Working on a publication: Kaidan

[Gamerprinter]

I thought Manga was the company that imported a lot of the Japanese art and the term got coined for the style of art since they were the only company doing it. Maybe I am completely wrong tho - I am not into it in anything more than a token way.

I have a question about the Kaiden stuff too. Will the maps for it be CC licensed in the same way as the rest of the CWBP ? You said it would be expensive to produce which would be hard to reconcile with the free distribution model of CC stuff.

Yeah, I know, which is part of the reason why I haven't created the map yet. Since I am the primary publisher, as well as the cartographer. I think I will make the whole island map as CC, but the specific maps used in the adventure arc as not.

The foreigner's port of Gaijinoshima really needs to be created first, then say one-third or one-fifth of the island - the provinces and ports on the western coast is the next map. These two may or may not be CC - but these are the maps that I plan to develope first. Then all the encounter scale maps for the adventure series will probably not be CC either.

Because I am the publisher/cartographer however, I think for marketing purposes to be able to produce some of the maps CC could help promote the product idea to a wider audience, especially since there's no cost in distribution.

As always, however, in the publication I will point to Gamer Printshop services so I can still profit from the CC maps, as well as the "All Rights Reserved" map.

Edit: the primary "cost" is illustration, for the initial downloadable only product, as maps, writing, editing are either me or work in exchange for maps, so the initial product should be fairly affordable. Once I go to a printed book format, its the printing and covers that is expensive.

GP

PS: the maps I am doing as "work exchange" will be for a Victorian Era vampire adventure mod.

[Gamerprinter]

The production framework as I see it:

1. First I am going to create a 3 adventure module mini-campaign arc that will probably be ready for PDF publication in May or June called: The Gaijin Gift, as it will be an adventure with a party of standard D&D classes from Ansium or outside the Empire of Kaidan; "gaijin" is outsiders.

2. Thoughts are I may be creating a Kaidenese mini-campaign arc of 3 adventures that are locally grown Kaidan characters. Hopefully this campaign can coincide with Pathfinder's official release, then publish this as a Pathfinder product. As well as republishing The Gaijin Gift as Pathfinder at that time also.

3. Then I'll begin work on a setting format for Kaiden in hard cover form. That will be the expensive production.

Plus I got other ideas in case the product/setting works...

1. The Book of Katta - a martial arts and oriental weapons arts book for Kaidan as well as use in any other Pathfinder setting with martial arts needs. To include Katta schools each which have their own progression of specific feats to conform to a given style. Some of those feats, fall under "wire-fu" Ki powers special combat maneuvers. Perhaps some martial arts prestige classes, including Ninja/Ninjutsu as well as weapons and magic items for martial artists. (Hard bound edition.)

2. Obake - the Beastiary of Kaidan, a Monsters Manual product (hard bound).

3. Then perhaps a full campaign arc taking PCs from 1st to 20th level+ in both PDF and printed softbound format.

Thoughts?

GP

[Redrobes]

This all sounds jolly exciting and best of luck. On the CC thing I think its all about whether its a derivative or not. So if your island is a map of Neons World data then its a derivative. If you put a spot on that and say I am going to have a city there called "CityAaaay" or "CityBe" and make a map then the city map can be whatever you like it to be because its not based on an existing CWBP map any more. We would have to be a bit careful not to include much detail in our CWBP wiki about the area and just post a link to your Kaiden site instead and noting that its an external site. If the info is in our wiki then it could be construed to be that this info is CC.

Its a nice idea to be able to start your campaign in Ansium do a bit there and get on a boat, travel for a few weeks and then have some modules already prepared to play some more tho when you land or vice-versa.

I reckon you will have a lot on your plate now but getting in some extra writers and artists will make the whole package a great product. That artist you are working with had some great pics on the link you posted. The one where the dwarves are looking down the crevasse gives me vertigo. Its superb.

[Gamerprinter]

On the CC thing I think its all about whether its a derivative or not. So if your island is a map of Neons World data then its a derivative. If you put a spot on that and say I am going to have a city there called "CityAaaay" or "CityBe" and make a map then the city map can be whatever you like it to be because its not based on an existing CWBP map any more. We would have to be a bit careful not to include much detail in our CWBP wiki about the area and just post a link to your Kaiden site instead and noting that its an external site. If the info is in our wiki then it could be construed to be that this info is CC.

Believe me, I started this project with the intent of using the CWBP to develop this setting for use by the Guild and its visitors. I selected the island east of Ansium because it was closest to what I was searching for - but note, for many reasons its still not ideal for meeting my needs.

For one thing, its too big, but in looking at other island systems on the world where Ansium is a part, all other land masses are either way too big or much too small. I chose that island as it wasn't tiny, nor a continent, however, for my needs its two to four times larger than I really want.

Climatologically, based on its latitude in the world, as discussed with NK, in my Kaidan thread in the CWBP forums, its further north than I really wanted it to be, perhaps off by 500 to 1000 miles too far north for my needs.

Also, from doing my February Challenge map of western Japan, I liked the verismilitude of the many islands of the inland sea between the main islands of Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu. However, on the island of the CWBP, there is one large-ish island only its too big, and surrounded by islands, which (far my needs) are too small.

I guess I really need more of Japan geography to fit my ideal setting needs, that is several medium size islands with a plethora of tiny isles between - which is currently not available as part of the CWBP, so I think the island map that I create for my commercial Kaidan project will not be derivative of NK's world map at all.

I don't think there's going to be a CC to other licensing problem here as far as any maps go.

[Gamerprinter]

So knowing that my Kaidan setting will be using a slightly different set of rules that what is available from Oriental Adventures or d20 Rokugan, I've been reading up on those rules to see how best to fit to Kaidan.

I also posted a question to Jason Bulmahn, the Lead Designer for Paizo's Pathfinder RPG system, trying to verify what I already knew.

Oriental Adventures is a WotC product and not OGL. It will not be updated for use with Pathfinder system as it is a WotC IP. Rokugan currently is not planning to create an OGL version compatible to Pathfinder. The staff at Paizo have discussed the possibilities for an oriental setting book for Pathfinder, but no decisions have been made. Jason told me to send him an Alpha version of my rules once I complete them.

This means, I can't even refer to those manuals, even to alter the rules, in the adventures or setting. Which means, I'll be creating a new Oriental rules set for Pathfinder, in addition to creating an adventure arc, and setting supplement. Though I will be offering a "Lite" version to cover the basics for use in my adventure arc, with eventual upgrade to a full hard bound manual.

I thought I was venturing down the road of adventure module development, apparently I will be a true game designer coming up with 3.5/Pathfinder compatible system for Oriental settings!

GP

PS: more work than I planned, but whatever is necessary to make this work!

[Ascension]

Yep, "ya do what ya gotta do" I always say. Gratz man and good luck.

[RPMiller]

Absolutely fantastic news GP! Exactly what you were looking for and then some. You deserve some serious kudos and I look forward to seeing the material as it comes out. Well done.

[Steel General]

What they said...

[Korash]

what Long Ears said

[torstan]

Congratulations. That is really excellent news.