Amazing Adventures Pulp RPG IN STORES!

[thegreyelf]

www.trolllord.com/cnc/aa_preorder.html

Okay, so this post isn't STRICTLY about Elf Lair Games, but it is about a project of mine that can, if all goes well, help to FUND Elf Lair Games. So it's appropriate to put it here. As some of you may or may not know, awhile back I wrote a core roleplaying game for Troll Lord Games. It's a pulp-era RPG that is powered by the same rules system that runs Castles & Crusades, and is entitled Amazing Adventures.

The game hit many, many, many production-related stumbling blocks, and has been in what the motion picture industry refers to as "Development Hell" for quite some time. But this week things moved forward full-steam; I approved the final edits, and now, at long last, pre-orders have been opened for it! The pre-order system TLG is using is very similar to Kickstarter, but they're doing it on their own website. There are multiple levels of order, from 99 cents (which doesn't get you the game, but they promise to toast you at one of their in-house sessions) to $100, which gets you not only the game in physical softcover and ebook format, but five "players guide" versions of the game, t-shirts, six limited edition art prints, GM screens, and an advance copy of an adventure I'm working on for it right now. There are varying levels between that gain you elements of the above (ebook, book, t-shirts, screens, art prints, adventure, etc.)

I'm actually almost jealous and tempted to drop $100 on my own game just to get that bunch of swag.

Here's the sales blurb: Amazing Adventures, the newest core game powered by Troll Lord Games' celebrated SIEGE engine, allows you to create any type of pulp adventure hero you want, and customize them as you like! Be it arcane scholars, mentalists, tomb-raiding archaeologists, Asian martial arts masters, or gangsters and G-Men, this game has you covered. And best of all, if you're a fan of Castles & Crusades, you can pick this game up and get playing in a matter of minutes! Inside this book you'll find:

• Eight brand new character classes: Arcanist, Gadgeteer, Gumshoe, Hooligan, Mentalist, Pugilist, Raider, and Socialite
  
• Character customization options: Generic Class Abilities, Traits, Backgrounds, Fate Points, Pulp Costumes, Sanity rules, and more!
  
• A streamlined presentation of the SIEGE engine, which uses a single Challenge Base
  
• Rules for vehicular combat
  
• Guidelines on how to run a pulp game
  
• A complete Monster section with all kinds of pulp beasties from giant apes to Lovecraftian horrors
  
• A complete starting adventure for 4-6 new pulp heroes
  
• And tons more!
  

In any case, I'm putting the word out there in hopes that some of you may be interested enough to throw in a pre-order. It'll help me immensely and will fund the book so we can get it out for Gen Con.

Cheers!

Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using ProBoards

[Sean Michael Kelly]

This, my PA buddy, looks really, really awesome. If you need some "local" playtesting or demos run, let me know!

[thegreyelf]

Hey, man! Been awhile.

Playtest is long done on this one. As for local demos, I'm always happy to have any publicity help I can get, but the Trolls are really in charge of all that.

[Finarvyn]

Have to necro this thread, because I totally forgot to support it.

1. It appears to be really C&C compatible, only modern. Is this the case?

2. Do you know how long the deals are going to last? When does the preorder thing end? (Some of the SWAG looks pretty cool!)

[thegreyelf]

So far as I know the pre-orders are going until the game is released.

It's 99% compatible with Castles & Crusades. I made a few tweaks to the system, there's a LOT more (optional) character customization in the form of traits, backgrounds, and generic class abilities that you can pick up by swapping out other class abilities, the magic system is different, and there are psionics. "Armor" is handled differently, as in pulp games you generally don't see people wearing plate armor, but AC is essential to the d20-based combat system...so essentially you build a pulp costume and that determines your AC. Wearing a trench coat, fedora, gloves, and mask, for example, gives you AC 15.

The core system, instead of using two different Challenge Bases for Prime/non-Prime, uses a flat CB of 15; CC is still CB plus CL; Primes give you +5 to checks.

There are rules for vehicle combat.

That being said, the character classes are compatible with C&C--you'd just have to work up armor lists and weapons allowed for the fantasy game, and that shouldn't be too tough as a lot of them are tweaked from C&C versions.

My goal when I put this together was to give it its own identity, but to have as little learning curve and as much compatibility as possible. It's not like Star Siege, where it's only nominally a Siege Engine game but you have to re-learn everything. No, if you have played C&C, you'll be able to pick this up and just get playing in ten minutes.

I wouldn't go so far as to say it's MODERN--it's definitely rooted in the 20's, 30's and 40's. But it's a good basis for a modern version of the Siege Engine.

Hope that helps--if you head over to the TLG forums there's some pretty extensive discussions of the game going on.

Jason Vey, President
Elf Lair Games
www.elflair.com/
Sent from my Transformer Prime tf201 Using Proboards for Android

[Finarvyn]

Curse you, Jason. I am now a "$100.00: Arcanist!"

This game looks too cool. I've been searching for a detective/gumshoe style game for a while and none of them quite fit what I want. A C&C-like game is probably that game.

[mythos]

These may be stupid questions, and I'm sorry if they are. But is everything I need to run this contained in the rules? Or do I also need a copy of C&C to have all the rules?

[Finarvyn]

My understanding is that it is a self-contained rules set and not just a C&C add-on. It is supposed to be very much compatible with C&C, but it's own game. Jason, want to confirm this?

[mythos]

I'm always looking for a good pulpy action adventure game.
And I love to support new games.
So if this is a complete in one book game, I'll be very interested in buying it.

[thegreyelf]

Hey, folks, sorry I missed this. Yes, this is a complete game, playable with only the core book.

[thegreyelf]

I got word that AA shipped to distributors yesterday, so it should be in stores within a week or two at the outside. If they are not available at the same time, the GM screens and first adventure module will follow VERY close behind (they are done in press).

Be sure to head to your FLGS and ask them to stock it!

[Finarvyn]

Another necro of this thread.

I was visiting my daughter in Columbia, MO, and happened to visit a game store there. I found two new rulebooks for Amazing Adventures: the companion and the monster book. Both are awesome.

I was nowhere near my home so I couldn't recall what stuff came in the kickstart from 2012, and so I ended up buying one of everything they had in stock (including the revised hardback core rulebook). That means I have some duplication on modules and a bunch of extra core rulebooks for my players to use at the table.

I can't believe I had basically forgotten about this game. Now I'm psyched to run some pulp goodness for my group!