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Hawkins
Great Reader
USA
2131 Posts |
 Posted - 11 Jan 2008 : 02:46:53
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Grand History of the Realms: The Moonshaes
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Errant d20 Designer - My Blog (last updated January 06, 2016)
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back. --Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass
"Mmm, not the darkness," Myrin murmured. "Don't cast it there." --Erik Scott de Bie, Shadowbane
* My character sheets (PFRPG, 3.5, and AE versions; not viewable in Internet Explorer)
* Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Reference Document (PFRPG OGL Rules)
* The Hypertext d20 SRD (3.5 OGL Rules)
* 3.5 D&D Archives
My game design work:
* Heroes of the Jade Oath (PFRPG, conversion; Rite Publishing)
* Compendium Arcanum Volume 1: Cantrips & Orisons (PFRPG, designer; d20pfsrd.com Publishing)
* Compendium Arcanum Volume 2: 1st-Level Spells (PFRPG, designer; d20pfsrd.com Publishing)
* Martial Arts Guidebook (forthcoming) (PFRPG, designer; Rite Publishing)
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Ranak
Learned Scribe
USA
190 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jan 2008 : 03:52:57
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I am extremely excited about this, it is one of my favorite corners of the realms! As a DM I have always wanted to set an adventure there, but never had the opportunity to.
I am delighted at the emphasis on Fey!
-11000
"The mighty fey guardian, Leviathan, arrives to defend the gravely shores and deep firths of the Moonshaes' rugged shorelines."
...
1372 DR (Year of Wild Magic)
Exotic species of half-fey are seen throughout the isles. Violent encounters with fey continue to increase as Ffolk and Northmen are driven from settlements along the circumference of Myrloch Vale.
...
1375 DR (Year of Risen Elfkin)
The ancient leShay capital of Karador rises from the crystal clear waters of Myrloch. The fey queen Ordalf announces the rebirth of the Sarifal and declares herself High Lady over all the lands of Gwynneth.
quote:
Originally posted by HawkinstheDM
Grand History of the Realms: The Moonshaes
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Edited by - Ranak on 11 Jan 2008 04:03:40 |
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Purple Dragon Knight
Master of Realmslore
Canada
1796 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jan 2008 : 05:04:04
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Brian R. James: I love thee!!! LeShay POWAH!!! 
PDK, who's been trying to find a clever way to introduce LeShay into his campaign, but now does not have to!
PS: my players are near the end of the Age of Worm, going into Epic levels as I write this (21+) Now Brian: is there a particular LeShay out of that whole bunch who's perhaps a little eeeeeevil? I ask because last time I read the stats for the LeShay, I remember thinking "here's one creature that could give trouble to a whole party of Epic adventurers!" 
Edit: PS2: the Epic bunch will probably claim Mintarn as their own and dethrone Tarnheel... Mintarn is close to the Moonshaes right?
Edit2: PS3: oh, and one of the Epic character is a Gondite from Lantan who wants to build a temple on Mintarn; another character hails from the Great Rift (gold dwarf) so looking at your timeline, and seeing that dwarves were around in -8000DR, any ideas come to your mind in regards to underground passes going to Mintarn or the Moonshae from the Underdark?
Edit3: PS4: boy, last time I got so excited over a WotC article, well, let me think a LONG time here... hmmm.... well done Brian! you've got me stumped! |
Edited by - Purple Dragon Knight on 11 Jan 2008 05:09:29 |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36803 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jan 2008 : 05:12:41
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...And now his Bozeman Line, from a previous Candlekeep Compendium, is canon. I want to sneak my own stuff into canon like that!  |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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Alaundo
Head Moderator
United Kingdom
5695 Posts |
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Daniel of the North
Acolyte
Norway
30 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jan 2008 : 09:59:36
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| Too bad im having such a hard time registering on Gleemax and wont be able to see this. |
THE ART OF ESCAPING REALITY |
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ShepherdGunn
Seeker
USA
89 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jan 2008 : 11:28:36
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Hoozah, Brian! A great article! I'm thinking of printing it off and creating my own History of The Realms Appendix. This was wonderful to see, and a joy to plan loads of the Evilness for future games (or... past games... or games that I will run in the future but will take place in the past.. or... oooh... my head hurts).
Keep up the great work. |
"Man does not live by bread alone, likewise, blades and arrows aren't the only things that can kill him." |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jan 2008 : 12:17:05
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quote:
Originally posted by Daniel of the North
Too bad im having such a hard time registering on Gleemax and wont be able to see this.
