So, to be sure, there are no rules for magic, wierd science, gadgets or psychic powers or anything like that in the main Hollow EArth Expedition rulebook. Now i understand a soucebook covering this is due, but...

what kind of oversight is that?

Given publication models these days, i doubt it was any kind of oversight...

I've heard good things about this game. I'll have to check it out sometime.

It was intentional.  The game is more about Indiana Jones style pulp than the magic and weird-tech filled pulp we see appearing a lot today.  The core book does have ancient Atlantean artifacts and some gadgets for folk that are interested in that, but it's not the game's focus.

I love magic and gadgets, so I'm looking forward to the supplement later this year that expands on all of that.

If you'd like to know more, why not check out my review?  http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/12/12635.phtml

Quote from: C.W.RichesonI love magic and gadgets, so I'm looking forward to the supplement later this year that expands on all of that.

I think that Colin Chapman, an old internet chum of mine is involved in that. I might have to e-mail him.

It's better than putting out a game that is specifically about psychics hunting down evil sorcerers and monsters, then not putting out the sourcebooks for monsters or magic *cough*Palladium*cough*Beyond the Supernatural*cough*

TBH it puts me off the game considerably; YMMV but for me these are integral parts of a setting of this nature.

Still, no matter, the game isn't even out here anyway.

Quote from: signoftheserpentSo, to be sure, there are no rules for magic, wierd science, gadgets or psychic powers or anything like that in the main Hollow Earth Expedition rulebook...what kind of oversight is that?

It's a valid complaint, serpent, and I can understand if it puts you off the game. Whether good or bad, it was a deliberate choice, and I agonized over it for a long time.

I realized early on that the Hollow Earth Expedition setting was big (really big!) and getting bigger all the time. Pulp games already have a lot of ground to cover, as everything from sorcerers to steam armor is considered in genre, and I was going to be adding a whole new world to explore.

In the end it was just too much to fit into one book. Including everything that I wanted to include would have easily doubled the size of the core rulebook (as the two sourcebooks are 320 pages combined) and require another year of development time. Plus, I didn't think anyone would want to pay for a book that size from a company they'd never heard of before. I knew I could publish a higher quality book for a lesser price if I just narrowed the scope.

So that's what I did. I focused on a narrower slice of pulp and delved deeper into it. I chose to present a lower power level game that was more Indiana Jones and less Doc Savage. While there are examples of weird science gadgets and Atlantean technology in the game, I omitted rules for creating them. I also elected to save the rules for sorcery and psychic powers, knowing that it would be easier to increase the power level of the game later.

In particular, I figured that increasing the power level in the sourcebooks would please the "high pulp" fans while the "low pulp" fans would be able to pick and chose what to include without upsetting the power level of their game. I may be too close to the game to tell for sure, but this still seems like the right way to go to me.

So there you have it, serpent. That's why I left out what I left out, and like I said, it may or may not have been the right decision, but I at least wanted you to know that it wasn't an arbitrary one.

Jeff Combos
Exile Game Studio
//www.exilegames.com

Quote from: signoftheserpentStill, no matter, the game isn't even out here anyway.

Oh, and please send me a PM about this and I'll get you taken care of. I've been shipping a lot of copies of Hollow Earth Expedition over to the UK, so I'm not sure why you haven't seen it in you local store and I'd like to get that resolved.

Jeff

Quote from: One Horse TownI think that Colin Chapman, an old internet chum of mine is involved in that.

You're right, Dan, Colin is writing part of Secrets of the Surface World. He's done up a revised Equipment catalog and is currently fleshing out the Weird Science rules from my notes. He does great work, and I'm happy to be working with him.

Jeff

There's no need to PM you really, the problem is the shops i go to (there are about 3 stockists locally) are basically crap. They won't have heard of HEX (i don't recall if it was on the release sheets, i sometimes check Esdevium Games', but it dependson the retailer as to the supplier obviously) and don't really know F all about gaming. I think I waited a year to get Weapons of the Gods.Thanks anyway, but I'm not sure what you can do about it (other than get me a job there ).

Quote from: signoftheserpent...the problem is the shops i go to (there are about 3 stockists locally) are basically crap. They won't have heard of HEX (i don't recall if it was on the release sheets, i sometimes check Esdevium Games', but it dependson the retailer as to the supplier obviously)...

Well, I know Esdevium has the book. They're one of my best customers. I'm not sure I can do anything to solve the problem with your local game stores (other than refer them to Esdevium or to Exile's info in Games Quarterly Catalog), but I might be able to help you out. I'll PM you to discuss it.

Jeff