Natural Twenty Games

I’ve been poking around the Wizards site and the 4e character builder. I made my first character D&D 4e Character - Obryn (16) and I’ve got to say the DDI Character Builder utility made it a heck of alot easier. While the volume of choices is still overwhelming it was fun to make a PC.

With my role in the D&D MeetUp group it’s going to behoove me to get up to speed on 4e.  Now combining this rather robust combat game with a good story.  That’s something that has yet to be done by Wizards.  Perhaps I’ll have to go check out the Goodman Games stuff.

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http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?t=456234

This entire discussion is why I don’t like 4e.  It smacks too much of every time a new release for Magic the Gathering or a patch for World of Warcraft comes out.  Each character class or as I refer to them now as “builds” is the focus of the game and the majority of threads surround how to best build the character or how each power can be combo’d for optimum DPS.

While it’s fun to play it’s far too constraining for my play style.

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On a few boards I’ve been asked, “What is Realms of Eldrath going to be like?”  I’m going to let you in on a secret.  I’ve never once made my own campaign world.  Realms of Eldrath is actually my first attempt.  I’m combining years worth of mini-ideas into a semi-coherent whole.   The reason for saying “semi-coherent” is that I actually do not like the campaign point approach presented in the Pinnacle offerings.  The campaign story is built around what the characters do during their adventures not a pre-defined template that shoehorns the players into what needs to be done.

That being said the Realms of Eldrath will present an 50,000 ft. overview vs. containing detailed secrets.  Game related influences include:

1. The Greyhawk Boxed Set - 1984- One of my most beloved purchases.  Even as I read it and questioned, “What the hell is this?”  at the root of it I understood what it was.  Poorly organized it laid a little more groundwork than just the background in the modules and strengthened the framework of Greyhawk.  Every game that each DM ran in Greyhawk was theirs but the shared world allowed others to have conversations like “Do you remember killing Stalman Klim?” - and those who had played The Slaver’s Series knew what you were talking about.
2. The Arcanum -  1984 - hmmm - 1984 again must have been a good year- Another personal favorite.  This D&D clone was better put together than the TSR PHB.  The default world, a proto-Earth where Atlantis still remained above the waves and knights existed in Albion along with barbarians from Hyberborea, meshed well with the classes and races presented.  The rules-set added some D&D-esque house rules like damage reducing armor, pre 2nd edition AD&D non-weapon proficiencies and a non-fire-and-forget magic system but it just felt “right”.

From a fantasy fiction standpoint I’ve always enjoyed the monomyth and bildungsroman type stories - you know, farmboy orhpan off on an adventure saves world.  While RoE won’t focus on that it will follow the standard assumption that the adventurers are just starting their adventuring careers.  So this would be as good as any bibliography for The Realms of Eldrath:

1. The Dragonbone Chair (Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, Book 1) - a low-magic series with very good characters and plot.  It really made me re-think the “orphan with unknown lineage comes into great power” meme that I’d become comfortable with.
2. Daggerspell (Deverry Series, Book One) - even though it’s sometimes a confusing series (lots of flashbacks) it intertwines magic, past lives, and curses into a very good series of books.
3. Assassin’s Apprentice/Royal Assassin - neat magic background, good characterization and a very intriguing social structure kept me entranced while on a two week training course in San Diego.

What sets these books apart from The Wheel of Time or even some of the Midkemian books is that the main characters really aren’t out to save the world.  Their aspirations aren’t that lofty and while there are big-bads in the books none of the protagonists are wielding the power of gods or tossing magic aroundwilly-nilly.

So these are some influences and opinions on what’s gotten me where I’m at.

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I’m outta my funk - things are coming back together.  I’ve been using my new logo on a few boards that I frequent (ENWorld, RPG.net, Pinnacle) and I’ve gotten some great feedback.  Jim over at One Monk made the logo for me and while it’s very simple it’s also iconic to me.

I bought naturaltwenty.com prior to the release of 3rd Edition D&D.  It has always represented what I like so much about rolling the dice when gaming.  That chance of rolling the natural 20.