Click on the "printer friendly" link at the bottom of the web page and you should be able to see it fine. |
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Brian R. James
Forgotten Realms Game Designer
USA
1098 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jan 2008 : 14:41:35
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Is anyone able to see the map in the article? I think the image link is broken.  |
Brian R. James - Freelance Game Designer
Follow me on Twitter @brianrjames |
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crazedventurers
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1073 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jan 2008 : 14:47:54
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quote:
Originally posted by Brian R. James
Is anyone able to see the map in the article? I think the image link is broken.
JUst right click and 'save as' to your computer (or highlight the whole article, copy and paste into word as well)
Damian |
So saith Ed. I've never said he was sane, have I?
Gods, all this writing and he's running a constant fantasy version of Coronation Street in his head, too. .
shudder,
love to all,
THO
Candlekeep Forum 7 May 2005 |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36803 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jan 2008 : 15:04:54
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quote:
Originally posted by crazedventurers
quote:
Originally posted by Brian R. James
Is anyone able to see the map in the article? I think the image link is broken.
JUst right click and 'save as' to your computer (or highlight the whole article, copy and paste into word as well)
Damian
The right-click save as option saves a broken jpg... Trying to go to the jpg itself fails, too. IE doesn't say why it won't load, but FireFox says there are errors in the file.
But highlighting the whole article and saving it to Word does make the picture show up... Of course, I've never figured out an easy way to extract pics from Word, without first flipping the doc to pdf and extracting the images from there...
Brian, if you can, you may want to ping someone at WotC to fix the image. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
Edited by - Wooly Rupert on 11 Jan 2008 15:07:55 |
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Ayunken-vanzan
Senior Scribe
Germany
657 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jan 2008 : 15:14:54
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Same here, no map, only a broken link. 
Edit: But saving the page saves the map, too. Hm, but the link in the saved page remains broken. |
"What mattered our lives now? When our world had been torn from us? Folk wept, or drank, or stood staring out over the land, wondering what new horror each dawn would bring."
Elender Stormfall of Suzail
"Anyone can kill deities, cause plagues, or destroy organizations. It takes real skill to make them live on."
Varl
FR/D&D-Links 2ed Downloads |
Edited by - Ayunken-vanzan on 11 Jan 2008 15:26:09 |
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jan 2008 : 15:42:12
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I can't say I'm too happy to see "LeShay" mainly because, as I mentioned before, I can't stand the word "LeShay".
I'll read the article later. I can't say I'd use the new stuff for "my" Realms, but I'll certainly give it a look. |
"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams."
--Richard Greene (letter to Time) |
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crazedventurers
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1073 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jan 2008 : 16:43:16
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Well Oghma must be smiling upon me as it works fine for me 'as right click save as' and I get a lovely 837K file (I have just tried it again direct from the site and also from the printer friendly option, so unsure why it is not working for you?)
As I posted in the Chamber of Sages thread, the LOVELY map appears to be just as Ed described how the home Realms version of the Moonshaes look - though obviously the map relates to the first forming of the Moonshaes at -11000DR.......
Cheers
Damo
EDIT: does this work? (if this is a breach of forum etiquette, then I apologise)
[URL=http://img119.imageshack.us/my.php?image=moonshaeoriginalmaprr6.jpg][/URL]
http://img119.imageshack.us/img119/31/moonshaeoriginalmaprr6.th.jpg
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
The right-click save as option saves a broken jpg... Trying to go to the jpg itself fails, too. IE doesn't say why it won't load, but FireFox says there are errors in the file.
Mod Edit: You can't place image files into forum posts here at Candlekeep. You must link to them instead. |
So saith Ed. I've never said he was sane, have I?
Gods, all this writing and he's running a constant fantasy version of Coronation Street in his head, too. .
shudder,
love to all,
THO
Candlekeep Forum 7 May 2005 |
Edited by - The Sage on 11 Jan 2008 23:24:01 |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36803 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jan 2008 : 16:53:44
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quote:
Originally posted by crazedventurers
Well Oghma must be smiling upon me as it works fine for me 'as right click save as' and I get a lovely 837K file (I have just tried it again direct from the site and also from the printer friendly option, so unsure why it is not working for you?)
As I posted in the Chamber of Sages thread, the LOVELY map appears to be just as Ed described how the home Realms version of the Moonshaes look - though obviously the map relates to the first forming of the Moonshaes at -11000DR.......
