Ptolus... vs. Evernight?

[trnorris]

Hey folks..



I just recently purchased FG2 and I've been thinking about possibly starting a game, as my schedule is a bit weird and most existing games don't fit into it very well... (Of course, that means I might have trobule finding players, but eh.)



Basically I'm torn between trying to run Evernight for SW (which I already own) or possibly a campaign based in Ptolus.



So here are my questions..



1) Anyone familiar with the Ptolus campaign setting (ran it, played it, read a lot about it)?



2) If I'm using "just" the SRD to run Ptolus am I going to have a lot of problems? (I'm guessing/hoping not, since this is sort of the point of the SRD)



3) Would anyone be interested in playing a Ptolus campaign? I kind of want to know before I shell out the 60 bucks for the PDF (or 120 for the print version... however the PDF would be ridiculously useful for running an FG game I bet).



4) Would more people be interested in playing Evernight?



By the way.. if SOMEONE ELSE would like to run one of these campaigns and let me be a player I'd be eternally grateful.

[Kalan]

Well mate - you have a spot waiting for you in the Shaintar campaign I'm running if you'd hustle on over to my site

As for the general questions - I know joshuha is running Ptolus right now using the SW rules - and from what I've heard its going pretty good. In fact, if memory serves - several people are running Ptolus, most with just the SRD, and having success.

Evernight is an interesting setting - but its much more "self contained" than many of the other SW settings. It has a very specific beginning, middle, and end to it - but in some ways that's a good thing. I think there's an Evernight game running somewhere round here.

Not much help to you as you're huntin for players - just wanted to chime in

V

[trnorris]

I'm headed over there after I get home I'm at work right now and can't access my SW books and FG at the moment. (Also, see PM).


As far as Evernight.. I haven't read all the way through it yet (in fact I haven't read the actual "adventure" part very closely at all) on the off-chance that I actually get to play in an EN campaign. That being said, it looked a bit like you might be able to lessen the railroading aspect of the adventures and allow the PCs to explore a bit (or insert your own adventures). Although, the world looked pretty lethal, so maybe they shouldn't just go roaming with no particular destination, Oblivion-style. Heh.

Actually, Oblivion is a good example. The main plot of that game (which, just in case you aren't familar with it, it's a CRPG with a huge world to explore) also had a fairly clear progression, but the player could pretty much ignore it as long as they wanted to after the first hour or so of the game.

[Sigurd]

Ptolus is a much more detailed setting than Evernight. Even though its only one city its many times larger in scope and levels.

You could definately play Ptolus with the SRD ruleset. Its not hard to implement the extra stuff ptolus supplies (races etc...) without ruleset sopport. Just use the book.

Its a very popular accessory.

Sigurd

[joshuha]

I have a Ptolus campaign that has been running nearly a year now. We started out with D&D 3.5 but migrated over to Savage Worlds and haven't looked back.

Ptolus, even though its an urban campaign, provides lots of opportunies for different kinds of adventure. Politics, dungeon crawling, undead slaying, etc. are all valid styles of campaigns or adventures you could use. If you can, get a hold of the hardcover. It's one of the best put together and easy to use books I have ever had the pleasure to DM with. Important places, people, items, etc. are all cross indexed to their place of origin in the book on the side margins along with notes and DM tips from Monte's personal campaign.

I am actually thinking about starting up a second group in Ptolus soon but haven't quite commited to that yet. My site is in my signature that we use to organize play time, off session RP, etc.

[trnorris]

Actually Joshua, maybe you can help me.. it seems to be implied in some places that the CD-ROM you get with the hardcover version also has the PDF version of the book on it.. is that right?

The main reason I think a PDF would be so useful is because for the purpose of maps, tokens, minis etc. in FG, I could just take screenshots and do a little bit of cropping (I've had some quite good results with this messing with the Evernight PDF). On the other hand, I don't know if I'd ever get enough people together to make the hardcover version effectively worth the extra 60 bucks.

[trnorris]

Sigurd, thanks for your input! Mostly I was worried about Ptolus possibly referencing other sourcebooks that aren't included as part of the SRD.

I have no doubt it's an extremely well done book.. I have Monte Cook's WoD and I have full faith in him as a designer now (I never thought that WoD could work as d20 but he seems to have accomplished it nicely).

BTW, I'm a totally blind idiot who just now noticed that Joshua and Kalan work for Digital Adventures. Let me just say guys, thanks a TON and please pass that on to your co-workers for me. :-)

[joshuha]

Actually Joshua, maybe you can help me.. it seems to be implied in some places that the CD-ROM you get with the hardcover version also has the PDF version of the book on it.. is that right?

The main reason I think a PDF would be so useful is because for the purpose of maps, tokens, minis etc. in FG, I could just take screenshots and do a little bit of cropping (I've had some quite good results with this messing with the Evernight PDF). On the other hand, I don't know if I'd ever get enough people together to make the hardcover version effectively worth the extra 60 bucks.

The Hardcover does come with a CD that has the handouts/maps/etc. and a couple of other things like the Night of Dissolution adventure and Banewarrens PDF. However, it does not come with a copy of the entire book on PDF (unless they changed that). It does come with a nice coupon though that you can get that stuff cheaper (I think its 20% off).

[Ricco]

If somebody find the Ptolus hardcover in a store, could you mp me because every shops are out of stock now.

I bought a pdf version and made a very expensive color printed version, like the book but it's not the book...