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A quick status report: work on the BLUEHOLME™ Compleat Rules manuscript is proceeding apace. The cover art is ready for layout (adding titles, logos and such), as can be seen from the teasers appearing here. Once the text is complete there will be a period of play testing – with a simulacrum this is not as long as it tends to be for a game written completely from scratch, as many of the components of game play have been in use for decades. The next step will be layout of the body text, which will give me the exact sizes, content and number of interior art pieces that I will need to commission. I have already approached several artists with regard to this, so I know that the look and quality of this new artwork will live up to the standard set by the public domain art used for the Prentice Rules and the Maze of Nuromen (you know who you are!). Depending on the total cost, this may need crowd funding to finance. Good art costs gp.
So, with that out of the way, I’d like to take a moment to give an overview of what exactly the “Compleat” in BLUEHOLME™ Compleat Rules means. As I’ve said before, the Prentice Rules were meant to cleave as closely as possible to the original “Blue Book”. The Compleat Rules will inevitably have to interpret the possible ways of expanding beyond those first three levels, but the intention is to limit such expansion to appropriate sources like the 3LBBs of OD&D and their first supplement and other contemporaneous writings. The first edition will still be a simulacrum, albeit one of a “what-if” edition of the rules.
Firstly, this will not be the “Expert” to the Prentice Rules “Basic”. The Compleat Rules are intended to stand on their own as a complete (!) rule book, so it does not assume that users have read the Prentice Rules. Compleat will have everything the player or referee needs for 1st through 20th level campaigns. That’s right, I said 20th level.
Character classes will be expanded to include a brand new “witch” class, while character races no longer exist as such. Instead, simple rules will be included to allow most monsters to be used as characters – obviously this will require varying amounts of effort on the part of the referee and player depending on the monster in question, but it’s a far simpler process than one might think.
The Spells, Monsters and Treasure chapters will be considerably expanded. New spells for higher-level clerics and magic-users will be included, as well as a a whole new group of spells for witches. New monsters will be strictly limited to those that can be associated (however loosely!) with the other RPG writings of Eric Holmes, including his most successful character race, the insectoid dreenoi. The latter are taken from the StarGuard! game with the kind permission of the author John McEwan. Even with this limitation, there will be a lot of new monsters – many familiar, but often with peculiar twists appropriate to Holmes. Treasure, specifically magical treasure, will include many more items again adapted to suit the Blueholme view of the game universe.
Finally, in terms of rules, in addition to the expanded character-related sections there will be rules for stronghold building for high-level characters as well as underground, wilderness and urban adventure design. Compleat Rules will also feature a lot more examples and advice for players and referees.
That’s it! I hope you’re all looking forward to it as much as I am!
Glad to hear its coming along nicely!
Well, it was until my computer lost its operating system this afternoon … but back-up hard drives are a wonderful thing!
Do you plan on doing the playtesting yourself or are you perhaps looking for interested parties?
A bit of both. I intend to subject my face-to-face group to intensive testing, but I will also be looking for other groups that can run the game through its paces in actual play.
Are you going to do the things that Holmes wanted, but were rejected by Gygax?
There was a Dragon article that came out when the Moldvay basic ruleset was released? In particular a break from “Vancian” magic using spell points and how to make a character from what ever race/class you want?
Yes and no (or no and yes). There is really nothing to go on regarding a spell point system other than one or two quotes, so I’m not going to just make up something. If anything, the published Holmes magic system with its huge magic books is even more Vancian than OD&D or AD&D, and Blueholme goes along with that. There is, of course, an optional rule about re-memorising spells from scrolls in Blueholme, as a nod to Eric Holmes’s later comment that spell books could be done away with.
On the subject of character races and classes, Compleat will allow any race to take any class, and leave it up to the referee to put any restrictions in place as suit his or her game.
On general principles, Holmes’s other writings do inform and influence Compleat, especially in things like monsters and spells and such.
Graphic / editorial aspects look fantastic as usual!!!
Thanks. 🙂
Interesting project. I shall follow its progress.
Really digging all aspects of this project! Your design skills set a high watermark for all small press rpg books. Can’t wait for the Compleat ruleset!
Well, we little people may not be able to afford the kind of production values that the Big Boys can, but modern technology means that we can certainly strive to create a product that can hold its head up next to the giant in the playground.
I think you should include the Dungeon Chicken.
http://jrients.blogspot.com/2008/09/i-like-this-dms-style.html
I dunno, I kind of lean in favour of the dungeon guinea pig …
I’ve enjoyed BlueHolme thus far and look forward to more.
Thanks for the kind words, Kersus – I’m looking forward to it, too! 😉
The cover is a thing of beauty. Anything I can do to help?
I am excited about this, and as much as I loved Nuromen, I am sad to hear that new art is being generated, unless it is black line-art in the same style, in which case I am delighted. I think the old art brings a certain sophistication to your work and I think it would be better served to keep that feel than to go with something else. Still, whatever art you choose, I am sure the game will be wonderful.
I am interested in doing some of the Art, Micheal. let me know if you need a few pieces.
Don’t worry, Denis, you’ll be in the loop when it happens. 😉