Level Up #3: Sneak Peek

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Blackdirge
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Level Up #3: Sneak Peek

Post by Blackdirge »

Hi all, here's a sneak peek at the prelimenary cover and contents for Level Up #3, which will be available early 2010:

Image

Contents:
  • Roads to Adventure – Last Call at the Blind Tyrant
  • PC Pearls – The Knave Multiclass
  • Blackdirge’s Bestiary – The Ugly Side of Fey
  • Azagar’s Advice for Adventurers – Armored & Dangerous Part I
  • A Picture Tells 1,000 Words – The Rowan King
  • GM Gems – A Sucker is Rolled Every Minute
  • Amethyst Extras – Beauty in Shadow
  • Beyond the Bookshelf – Amon, Lord of Wrath
  • Jack’s Ultrashort Reviews
  • Dear Archmage Abbey
Aeryn "Blackdirge" Rudel
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Blackdirge
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Re: Level Up #3: Sneak Peek

Post by Blackdirge »

Here's, one more tempting, little peek at what's in the upcoming issue. :D

Level Up #3: Editorial

I’ll admit; I’m a pretty visceral guy. My favorite movies are the kind with plenty of dismemberments and gallons of blood. My favorite sports involve hitting things and people with clubs, sticks, swords, and my bare fists. And my favorite role-playing game is the one where you kill lots of monsters and take their stuff…come on, you know the one.

As you might suspect, when I play D&D, my favorite characters are fighters and barbarians armed with big, heavy weapons that go crunch or splat when they hit the bad guy; and I like monsters that do truckloads of damage with each hit or inflict horrific, debilitating curses, diseases, or wounds on players.

Now, with that little bit of background, you’d probably be surprised that I’d devote an entire issue of Level Up to fey. But, hey, I enjoy a bit of subtlety now and then, and as it turns out, fey can be just as nasty and in-your-face as a rampaging dragon or a bloodthirsty demon. The difference is that when a death hag rips your head off, she does it with a panache that few other monsters can manage. You see, with fey, it’s all about style; and even gut-wrenching torture and bloody dismemberments are done with an artistic flare that makes the worst atrocities somehow more atrocious.

So in this issue of Level Up, you won’t find any articles on fairies, garden gnomes, or expansive treatises on elven magic. What you will find, however, is the dark, ugly side of the fey; and in the case of this issue’s Blackdirge’s Bestiary, the emphasis is definitely on the ugly. You’ll also find a paragon-level adventure that pits your PCs against the machination of some very naughty hags, a new race of blind, sword-wielding fey that make even the drow look commonplace in comparison, and a complete, new multiclass that allows your PC to harness a bit of fey magic to wreak some serious havoc on the battlefield.

So take a walk on the wild side – the Feywild side that is – and don’t be fooled by the pleasant, tranquil cover. The fey in this issue are like the gingerbread house that so tempted Hansel and Gretel; sweet and innocent on the outside, but harboring a rotten core of cruelty, evil, and ugliness.

Aeryn “Blackdirge” Rudel
Editor-in-Chief
aeryn@goodman-games.com
Aeryn "Blackdirge" Rudel
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Re: Level Up #3: Sneak Peek

Post by Burchard »

Ok, I'm starting to get antsy. It's now early 2010. Any word on when this will be ready?
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Re: Level Up #3: Sneak Peek

Post by darjr »

Can't wait. Thanks for the peek!
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Re: Level Up #3: Sneak Peek

Post by Burchard »

Just a bump to see when Issue #3 is expected to ship. As a subscriber, I'd like to know if I missed it!
Author: Soloquest series of adventures by Kenzer & Co.
Need a new gaming song? Check out Fourth Level Fighter. Lyrics/bass by me. Vocals/guitars/drums by my buddy, Aaron. Download it and spread the word!
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Re: Level Up #3: Sneak Peek

Post by goodmangames »

Sending it to the printer next week - would ship early April. Better late than never, right? :)
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Re: Level Up #3: Sneak Peek

Post by Burchard »

If it's anything like the first two issues, better late than never is right!!!

