Getting the word out on ZeFRS

So ZeFRS is out. It’s currently in the top ten Hottest sellers at RPGNow. I sent out a bunch of free copies to “Friends of the Lair” I’m hoping they will give it a read, and eventually posts something on their blog or favorite message board. Word of mouth my friend, that’s what, spells success in our medium. So if you’re in any way interested in Swords & Sorcery gaming please give it a look.

In other Legends of Steel news, I heard from Chris Rutkowsky the other day. He ran a BASH Fantasy: Legends of Steel game at Dundracon last weekend. He said it was a great success and the players at his table really liked the game. I’m waiting for a few more pieces of art and then layout of LoS for BASH should be out later this year.

Erisa in Black and White

In anticipation of the Legends of Steel ZeFRS Edition I thought I would share with you the the new map for the interior of the book. The map is actually the same but instead of just doing it in grey-scale Jason Chalker did a complete re-rendering of it in Black and White. The result as you can see is very sharp and crisp.  This will be the map in the center spread pages of LoS ZeFRS. which should be out by late January or early February.

Legends of Steel for ZeFRS is out of layout

I just received the manuscript the other day. I'll be looking it over AFTER the holidays. Then it will be released.


One special thing about this edition of Legends of Steel is that, other than operating expenses, all of the proceeds will be used to fund future ZeFRS projects. So rather than clip art we plan to have original art to make it look the best we can. Other possibilities are Character generators or a dedicated website. We'll see-but the best news is that this edition is that much closer to release.

The Nations of Erisa

The world of Erisa is the setting for the Legends of Steel campaign. 

Legends of Steel  is based on the classic Sword & Sorcery comic books of the 70's and can be used with any RPG rules engine. Currently Legends of Steel directly supports the Broadsword 1PG system from Deep7 Games. The Savage Worlds System from Pinnacle, and the Barbarians of Lemuria (BoL) system from Beyond Belief Games. By the end of 2010 it will also provide direct support for the Basic Action Super Hero (BASH) system and for the ZeFRS system.  The following is a brief overview of the various nations described so far in the Legends of Steel campaign.

The Kingdom of Tyros
Tyros is one of the largest and strongest kingdoms on Erisa. It is an old realm beset by rivals and enemies without and traitors and conspirators from within. But the lion still has teeth, as the enemies of the “Old Kingdom” will discover at their peril. Tyros is the capital city of the kingdom, and it has a number of additional cities described below.

Aragos
Aragos is one of the oldest cities in the Kingdom of Tyros. It is noted for its tolerance of practitioners of magic. The ruling Baron himself is reputed to be a sorcerer of great power.

Belsa
The Barony of Belsa is the richest agricultural area in the kingdom of Tyros. The Baron and a large number of the local gentry resent the over taxation demanded by the emperor.

Crascia
The merchant city of Crascia is the capital of the richest Barony in the kingdom of Tyros. Many of the richest guild houses of Erisa are headquartered in this powerful city.

Pyrani
The major port of the Kingdom of Tyros, Pyrani is a city of riches and villainy. The Governor –Regent and his court are as crooked as they come, but Pyrani offers countless opportunities for an enterprising adventurer.

Taurus
The Barony of Taurus is at the frontier of the Kingdom of Tyros. Far from the Kings court, Taurus struggles each day to hold its grip on the settled lands against barbarian raiders, outlaws, monsters and the elements.

The Southern Kingdoms
The Southern Kingdoms consist of seven city states that lie along or north of the Drujistan Mountain range. The cities of Al-Khalid, Kobar, Akkar, Padjistan, Kumar, Zandara, and Jandahar are all independent and are linked only by ancient cultural ties that have long since lost any political value. The mis-appellation of “Southern Kingdoms” was given by merchants from Tyros. In fact, of the seven city-states only Jandahar and Kumar are actually kingdoms (and even they are currently ruled by a Prince and a Queen, respectively), the rest have governments ranging from Theocracies (Akkar) to Plutocracies (Al-Khalid).

Akkar
One of the Southern Kingdoms, “Akkar the golden” is a holy city and the center of religious activity on Erisa. Ruled by a theocratic council, Akkar is home to great libraries and temples holding century’s worth of artifacts and holy icons.

