I have two home-made sword and sorcery settings originally made for various BRP games. I'm considering developing one of them for publication for either BRP or MRQ. Which one would you prefer to see?

Setting A is a wide-open sword and sorcery setting. Magic comes in different flavours, but although demon summoning and the like exist, it's not particularly dark. Some but not all nations have close real-world analogues, and it's not hard to grok. Languages and cultures are not barriers and barbarian adventurers from one corner of the continent can end up fighting side by side with civilised sorcerers from the other end. All in all, it's close to a generic old school S&S setting, with lashings of Howard, Vance and Leiber.

Setting B is also a sword and sorcery setting. It's more gritty and the magic can have a distinctly eerie and evil feel (it's developed from Stormbringer 5). Cultures and languages matter, and when written out fully it's almost (but not quite) on the way to Glorantha/Tekumel territory. A better analogy would be Artesia: the Known World. There is geopolitics and a degree of metaplot. It has its own distinct feel, but is less free-wheeling and open than Setting A.

Setting A brings out the 15 year old in me, while Setting B has a more unique flavour. Setting A is roll up a character and let's kill troglodytes, Setting B is tell me about the politics and culture of the Lower Maunlands and I'll use that to inspire my character.

So tell me which you would rather pay money for.

They both sound pretty cool...but I'm not sure I'd spend money for either as a complete setting. If bits and pieces are available, though, I might take them and slot them into my own.

I'd probably lean toward setting A and if you got good reviews I'd check it out.

Quote from: Elliot Wilen;222703They both sound pretty cool...but I'm not sure I'd spend money for either as a complete setting.

Yeah, I'm not under the illusion that it will be a runaway bestseller. I know it's basically just another homebrew setting. That's why Setting B has the advantage as it has some more unique features. But if I can get some good art, put it out there and 20 people download it, then that will be satisfying enough for me.

Setting A has a broader appeal. It's easy to take a hack-and-slash setting and turn it into a more adult setting. Turning an adult based one into a hack-and-slash is more tricky for a GM.

How many Setting As are there in the world? 100? 200? It seems that stock swords and sorcery is done to death (coming from cliche-Sci-Fi man). Whichever one you choose, I'd make sure that you make it different to anything that's out there. If you're going to sell online it really needs to look very different, small differences will not be conveyed using a cover and some text. If you want it to sell, it needs to have things that separate it from other S&S settings.

Personally, I'd like Setting B, sounds more akin to the sort of game my RP group like to play.

Quote from: Rob Lang;223293Setting A has a broader appeal. It's easy to take a hack-and-slash setting and turn it into a more adult setting. Turning an adult based one into a hack-and-slash is more tricky for a GM.

How many Setting As are there in the world? 100? 200? It seems that stock swords and sorcery is done to death (coming from cliche-Sci-Fi man). Whichever one you choose, I'd make sure that you make it different to anything that's out there. If you're going to sell online it really needs to look very different, small differences will not be conveyed using a cover and some text. If you want it to sell, it needs to have things that separate it from other S&S settings.

Personally, I'd like Setting B, sounds more akin to the sort of game my RP group like to play.

I agree with pretty much every word of this post.

None of them... these thing were made milion times before and some of them are probably far batter than you can do (just because they have evolved with every new edition). Try something at least slightly original, yet appealing... for example sword and sorcery under sea with merman barbarians and decadent octopusman sorcerers (hope this example wasn't done before)...

Quote from: Fritzs;223329for example sword and sorcery under sea with merman barbarians and decadent octopusman sorcerers (hope this example wasn't done before)...

I'd give that a go.

Joking aside, I think that's probably about as far from standard swords and sorcery that you'd have to go to make it noticable.

All this doesn't stop you writing the scenario for you and your players and having a jolly good time with it! I know loads of GMs that write a new scenario setting for D&D for each campagin and it's great fun to write and play. As soon as you enter the commercial world (even at a small press level), you really need to differentiate yourself.

