If there was one thing I'd personally love, it would be anything that makes it easier to use in or convert to DCC, which do I realize is a niche ask. Maybe it's already easy, I just haven't figured it out yet. Ofc more creatures/races are always welcome. Maybe more weird lamps with Conditions. Town/npc ideas? Idk. Otherwise I love the art, love Scrap Princess, love the Tone, very excited to see a physical book.
One thing that I've found myself doing to better use the original (which I have printed from PDF and learned book binding since I only discovered it once it was out of stock) is a relationship chart for the various creatures and Factions — how might they relate to each other — how would their intentions play off each other... that kind of thing
Personally I thought everything about the original was nearly perfect, and the only thing I'd change if I could would be for the mechanical bits (stats for enemies, climbing rules, etc.) to use the Into the Odd/Mythic Bastionland OSR system, the same way that Silent Titans did. I run everything I can in that system, and am always having to convert stuff on the fly.
I've had the original book for a few years and it's one of my favorite RPG books full stop. I haven't used it for a whole campaign but I've used a huge amount of it piecemeal.
The book works fine at the table, never had any problems with that.
I would enjoy more on the ecology and economy of the veins, how things like lumens, calories, and barter circulate. I would also be interested in more explicit material connecting the world above and below, maybe tables of things that those below really want, along with ways of figuring out how scarce they are. Same with things from underground that surface dwellers may want: stuff like rich veins of mythical ore, gem clusters, or magical furniture that is useful for communing with underground powers. Having more reason for ascending and descending between the two spheres is what I'm looking for i think.
Personally what I'd like more detail on is cities and towns in the Veins. If I was going to run a campaign down there I'd need somewhere for the players to be based and to do relatively normal things. Crawling along in the darkness on the verge of starvation through a totally alien and hostile environment is fine, but, it makes more sense to me if there's a comparatively safe place for the players to go out from and come back to.
Maybe there are trading hubs between the Veins and the surface - maybe like a former prison colony that's blossomed into an underground kingdom. It makes sense that the human societies down there would be constantly terrified and sandwiched between greater powers, having to constantly negotiate for their lives, their shabbily dressed ambassadors grovelling at elvish courts. Like a cold war where both sides are the Soviets. The quests are all "bring this masterwork sculpture to the dwarf prime minister so he doesn't wipe us off the map for being mildly inconvenient."
Basically what I'd like is more of a framework for who the PCs are and why they're in the Veins. I know the point is that the environment is not designed for human needs, but if I'm running a game down there, I'd like to be able to start my players off with a relatively "normal" set of goals. The vast caverns and incomprehensible monsters might be stronger if they're contrasted against some kind of baseline of normality.
Also bring on all the really weird shit with the drow. It's time.
Don't give in to the plebians who want it to be "easier to use at the table".
I really enjoy having "good paths" that can take you miles and miles, and "bad paths" where you crawl for hours to not get anywhere. I.e. the Veins as a tangle where you can always go in any direction, but only a few paths are practical. But I haven't played it much so don't weight this highly.
Very excited for Veins of the Earth hardcopy that I can show to people.
I ran the Mondmilch recently, it was awesome! I found it best to just read the text directly to the players, I think maybe some of the text I repackaged into the quote of a dying necromancer.
If anything, it probably could be slightly more organized, but I’m not sure how. I love the book though, I’m using the actual ‘veins’ concept to develop some map-space now!
If there was one thing I'd personally love, it would be anything that makes it easier to use in or convert to DCC, which do I realize is a niche ask. Maybe it's already easy, I just haven't figured it out yet. Ofc more creatures/races are always welcome. Maybe more weird lamps with Conditions. Town/npc ideas? Idk. Otherwise I love the art, love Scrap Princess, love the Tone, very excited to see a physical book.
One thing that I've found myself doing to better use the original (which I have printed from PDF and learned book binding since I only discovered it once it was out of stock) is a relationship chart for the various creatures and Factions — how might they relate to each other — how would their intentions play off each other... that kind of thing
Personally I thought everything about the original was nearly perfect, and the only thing I'd change if I could would be for the mechanical bits (stats for enemies, climbing rules, etc.) to use the Into the Odd/Mythic Bastionland OSR system, the same way that Silent Titans did. I run everything I can in that system, and am always having to convert stuff on the fly.
Finally!!! I have been waiting for this to come back into print! I was just thinking about it the other day and wishing I had a hard copy
I've had the original book for a few years and it's one of my favorite RPG books full stop. I haven't used it for a whole campaign but I've used a huge amount of it piecemeal.
The book works fine at the table, never had any problems with that.
I would enjoy more on the ecology and economy of the veins, how things like lumens, calories, and barter circulate. I would also be interested in more explicit material connecting the world above and below, maybe tables of things that those below really want, along with ways of figuring out how scarce they are. Same with things from underground that surface dwellers may want: stuff like rich veins of mythical ore, gem clusters, or magical furniture that is useful for communing with underground powers. Having more reason for ascending and descending between the two spheres is what I'm looking for i think.
Personally what I'd like more detail on is cities and towns in the Veins. If I was going to run a campaign down there I'd need somewhere for the players to be based and to do relatively normal things. Crawling along in the darkness on the verge of starvation through a totally alien and hostile environment is fine, but, it makes more sense to me if there's a comparatively safe place for the players to go out from and come back to.
Maybe there are trading hubs between the Veins and the surface - maybe like a former prison colony that's blossomed into an underground kingdom. It makes sense that the human societies down there would be constantly terrified and sandwiched between greater powers, having to constantly negotiate for their lives, their shabbily dressed ambassadors grovelling at elvish courts. Like a cold war where both sides are the Soviets. The quests are all "bring this masterwork sculpture to the dwarf prime minister so he doesn't wipe us off the map for being mildly inconvenient."
Basically what I'd like is more of a framework for who the PCs are and why they're in the Veins. I know the point is that the environment is not designed for human needs, but if I'm running a game down there, I'd like to be able to start my players off with a relatively "normal" set of goals. The vast caverns and incomprehensible monsters might be stronger if they're contrasted against some kind of baseline of normality.
Also bring on all the really weird shit with the drow. It's time.
Will the module remain tied to LoTFP, or will you use another OSR system?
Probably about as much as before. LotFP is essentially a clear version of BX/AD&D and the new version will retain that basic compatability.
Don't give in to the plebians who want it to be "easier to use at the table".
I really enjoy having "good paths" that can take you miles and miles, and "bad paths" where you crawl for hours to not get anywhere. I.e. the Veins as a tangle where you can always go in any direction, but only a few paths are practical. But I haven't played it much so don't weight this highly.
Very excited for Veins of the Earth hardcopy that I can show to people.
I ran the Mondmilch recently, it was awesome! I found it best to just read the text directly to the players, I think maybe some of the text I repackaged into the quote of a dying necromancer.
If anything, it probably could be slightly more organized, but I’m not sure how. I love the book though, I’m using the actual ‘veins’ concept to develop some map-space now!
As I recall the 3d projection mapping was an issue in the prior edition. A neat idea, but perhaps one in need of more design iterations.