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Well, I figured since I have gotten at least a few inquiries about the new sourcebook Irvin Jackson and myself have on the release list, I'd give you all a chance to get a bit more information about it. Just keep in mind that I still don't know what is going to be changed or cut, and I also can't go into too great of detail for fear of ruining the surprises in store for you guys and gals.

In other words, I'll tell you what I can about the book but please understand I can't tell you anywhere close to everything about it. Anywho, here is some info to start things off:



Thanks for the preliminary feedback, now let me see if I can put your mind at ease a little.

As far as "new factions" I can assure you that there are no huge "landscape changing" factions in our manuscript, nothing along the lines of any of the major factions so far. I think "factions" is really meant more as a generic term in this description (i.e. a group of individuals with a specific agenda). As far as the timeline moving? No, not really. Kev specifically asked us to flesh out more of what had already been put in place rather than charging ahead into a slew of unfamiliar material. So, we did our best to add depth to the setting rather than scope.

As far as the creation guidelines, I will assure you that I built on what was there rather than throwing the original out for something new. I felt that much more variety in skills was necessary given the broad range of potential backgrounds for a Nightbane. If it stays how I crafted it, conversion of old characters would probably be optional but not necessary (and would be left to the players and GMs to decide whether or not to do). Although, I imagine NPCs in future source material will probably make use of these rules.

The adventure stuff is definitely more than two pages. Kev wanted a book that made it easier (i.e. gave more material) to
run an adventure/campaign in the Nightbane setting. So, we tried to seed many of the sections with several adventure/plot hooks for GMs to draw on when running Nightbane (without writing a massive meta-plot). Irvin also wrote a full-fledged optional adventure for the book (ala: Rifts Mercenaries and Sourcebook 1), but whether or not that will be part of the 160 pages I don't know.

At any rate, thanks for your vote of confidence. Here's hoping you enjoy reading/using our material even more than we enjoyed writing it.

Thanks for your answers, Warwolf, we all dont know what the final book will look like, but from what I read on the press release and in your post above, it sounds like an interesting sourcebook and worthy addition to Nightbane.

a few comments:

Factions and Creation Rules - okay, that sounds perfectly reasonable!

Timeline - I liked that the timeline moved a little in SoL, it made the setting less static. Also, I found it quite a neat idea. Sadly, years pass between the release of Nightbane-sourcebooks, so it kinda makes sense that years pass in the Earth of Nightbane. Presumeably, it does so in ongoing campaigns out there as well, so I had hoped that with new sourcebooks like the NSG this will be continued (doesnt need to be in a large scale, just a few paragraphs and ideas about what has happened during the last couple o' years, e.g. how the Hidden War developed).

Adventures/Campaigns: Good thinking by KS, I think this is exactly what the game needs! Campaign ideas and plot hooks throughout sound very good! the fully developed adventure makes me drool. droooooool.

I am looking forward to some new Nightbane stuff. I always liked the feel of the setting (I play it more of a dark fantasy/horror than a super-powered campaign). I was one of the few who liked most of Shadows of Light but it's because I just like the Nightbane thing and I can make it work into my vision of the Nightbane world.

I liked most of SoL too.

So, who is Stephen L. Fox? Have we seen his work anywhere else?

me too, just been reading in it this morning. I certainly didnt understand why it got all the bashing. nor the decision to put it out of print (if KS didnt like it, why did he release it at all? its not what I would have liked, but he could have done a massive rewrite too and then stand behind the product).

some more questions about Worldbook 5: Nightbane Survival Guide (yeah, that sounds cool)

will it contain background-material not "only" on Earth and the Nightlands, but also about the Dreamstream and the Astral Plane?

does the new world info on Earth - finally - include material about the situation outside of the american continent?

will there be news on the situation in the US, especially the Preserver Party?

is there new stuff from the Wanderer Diaries, the Shadowboard and similiar "in setting"-writing?

