Spes Magna Games

Just a quick update today. Busy, busy, busy.

The writing’s picked back up again. I’m still not getting quite as much done as I want/need to, but at least there’s progress. Recently, I statted out the bad guys for the short adventure to be included with Fencing & Firearms. Doing so gave me an excuse to dust off and update my old Unseelie Template.

The unseelie are creatures who’ve been seduced by the dark side of nature. For them, nature is blood red in tooth and claw, more a source of fear than a world of beauty. Many unseelie were normal fey, but others were once non-fey creatures who have given themselves over to the forces of darkness. As Duhnmair, a fey knight, describes in a play-by-post game I’m running, “The Unseelie revel in the darker side of nature. They reject the beauty and creativity that balances the destructive force of a storm or the red fangs of a predator. Their leaders seek to plunge the world into chaos where failure would be the only sin.”

I’m a big fan of adventures that include re-usable material, and a new template fits the bill. Even after the adventure is over and the villains defeated, the Unseelie Template can be used again, applied to different creatures. This template is also a way to get more fey into your game. I’ve never quite understood why the fey seem to get so little consideration in the rules. Folklore and literature are rich with stories about the Little People and the wonderful and terrible things they do to mortals. When I get around to working in earnest on the Novus Mundus campaign world, the fey will certainly be more prominently displayed than fantasy RPG staples such as orcs.

I’m also wonderfully pleased that I’ve received my first official Quid Novi? submission from a subscriber. I read the submission over yesterday, and it is good. As a result, Quid Novi? VII will feature ostriches and emus as the Chance Encounter of the month. Both animals will strut forth fully Pathfinder-compatible and will include what you need to use them as animal companions and mounts. Soon you will finally be able to run that much longed-for Ostrich Riders of the Brazen Plains campaign. A big thanks to Spes Magna supporter Alzrius!

On the bummer front, response to my subscriber-drive contest has been minimal. Of course, it’s only been a little less than a week, so there’s still lots of time. My Quid Novi? subscribers are a big part of my strategy for success with Spes Magna Games. They are the backbone of this little venture of mine, being the folks that I hope will become avid fans (and customers) of Spes Magna products in the future.

So, my wonderful subscribers, let’s get more people to sign up for Quid Novi?! It’s free, fun, and soon will include really large birds.