Thanks for the heads-up.
Author: Soloquest series of adventures by Kenzer & Co.
Need a new gaming song? Check out Fourth Level Fighter. Lyrics/bass by me. Vocals/guitars/drums by my buddy, Aaron. Download it and spread the word!
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Re: Level Up #3: Sneak Peek

Post by Keraptis »

Are you guys going to continue Level Up or no?

I have to say I was hoping for better than 3 issues in a year. Issue 1 came out around this time last year. I thought if this was a quarterly you would be up to issue 5 around now or at least have issue 4 out by now.

Based on what Ive read about your new DCC game and the lack of product lately it doesnt seem like you're that interested in publishing 4E books anymore. :( :( :( I would've bought lots of 4E DCcs if you had printed them, I'm still waiting for the paragon Punjar adventures and the followup to the Forgotten Portal mentioned before. And I loved the Master Dungeons series, too bad you don't have anymore of them coming out soon.
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Re: Level Up #3: Sneak Peek

Post by goodmangames »

Level Up #3 is at the printer now. Subscriber copies will be going out in about 3 weeks depending on when they finish. Amethyst is at the printer also, and DCC #64 will be going to the printer later in the month. I was just working with the graphic designer on DCC #65's cover...and we paid Clyde Caldwell for another Master Dungeons cover...so I wouldn't jump to conclusions too quickly. :)
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Re: Level Up #3: Sneak Peek

Post by finarvyn »

I just got around to picking up the first two issues and I'm stoked about #3. Level Up is a pretty good 'zine!
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Keraptis
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Re: Level Up #3: Sneak Peek

Post by Keraptis »

goodmangames wrote:Level Up #3 is at the printer now. Subscriber copies will be going out in about 3 weeks depending on when they finish. Amethyst is at the printer also, and DCC #64 will be going to the printer later in the month. I was just working with the graphic designer on DCC #65's cover...and we paid Clyde Caldwell for another Master Dungeons cover...so I wouldn't jump to conclusions too quickly. :)
That all sounds good. I bet it turns out nice (your stuff usually does!) and I hope it sells really well.

But me and my group moved on from the DCCs so we probably won't be picking this up. You havent had anything come out since last summer and that was the Warbringers Son which was a tournament module.

When you switched to 4e we were really excited. We played the hell out of the Punjar series and started with Isle of the Sea Drake and were about to start Forbidden Portal. But you didnt really put anything else after that. Which was really weird since you guys used to pump out great modules for 3.5 all the time.

People mentioned on the boards that Punjar paragon level modules and others would be comming out and that was what we really needed for our campaign. Now our campaign is close to epic level. We wouldve bought modules like crazy from you if they were coming out. No offense but Goodman Gamews was the place where we came to buy adventures and not stuff like Tiefling Handbooks.

So we started writing our own adventures and using stuff from online Dungeon instead. We didnt want to wait around anymore.

If you ever start putting out modules again once a month or more like you used to we'll probably start buying them again. But just 1 or 2 DCCs a year doesnt make sense. The odds that we can fit them into our campaign is just too small.

I also really dont like subscriptions for stuff like Level Up when its 'we'll send you 4 magazines whenever we get around to publishing them'. I'd subscribe for sure if you made sure it definitly came out 4 times or 6 times a year. Issue 2 came out at Gen Con last year and it looks like issue 4 wont be out until Gen Con this year. Maybe other people are OK with that but to be honest that doesnt seem right.