you already said that the timeline does not move on - so I guess the state of the world is pretty much the same as described in the SoL-chapter: "The World after Dark, 2006" ? is the book "timeless" (I sure hope so ), so the material can be used for the whole period from Dark Day to 2006 (or even: 2009), or do you concentrate on a particular period of time?

does "surviving the Hidden War" also provide insight into new plans of the Nightlords? or is it written around the Nightbane and their plans / strategies? what about Spook Squad, are they included?

did you touch the subjects of the Vampire Threat, Guardians, Athanatos at all?

thanks a lot!! and yeah, I can understand if youre not able to answer the questions because you dont know what the final book looks like or if youre not allowed to answer some of the questions raised. oh boy, Im so excited! after six years we will get another Nightbane-book!!! jihaaa!

We're hoping this is a revival of the line. (I'm Irvin btw). Kev wanted us to make the existing material more usable for players. He wanted us to flesh out how the Nightbane world worked, and how you play in it. What we're hoping is that this book adds a whole new layer of depth and playability to Nightbane. It is, truly, a survival guide...instructing players how to survive, and GMs as to how the world works, as well as just how dangerous it can be. There is an "in setting" style, but I do not know how much of that is in there, as I haven't seen the final edited version.
As for Surviving the Hidden War...well, I'll put it to you this way: Another freelancer who is in the military read that part of the manuscript and expressed concern that I may need to be debriefed by the government ala Tom Clancy.
The book is definitely timeless and is useful at any point after (and in many ways, before) Dark Day.
We have big plans and hopes. Warwolf is itching to do stuff beyond the American continent (more like foaming at the mouth ) and I'd like for us to do a Faction Book on each of the major factions, and a lot of other stuff.

I thought he's had his rabies vaccination...

....no I guess its spreading already, Im foaming at the mouth too since I read about the prospect of getting sourcematerial beyond the american continent (well, at some time in the future, who knows, maybe its a tradition that we get a new book every 5-6 years...).

anyway, thanks Irvin (of course I read a lot of el magico's posts over the last couple o' years, but now we know who is behind the nick) for the enlighting answer! I read with special interest that the material in the NSG will even be useful for stories set before Dark Day, wow.

Warwolf, would be a pleasure to get some more answers, if you want to comment.

I like what I'm hearing so far about the book. I might have to get around to running another game of Nightbane.

I was thinking the same thing. I had started a campaign about 2 and a half years ago that got put on the back-burner because I moved so two of the 3 characters in the campaign were not available. However, I played a couple of single player sessions with the one guy who actually moved to the same area... but then he moved again.

I just started running a Dead Reign campaign, perhaps Nightbane will be next on the list.

It isn't rabies, I just get a good lather worked up at great potential new source material (which I continue to compile notes on by the way).

Irvin, good to see you found your way to my little experiment. I thought about informing you directly so you could add your thoughts as well (especially on your material), but I see I don't have to now.

So, anyway, I want to thank Vidynn, Shawn, and Kirklyn for their enthusiasm (I'm not really sure if I should be thankful for Misfit's ). And as to adding more answers, Vid, that is what I started the thread for.



I have no idea who Mr. Fox is, and I don't think I've so much as seen his art in the Rifter. However, if Kev is announcing him as the effective lead artist, he must have a great deal of confidence in his ability. I can't wait to see some of his stuff (methinks I should bug some people for a sneak preview)!



I don't recall ever mentioning the dream stream directly, but it's a pretty big manuscript that I co-wrote well over a year ago so I might be forgetting chunks of my own work. As far as the Astral plane, it may get a mention or two, but as I said before we tried to focus almost exclusively on the Nightbane and the direct setting of post Dark Day Earth and the Nightlands.

You know, Raist PMed me with a similar question not long ago. Again, this falls under the "depth not scope" angle we took when writing this book. There are some mentions of other places around the globe (France, the U.K., Germany, South America, Russia, and the Middle East spring to mind). However, these are not detailed very greatly so much as mentioned in connection to other material (much of which deals with various adventure hooks). Unfortunately, there just isn't room in one manuscript to cram all of our ideas for the setting into it. So, the answer is not much for now... but wait until you see some of the stuff we're cooking up.