Al-Khalid
Al-Khalid is a major port, whose trade in rare spices and exotic intoxicating herbs has made it the richest of the Southern Kingdoms.

Jandahar
This cursed kingdom, once a great trading center is a brittle shadow of its former glory. The land is barren and the people are barely surviving day to day. It is the poorest of the great kingdoms of the south.

Kobar
The City of Stone is home to the main temple of Na-Ko, as well as the Citadel of Stone, a sorcerous citadel that houses a mysterious brotherhood of mystics.
Kumar
Kumar is a mineral rich Kingdom in the heart of the Drujistan Mountains. Its monarch, Queen Sybillia is obsessed with crushing the neighboring city-state, the Emirate of Padjistan.

Padjistan
The Emirate of Padjistan is the bitter rival of Kumar for the rich mineral resources of the region. The eccentric Emir is obsessed with collecting curiosities and plotting the overthrow of the Queen of Kumar.

Zandara
“The City of Golden Chains” is built on the slave trade. The powerful port city, provides slave laborers to the great mines of the Drujistan and the rest of Erisa as well as highly trained Gladiators and pleasure slaves to fulfill the lusts of the rich and powerful.
The Free Cities League
The Free Cities League is a collection of four city-states. Emesa, Albena, and Teve are port cities that lie on the coast of the Emerald Ocean. The forth city, Hogar is located inland amidst the High Mountain range. The cities are bound by a complex collection of economic and military treaties that help provide growth and security. These treaties are facing their first major test as Albena has become involved in a war with a nonmember state (Radu), which it is losing.


Albena
The shattered lawless city-state of Albena was once one of the strongest members of the free cities league. However, the war with the Dark City of Radu has all but destroyed the once mighty port city.

Emesa
Known as The City by the Sea, Emesa is not only the founding member of the Free Cities League, and a major seaport, but also the home of the University of Alcides. The University is itself an autonomous domain within the city and is considered the most prestigious institution of learning in the civilized world.

Hogar
The City-State of Hogar lies deep in the High Mountains of Erisa. It is the only place where the legendary Hogar method of steel craft is known, producing the finest, sharpest and strongest weapons on all of Erisa.

Teve
The warrior priests of Kesh have recently taken control of the city-state of Teve as the elected government was found to be in league with agents from Radu. The plot was uncovered, the conspirators quartered, and now the priests have declared martial law as they prepare the populace for a showdown with the forces of Radu.

Other Lands
Lastly, there are lands are independent of these regions.

Boskar
A rugged boomtown located on the Sikkar Plains, Boskar is a bustling settlement growing beyond its wooden stockade walls. The recent discovery of gold in the nearby hills has drawn every miner, adventurer, and bandit for a thousand leagues.

Broaq-Nohar
Broaq-Nohar is a breakaway province of the Kingdom of Tyros, noted for the excellent quality of their troops. The land is now ruled by a military council and has allied itself with the despotic island nation of Yar.

Radu
The “Dark City” of Radu is a nest of Pirates, evil priests, and outlaws. It is presumably ruled by an exiled Sorcerer from Yar. Radu has reportedly just destroyed the fleet of Albena in an epic sea battle, during which the sorcerer is said to have summoned several dragons.

Sikkar Plains
The mighty Sikkar are a nomadic people who call the “Sea of Grass” their home. Dozens of tribes travel on horseback and with wagons, following the herds of bison, and occasionally raiding their neighbors. Other people in Erisa regard them as barbarians, and the Sikkar have little regard for city folk.

Umbria
Now a “Puppet kingdom” Co-administered by Yar and Broaq-Nohar, Umbria is slowly being raped and plundered by its new masters. But there are whispers that a “prince of the blood” has returned to the island kingdom to free the land and its people.

Yar
The ancient and vile kingdom of Yar sends its shadowy tendrils into every court from Radu to Jandahar. The priest-Kings of Yar deal openly with demons and plot to once again rule Erisa.

Flashback from 10/2009 - Game Geeks review of Legends of Steel-Savage Worlds Edition

Legends of Steel Savage Worlds Edition was given a great review at Game Geeks!

