#Randomworlds Q&A

<+Felix> Good evening everyone! Thank you for your interest in New Horizon. Also, a special thanks to Dan for giving me the opportunity of being here today. I’m looking forward to answering any questions you might have for me tonight. I’m the creator and author of New Horizon: A Dark Fantasy All-In-One Core Book

<+Felix> done!
<+Guest007> Good evening. I’m usually known as AsenRG on forums…but decided 007 is good enough for tonight.
<~Dan> Thanks, Felix! The floor is now open to questions!
<+Felix> excited!
<~Dan> Felix: What can you tell us about the game’s setting?
<+Felix> The game offers a medieval dark fantasy setting. And revolves around a fictional fantasy world that shares many of our Earth’s traits. It’s heavily based in the middle-ages and ancient mythology.
<+Baragei> I’m not allowed to adress Felix, so if someone could ask him what exactly is dark about it?
<~Dan> What makes the setting stand out from the competition?
<+Guest007> Good question, Dan :). And I’d like to add “what’s dark about it”?
<+Felix> Dark is not to be confused for Horror. Dark is slightly gory, and weird in its own way. A lot of people make the assumption dark is horror.
<+Felix> Dan the game is special in it’s own way. From the way the world is introduced, to all components involved. It’s rather difficult to transmit the experience it delivers by text without the product in front of you.
<+Felix> It’s unlike any tabletop rpg in the market right now.
<~Dan> Hmm. Are there the usual fantasy suspects — elves, dwarves, orcs, etc.?
<+Guest97> Some bold declarition, @Felix. I like bold authors
<+Felix> Dan, The five races are, Human, Dwarf, Elf, Orc, and the new Valkin. The later, sharing common traits with humans, and are capable of flying with their wings.
<+Baragei> The one thing I’ve managed to glean from Felix many, many words about it is that the game isn’t D&D.
<+Felix> thank you 97!
<~Dan> Can you describe magic in this setting?
<+Guest97> so Its violent, sinister and gory… how about civilization acommodates to your dark world?
<+Felix> Absolutely Dan, spells aren’t learned as you level. But rather can be acquired from guilds once the PC reaches the required level. A total of 3 spells can be learned at the same time. And once you wish to learn more, one must be forfeit.
<+Felix> Dan, it’s important to note skills and spells work around action points.
<~Dan> Can you explain action points? (Maybe after answering Guest97’s question first?)
<+Felix> sure 1 sec
<+Guest97> no, please. Let us permit Felix developes his line of thought
<+Felix> Guest97, yes civilizations are there. Each race has their own country. Vancroft for Humans, Lindfell for Dwarves, Kenjiwah for oriental Humans, Khimesh for Orcs, Elmora for Elves. Valkin don’t have a specific territory, they’re a newly discovered race in the game.
<+Felix> Dan, action points are earned as the PC levels. You start at 2 and make your way up to 5AP, which are the strongest spells. With the exception of “Legendary Foes” which have 10AP and unleash devastating TPK type of moves.
<+Felix> Dan, the game gives players a challenge like no other.
<+Felix> Dan, you need to use tactics if you want to survive in this game.
<+Guest97> whats the general feel of the setting regarding to those civilizations? Are those like braços in the darkness of your setting? or spanning countries?
<~Dan> (Welcome to #randomworlds, Guest54!)
<+Guest97> (sorry, slow at typing. continue please)
<+Felix> Guest97, yes the nations have their own drama going on around themselves, Lindfell was founded thanks to the Dwarves declaration of independence from Vancroft, for example.
<+Felix> There’s sort of resentment going on between Dwarves and Humans. Same for Humans and Orcs.
<~Dan> How do the Dwarves and Elves get along in this setting?
<+Felix> Orcs were largely exploited by humans in the past.
<+Guest97> Those obnoxious humans!
<+Felix> Dan, due to the bloody war in Ezorian history Dwarves and Humans resent each other. But some already got over it, the war was nearly 50 years ago.
<+Felix> Humans are evil 97!
<+Felix> Dwarves keep their territory under tight control, thanks to marauders patrolling the region. Lindfell is the source of many precious gems.