Yep, I know of at least two major players within the Preserver government that Irvin statted out. Also, the section on Nightlord tactics is pretty much how they (under the guise of the government) hunt down their enemies... some pretty evil stuff to throw at the players from one of the most evil GMs I know: Mr. Irvin Jackson. Then you've got his stuff on how the Factions operate as far as recruiting new members and the competition that can spring up when they go after the same individual. Oh, yeah, and some lesser known groups and factions operating in the U.S. (and possibly even overseas if my memory serves me correctly). I'm sure there's more that I'm forgetting, but hopefully this is enough to let you know much of the material deals directly with the situation in the U.S.

It's funny you should ask that. The thread that we used to tie the sections together is a new document floating around the net called (not surprisingly) "The Nightbane Survival Guide," as well as one or more addendums put out for it. Most of the major sections start with a brief excerpt from this document to give the reader a better idea of what the section covers as well as providing some interesting flavor material (and again, trying to provide a more tangible unifying theme). Just keep in mind that some of these entries might end up being cut for the sake of space.

We attempted to make the material as easily generalized as possible in regards to the time period it can be used. Obviously it will be most useful in the time period of the main book and beyond given that the full range of organizations can be used (i.e. it took time for the Warlords, Spook Squad, Resistance, etc. to come into being after Dark Day so before then you might not be able to use material dealing with them). There are also hints at some things coming down the line, so GMs can start preparing now or even extrapolate on the information we provide to continues their campaigns as they see fit.

A little of all that. "Surviving the Hidden War" deals mainly with ways for Nightbane to survive being hunted by the Nightlords (and even keep out of the notice of humanity at-large) and how Factions try to keep their operation secret and safe. Again, there is information in the manuscript about the Nightlords and their operation, and I know of at least a couple of adventure hooks involving Spook Squad operations.

The vampires and Guardians are definitely discussed in the manuscript, especially when it comes to the Lightbringers and Nocturnes. However, keep in mind that they are mainly covered in reference to the affect they have on the War of Light and Dark and how Nightbane typically interact with them (again, since this book is focused primarily on 'Bane).

Well, I hope this answers the questions you've posed so far. Feel free to keep them coming. And if anyone else wants to chime in, everyone is welcome to ask what they wish about the new book.

Probably not, but you have it anyway.

thanks, Warwolf, for the answers - sounds absolutely perfect to me!!!

one more question (for now): in the Errata-Thread I started you once said, that Irvin and you want to include a Q&A-section to clear up some stuff. did you?

I have added some adhesive to this thread and made it sticky.

Yes. Unless it was cut, we did a sizable Q&A for some long-standing questions.
I don't imagine we got them all, though, so once its out and if we find more commonly asked questions, I'll try to find a way to answer them in something in the future.

Good, I see you got that telepathic PM I sent you.



Yeah, I actually already ran across some more in play-testing our new material (which I think I may have already discussed with Irvin). I hope we can really clear a lot of the mud that's been in the water from day one as we go along.

As far as the Q&A we did for the book, questions that we tried to address include the healing rate of the Morphus and the Facade as well as whether or not Nightbane can reproduce. Once I wrap up one of the projects I'm currently working on for the line, I hope to be able to answer even more of the questions that have cropped up since I've been monitoring these boards. That is, if Kev gives the project his stamp of approval.

That looks good.

I've been a little out of the loop recently, and this is the first I've heard about a new NB book, and all I can say is that it's about time! I actually liked SoL as well, but I'm all for any new material, especially something that fills gaps. I hope all goes well, and can't wait to get a look. Nightbane is one of those games that I don't get to play too often, but I use elements of it in practically all of my games.

FOO DOGS!!!!

So, I was mistaken as far as Mr. Fox not being printed elsewhere. For a look at his art, check out the Nightbane article in Rifter #44. I didn't look too closely at that article for fear of subconsciously including the writer's work into my own (especially since from some of the Morphus Table names it seems he has some similar ideas to ones I've written). However, looking at the art now I can definitely get behind his inclusion on this book.