AWESOME!

Legends of Steel -BASH Edition. Profile:Risa of the Goban, mercenary archer

Well, the surgery was a success and I'm back at home recuperating thanks to both of you for sending well wishes my way before the surgery. 

Here is the next in a series of Legends of Steel Characters converted to the new BASH Edition. From what I understand its all about editing and layout at this point!

Legends of Steel-BASH Fantasy Edition. Spotlight-Talena

Some of you may remember a few months back I mentioned that Basic Action Games and Evil DM Productions would be teaming up to release a BASH version of Legends of Steel. Well, we are just about ready to unleash it on the gaming world. Until then we figured we would tease you with a few characters from the book. This week we have  our nimble rogue-Talena!

Fun fact: did you know Talena was once a Wednesday girl?
It’s true.

The hangover (Sword & Sorcery style)

Carousing results table for Legends of Steel (revised)

01 Shanghaied! Your character awakens from his latest revel on a ship that has already set sail.

02 -03 Your character parties with a VIP, a dissolute noble, up and coming merchant, or an entertainer of repute.

04-06 Your character gets married while drunk. His spouse is very attractive.

07-09 Your character now owns a blade of exquisite quality and workmanship.

10-13 Your character gets married while drunk his spouse is not the slightest bit attractive.

14-16 Your character awakens with the poxed whore he was warned about last night.

17-18 Your character overhears whispering thieves and gains a lead on a vast sum of wealth.

19-20 Your character wins a ship or deed. The ships crew hasn’t been paid in weeks. The land title is to a large, rundown, possibly haunted, estate.

21-22 Your character pledges his service and eternal friendship to a total stranger.

23 Recruited! Your character gas joined the army.

24-40 Your character has spent half of his earnings on wenches, wine, narcotics, etc.

41-43 Your character has spent all of his earnings on wenches, wine, narcotics, etc.

44-56 Robbed while drunk - lose all your characters treasure and equipment.

57-60 Robbed and beaten while drunken, as above but your character wakes up with a wound.

61-63 Your character now owns a slave or the contract to an indentured servant.

64 Your character wakes up holding a basket. The basket has a baby and a note “Her name is Emily. Be kind to her.”

65-66 Your character drank some bad date wine, and is incapacitated for a week.

67 Your character wakes up to find he is wanted for murder (He’s completely innocent but that’s not the point).

68-69 Your character now owns an exotic mount (camel, elephant, ostrich, llama).

70-72 Your character defeated the town bully, ruffian or #1 bad guy. Everyone in town loves him, except the kin of the man he defeated.

73-74 Your character wakes up in a luxury suite with a beautiful courtesan and twice the money he had last night.

75-76 Your character awakens clutching a note in his hand. The note has a desperate message written on it.

77-79 Your character wakes up in a nobleman’s guestroom and is mistaken for a legendary hero.

80-85 Your character now owns the tavern, wine shop, or brothel he woke up in.

86-96 Your character is incarcerated for drunken hooliganism.

97-99 Your character wakes up with the “mother of all hangovers” but no other ill effects.

100  Last night she was the sexiest wench in the tavern. Your character now wakes to find “she” is really a “he.”

Sale at LULU 20% off!

Are you on the fence about picking up a hard copy of either Legends of Steel-Savage Worlds Edition or the Legends of Steel barbarians of Lemuria Edition? Well if you go to LULU and use coupon code: CABIN
you can get 20% off!  


The sale is good through 02/18/2010 so hurry!

Another great review for Legends of Steel and a word on Hador

Another great review of Legends of Steel- Savage Worlds Edition can be found at A Paladin in Citadel. While you're there stick around and have a read, the Paladin has some very informative posts. 

Sales for Legends of Steel-Savage Worlds Edition has fallen off a bit, so I'm hoping this review will generate a spike.  Simon and I have been pleasantly surprised at the sales of the hard cover version of Legends of Steel - Barbarians of Lemuria Edition.  We published it on Lulu knowing that the cover price was higher than we would have liked it to be, in fact it was more of a vanity thing on my part, I just wanted a copy of LoS in hardback. But a combination of discount offers from Lulu and overall love of the BoL system brought us much higher than expected sales.  And I honestly have to say it is a very nice volume.