Look forward to an aggressive release schedule for the upcoming months including:

1. The Realms of Eldrath One Page adventure
2. The Realms of Eldrath Campaign Guide
3. Two Realms of Eldrath Adventures

Agreements are in the process of being signed at RPGNow/DriveThru and I’m also investigating Print-On-Demand options for those that like paper/bound products.

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Greetings - I’m working on some of the download issues on the site - a couple of the plugins didn’t play nice with the database.

Problems should be fixed within 24 hours of this edited post!

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I’m plowing through the Fantasy Toolkits (from my old PDF’s) and reviewing Deadlands Reloaded, Pirates, Solomon Kane, and Shaintar for inspiration but I can’t really seem to find how I should balance Arcane Backgrounds.

I’m not really looking for a definitive builders guidelines but I’m working on some products for actual sale release and I want to give each Arcane Background a distinctive feel and lay down each backgrounds trappings. I may even go to the point of writing up each spell (power) for each background giving them their own feel.

As an example the four Arcane Backgrounds that will be available to PC’s in the initial campaign guide are:

Ordo Arcanum - those born to magic and trained in the magical traditions of the Ordo

Soulwarden - followers of the Twelve who emulate the divine aspects The Maker

Fey - the Unseen are still there and listen to those who carry some of their blood

The Olde Ways - there were religions and gods worshiped before the coming of The Twelve

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I’m just getting back into the swing of things after my dad.  I apologize for the lack of updates lately.  I’ve gotten next to nothing done except for two more pre-gens, some ideas for the cards and a little bit done on the layout.

While the stuff I put together usually looks pretty good I’m still getting up to speed on all of the technologies.  Some days it goes well and others it’s just monotonous.  I’m relatively creative when it comes to background but marrying it to the rules-set sometimes bogs me down.  I worry about balance too much.

While proofing some of my son’s homework I put about 5 minutes into making the Dragon Warriors PDF fillable  -

  it’s nothing earth-shattering but my handwriting is so poor I find fillable things alot easier to use.

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RELEASE -

Greg Volz

Natural Twenty Gaming

Skype: naturaltwenty

marketing@naturaltwenty.com

www.naturaltwenty.com

Natural Twenty Gaming Announces Use of One Monk Miniatures© in Upcoming Releases

Menomonee Falls, WI 02/05/2009 - Natural Twenty Gaming© (NTG) has decided upon using One Monk Miniatures© clip art and miniatures in its upcoming Savage Worlds^TM “Realms of Eldrath^TM” fantasy campaign, adventures and supplements. “One Monk products push all the right buttons when it comes to evoking both gaming memories and getting players excited to game”, said Greg Volz, President of NTG.

Current releases from NTG scheduled for Q1 2009 include three adventures, spell and monster cards, campaign primer, and mass combat scenarios featuring One Monk Miniatures© artwork and figures - www.onemonk.com.

NTG is also scheduled to run events using One Monk miniatures at the Fire & Ice Convention held on 02/28/2009 - 03/01/2009 at the Manitowoc WI Expo Center - more info at www.fireandiceconvention.com

For additional information regarding any of the above products or events please visit www.naturaltwenty.com. One Monk Miniatures© J. Hartman, all rights reserved - http://www.onemonk.com. Savage Worlds and all associated logos and trademarks are copyrights of Pinnacle Entertainment Group. Used with permission - http://www.peginc.com

ABOUT Natural Twenty Gaming - NTG is the creator of role-playing and miniature gaming scenarios, supplements and products.

- END -

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Obryn, Son of Durgan

Obryn, son of Durgan - dwarven Soul Forger*

Growing up as the son of Durgan has always been difficult.  Durgan, clan chief of the Steel Axe Clan, always expected you to take over as clan chief when he passed.  Thorvin, God of the Forge, had different plans for you.

Soul Forger’s have a sacred duty to protect the dwarven homelands and interests, wherever they may be.  Not just the clan of your birth.  A Soul Forger may never be a clan chief as that may distract them from your sworn duties to all dwarves.

You are part of the Order of the Axe - a militant order of the Soul Forger’s.  You’re tasked with traveling the lands, gathering knowledge regarding the enemies and allies of the dwarves and reporting it back to the Grand Foehammer.

Realm of Eldrath stats will soon be posted - keep on the lookout!

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