<+Guest97> Some chance to redeem t hem on your game. Some Major Soure of general goodness a heroism?
<+Guest97> (sorry. slow and bad typist xd)
<+Felix> Absolutely Guest97, there’s a ton of things going on aside from just mindless battle. There are ranks you can earn, professions you may undertake, you could have children, your children could carry on your legacy, etc…
<+Felix> The professions pay the PC weekly, so when players step down for the week, you come back to some $$$ in your wallet which you can spend in various things.
<+Guest97> tell us a bit about distinguishing military orders, guilds, league,s whatever?
<+Felix> Battles only make up for a small percentage of the game
<+Guest97> good to hear. I do not rely heavily on battles for sessions
<+Felix> Sure, each country has its own specialized guild. Elmora, has the sharpshooters guild. Also, Loriwhyn is a nation I forgot to mention earlier, they offer a good mixed civilization there. It’s aldo the home of the Mage’s guild.
<+Felix> Traveling is calculated by days, each grid square on the map is equivalent to two days travel or so. Your PC needs to eat and drink to stay alive, lack of food could cap certain stats.
<+Guest97> I was about to touca that subject
<+Felix> There’s only a limited amount of items you can carry. That adds to the challenge!
<+Guest007> Why? Are mules unavailable?
<+Baragei> I hope Dan gets a review copy after this
<+Felix> They are!
<~Dan> How common are monsters in this setting? How likely is the average peasant to have seen one?
<+Felix> Guest007, Mules are actually refered to as Mares in the game. You can buy one and they can carry items for you. That also increases travel speed. But you must feed and care for them.
<~Dan> Baragei: Heh. Thanks.
<+Guest007> Mares? What are female horses called, then :D? And either way, then my carrying limits are limited by how much a mule or two can carry, if I’m willing to lead it/them…and that’s a whole lot.
<+Guest97> for me, that is plenty of roleplay oportunities surrounding long term travel and meeting new countries, civilization. your game gives it good emphasis then? right?
<+Felix> Dan, the beasts are everywhere. Demons prefer dark places like caverns, while colossal beats like dragons and gorechimeras prefer woodlands
<+Felix> beats*
<+Felix> beasts*
<+Guest007> You got it right the first time.
<~Dan> Gorechimeras? What are they like?
<+Guest97> answered already, thanks
<+Felix> Dan, a Gorechimera is nefarious beast. The serpents head inflicts poison with each bite, the goats head casts spells, and the lions bite can tear you apart. Strategy is key!
<+Felix> I’m going to catch up with the top 1 sec
<+Felix> Guest007, Mares are mares lol. They can carry up to six different items in stacks of 3. Healing potion x3, etc…
<+Guest97> the game gives a good deal of importance to travel. Just nice.
<+Felix> One mare is often plenty, they’re expensive too.
<+Felix> There’s a lot of detail to it indeed.
<+Guest007> Sounds good.
<+Guest007> OK. Let me repeat the earlier question: what about the combat mechanics would make me prefer your game to something like BRP or Mythras?
<+Guest007> I mean, the description tells me it’s got parrying and counters, and hacking off limbs. Great. But the aforementioned games are also well-known for it. So?
<+Felix> Thank you, the key to make the game consistent was never to lose track of the goal during writing. 7 days a week non stop, I felt like I was part of this world. And that’s also the experience it transmits to players.
<+Guest97> we know that there is some well defined races/c ivilizations, se learned a bit about their policies, that they are reasonably vast… How they deal with races which didnt have a national country, “barbarians”, settlers, et alia?
<+Felix> Guest007, that’s a tough question for me to answer due to combat being so uniquely shaped, but I’ll give it a try right now.
<+Baragei> I still don’t know what you’d ask for if you wanted to buy a female horse. Is specifying “not a hybrid mare” a thing?
<+Felix> let’s start with combat, then I’ll work my way down
<+Felix> Guest007, There’s 3 different tiers of combat. Basic, Advanced with targeted moves, such as disarming an opponent, breaking their ribs, or legs. Each with its own stat mod.
<+Felix> and parry & counter
<+Guest007> OK so far… something like “how complicated you want it to get”?