In other artist news, it appears Amy L. Ashbaugh has been brought on board for some art as well. I'm positively STOKED about that, as her work in Dead Reign had such a bleak, horrifying, and gritty feel to it I think she will be a perfect fit for Nightbane. Ironically, I met Amy at GenCon last year as she was just getting involved with Palladium and mentioned that it would be cool if she did some art for something I wrote one day (prophetic much?). I really look forward to seeing what these two talented folks can churn out for the book, and hope we can get a couple more killer artists to lend their ability to the effort [cough]Mike Mumah and Chuck Walton[/cough].

In other news, I believe Kev is to start editing the NSG very soon, which bodes pretty well in my opinion for the intended release date (barring any major speedbumps). Keep the faith and those fingers crossed folks!

wouldnt that have been a good reason to read the article with extra care?

yessssssssssss! now its got a shipping date! April, almost sounds too good to be true!

Nightbane. Survival Guide. oh yeah.

April 24. IF it stays on track, that means it will be out just in time for the Open House.

Perhaps this is very preliminary, but please accept some heartfelt appreciation for your work on this book. I have been a HUGE Nightbane fan for many years and very much look forward to an addition to this fantastic product line.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I am waiting impatiently for the end of April.

Very awesome hopefully this comes out soon I am looking forward to another title in this most awesome of PB's RPG Lines.

Fortunately, Kevin seems VERY happy with what Warwolf and I turned in, and has said he wants MORE Nightbane. We've already got ideas for several new books, and we're factoring in what people say they want to see from the line. Of course, good sales of the new book will help, so the more copies that get bought the more enthusiasm there'll be to support the game.

There's a misconception that he wasn't going to support the line, I think, but really it just seems that (and this is my understanding) the stuff he was getting wasn't good enough for print. It wasn't a lack of desire, it was a lack of good material. Now that he's got what he thinks is good material, he's pretty gung-ho about more Nightbane books.

No track for a belated birthday present for me!

Unfortunately there seems to be an issue of where he wants the line to go versus where the fans want it to go. At least that is what has been heard through the grapevine.

Which, ultimately, is a battle he'll win. Fans have the power to ignore his decisions and the decisions of his freelancers, but he gets to make the decisions. For example, given a couple of warwolf's posts in the forum, it seems I'll be having to decide fairly soon if I'll be ignoring the official answer to birthin' them Nightbane babies.

Nothing of the sort has come up in our dealings with him in this book. He wanted the existing world to be richer, more playable, more fleshed out, and to keep going deep like it has been.

Oh Gods I so do not want the answer to the Origins of the Nightbane. I prefer it to be left mysterious.

even if at some point this question would be answered, you could still ignore it!

Be that as it may it is one of those things that should never be given a Canon answer.

First off, sorry for my protracted absence. Between school, Nightbane demos, and being asked to edit some of the book, I've been extremely busy for the past few weeks.



Well, both your enthusiasm and kind words are greatly appreciated, here's hoping the NSG meets your expectations.



I think the middle of May is the new goal. I know I just sent the edits Kevin asked me for a little over a week ago (no, that isn't the reason for the new release date, Kev had already pushed the date when he got in touch with me). I've got one more little bit of cleanup to do, but otherwise the manuscript is ready for editing, which Kevin estimates he'll be able to fly through.

As far as the grapevine goes, I'd say ignore what you've heard about Kevin's plans for its directions. You know what direction he gave Irvin and I? "Build on what's there." Oh, and let's not forget, "I want people to get a better sense of what playing and running Nightbane is all about." That's it, no micro-managing of content involved other than wanting more depth as opposed to scope. I'll go out on a limb and say he's letting us steer this ship for the most part.



I wouldn't worry much if I were you. Our answer to that question (if Kev approves) leaves wiggle-room for GM's to do what they want with that particular aspect. However, contrary to Marcethus' concern, an explanation as to whether Nightbane can procreate does NOT constitute an explanation of their origins.

