Book 0 - Prologue : the new kickstarter is LIVE!

[tamsyn]

Alright MOC, most obscure/ impressive VTM book you have?

[Dragoslav]

And contrary to what I thought in the very beginning, I think I can make Esteren work without the Secrets book (risking that my secrets won't match those in the actual book).

That's how I look at it. When I found out that Secrets isn't going to be published for quite a while, I said "screw it" and decided to just come up with my own secrets, extrapolating from what little information we do get from Book 1 and Book 0. The players won't know the difference.

[iznurda]

On the other side, ignore the secrets and apply owns make possible the fact a GM can play at SoE on another table and take pleasure to discover some things. Some elements are lacking to me but I appreciate the freedom I have between the global lines giving by the core book.

And the community is a good source of inspiration, too ^^

iz

[Erich]

It's the book I am also looking forward to most. I rarely run published scenarios, since I prefer improv style and sandbox style GLing.

I'm also more of an improvisation GM: working within a general framework using NPC motivations as my compass and maybe a detailed map or two with set puzzles is my ideal. Every now and again, I'll mix in a packaged scenario, though--lift elements, mix, blend, leave it open-ended. It's half of why I do appreciate the scenario modules; the other half is that published scenarios give direct insight into how the game's authors envision a game going, which is absolutely invaluable information. Even if I end up running it differently, exposure to someone else's ideas serves to enrich my own.

That said, I am also curious as to what lurks in Book 4: Secrets, but I believe that whatever you and I come up with as Game Leaders can be easily meshed in, so I'm also not worried. Even when Secrets comes out, I'll likely view it as more of a guide than strict canon. Did the strict canon thing back in the classic WoD and really didn't like how it turned out, which is why I'm committed to treating Esteren more like Ravenloft than WoD.

Intrigued more by the mysterious "Thema." A book which focuses on the thematic elements of the setting really appeals to me. I'll also echo Crows' desire to see dedicated books on the three prevalent philosophies. The journey of Book 0's Kickstarter has me also wondering about what we would have found on the continent at the end of Yldiane's travel...

[Murder-of-Crows]

Alright MOC, most obscure/ impressive VTM book you have?

I am not sure at this point that I would call any VTM book obscure... after all, they are available at DriveThru. But,

My most treasured book would be the Dark Ages Vampire Limited Edition.

Oh... just found obscure books: Encyclopedia Vampyrica original German edition. As well as the original German city books "Die Stadt, das Blut und der Tod" (Frankfurt by Night), "Wienerblut" (Vienna by Night), and "Reichsgold" (Aix-la-Chapelle by Night for the Dark Ages).

[tamsyn]

I don't count PDFs

I also have the encyclopaedia and limited edition dark ages. Recently got v20 limited through Kickstarter and it's lovely. My fave book though is Kindred Most Wanted. The art and stories are great.

[JohnK]

Hullo, Nel, Esteren Team,

Congratulations on a second successful Kickstarter for Shadows of Esteren, and I was so pleased to see that it got more money in it than the original KS. That says something for your dedications, the fans' desire for new product, and the stretch goals that you introduced into the KS.

Well done, mes amis!

[JohnK]

Hullo, Erich,

Just wanted to offer a belated welcome to the English SoE forums! Good to have folks discovering this game and joining the forums.

I think as word of mouth spreads and as more people get to experience how great Esteren is after playing games run by those who supported the first two Kickstarters, we'll see growing interest in the game. If the third Kickstarter also offers the Book 0 and Book 1 as a package, it is likely it'll even surpass the first two in numbers! Hopefully, haha.

I don't see any reason why the next Kickstarter for Book 2 - Travels won't offer some sort of deal on Book 0 and Book 1 together.

I agree with you about the word-of-mouth business, as once more gamers experience how terrific Shadows of Esteren is, interest will continue to grow in the game. This is one of the reasons why it's a good idea to run games of SoE at local conventions in various Canadian and U.S. cities and introduce more gamers to the system and the game world. I'll be running Esteren at CanGames this coming May, and am looking forward to that.

[JohnK]

Salut, Iris,

Hello,

About the french production, I'm the one who currently writes the more and my program is quite... charged... but some of the books will be surprises... so I cannot tell everything

I had no idea that you're the one currently writing most of the product. Good to know, and looking forward to some of the book surprises.

What the french knows of the differents books on which we have started to work on :

• Dearg - first chapter of th campaign, with scenarios AND context AND ambiance elements ... the next that will be published in french
• the additionnal content for Book 2 becoming hardcover (+ about 60 pages, maybe a little more ...)
• Secrets : an important stage, we want to make down to a fine art... not an easy objective
• a mysterious "Thema", that means a softcover book with a special thematic & a scenario (about 60 pages) ; it should be published with the new esteren album. No precise date, it depends on the album

I assume that the additional content for Book 2 refers to the English edition of the book, or are we talking a revised, French edition in hardcover? Was the original Livre 2 - Voyages softcover or hardcover?

The mysterious "Thema" book sounds very interesting, and I am looking forward to hearing more about this as you are able to talk more about it as time passes. Quite looking forward to the second Esteren album, too.

Btw, are there any plans to write original English game material for the game, or will the English products be translations of the French materials for the foreseeable future?

[JohnK]

Hullo, Erich,

It's the book I am also looking forward to most. I rarely run published scenarios, since I prefer improv style and sandbox style GLing.

I'm also more of an improvisation GM: working within a general framework using NPC motivations as my compass and maybe a detailed map or two with set puzzles is my ideal. Every now and again, I'll mix in a packaged scenario, though--lift elements, mix, blend, leave it open-ended. It's half of why I do appreciate the scenario modules; the other half is that published scenarios give direct insight into how the game's authors envision a game going, which is absolutely invaluable information. Even if I end up running it differently, exposure to someone else's ideas serves to enrich my own.

While I can't say that I'm an improvisational Game Leader/Master, I do tend to be improvisational more often than not. Both my groups tend to find unorthodox solutions to certain game situations, and when it comes down to it, no scenario ever survives the player characters intact. My gaming groups are playing some scenarios adapted from other settings currently, but I've got a couple of fan-created French scenarios translated, have some ideas for a few original SoE scenarios of my own, and plan to run "Poison" when I get the chance to fit it in cleanly.

In my most recent game session with the Sunday gaming group (which you can read about on my blog), I've introduced a major change to one character's life that will have all sorts of ramifications on the characters and the village/town they are in. There are some interesting relationships developing between the characters in both groups that have exceeded my expectations, but there's also been some stuff that I didn't expect to see. There's that thing about scenarios never surviving encounters with the players, again!