Just my 2 cents. Again I hope it all sells really well for you, I know the writing will be top notch stuff.
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Re: Level Up #3: Sneak Peek

Post by Syffin »

I have to agree completely Keraptis, I love Goodman Games DCC modules and we ran through the Punjar series. I have been disappointed with the release schedule of anything above heroic tier, you only have like one paragon adventure. I started a second campaign using Forges but most of my players just wanted to continue into paragon. Eventually after it became clear that GG wasn't going to be publishing anything anytime soon I gave up and started writing my own stuff and working with stuff from Dungeon as well. I also subscribed to Level Up and have been waiting patiently for issue #3.

And now that I see that the focus seems to have shifted to the DCC RPG (even though you all say it hasn't) I haven't seen much talk about a lot of new upcoming 4e modules like the supposed paragon Punjar adventure.

I was so pleased and impressed with the products GG released when 4e came out and that has made it a bit depressing to see it all come to a screeching halt.
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Re: Level Up #3: Sneak Peek

Post by Sir Brown »

like the front cover Very Late 70's :wink: pity they did not use that type of art in most recent D&D adventure books.

but all in all can't wait to git it when it arives in one of the small RPG shops in London Uk
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Re: Level Up #3: Sneak Peek

Post by sgstyrsky »

Hey Goodman Guys!

My question RE Level Up is one of submissions. If I have sent stuff to you, but have not heard back in a while, does that mean the articles were rejected? Or should I just be patient?

Looking forward to issue 3. Thanks!

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Re: Level Up #3: Sneak Peek

Post by Keraptis »

I submitted stuff too. Stuff for Level Up and ideas I had for two DCCs. Never heard back from anyone. And then I waited 60 days like the submission guidlines said and followed up with another query. Never heard back from anyone then either.

It's been months now so I guess nothing got accepted. Which is OK but the least you guys could do is send back a quick "Sorry but we're not accepting this" e-mail. Silence is really frustrating. I'd rather know you guys got something and didnt want to use it rather than hear nothing at all.

If you're not accepting new ideas for articles or products please just say something.
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Re: Level Up #3: Sneak Peek

Post by goodmangames »

It's possible they got lost somewhere in the process. Please resend them directly to me at joseph@goodman-games.com

Thanks,
Joseph
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Re: Level Up #3: Sneak Peek

Post by Keraptis »

Thanks but no thanks. Although I do appreicate the offer.

I sent several proposals back in March of last year. So did some of my buddies in my gaming group. Then we sent a bunch more in June after you posted how well 4e was doing for you. We figured you probably needed more writers if that was the case. No offense but it seems hard to believe that all the proposals from 4 different people sent over a couple of months all got lost. Not to mention none of our follow up queries about those proposals ever got a response.

We sent all of our Level Up proposals last year to aeryn (at) goodman-games.com and our DCC proposals to harley (at) goodman-games.com per the guidelines on your website. If that was wrong I stand corrected.

I'm not saying any of those proposals were amazing or deserved to even get published. They probably werent. But if you're asking people to send in proposals you should at least send back a form rejection that says thanks but we'll pass. For us guys trying to become writers its really frustrating to never ever hear anything back from a company. We kind of expect that from Wizards of the Coast but I guess we were hoping for better from you.

I only really mention this because one of the guys in my group who submitted stuff to your company and never heard anything back got so frustrated he said he'd never buy any Goodman Games adventures again. And he hasnt. And this was a guy who had all your DCCs and drove out to GenCon just to buy Castle Whiterock. Maybe he's the only person like this but when things like this happen it makes a impression on fans like us.

Again just my 2 cents. Hope you guys do well with 4e or the new DCC game or whatever it is your going to do next.
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Re: Level Up #3: Sneak Peek

Post by callin »

I wonder if the editor for Level Up, "Blackdirge", becoming editor for another gaming magazine has anything to do with this?
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Re: Level Up #3: Sneak Peek

Post by goodmangames »

Yes, Aeryn "Blackdirge" Rudel has taken advantage of a great opportunity and is now working at Privateer Press. LU#3 will hit stands featuring his imprimatur but LU#4 and beyond will be in new hands. Tell us what you think of #3 and details on future issues will come out as things unfold.
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