Cheers
Damo
Hmmm, I'll be dipped -- it did work that way. I thought it didn't, because when I tried to view it from a shortcut to the desktop, it came up no preview. But when I actually opened the Desktop folder, it worked fine. Oddness. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jan 2008 : 20:24:18
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Haven't finished it yet, but I'm LOVING this -
144 DR (Year of the Fear and Flame)
Human settlers of Gwynneth come into conflict with the Llewyrr. The chieftain Taylor, consort of Gwynneth "the First Mother," dies in combat with the elves.
One of my ancestors has done me proud. 
EDIT: Still reading carefully through this - and I must say, I'm both floored and HONORED, Brian. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 11 Jan 2008 21:39:37 |
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Brian R. James
Forgotten Realms Game Designer
USA
1098 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jan 2008 : 01:58:03
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Some items from Mark Taylor's article in Candlekeep Compendium IX is now canon as well!
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
...And now his Bozeman Line, from a previous Candlekeep Compendium, is canon. I want to sneak my own stuff into canon like that!
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Brian R. James - Freelance Game Designer
Follow me on Twitter @brianrjames |
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freyar
Learned Scribe
Canada
220 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jan 2008 : 15:57:55
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| Question for Brian, since you're here: did WotC stick in the feywild as a retcon, or was that always around in FR lore I didn't know about? |
My DnD Links and Creations |
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Brian R. James
Forgotten Realms Game Designer
USA
1098 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jan 2008 : 17:06:48
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| The Feywild is simply the plane of Faerie renamed in 4E. In the past there was a possibility that Faerie might be another world in the Prime, but it's now been officially designated as a full Plane. Faerie had quite a bit of lore ties with the Forgotten Realms and they are strengthened in 4E. This is home of the fey Creator Race rules and the realm where the first elves were brought to Faerūn. |
Brian R. James - Freelance Game Designer
Follow me on Twitter @brianrjames |
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Jorkens
Great Reader
Norway
2950 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jan 2008 : 17:12:36
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| Great article. A strengthening of the ties to faerie is one of the new developments I actually like and that fits my version of the Realms. |
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Purple Dragon Knight
Master of Realmslore
Canada
1796 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jan 2008 : 03:04:00
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quote:
Originally posted by Daniel of the North
Too bad im having such a hard time registering on Gleemax and wont be able to see this.
I PDF'ed the whole article for my files on Friday. If Brian does not mind, I could send the file to you directly or through him, or post it somewhere at the Keep (I'm not a copyright expert so I'll wait for the good advice of Brian or Alaundo on this) |
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Purple Dragon Knight
Master of Realmslore
Canada
1796 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jan 2008 : 03:07:18
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quote:
Originally posted by Brian R. James
The Feywild is simply the plane of Faerie renamed in 4E. In the past there was a possibility that Faerie might be another world in the Prime, but it's now been officially designated as a full Plane. Faerie had quite a bit of lore ties with the Forgotten Realms and they are strengthened in 4E. This is home of the fey Creator Race rules and the realm where the first elves were brought to Faerūn.
So the fey creator race was the LeShay? if so, cool; if not, please correct me.
Also, when you say "designated as a full plane," is this an Outer plane part of the Tree cosmology or an alternate prime?
Cheers! |
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freyar
Learned Scribe
Canada
220 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jan 2008 : 14:39:43
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quote:
Originally posted by Purple Dragon Knight
Also, when you say "designated as a full plane," is this an Outer plane part of the Tree cosmology or an alternate prime?
PDK, 4e cosmology, which 4e FR is supposed to use (can't remember exactly where I heard that on EN World), is much less structured than either the Great Wheel or Great Tree. Here's
what we have from WotC. If you take a look on EN World, you should be able to find more info from WotC designer blogs. |
My DnD Links and Creations |
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Reefy
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
892 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jan 2008 : 14:56:26
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quote:
Originally posted by Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
I can't say I'm too happy to see "LeShay" mainly because, as I mentioned before, I can't stand the word "LeShay".
I'm with you all the way on that one, it sounds like a Franco-Irish Bond villain to me. |
Life is either daring adventure or nothing. |
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Asgetrion
Master of Realmslore
Finland
1564 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jan 2008 : 19:03:07
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Well met, Brian!
Simply an amazing article... top-notch stuff, and it's amazing how well you wove those 4E bits into the whole. You know, I'm so speechless that I have no other questions but this: why the hell did they not include *you* in the 4E FR Design Team? Or, rather: why did they not just hire you and Ed to take care of it all? 
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"What am I doing today? Ask me tomorrow - I can be sure of giving you the right answer then."
-- Askarran of Selgaunt, Master Sage, speaking to a curious merchant, Year of the Helm |
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Hawkins
Great Reader
USA
2131 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jan 2008 : 19:56:58
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quote:
Originally posted by Asgetrion
Well met, Brian!