Now to Hador- I was under the impression that I was close to finished with it. I sent it to Simon and a few others to have a look. 

I was wrong. 

I still have a way to go it seems. The overall feeling was positive, but there are parts that need clarification and further cleaning up. So I just wanted to let everyone know that Hador is alive, well, and still being worked on.

  

Inspiration for the world of Erisa

The other day on the Evil DM message board someone asked about the influences that went into creating the campaign world of Erisa. I thought that others might want to know as well so here is an expanded version of that post.


Akkar-I wanted a religious Mecca, so why not model it after…Mecca (with a bit of Singapore and the Vatican thrown in). In a world of chaos and anarchy Akkar remains inviolate. A place no one would mess with, because if they did not only would the gods come down on them but so would a bazillion true believers. And with all this peace and security comes order, regimen, and very conservative behaviors.

Al- Khalid- a Byzantium type of city-state. Al-Khalid is a huge rich city, yet just one step away from disaster. I made sure that the resources while exotic and valuable were few. I also wanted a “Barbarians at the gates” type of mentality.

Aragos- Medieval Spain is the obvious influence for Aragos. A personal pet peeve with me is the lack of Spanish cultural influences in fantasy literature. The English just about own modern fantasy literature and the Greeks Egyptians have the market cornered on the ancient stuff. But Spain had knights as well; they also had Barbarians just as tough and bloody as the highlander Picts and the Norsemen.

Belsa- Colonial Boston is the real world template for Belsa. Belsa is a prosperous province more than able to sustain itself yet it sends most of its exports to a greedy and decadent throne that gives little in return. The boys in Belsa are starting to have it up to here with the demands from Tyros for more and more grain. The people are asking, “What has the Emperor done for us lately, besides raise our taxes and tariffs?” Sound familiar?

Boskar- was inspired by Gold rush era San Francisco and the HBO Series Deadwood. Boskar is a wide open city where the law of the sword is the only law around. Deadwood was in Indian country, just like Boskar is the difference is that the Sikkar are way more threatening than the Lakota were. Boskar is basically on its own. There isn’t a nation nearby with sufficient forces to intimidate the Sikkar and protect Boskar.

Broaq Nohar- I took elements of fascist Italy and Spain.

Crascia- The Italian renaissance states. Particularly, Florence under the Medici’s. I see a powerful mercantile city that could just as well be on its own. Tyros will have none of that of course so they keep a garrison nearby and the guildsmen of the city arguing amongst themselves- very Machiavellian in tone. The REH story “Rogues in the House” and the Republic of Darokin in the TSR world of Mystara were a big influence in developing Crascia.

Emesa- One of my favorite novels is “King David’s Spaceship” by Jerry Pournelle. In the story there is a large university that has an autonomous status on a warring world. I liked that idea- despite the rest of the world going to hell; there is one place where everyone can go to learn at the feet of sages and scientists. If you were to visit Emesa you would be in San Francisco.

Hogar- In my mind I had the Swiss Cantons of the middle ages, Perrenland from The World of Greyhawk, and (believe it or not) Lake Tahoe. To give them something special I gave them the secret to making the best refined metals in the world.

Jandahar- This place is just sad. It may have once been wondrous and beautiful, but forces within and without have just torn it apart. It’s sad to say but, modern day Lebanon and just about all of Afghanistan’s history has shaped my perception of what Jandahar is.

Kobar- is Iskandar from "The man who would be King". Just watch the movie. And you will see what I see when I think of Kobar. Also, the Arabian Knights cartoon-“Rosan-Kobar!”

Kumar- Libya under Col. Qadaffi

Padjistan - Basra as depicted in the 1940 film "The Thief of Bagdad". I just loved how the Sultan of Basra could care less about his country and his people, as long as he could collect and play with his wonderful toys.

Pyrani-New York, as seen in “Gangs of New York”

Radu- Isengard.

Taurus- The Aquilonian frontier in the Conan stories / the American colonial frontier

Teve- The island of Rhodes when it was controlled by the Knights of St. John and resisting the Sultan of Egypt.