<+Felix> One of my favorite things about combat, is the need for strategy. a Goblin cavalier for instance, has extreme speed while mounted. You’d want to kill the horse first, that type of thing.
<+Guest007> Makes sense :).
<+Felix> Yes guest007, a GM could even use these tiers to be some sort of reward as you level. As you acquire more experience in the game and such.
<+Guest007> OK. So let’s dive off the deep end…what makes the crunch-heaviest tier so unique&different from existing games?
<~Dan> (Back in just a sec.)
<+Felix> guest97, Barbarians are a thing yes but there’s not a lot of emphasis around them. What you’re likely to come across are bandits and assassins.
<+Baragei> oh dear,,
<~Dan> (back, sorry)
<+Felix> np wb
<+Felix> 007 i’m onto your question 1 sec
<+GrumpyFox> back again (guest97)
<+Guest007> No problems.
<+Felix> wb guest97, Barbarians are a thing yes but there’s not a lot of emphasis around them. What you’re likely to come across are bandits and assassins.
<~Dan> (wb, GrumpyFox)
<~Dan> What is the most powerful spell in the setting? Or, barring that, can you give us some ideas of what magic can do on the high end of the scale?
<+Felix> guest007, what makes it different? It’s very possible your character won’t make it past lv.3 once you hit that top tier you’ll feel like god.
<+GrumpyFox> Ok. and How about other races? is there another race/species which deserves a word or two? (even if it got no country to call their own)
<+Felix> Dan, the most powerful spell in my opnion would be Seism II that’s unleashed by the 999HP Gigant. A legendary foe btw, that’s not some random encounter.
<+Felix> The spell could split the earth in two, and if a certain number is rolled in the combo it could end in tpk.
<+GrumpyFox> Might
<+GrumpyFox> Mighty fancy spell
<~Dan> Felix: Do you have a character sheet that’s available to view?
<+Felix> aside from seism, Bolide is also another favorite. It’s like invoking few meteorites from the heavens.
<+GrumpyFox> Me like it!
<+Felix> I’ve an empty one that can be viewed hereah (Link: https://s3.gifyu.com/images/pg.8-CA2.md.jpg)https://s3.gifyu.com/images/pg.8-CA2.md.jpg
<+Guest007> Depending on the size, that might be guaranteed TPK… Tunguska sends you its compliments;).
<~Dan> One point of confusion for me: Is the game called New Horizon or Knights & Legends?
<+GrumpyFox> Spell is a well developed form of art then?
<+Felix> Dan, good question!
<+Felix> GrumpyFox, definitely yes. Some spells require the use of a archistaff to be cast. Most lv3+ spells do.
<+Felix> Dan, the game is called New Horizon and it’s set in the universe previously introduced by its predecessor.
<+Felix> Dan, with the big thing being, there’s a lot of meat to the bone this time.
<~Dan> Knights & Legends is the prior game?
<~Dan> (Howdy, Silverlion!)
<+GrumpyFox> o/
<+Felix> Dan, Lore wise yes. NH does a brief recap of previous events set in the old supplements, of what I now refer to classic K&L. New Horizon only shares the same lore, but it’s a whole nother beast.
<~Dan> So based on the character sheet, it looks to be a class/level system?
<+Felix> Dan, that’s correct.
<~Dan> How many classes are there?
<+GrumpyFox> If I can be a glorified vagabond… the game is cool on me xd
<+GrumpyFox> “Freeman”
<+Felix> Dan, 12 classes and 12 occupations to pick from.
<~Dan> What distinguishes a class from an occupation?
<+GrumpyFox> thats good question alright
<+GrumpyFox> curious
<+Felix> Dan, occupations are professions a PC undertakes when you’re off the table. When you come back you got $$$ in your wallet. Each occupation pays different rates, some occupations are achieved as your PC levels up
<~Dan> Whereas classes are the adventuring jobs?
<~Dan> So a Wizard could also be a Blacksmith or something?
<+GrumpyFox> still curious
<+Felix> Dan, Classes are the vocations. Things like Warrior, Hunter, Shaman, Samurai, Warlock, Ranger, etc… those determine what kind of fighting abilities you can learn, weapon type you can use, and so on.
