Ganso
Junior Strategist
Posts: 932
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Post by Ganso on Aug 28, 2018 23:55:48 GMT
I know a lot of players miss the Meta Plot advances from the yearly anthology books, but in my opinion, the best exposure to the IK setting came from the IKRPG. I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that the level of detail into the setting the IKRPG books has is top notch. Sadly I think they missed an opportunity here. I mean, they haven't released a book for the RPG line in a while (though, again, NQP still has some stuff in it). I think they could have changed their RPG business model into releasing one or two new splat books a year and updating the fluff for all their IK games that way (WM, Hordes, IKRPG). I guess all I really want is more IK stuff
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skormedlover87
Junior Strategist
Desperately searching for days off to game...
Posts: 517
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Post by skormedlover87 on Aug 29, 2018 1:30:08 GMT
It's possible that the big news they're working on is a new IKRPG edition or something. Maybe that's where a part of the partnership with Fantasy Flight comes in.
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snoozer
Junior Strategist
Posts: 467
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Post by snoozer on Aug 29, 2018 10:42:28 GMT
I think they are pushing it All to NQP. The background General stuff on faction and the General Story. Convieniently they now have a lot of buffer while they re-Tell the old fluff. This is sad for everyone waiting, but it could be beneficial in the Long run as it allows them to plan their story ahed now.
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shoe
Junior Strategist
Posts: 706
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Post by shoe on Aug 29, 2018 15:42:37 GMT
the books are clearly not selling well and there are only two writers on staff so you can expect fluff to come out at a trickle for the foreseeable future
i have read almost every book and frankly most of them just aren't very good. the shae and bri books are dull. the aeryn rudel books that make up the main current storyline aren't well written and he has a very weak grasp of the iron kingdoms in the first place and should not have been contracted to write them. The strangelight book was a waste of time though it did hint at infernal coming out
the caine books are good as was blood of kings and the acosta novellas and that's about it.
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skormedlover87
Junior Strategist
Desperately searching for days off to game...
Posts: 517
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Post by skormedlover87 on Aug 29, 2018 21:34:22 GMT
^ Yeah, the Rudel books. I just can't see how he's a professional writer. I'm not sure he has an editor per say. 200 Stormlances hold their own against thousands of Uhlans for hours and take only moderate casualties? Dumb. Forgetting who has what Jack's in their battle group? Dumb. Screwing up whether you're being flanked on the right or left side multiple times in a couple pages? Dumb.
Even the reader on audible sounded like he knew the writer had screwed up.
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shoe
Junior Strategist
Posts: 706
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Post by shoe on Aug 29, 2018 21:39:23 GMT
^ Yeah, the Rudel books. I just can't see how he's a professional writer. I'm not sure he has an editor per say. 200 Stormlances hold their own against thousands of Uhlans for hours and take only moderate casualties? Dumb. Forgetting who has what Jack's in their battle group? Dumb. Screwing up whether you're being flanked on the right or left side multiple times in a couple pages? Dumb. Even the reader on audible sounded like he knew the writer had screwed up. The first book was not edited at all clearly. The second book was better but still fairly uninteresting compared to Blood of Kings. I just think they don't have the staff to handle the magazine and edit books and write books right now. I mean you can look at the credits on the magazine and if they have two sculptors, two painters, two Writers, four Developers and that's about it for staff that are not administrative functionaries.
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Post by gedditoffme on Sept 1, 2018 9:34:59 GMT
^ Yeah, the Rudel books. I just can't see how he's a professional writer. I'm not sure he has an editor per say. 200 Stormlances hold their own against thousands of Uhlans for hours and take only moderate casualties? Dumb. Forgetting who has what Jack's in their battle group? Dumb. Screwing up whether you're being flanked on the right or left side multiple times in a couple pages? Dumb. Even the reader on audible sounded like he knew the writer had screwed up. The first book was not edited at all clearly. The second book was better but still fairly uninteresting compared to Blood of Kings. I just think they don't have the staff to handle the magazine and edit books and write books right now. I mean you can look at the credits on the magazine and if they have two sculptors, two painters, two Writers, four Developers and that's about it for staff that are not administrative functionaries. So at least the issues with magazine staff being stretched thin is no longer an issue... I like the books, but aside from blood of kings they just don’t seem relevant to the world as a whole. At least not in the way the old expansion books did: where a dozen or so pages could redraw borders, kill characters, or advance the plot. Mark of Caine was fun, but in hundreds of pages was focussed only on Caine: the world wasn’t changed by it.
