I've been looking into this setting recently, and does anyone know anywhere I can start if I wanna get into it (preferably free and online).
A good place to start for Mystara online is The Newbie's Guide to Mystara. It will give you a flavour for the gameworld, in particular the area of the setting called The Known World.
The rest of the Vaults of Pandius contains rather a lot of information, but after you get through the Newbie's Guide we can see where you might want to go from there.
I second Shawn's recommendations on starting with the Newbie Guide and then moving onto the Vaults of Pandius. Some Mystara fans still visit this forum, but it seems like the majority of our community have moved to The Piazza, so it might be worth a visit as well.
If you do have some cash you are willing to part with, I recommend picking up a few of the gazetteer pdfs at Paizo for only 4$ a piece. Gaz1 and Gaz3 are the most popular ones. Dawn of the Emperors was a boxed set, but comes at the same price, so that is a real bargain.
Good luck, you are in for a real treat!
Havard
This setting seems very promising and detailed and it's quite worth giving a shot at.
Thanks.:D
By the way I have been working on compiling a list of the major fan created works for Mystara. When you feel like you are ready for the "next step", you might want to take a look at this thread:
http://www.thepiazza.org.uk/bb/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=513
Havard
Glad to hear it!
By the way I have been working on compiling a list of the major fan created works for Mystara. When you feel like you are ready for the "next step", you might want to take a look at this thread:
http://www.thepiazza.org.uk/bb/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=513
Havard
Thanks Havard, you've been of great help. All those articles are already on the Halls of Pandius right?
Anyway, it's cool to see a supposedly "dead" setting still with so many active fans.
Thanks Havard, you've been of great help. All those articles are already on the Halls of Pandius right?
Anyway, it's cool to see a supposedly "dead" setting still with so many active fans.
yeah almost all of the articles are in the Vaults
yeah, it's not a dead setting - far from it
yeah almost all of the articles are in the Vaults
yeah, it's not a dead setting - far from it
Is there any more Mystara material on PDF, cause I checked the 2nd edition downloads section on this site and none of them are.
Is there any more Mystara material on PDF, cause I checked the 2nd edition downloads section on this site and none of them are.
I see you have a good apetite for quality!
For official supplements, make sure you download the Red Steel/Savage Coast stuff:
Savage Coast, book 1
Savage Coast, book 2
Savage Coast, book 3
Savage Coast MCA
Orc's Head, book 1
Orc's Head, book 2
Also,
check out the downloads section on my website at http://blackmoor.mystara.com which has links to most of the available official Mystara, Blackmoor and Red Steel stuff.
Havard
yeah almost all of the articles are in the Vaults
yeah, it's not a dead setting - far from it
Indeed. Mystara is the only D&D setting I have ever run. I've played in many settings, but when it's my turn to run D&D, Mystara is always the setting I choose.
I see you have a good apetite for quality!
For official supplements, make sure you download the Red Steel/Savage Coast stuff:
Savage Coast, book 1
Savage Coast, book 2
Savage Coast, book 3
Savage Coast MCA
Orc's Head, book 1
Orc's Head, book 2
Also,
check out the downloads section on my website at http://blackmoor.mystara.com which has links to most of the available official Mystara, Blackmoor and Red Steel stuff.
Havard
Wow, thanks for the help. But the blackmoor link dosen't seem to work. Just finished the Newbie's Guide and I do have to admit it seems promising. Its like a cross between Forgotten Realms, Elder Scrolls, and George RR Martin's song of Fire and Ice books, which are three of my favorite fanatsy worlds.
Are the almanacs on the Halls of Pandius any use?
Wow, thanks for the help. But the blackmoor link dosen't seem to work.
Crap, now I don't even know the url to my website.:embarrass It should have been http://blackmoor.mystara.us
Click on downloads.
Just finished the Newbie's Guide and I do have to admit it seems promising. Its like a cross between Forgotten Realms, Elder Scrolls, and George RR Martin's song of Fire and Ice books, which are three of my favorite fanatsy worlds.
Interesting. I have never seen it described that way, but I guess I understand what you mean
Are the almanacs on the Halls of Pandius any use?
The Net Almanacs follow up the 4 Almanacs that were published by TSR. They Almanacs provide a year by year description of the timeline that follows the Wrath of the Immortals scenario. In addition the Almanacs provide descriptions of many of the nations and characters of Mystara. IMO they are a little easy to get lost in though so I only use them to look up specific things.
Havard
In addition, there are other products currently being collated in this thread.
-OldDawg
Wow, this is a lot for me to keep track of. I don't exactly want to download everything, but are all the files avaliable at either Halls of Pandius or havard's Blackmoor website? Can't seem to find some of the Gazetteers either.
A couple of the links to the GazF series Gazetteers in the first link I provided you with don't work. I will update them once they are updated to the Vaults of Pandius, which is updated on a monthly basis.