* ~Dan nods
<+GrumpyFox> @Felix sort of a “call in Life?”
<+Guest007> So long…standard class/level (“standard” in the sense that D&D kinda does the same thing, albeit a bit differently). So, about that unique thing I asked you earlier?
<+GrumpyFox> No “dual classing” then I guess (not complaining)
<+Felix> Dan, yes they could be a blacksmith but that would require lv3+. Also, each vocation and job you take will grant the PC certain stat boosts. Once you change either of them, the mod is replaced by the next one.
* +Guest007 whistles innocently.
<+Felix> GrumpyFox, in a way.
<+Felix> Guest007, sorry could you repeat the question? My bad.
<&Silverlion> (HI DAN!)
<+Oopserator> Goodnight, A/all!
<~Dan> (Sleep well, Oopserator!)
<+Felix> gn! Oopserator
<+GrumpyFox> g’night, O!
<~Dan> (Interesting note: Oopserator doesn’t play RPGs currently but likes this place for the company. )
<+Felix> There’s a lot of fun to be had in TRPGs when you play nicely
<+Guest007> OK. So let’s dive off the deep end…what makes the crunch-heaviest tier (of combat) so unique&different from existing games?
<+GrumpyFox>
<~Dan> Actually, before we get to the deep end of combat… can you describe the basic task resolution system, Felix?
<~Dan> How would you handle something simple, like jumping over a gap?
<+Felix> Guest007, I answered that before about the 3 different tiers of combat etc… But being that are 100s of systems out there, it’s rather impossible to tell each one apart. The game has it’s own set of rules and stuff, we’ve been talking about that.
<~Dan> (Welcome to #randomworlds, Guest25!)
<+Felix> Dan, task resolution is pretty straight forward. You could try to persuade someone using your title bonus + Wis (wisdom) + a dice, you could descend or climb using a grappling hook with STR + Dice, and things of the sort.
<+GrumpyFox> Gory setting. Gory Combat. it plays fast?
<~Dan> What is a title bonus?
<+Felix> there are common, and uncommon titles. Common gives you a bonus +1 to persuation while uncommon +2
<+GrumpyFox> (know that u have tried for a creatina lv of strategy… but strategy and fast-pace arent mutually exclusive I think)
<+Felix> Dan, each title is earned by performing random tasks. My favorite is Legend, the requirement is to survive all battles.
<+Guest54> So it can only be earned posthumously.
<+Felix> Grumpyfox, not fast passed. Combat is heavily based in strategy.
<+GrumpyFox> if it is a high level of strategy… then ok
<~Dan> (Guest54: You can set your name with the /nick command; e.g., /nick Dan )
<+Guest007> I see. Well, I don’t think “how is it different from the grandfather of d100 systems” is an unreasonable question when one proclaims a game to be unique…but so be it!
<+Guest007> BTW, speed of resolution doesn’t preclude strategy IME.
<~Dan> What sorts of dice does the game use?
<~Dan> Car54: Cute.
<+Felix> Dan, polyhedral dice are used for the game. Mostly d6, d8, d12, and d20
<~Dan> Which one is used for general task resolution?
<+AsenRG> Good bye, all!
<+GrumpyFox> see ya space cowboy!
<+Felix> Dan, when it comes to task resolution it’s often d8 + Attributed required for the situation. It normally has to surpass a set amount. Let’s say your PC’s wisdom is 7 and you roll 2, +1 common title bonus, and the required amount was 9. You’d have successfully persuaded the NPC in question.
<~Dan> Does combat work off of the same basic mechanic, or is it its own thing?
<+GrumpyFox> I have a question regarding the book itself @Felix
<+Car54> When calculating the difficulty of a task, do you alter the target number, the die used, or both?
<+Felix> Dan, combat has it’s on mechanics. Basic combat would start in something as simple as 1d8+ STR – Target’s DEF. But could become something like, Spell + WIS * 2 – Target’s SPI (spirit) in the event the foe had a weakness to element type being used.
<+GrumpyFox> that kickstart art sample’s illustrator will provide the cover?
