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Count Dooku
Commander
4636 Posts
    
New York
 | | 08/09/2006 9:19 AM |
| I showed the website for this crazy book to the wife one day while surfing the net. I even mentioned that, although awsome, the thing is way to expensive.
Well she preordered it for me the very next day as a surprise gift.
It arrived in the mail today....It freakin unbeliveable!
Needless to say because of its intimidating size and the fact that I got home from work at 7:00 and then ate dinner I really didnt have time to read anything in it.
The book is rediculusly thick. Its like a telephone book. It the most detailed city ever created I think.
Im sure you have all seen the "Player's Guide to Ptolus" thats floating around most FLGSs for just less than $5. Well thats teh first chapter...So all 5 copys that are mailed to you as a bonus can be given away..you dont need to keep one for yourself.
The second chapter is the overview of the campaign world including cosmology and the gods and all the stuff that you need to know outside the city.
Then theres the huge amount of pages on the city, the people in the city, the under-city, the spire ect.
Thees a chapter made up of adventures to take players from 1st to 4th level.
Theres also a chapter on a weird kind of magic/technology called "Chaosatech" and another chapter on new prestige classes and monsters.
Theres 4 of those ribbons built into the book to use as bookmarks and the last page has another 4 cardboard bookmarks you can tear out of the book.
In the back of the book is an envelope filled with individual sheets. Some are encounter tables, one is a fancy calendar for the setting, theres a Ptolus character sheet, theres a quick referance of famous faces in the city, theres maps of important dungeons and taverns.
Oh! Theres paper with royal letterhead and an image of a wax seal in the corner so you can write your own documents on them for the players. Theres a menue for a resturaunt/Inn int he city to give as a handout...A wanted poster...a few copys of licences to bear firearms (guns exist in Ptolus) that players can carry...Theres alot more but I cant remember. There was so much stuff in the envelope.
Oh Yeah! Theres the poster sized map of the city of course.
Just when I thought that this book had it all I found the CD ROM in the envelope.
The amount of bonus stuff on the disk is staggering...Im at work so Ill try to remember all the pdf files on it.
- All the stuff that was in the envelope so more copies can be printed.
- The 4 tear-out bookmarks so you dont have to tear them out of the book..Just print them on cardstock.
- The Players Guide to Ptolus so you can print and give away as many as you like.
- All of Monte Cook's campaign jurnals so you can read his experiances making the book.
- A conversion guide of sorts so you can use Ptolus in Monte Cook's "Arcana Evolved"
- A big 40-something page adventure set in Ptolus called "Night of Dissolution" (if you pre-order you get a free printed copy)
- A pdf of Monte Cook's old 3rd editon super-adventure "The Banewarrens"..wich took place in Ptolus even though it was originally released back in 2003.
- Even more printable handouts..Scraps of Paper with notes on them, Pictures of grafitti on walls, a picture of a tombstone (no doubt theese are handouts for the adventures in the book).
- Printable signs for inns and taverns....a printable wine bottle label (this one floored me..what a cool prop to make!)...just a lot more silly handouts I cant remember.
- A pdf of the book "Chaosatech" that Monte Cook put out years ago (its over 100 pages). Im sure its much more detailed than the chapter in the main Ptolus Book.
- A pdf of the 1st issue of the Ptolus comic book (very nice art..I gotta start buying these comics)
- A short story/novella that takes place in Ptolus written by Monte.
- A sheet of events that happen durring the year (Lightning burns own a church on this date...resury gets robbed on this date..ect). None of these things impact the PCs directly..But if a DM uses them it makes the setting feel more real...I though it was a great idea.
I think there was alot more on that disk but cant recall right now..
Anyway Im rambling...Just wanted to say I got it and its awsome and if you pre-ordered a copy you will have it any day now :)
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Champion of the Skulk
Vindicated Champion of the Twig Blight | |
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Skyscraper
Sergeant
659 Posts
Montreal
| | 08/09/2006 11:24 AM |
| Thanks for the info.
In what world is Ptolus located? Apart from the existence of guns, are there any other unusual world-specific technologies or elements included in this? I'm wondering how well it would fit into my homebrew world.
Sky | |
The wise man doubts often. The ignorant, sometimes. The fool, never. | |
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Count Dooku
Commander
4636 Posts
New York
| | 08/09/2006 11:30 AM |
| quote:
Originally posted by Skyscraper
Thanks for the info.
In what world is Ptolus located? Apart from the existence of guns, are there any other unusual world-specific technologies or elements included in this? I'm wondering how well it would fit into my homebrew world.
Sky
I dont have the book on me (Im at work), but the world is a unique setting with new gods and everything.
As far as what sets it apart from other settings?...Well since I leafed through it breifly I cant give to much info other than this so far.
- Theres a race of lion-headed humanoids called litoran (or litorians, cant remember wich). hey seem to be a PC race.
- Guns exist. But they are primitive looking blunderbuss/arquebus kinda guns. Kinda like in pirate movies.
- Theres Chaositech..Wich Im unsure what it even is yet. but it looks like a blending of magic and technology. Some pictures show a throne with mechanical legs and weird stuff like that.
- Centaurs seem to be a more civilized race. Theres a few pics of centaurs in the city..And one of them is a pretty girl centaur thats wering a button-up shirt, her hair is in a bun and she is wearing glasses and carrying a book. She look like a librarian :) | |
Champion of the Skulk
Vindicated Champion of the Twig Blight | |
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Skyscraper
Sergeant
659 Posts
Montreal
| | 08/10/2006 4:36 PM |
| quote:
Originally posted by Count Dooku
I dont have the book on me (Im at work), but the world is a unique setting with new gods and everything.