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Post by Azahul on Sept 1, 2018 14:25:02 GMT
So at least the issues with magazine staff being stretched thin is no longer an issue... I like the books, but aside from blood of kings they just don’t seem relevant to the world as a whole. At least not in the way the old expansion books did: where a dozen or so pages could redraw borders, kill characters, or advance the plot. Mark of Caine was fun, but in hundreds of pages was focussed only on Caine: the world wasn’t changed by it. I can't say I can agree with that particular criticism. I don't get invested in borders when I read a story, that's for sure, and in a character driven game I think it's entirely fair to spend three hundred odd pages just driving that character's personal story and arcs forward. And for Caine, Mark of Caine was pretty dramatic (although damn I wish they'd resolve that cliffhanger). But it would be nice to get some story progression for someone from outside of Cygnar.
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Post by albertairish on Sept 1, 2018 17:21:34 GMT
And now they've cancelled No Quarter Prime. Interesting.
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Grimolf
Junior Strategist
Posts: 246
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Post by Grimolf on Sept 1, 2018 18:11:57 GMT
Not a good sign.
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Post by gedditoffme on Sept 1, 2018 22:22:24 GMT
So at least the issues with magazine staff being stretched thin is no longer an issue... I like the books, but aside from blood of kings they just don’t seem relevant to the world as a whole. At least not in the way the old expansion books did: where a dozen or so pages could redraw borders, kill characters, or advance the plot. Mark of Caine was fun, but in hundreds of pages was focussed only on Caine: the world wasn’t changed by it. I can't say I can agree with that particular criticism. I don't get invested in borders when I read a story, that's for sure, and in a character driven game I think it's entirely fair to spend three hundred odd pages just driving that character's personal story and arcs forward. And for Caine, Mark of Caine was pretty dramatic (although damn I wish they'd resolve that cliffhanger). But it would be nice to get some story progression for someone from outside of Cygnar. My issue is there’s hundreds of characters now, and they can develop 10-20 or so in an expansion (and spread through all the factions) vs 1-2 in a novel. They wouldn’t get as much depth in an expansion book, but arguably don’t do much better in a novel (still confused why I should give a damn about Stryker after 2 long novels about him)
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cain
Junior Strategist
Posts: 243
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Post by cain on Sept 1, 2018 22:28:49 GMT
A little sad about the NQ killing. I was a semiregular reader and quit enjoyed it. I am worried that free content on the webside will be a lot less priority for PP.
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Grimolf
Junior Strategist
Posts: 246
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Post by Grimolf on Sept 1, 2018 23:30:20 GMT
A little sad about the NQ killing. I was a semiregular reader and quit enjoyed it. I am worried that free content on the webside will be a lot less priority for PP. Not only less of a priority. They have no real incentive to keep to any kind of release/update schedule. It’s not like we’ve gotten any new fluff updates since prior to L&L2017, but still.
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skormedlover87
Junior Strategist
Desperately searching for days off to game...
Posts: 517
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Post by skormedlover87 on Sept 2, 2018 2:31:16 GMT
Generally speaking, fluff appears to be of no priority whatsoever. So unless there really is a new IKRPG/L5R partnership with Fantasy Flight or something, I expect fluff to strait die.
Seriously, I think they looked at it and said, this doesn't make money, doesn't draw in new customers and doesn't help retain old customers; end of discussion.
If I may suggest it, it's because their fluff has been pretty poor for the most part. 40k fluff is more than anything what keeps me semi interested in that game even though I don't "play", IK fluff is just not as good, harder to come by and slower to come out.
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Post by borderprince on Sept 2, 2018 4:32:59 GMT
If I may suggest it, it's because their fluff has been pretty poor for the most part. 40k fluff is more than anything what keeps me semi interested in that game even though I don't "play", IK fluff is just not as good, harder to come by and slower to come out. I wouldn't agree about not as good. The IK is a really great setting. But PP haven't really developed it outside of warfare, which is quite limiting. The Strangelight book added some interesting bits and pieces. More could be done well around the edges.
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