Tyros - the late Roman Empire –five minutes before the fall.

Umbria- Umbria is basically an amalgam of the kingdom of Ethiopia when it was invaded by Fascist Italy and Kuwait after being invaded by Iraq.

Yar - Stygia from the Conan stories, Nazi Germany.

Zandara- Port Kar from the Gor series.

The Sikkar are inspired by the Horseclans novels of Robert Adams and the Wagon Peoples from Nomads of Gor.

Legends of Steel - The System?

Legends of Steel in its present form is a campaign world. but there was a short period where I was trying my hand at creating a game system. Nothing revolutionary, mostly ideas from other games that I admired. But once I figured it would be easier to create campaign worlds than to agonize over the mechanics of game design I dropped the project. The other day I ran across the file again and started looking it over. Actually it’s not too bad. It’s no Savage Worlds, but I remember the guys that play tested it having fun. So I cleaned it up a bit and distilled it down to the character generation and combat sections. It’s not really rules lite, and the rules don't fit on the head of a pin, but it is manageable. Anyway Please have a look at it and if anyone can offer any constructive comments, I may pick it up again and see if I can move forward with it. Have a look at the PDF below.

Legends of Steel Cyber Monday sale at Lulu

25% off all Paperback and Hardcover Books
Coupon code: CYBERBOOKS

Perfect time to purchase that new copy of

Legends of Steel - Barbarians of Lemuria Edition in Hardback.

Or Legends of Steel - Savage Worlds Edition in soft back.

Legends of Steel Savage Worlds Edition reviewed on Game Geeks!

Legends of Steel Savage Worlds Edition was given a great review at Game Geeks!

AWESOME!

Legends of Steel Play by Post Game

Over at the Evil DM Productions Forum I opened a section for a Play by Post game I'll be running soon called the Jackal's Lair.

I have four openings if anyone is interested (Simon's spot is reserved should he wish to play).

I've done this sort of thing before (though it's been a while) with varying degrees of success. the best recipe so far is:

Small number of mature players.
Egos checked at the door.
Make sure that the GM and players can commit a reasonable amount of time to the game (at least 2 posts a week).
A quick and easy system.
A short adventure.

So if any of you are interested please stop by at the Legends of Steel Barbarians of Lemuria section of the Forums.
Jeff

Legends of Steel - BoL Edition is out!

The Legends of Steel -Barbarians of Lemuria edition is available at The Evil DM Productions Website. PDF Download for only $15.00

Legends of Steel _BoL Edition out soon!

The Legends of Steel campaign setting together with the Barbarians of Lemuria rules engine, promises to be the quintessential "rules light" Sword & Sorcery RPG package.

LoS/BoL is currently going through the final edits and layout and should see initial PDF release before the end of August.

Coming Soon

Legends of Steel-Broadsword Edition is out!

Legends of Steel: Broadsword Edition is now out! It's a completely revamped and updated version of The World of Broadsword. Legends of Steel: Broadsword edition has New Advantages, A brand new full color map, and an expanded array of nations, City-States, and locales.

You can purchase Legends of Steel: Broadsword Edition at either RPGNow or at the Precis Intermedia Webstore.

Remember, you need to also have a copy of the Broadsword 1PG RPG in order to get the full use of this product.

And remember, If you have already purchased World of Broadsword, you should be getting a link for an upgrade to LoS-Broadsword very soon!

Beyond Belief Games and Evil DM Productions Team-up with Legends of Steel: BoL Edition

Evil DM Productions is teaming up with Beyond Belief Games to bring you Legends of Steel: BoL Edition. Soon you will be able to adventure in the Sword & Sorcery world of Erisa with heroes created using the highly acclaimed and innovative engine from The Barbarians of Lemuria (BoL) RPG.

Legends of Steel: BoL Edition will include the complete BoL rules and the complete Legends of Steel campaign world. with additional material such as:

• New Boons for BoL
• A Bestiary of Erisa
• Two ready to play adventures

Legends of Steel: BoL Edition will be available in PDF and Print on Demand formats.

Coming very soon from Beyond Belief Games and Evil DM Productions.