As far as what sets it apart from other settings?...Well since I leafed through it breifly I cant give to much info other than this so far.
- Theres a race of lion-headed humanoids called litoran (or litorians, cant remember wich). hey seem to be a PC race.
- Guns exist. But they are primitive looking blunderbuss/arquebus kinda guns. Kinda like in pirate movies.
- Theres Chaositech..Wich Im unsure what it even is yet. but it looks like a blending of magic and technology. Some pictures show a throne with mechanical legs and weird stuff like that.
- Centaurs seem to be a more civilized race. Theres a few pics of centaurs in the city..And one of them is a pretty girl centaur thats wering a button-up shirt, her hair is in a bun and she is wearing glasses and carrying a book. She look like a librarian :)
I see. So Ptolus is a world, not a city. Hehe, i dunno where i got that idea Ζ)]
Thanks for the review, Dooku. If it shows up at my local store, i might flip through its pages. If you feel like eventually posting a short review after reading, i'd be happy to read more about it.
Sky | |
The wise man doubts often. The ignorant, sometimes. The fool, never. | |
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Skyscraper
Sergeant
659 Posts
Montreal
| | 08/10/2006 5:31 PM |
| quote:
Originally posted by Skyscraper
If it shows up at my local store, i might flip through its pages.
... and maybe buy it. The way i said that sorta implied that i wouldn't go any further, which isn't the case!
Sky | |
The wise man doubts often. The ignorant, sometimes. The fool, never. | |
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Count Dooku
Commander
4636 Posts
New York
| | 08/10/2006 6:04 PM |
| | No..Ptolus is a city...The world around it is a new setting but it isnt fleshed out very much. | |
Champion of the Skulk
Vindicated Champion of the Twig Blight | |
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realmaster
Underboss
1969 Posts
Home of the 2002 Winter Olympics
| | 08/16/2006 9:35 PM |
| | I have been looking to buy this but $120 is really steep. | |
Thanks, realmaster. Let's split up!!!!!
RIP Gary Gygax 1938-2008
Unhallowed vindicated champion: van richten
Successful trades:72
Trades in progress:0
Have issues with:1 burning_kazuki
Bad trades:0 | |
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gss_000
Commander
3204 Posts
Baltimore, MD
| | 08/17/2006 9:27 AM |
| [QUOTE]Skyscraper wrote
In what world is Ptolus located? Apart from the existence of guns, are there any other unusual world-specific technologies or elements included in this? I'm wondering how well it would fit into my homebrew world.
[/QUOTE]
Having read the player's guide (my group is about to start a Ptolus campaign), one of the biggest changes is attitude. More so than Eberron, this is a world that is logial consequence of living in a world with D&D mechanics. Whicle magic still is a wondr, no one is freaked out when they see a spell. They give an example in the book of a criminal running away, casting web to clog a street, and the guards reacting with annoyance because they know exactly what that means. It's a lot like seeing a shuttle launch. It's freaking cool, you're impressed by it, but it is an acceptable part of normal life.
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Completed trades: blackthorne, Drakkengi,Thorgrin, Ironfist Boulderbender x2, ckissee, nasamonkey, Username, Star, Ace13 x3, emontedodger x2, Drconveyor, church, Joeyb, Sir Bozak The Damned, Xeromod, the other guy x2, Qucalion of Celene, Dagaron x2, berus316, qillan_dvra, AshloreDarkShadow
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Champion of Radiant Sevant | |
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Skyscraper
Sergeant
659 Posts
Montreal
| | 08/17/2006 9:32 AM |
| [QUOTE]gss_000 wrote
Having read the player's guide (my group is about to start a Ptolus
campaign), one of the biggest changes is attitude. More so than
Eberron, this is a world that is logial consequence of living in
a world with D&D mechanics. Whicle magic still is a wondr, no
one is freaked out when they see a spell. They give an
example in the book of a criminal running away, casting web to
clog a street, and the guards reacting with annoyance because they know
exactly what that means. It's a lot like seeing a shuttle launch.
It's freaking cool, you're impressed by it, but it is an acceptable
part of normal life.
[/QUOTE]
Interesting. I guess this should be a normal behavior, except in worlds where magic is very rare.
Sky
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The wise man doubts often. The ignorant, sometimes. The fool, never. | |
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gss_000
Commander
3204 Posts
Baltimore, MD
| | 08/17/2006 8:01 PM |
| You hit it right on the head. Monte Cook had that in his head when he was helping to design 3rd ed. I've been in campaigns that are magic light in terms of items that started creeping up just from the spells. While you can do it, and do it well, D&D as is definitely is not low fantasy.
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Completed trades: blackthorne, Drakkengi,Thorgrin, Ironfist Boulderbender x2, ckissee, nasamonkey, Username, Star, Ace13 x3, emontedodger x2, Drconveyor, church, Joeyb, Sir Bozak The Damned, Xeromod, the other guy x2, Qucalion of Celene, Dagaron x2, berus316, qillan_dvra, AshloreDarkShadow
For further info go to My Reference Thread and Trade Interface
Champion of Radiant Sevant | |
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Harneloot
Sergeant
575 Posts
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Harneloot
Sergeant
575 Posts
| | 08/25/2006 7:14 PM |
| Hurry!!!! There is only one copy of Ptolus left for the amazing price of $77.95 Really, its worth every penny! | |
"What is to give light must endure burning" -Viktor Frankl
Champion of the Large Myconid
Deacon of the ANY aligned Raistlin. | |
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