing for you), please look to the other shipping options offered when you order.

I’m also bringing this up because we have seen the size of a lot of our core books blow up in the past several years as our 20th Anniversary books and new editions of other core books have been being created with a certain extended idea of what needs to be in the books. There is something satisfying about seeing your favorite game line get a big, beautiful book. No doubt. And a lot of folks in our community like to have as many of the pieces of those game lines as we can get into that one volume. Also understandable.

Since we here at Onyx Path talk to you and have been focused on re-energizing these game lines, we’ve wanted to get you all excited about them again by giving you everything we could.

So, we now need to look at the results of that kind of thinking and consider how best to engage both our current audience, and potential new gamers. 700 page books filled with as much classic information and flavor as M20 provides, may just not be the best way to pull in new players. I mean, it certainly shows we are serious about the game lines and making beautiful books.

But maybe not so easy for a newbie to get into. Intimidating even.

Don’t worry, we’ll keep thinking about it. We’re full of ideas here.

Meanwhile, Eddy and I discussed his latest con playtest of Pugmire over the weekend, which as always, went really well with a lot of enthusiastic players. I’ve found that even folks who want to joke about sniffing butts and chasing cats get very quickly drawn into the world and the roleplaying and get into some serious, if fun, playing, really fast.

We also touched on V4 and what questions and method Eddy will be using to reach out to our VtM community once he is ready to start some conversations rolling. This led into a further conversation in our second meeting about how we should set up the backer feedback for the Exalted 3rd PDF errata. No finished solutions yet, but lots of good ideas. Like I said, we’re full of them.

Well, we’re full of something.

Next week, I’m hoping that I can convince Mirthful Mike to step in and do a fill in on the Monday Meeting Notes for me as I’ll be out the first half of the week with a family obligation. So be ready for a very different blog from him.

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And now, the BLURBS!

Vampire 20th Anniversary Edition: The Dark Ages is NOW available in PDF and PoD versions at DriveThruRPG.com! This massive full color tome is part of the V20 line but does not require V20 to play and enjoy.

The Demon Translation Guide PDF and PoD versions are on sale now! We take fiendish delight in presenting this devilish guide to transferring your Demon: the Fallen and Demon: the Descent characters from one setting to the other: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/151502/Demon-Translation-Guide

The Pugmire Pamphlet we had available at Gen Con is now ready for PDF download. Read about the world of Pugmire from the enthusiastic and optimistic pen of Princess Yosha Pug, as well as notes from the gruff and worldly hunter Pan Daschund: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/153518/Pugmire-Gen-Con-Brochure

The sixth and final Pugmire poster for now, Spike Mutt, is on the loose now as a free PDF or $.99 physical poster, suitable for framing: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/150845/Spike-Mutt-Pugmire-Poster-6

The fifth Pugmire poster, Pan Dachshund, is ready now as a free PDF or $.99 physical poster, suitable for framing: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/150844/Pan-Dachshund-Pugmire-Poster-5

The fourth Pugmire poster, Jack Rat-Terrier, is on-sale now as a free PDF or $.99 physical poster, suitable for framing: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/150944/Jack-RatTerrier-Pugmire-Poster-4

The third Pugmire poster, Sgt. Leo Bulldog, is available NOW as a free PDF or $.99 physical poster, suitable for framing: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/150843/Sgt-Leo-Bulldog-Pugmire-Poster-3

The second poster, Princess Yosha Pug, is available now: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/149750/Princess-Yosha-Pug-Pugmire-Poster-2

And the first poster, Sister Picassa Collie, is here: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/148516/Sister-Picassa-Collie-Pugmire-Poster-1

Start spreading the Code of Man!

Dread Names, Red List for V20 is now on sale! This collection of the most dangerous Kindred ever called Anathema is available in both PDF and hardcover PoD versions: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/150381/V20-Dread-Names-Red-List

W20 fans can howl for the first new Werewolf the Apocalypse novel in decades! The Poison Tree novel by Mike Lee (long-time White Wolf writer and developer, and internationally famous Warhammer author) now available in PDF, ePub, and PoD versions! http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/150855/W20-The-Poison-Tree

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And now, new project status updates!:

DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM ROLLICKING ROSE (projects in bold have changed status since last week):

First Draft (The first phase of a project that is about the work being done by writers, not dev prep)

M20 Book of Secrets (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

Exalted 3rd Novel by Matt Forbeck (Exalted 3rd Edition)

CtL anthology (Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition)

Dark Eras Expansions (nWod Dark Eras)

Pugmire Early Access

Dark Eras Companion (nWod Dark Eras)

VtM Lore of the Bloodlines (Vampire: the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition)

WtA Kinfolk (Werewolf: the Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition)

Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition

V20 Ready Made Characters (Vampire: the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition)

Beast Ready Made Characters (Beast: the Primordial)

Beast Fiction Anthology (Beast: the Primordial)

Cavaliers of Mars