As far as origins being explained... on second thought, you'll have to pick up the book for more info on that.

Truthfully, and without any meanness intended, I can honestly say I've never had a drop of worry when it comes to ignoring things I don't like from Palladium books. I haven't played under a GM that follows a single rule system since I was 13, so I'm completely used to just doing whatever I want. I just buy the books at this stage to data mine ideas and so that I've got at least the same basic blueprint my players will have before I knock everything down to their foundations and put up my own building.

Good luck with the book though, I'm looking forward to seeing how you handle the recruitment wars angle most of all.

The more I hear the more I want the book.

I want this book!!!!!!

Good to hear, from the way I interpreted your previous post it sounded like having to ignore canon was something you had at least a slight issue with. But, hopefully, there will be little to nothing in our book that you feel you have to ignore.

Oh, and Shawn, Marcethus, you aren't the only ones, fellas! This will be my first ever title with my name on the spine. I'm as excited and nervous as all get-out. But on an interesting note, if anyone is going to be at the Open House, I do plan on running a couple of games featuring the new material before it sees print (probably one on VIP night and one or two more over the weekend). So, for those that want a sneek peak, be sure to sign up for one of those games!

Yeah I wish I could but no way in hell am I going to be able to make it to Michigan from Oregon lol.

I look forward to see what you guys have done with the world. I think when it comes to Nightbane, there is flexibility to run it as you see fit, from Dark Supers to Mystery/Intrigue to Horror and everything in between.

I felt the original books by Carella laid this out pretty well, and gave you the freedom to run it in any of these genres. Hopefully you guys are able to keep the tone while expanding the game. I look forward to see what is put out.

I was quite stoked about OH this year, then grad school applications got in the way.

School is always more important than Gaming but I know the feeling.

desperately. madly. this is the release Im looking forward to the most.

QFT.

The only other palladium release that would dwarf this book is if they suddenly said that the Old Kingdom books for PF were going to be released and actually got them on the shelves.

Is this out yet? Man! The anticipation for this book is killing me! I want this book already! I'm gonna order 2 when it comes out. One to put away with my NB library, the other to read and re-read and drool over every page and play the heck out of it! It's about time one of the coolest PB settings gets some love!
I look forward to this title and thanks in advance!

Cool, now this is what I like to hear. Irvin and I have done our part by writing the book, Palladium is doing theirs by editing and printing it, so once this thing hits stores its going to be in the fans' capable hands. For all of you who so desperately want to see Nightbane supported more in the future, put your money where your keyboard is. Pick up a copy from your FLGS or the online store (or both ), because the better this one sells the more anxious Kev will be to put out more material for the line!



So am I, krate, so am I. In fact, getting to see the printer's proofs when I get to the warehouse next Thursday may be what I'm most excited about regarding the OH. That, and getting to run Wireless for some more excited fans... I can't wait.

As far as the thanks, it's appreciated but not necessary. Once I got to thinking about it, Irvin and I wanted to see more material for this setting as much as the next guy. The only difference is that we were crazy enough to go out and write it ourselves. I think that makes this doubly exciting for us. Not only do we get the new source material we've been wanting, we get to have a direct influence on the game in its entirety. To be honest that part still blows my mind a bit.

So, let this be a lesson as well. If you've got some cool material you've worked up for your own group's enjoyment, don't be afraid to write it up and send it in. Who knows, you might ultimately end up working alongside us to add to this world and others' enjoyment of it. And what's the worst that could happen? Palladium says no? Nothing but time (and maybe a little pride) lost there, and at least your ideas are recorded for posterity.

Amy Ashbaugh is indeed GREAT.

Hey guys,

For those of you guys not sure who this "Stephen L. Fox" upstart is, you can check out some of his work at deviantart.

zofond.deviantart.com

He's no Amy Ashbaugh, but he's got some nice line pieces up there. Also, he was published in:

Mongoose's new Traveller Core Rulebook
Dream Pod 9's Heavy Gear Blitz, and Return to Cat's Eye books
CyberPunk the CCG
Rifter # 44 & 45