http://www.kenzerco.com/forums/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=447743&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1
R.A.
(I only say "for better or worse" because it's a Hackmaster project and carries the inherent baggage. I'm keeping an open mind, and will wait and see how it looks when/if it hits the shelf.)
Originally posted by tjedge1
I'm at a bit of a loss here. What is Hackwurld of Mystaros supposed to be?
Mystaros is the Hackmaster version of Mystara, to be compiled into a single volume gazeteer by James Mishler, a pretty active member of the MML.
Whether you believe this is the triumphant return of Mystara to publication, a sick parody in mockery of a great setting, or something in between probably depends on your view of Hackmaster.
Mr. Mishler is quite obviously a big fan of the setting and a published game designer, so I'm relatively optomistic. Like I said, I'll wait to see how it looks when/if it reaches the shelf.
R.A.
Check out his stuff in the Vaults:
http://dnd.starflung.com/jmishler.html
Stan, the author feature is excellent
Havard
I am once again on the HackWurld of Mystaros project for Kenzer & Company. For those who do not know of it, the HackWurld of Mystaros is the "Hacked" version of the Known World of Mystara for the HackMaster role-playing game. I began work on this last year, and then a lot of personal issues intervened. But that is all over now. I am once again fully employed, yet am able to pick up the HackWurld again on a freelance basis. Once I am settled in at my new location I will concentrate all my free energies on getting the HackWurld completed.
You will note that the HackWurld is not on Kenzer & Company's schedule. This is because they and I do not want to disappoint anyone by missing a deadline; between this being developed as a freelance project and the necessities of working with a licensed project, schedules can all too easily go to hell. Thus a release date for the project will not be announced until Kenzer & Company has a near 100% certainty of that date (with some damn good modifiers in their favor, to boot).
As to the project itself, the book has gone from a 256-page "everything you needed to know about the whole setting" monster to what is essentially a 96-page "Gamemaster's Guide to the HackWurld Proper". It will contain all the basics a GM needs to run a campaign in the core region (the "Known World" area of the original map), and also have enough information on the different cultures of humans, elves, dwarves, halflings, gnomes, and humanoids to enable a player to play a distinctively "HackWurld" character. From Belcadiz Elf to Dymrak Goblin, Thyatian Legionaire to Atruaghin Barbarian, enough detail will be included to make your character definitively HackWurld in nature.
It will be up to you fellow Mystaraphiles, HackMaster Fans, and others interested in adventure game settings, and your combined purchasing power to determine whether further supplements will be released, such as one covering Sind and the Great Waste, or the Alphatian Empire, or Hule and the Savage Coast. So I am doing my best to make sure that that this book will appeal to those who already love Mystara, those who already love HackMaster, and those who simply are looking for a kick-ass fantasy game setting. A tall order, indeed. I will update developments as development warrants.
As a side note, for those who enjoy my earlier work, my day job is once again in publishing. Yes, more of my words in print. I am an Associate Editor for Comics Buyer's Guide at Krause Publications. Currently CBG is a 52-page weekly tabloid magazine that covers comic books; starting in June we go to a monthly 244-page format. I am essentially responsible for our cover article, plus the rest of the leading articles; these cover everything from comic book related movies, to comic book characters, to comic book pop culture. I also cover the sections related to comic book based games, including collectible miniature games, collectible card games, and role-playing games. So please, by all means, check us out at your local comic book shop, and soon on newsstands nationwide.
James "Mystaros" Mishler
jamesmishler at attglobal dot net
Even though the Mystara community seems able to stay alive without any official products, I hope that the upcoming HackMaster line aswell as the D20 Blackmoor Setting (Coming in Q3, this year) will spark lots of further discussions here and on the MML.
Havard