What we have provided you with between us in this thread pretty much covers what is out there for Mystara, although there are several other fansites with useful tidbits. The link sections on Pandius and my site will give you some pointers.
I can understand that this is alot to devour. From reading the newbie guide, you should have been able to get some idea of what the world is like. I recommend picking a country or region that appeal to you and explore that one further. The most popular starting point is probably Karameikos, which is probably the closest you get to more traditional fantasy. If you are more interested in Swashbuckling Minrothad, Darokin or the Savage Coast/Red Steel setting are probably better starting points. Some regions are mainly developed by fans, which has the advantage you you being able to get most of the setting info for those regions for free.
Havard
I've been looking into this setting recently, and does anyone know anywhere I can start if I wanna get into it (preferably free and online).
Do you have a particular play style, or themes that you like to use in either your own adventures, or in modifying existing modules/adventures?
A couple of the links to the GazF series Gazetteers in the first link I provided you with don't work. I will update them once they are updated to the Vaults of Pandius, which is updated on a monthly basis.
What we have provided you with between us in this thread pretty much covers what is out there for Mystara, although there are several other fansites with useful tidbits. The link sections on Pandius and my site will give you some pointers.
I can understand that this is alot to devour. From reading the newbie guide, you should have been able to get some idea of what the world is like. I recommend picking a country or region that appeal to you and explore that one further. The most popular starting point is probably Karameikos, which is probably the closest you get to more traditional fantasy. If you are more interested in Swashbuckling Minrothad, Darokin or the Savage Coast/Red Steel setting are probably better starting points. Some regions are mainly developed by fans, which has the advantage you you being able to get most of the setting info for those regions for free.
Havard
Yeah, I favorited that one thread you gave me on the piazza. That has all the Mystara material right?
I might actually start in Glantri or the Alphatian Empire, since I'm a magic freak.
A couple of the links to the GazF series Gazetteers in the first link I provided you with don't work. I will update them once they are updated to the Vaults of Pandius, which is updated on a monthly basis.
or more often if needs must
I've got to say since the Mystaran contingent of this community moved over to the Piazza, they have been significantly more discussive and significantly more productive. Of course these aren't empirical assessments, they're just anecdotal based on the scores of more posts that I know I've been keeping up with.
Yeah, I favorited that one thread you gave me on the piazza. That has all the Mystara material right?
In the link I gave you, I have tried to collect the major works created by fans. Ofcourse there is much more at the Vaults of Pandius than that, but much of it is in the form of smaller articles rather than in collected works, similar to commercial products.
By the way if you are interested in Deities, or Immortals as they are called on Mystara, you should also visit Marco Dalmonte's Complete List of Mystaran Immortals.
I might actually start in Glantri or the Alphatian Empire, since I'm a magic freak.
An excellent choice. I recommend getting the Glantri gazetteer or the Dawn of the Emperors boxed set from Paizo. Really 4$ for one of those is a bargain. With the second, you get two empires for the price of one.
Havard
or more often if needs must
Wicked!
I've got to say since the Mystaran contingent of this community moved over to the Piazza, they have been significantly more discussive and significantly more productive. Of course these aren't empirical assessments, they're just anecdotal based on the scores of more posts that I know I've been keeping up with.
I think even if you go by statistics you will find the same. I think you would find that the number of Mystara related threads posted in the Piazza over the last month vastly exceed the number of threads we had on a monthy basis over here. So if WotC wanted to stimulate to more discussions of Mystara with this merge, they have succeeded...
Havard
From analysing the posts of various staff and supporters here, I get the impression that WotC's goal was to simulate more discussion here. In that, they have been remarkably successful.
did you mean unsuccessful or successful?
did you mean unsuccessful or successful?
I did indeed mean exactly what I wrote. Note that I wrote simulate, not stimulate ;)
I did indeed mean exactly what I wrote. Note that I wrote simulate, not stimulate ;)
You British with your subtle humour! ;)
Havard
Wizards however... don't hold your breath hoping for any "official" Mystara settings or supplements. The fans do it better than they ever could anyhow. ;)
I love Mystara, the Vaults, and the Piazza. A great setting, archive, and community.
Wizards however... don't hold your breath hoping for any "official" Mystara settings or supplements. The fans do it better than they ever could anyhow. ;)
Yeah, I agree. I just think the Vaults need to release a Mystara 3e CS, a monster manual, and I'll be happy.
Yeah, I agree. I just think the Vaults need to release a Mystara 3e CS, a monster manual, and I'll be happy.
I think that could happen in the near future...
Havard
I think that could happen in the near future...
Havard
Good to hear.:D
Good to hear.:D
Roger has revived the Mystara 3e project over at http://thepiazza.org.uk/bb/viewforum.php?f=41 and I suspect a Monsterous Compendium will be released soon after the Core book. Most of the work for a Monster Manual has already been completed afterall
Havard