<+Felix> Dan, when it comes to parry & counter it gets a bit more complex SPD (speed) comes into play also.
<~Dan> Felix: I see. And how is damage figured? Do weapons get their own damage dice?
<+Felix> Grumpyfox, I didn’t understand the question sorry.
<+GrumpyFox> and did that art samples translate your worldview closely enough
<+Felix> haha eli5 now yes
<+GrumpyFox> No. Im sorry. My English spelling skill are a bit rusty
<+Felix> grumpyfox, absolutely I went on to have a full size canvas hanging in my living room
<+GrumpyFox> really nice!
<+Felix> Dan, weapons offer certain stat boosts associated with them. But there’s no roll per weapon.
<~Dan> Ah, so does degree of success affect damage?
<+Felix> Dan, matter of fact I should rephrase that. Special weapons, do have rolls associated with them. Those would be Javelins, shurikens, and firebombs.
<+GrumpyFox> Let me try again, @Felix. The artist responsible for the canvas on your living room… will provide cover art for the pdf?
<+Felix> Grumpyfox, all artwork you see available is included in the game book. It’s all licensed artwork from over 11 different artists.
<+GrumpyFox> Many varied art very nice
<~Dan> Felix: Does the game have a bestiary, and if so, how large?
<+GrumpyFox> *very curious aboui it*
<+Felix> Dan, yes it does! Another favorite of mine, check it out (Link: https://s3.gifyu.com/images/pg.80-Giant.jpg)https://s3.gifyu.com/images/pg.80-Giant.jpg 32 random encounters and some campaign exclusive enemies that are also included in the nearly 100 page campaign.
<~Dan> Nice artwork!
<~Dan> Felix: In the time remaining, is there anything we haven’t covered that you’d like to bring up?
<~Dan> And by the way, all of you who showed up for the Q&A are always welcome to hang out with us here. We’re a friendly bunch, if I do say so myself.
<+Felix> Thank you Dan!
<+GrumpyFox> a real stand alone book. sweet!
<+Car54> I never got an answer to my difficulty question, if you don’t mind.
<+Felix> Thank you GrumpFox!
<+Felix> Car54, go ahead
<+GrumpyFox> the grimorium also that large?
<+Car54> When calculating the difficulty of a task, do you alter the target number, the die used, or both?
<+Felix> Grumpyfox, unfortunately now, but you’ll find out there are many customizations you can make to the game. And that would be Heinburg’s Legionnaires guild.
<+Felix> no*
<+Felix> Car54, each comes with it’s own challenges. GMs could also work around it, to make the number in question be whatever they want. Easier or harder, etc…
<+Felix> its*
<+Car54> So the target number, then.
<+GrumpyFox> no problem. you put on the book what you see as essential for us to play. there is no way to cram every possível thing in a book or even a pdf
<+Felix> There’s no “Set” target number like it’s always 9, or 10. Each challenge will have their number.
<+Car54> That’s what I was asking, thank you.
<~Dan> Reminder to folks: If you’ve enjoyed this Q&A and would like to treat me to a coffee or two, you can do so at (Link: https://www.ko-fi.com/gmshoe)https://www.ko-fi.com/gmshoe . Anything’s appreciated!
<+GrumpyFox> by listening to you I have confidence you tailored an enticing setting with some nifty rules
<~Dan> Thanks very much for joining us, Felix!
<+GrumpyFox> o/
<+Felix> GrumpyFox, I wanted to put a ton of stuff! The book has just enough content to satisfy the hunger, but leaves you wanting dessert afterwards. Don’t worry though, supplements are set to start rolling in February 2020. By then people will have had enough time to play a few sessions.
<+Felix> Dan, Thank you very much! And everyone here today, a big thank you for your time!
<~Dan> Oh, and Felix, you are welcome to continue to hang out and answer questions. I just need to log the chat for my blog so that I can link you.

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Live with Dan Davenport on Wed, September 11, @ 7:30pm – 9:30pm Central Time (8:30pm EST)

Link: https://gmshoe.wordpress.com/2019/09/11/qa-j-felix-new-horizon/