Simply an amazing article... top-notch stuff, and it's amazing how well you wove those 4E bits into the whole. You know, I'm so speechless that I have no other questions but this: why the hell did they not include *you* in the 4E FR Design Team? Or, rather: why did they not just hire you and Ed to take care of it all?
I flat out told Rich Baker on the WotC forums that they needed to put Brian on the 4e Realms design team. Yet another logical conclusion treated with illogic by WotC. |
Errant d20 Designer - My Blog (last updated January 06, 2016)
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back. --Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass
"Mmm, not the darkness," Myrin murmured. "Don't cast it there." --Erik Scott de Bie, Shadowbane
* My character sheets (PFRPG, 3.5, and AE versions; not viewable in Internet Explorer)
* Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Reference Document (PFRPG OGL Rules)
* The Hypertext d20 SRD (3.5 OGL Rules)
* 3.5 D&D Archives
My game design work:
* Heroes of the Jade Oath (PFRPG, conversion; Rite Publishing)
* Compendium Arcanum Volume 1: Cantrips & Orisons (PFRPG, designer; d20pfsrd.com Publishing)
* Compendium Arcanum Volume 2: 1st-Level Spells (PFRPG, designer; d20pfsrd.com Publishing)
* Martial Arts Guidebook (forthcoming) (PFRPG, designer; Rite Publishing)
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jan 2008 : 23:09:06
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I'm confused . . . I thought he was working on the design team, especially since he posted this to the "Countdown" thread:
quote:
Waterdeep and the Dalelands were actually my assignments. I asked for and received the Moonshaes as well. My work on Waterdeep consisted primarily of distilling Ed's massive 100 page 50,000 word document on Waterdeep (circa 1479) down to 6 pages. Not an easy task at all but one I was more than happy to undertake.
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Hawkins
Great Reader
USA
2131 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jan 2008 : 23:23:03
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quote:
Originally posted by KnightErrantJR
I'm confused . . . I thought he was working on the design team, especially since he posted this to the "Countdown" thread:
quote:
Waterdeep and the Dalelands were actually my assignments. I asked for and received the Moonshaes as well. My work on Waterdeep consisted primarily of distilling Ed's massive 100 page 50,000 word document on Waterdeep (circa 1479) down to 6 pages. Not an easy task at all but one I was more than happy to undertake.
I checked and could not find that quote on the Countdown thread. Anyways, when I suggested that way back in like September, Rich never gave me any answer which I took to be ignoring my suggestion. Yay for Brian! |
Errant d20 Designer - My Blog (last updated January 06, 2016)
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back. --Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass
"Mmm, not the darkness," Myrin murmured. "Don't cast it there." --Erik Scott de Bie, Shadowbane
* My character sheets (PFRPG, 3.5, and AE versions; not viewable in Internet Explorer)
* Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Reference Document (PFRPG OGL Rules)
* The Hypertext d20 SRD (3.5 OGL Rules)
* 3.5 D&D Archives
My game design work:
* Heroes of the Jade Oath (PFRPG, conversion; Rite Publishing)
* Compendium Arcanum Volume 1: Cantrips & Orisons (PFRPG, designer; d20pfsrd.com Publishing)
* Compendium Arcanum Volume 2: 1st-Level Spells (PFRPG, designer; d20pfsrd.com Publishing)
* Martial Arts Guidebook (forthcoming) (PFRPG, designer; Rite Publishing)
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jan 2008 : 00:49:51
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I'm thinking Brian got called in when Ed's dad died and he started blowing deadlines. They would have called Brian because of his superb work on Grand History; it'd be Brian or George Krashos, and NDAs are relatively easy to enforce in the USA, and hard to enforce as far off as Australia (different legal wording needed).
So originally he wasn't, but then he was. And scribes' suggestions might have helped, yes. (I haven't asked Ed about this because I know he'd consider his NDA forbids him to say anything.)
Just a guess, but . . .
love,
THO |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jan 2008 : 00:51:11
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| One way or the other, I'm happy for the Brian's good fortune. |
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Brian R. James
Forgotten Realms Game Designer
USA
1098 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jan 2008 : 02:05:19
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| I have no doubt that I was contacted in part because of the great support I have here at Candlekeep. So I really do owe each and every one of you a giant THANK YOU! |
Brian R. James - Freelance Game Designer
Follow me on Twitter @brianrjames |
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Dragon article on the Moonshaes
I'm with PDK on this. This has made my year (albeit only been just over a week into the new year). I'm a big fan of the Moonshaes so this has gone down a treat