Quote from: BalbinusI agree with pretty much every word of this post.

Careful, sir. We'll all end up just agreeing with Clash at this rate!

Quote from: Rob Lang;223346Careful, sir. We'll all end up just agreeing with Clash at this rate!

And he always agrees with Bill.  It's like you chaps are part of some sort of hive mind or something.

Hm, I may have discovered your dark secret, or one of your many dark secrets anyway.

Quote from: Rob Lang;223346Careful, sir. We'll all end up just agreeing with Clash at this rate!

And he always agrees with Bill.  It's like you chaps are part of some sort of hive mind or something.

Hm, I may have discovered your dark secret, or one of your many dark secrets anyway.

Quote from: Balbinus;223355And he always agrees with Bill.  It's like you chaps are part of some sort of hive mind or something.

Hm, I may have discovered your dark secret, or one of your many dark secrets anyway.

UK-Lang unit! Eliminate or assimilate UK-based human Balbinus! He is getting too close to the truth! All our plans may be threatened!

-clash

I would go with setting B.

The thing about settings like A is that any GM with a campaign or two under their belt doesn't even need that to be written up for them. "You meet in an inn and decide to adventure together... the mayor sees several well-armed strangers and approaches, saying that outside the town is an old mausoleum and an evil wizard has moved in and started disturbing the dead, some villagers went to stop him and were slain and turned into his undead minions, he must be stopped, a reward? well the dead are buried with valuables, normally that's desecrating their graves but they're already being turned into undead minions so it's too late, just make sure they rest in peace and the village will be happy..."

The thing about cliches is that they require no real thought or preparation, you just reach into your guts and pull them out and you're good to go.

But new and original? Well for that GMs need help.

Setting B, mate. Setting B.

That's right bitches!!!...ah, I mean, I don't know what you are talking about.

As to the topic, I know this is not what rpgers want to hear, but fantasy sells. Even crappy fantasy. It is a safe bet. Sci-fi, historical and pulp, not so much. You success will have much more to do with your cover design, cover art, marketing, advertising and management of your costs. How good the interior is sells the next book, the cover sells this book.

As to which one I would pay money for? Neither, I would write my own.

Bill

Quote from: HinterWelt;223402As to the topic, I know this is not what rpgers want to hear, but fantasy sells. Even crappy fantasy. It is a safe bet. Sci-fi, historical and pulp, not so much. You success will have much more to do with your cover design, cover art, marketing, advertising and management of your costs. How good the interior is sells the next book, the cover sells this book.

As to which one I would pay money for? Neither, I would write my own.

Bill

Hmm. My only failure was with fantasy, so saying crappy fantasy sells is not universal...

-clash

Quote from: flyingmice;223407Hmm. My only failure was with fantasy, so saying crappy fantasy sells is not universal...

-clash

Note Clash, the factors I put in. You need a cover that does not look like a sci-fi cover. You need marketing, that includes distribution. You need advertising, more than chatting on forum. I do not know the particulars of your efforts, but I imagine one of the above may have been a factor. It still stands, Fantasy, of all the genres, is really the most viable. That said, yeah, you can fail in the genre. Your choice of theme will not likely be a big factor.

Now, you could try and ride trends. I am not into that and not terribly well equipped to comment on it but I have talked with other publishers who make their living off doing just that.

Bill

Quote from: HinterWelt;223414Note Clash, the factors I put in. You need a cover that does not look like a sci-fi cover. You need marketing, that includes distribution. You need advertising, more than chatting on forum. I do not know the particulars of your efforts, but I imagine one of the above may have been a factor. It still stands, Fantasy, of all the genres, is really the most viable. That said, yeah, you can fail in the genre. Your choice of theme will not likely be a big factor.

Now, you could try and ride trends. I am not into that and not terribly well equipped to comment on it but I have talked with other publishers who make their living off doing just that.

Bill

I think it has more to do with the fact that I'm lousy at fantasy...

-clash