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Post by GhostofLandar on Mar 24, 2021 4:22:45 GMT
Even I have been negligent in giving Ian Page his due, he even described some of his gaming sessions with Joe where they both named cities and towns. I don't know if Ian directly invented the Shianti, or their name, but all of that lore is essential to LW now and it's better for it. Bless him too.
Oh, I have a question:
Will we get the Planes of Existence RPG supplement at any point? Would be interested to know more about the Plane and realms of Light, as we know so much even about the Elemental Planes now (or a sense of them related to the Fire elemental plane at least.)
Oh, and since no one can find the Stornlands book, will there be a release that combines that with Stornland II unreleased content? I always assumed from the titles of princes (but only occasionally kings!) that the Stornlands were once somewhat like the Holy Roman Empire. What I'd want to know is what was it like before it's disunion. Obviously these were not always just small states warring over border squabbles or some princelings (or usurper) ambition.
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jkl
Kai Lord
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Post by jkl on Mar 26, 2021 17:50:19 GMT
I've been lurking here the last few years (decade?) but have to finally come out and say what a great job you did, Vincent. You and Ben really pulled off a near-impossible feat with LW31. Probably an odd and very specific request, but here goes: I grew up even more attached to the GS series, so it brought back a lot of nostalgia to really see that history get its due (whereas LW 21-22 felt very much a let-down in how disconnected it felt from the original GS). Can you guys delve, whether in future books or your updates to the lore, into the Shadakine Wytches? For most of the GS series, they are the major secondary antagonists. You face off against three of them in GS1, GS2 and GS4, Mother Magri is one of the most malignant adversaries ever, and obviously there's Tanith, but so much of them gets glossed over. The books go out of their way to say how important they are and imply they have history: how they were instrumental in making Shasarak the "Wytch-King" (which LW31 amazingly explored--thank you!), acquired their higher powers like the truthsay when they gained the Kazim Stones, that Mother Magri and Mother Chowloon of Andui are sisters...but little else. The entire point of the Shianti's plan in GS4 to send you to Fernmost is to undo them, in fact. It's part of the reason why LW21-22 felt like a retcon--you're told in GS that the Wytches uphold Shasarak's rule in all the major cities, there's the implication that the Empire is really Shadaki + the seven cities on the original book map (the conquered territories of Andui, Karnali, Forlu, Korli, Suhn + old territories of Tiklu, Jazer), and instead we find there's a whole boring stretch of cities north that have nothing to them but annoying shamans and Oriah . If we look at how old Mother Magri and Mother Niya are in the illustrations, and the fact that Shasarak has only been ruling the united empire for 16+ years at the start of GS, there's the clear implication the Wytches you fight were there from the beginning. I have to think there's so much history to explore there. Moreover, their magic seems to touch on some of the broader LW31 themes of left/right hand paths. Without her full training, Tanith's basic training as a Wytch enables her to control animals--not really left or right. We'd assume that had she continued with Mother Magri, she'd take the Kazim Stone and the full suite of powers (truthsay, control over demons) and use them for evil. Yet she's clearly implied, as the Wytch-Queen, to be further developed and using her powers for good...and the Kazim Stones themselves appear to be highly neutral (we don't know for sure that their original owners are good, in fact, just aligned with the Shianti mission of taking Shasarak down). The completionist in me (I grew up during the pre-digital age, when the Magnamund Companion was already out of print, so I remember how excited I was to finally get the complete list of 20 Darklords) also wants to get the final two names and cities of the Wytches during the GS series! It always bothered me that five of them were named but there was the implication there were two more (from the seven Kazim). Is the one in LW31 intended to be one of the original seven? And just what are the Kazim up to now that they're fully restored ?
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Post by zorkraan on Apr 4, 2021 20:01:48 GMT
Will we get the Planes of Existence RPG supplement at any point? Would be interested to know more about the Plane and realms of Light, as we know so much even about the Elemental Planes now (or a sense of them related to the Fire elemental plane at least.) Even if far less developed than the Plane of Darkness in the gamebooks, the Plane of Light will be addressed in the further rpg supplement "Divinities of Aon" announced long ago by Joe Dever and that we put on standby at his passing. It has been announced today that the LW RPG was back at Cubicle 7, so stay tunned . Oh, and since no one can find the Stornlands book, will there be a release that combines that with Stornland II unreleased content? Definitely YES, it's on the way. A big Stornlands sourcebook containing the already released tome I and the never released tome II. I always assumed from the titles of princes (but only occasionally kings!) that the Stornlands were once somewhat like the Holy Roman Empire. What I'd want to know is what was it like before it's disunion. Obviously these were not always just small states warring over border squabbles or some princelings (or usurper) ambition. Actually the history of the Stornlands was revealed in the tome I by Joe Dever, building on what was explained in the Magnamund Companion long before. There has been no "Holy Roman Empire"-like empire covering all the Stornlands, just an attempt of doing so by Prince Kaskor, who ultimately failed. But it's true the fragmentation of the existing kingdoms into warmongering principalities reminds of the instability of the Holy Roman Empire.
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Post by zorkraan on Apr 4, 2021 22:39:18 GMT
I've been lurking here the last few years (decade?) but have to finally come out and say what a great job you did, Vincent. You and Ben really pulled off a near-impossible feat with LW31. Thank you so much for those words !! Can you guys delve, whether in future books or your updates to the lore, into the Shadakine Wytches? For most of the GS series, they are the major secondary antagonists. You face off against three of them in GS1, GS2 and GS4, Mother Magri is one of the most malignant adversaries ever, and obviously there's Tanith, but so much of them gets glossed over. The books go out of their way to say how important they are and imply they have history: how they were instrumental in making Shasarak the "Wytch-King" (which LW31 amazingly explored--thank you!), acquired their higher powers like the truthsay when they gained the Kazim Stones, that Mother Magri and Mother Chowloon of Andui are sisters...but little else. The entire point of the Shianti's plan in GS4 to send you to Fernmost is to undo them, in fact. It's part of the reason why LW21-22 felt like a retcon--you're told in GS that the Wytches uphold Shasarak's rule in all the major cities, there's the implication that the Empire is really Shadaki + the seven cities on the original book map (the conquered territories of Andui, Karnali, Forlu, Korli, Suhn + old territories of Tiklu, Jazer), and instead we find there's a whole boring stretch of cities north that have nothing to them but annoying shamans and Oriah . If we look at how old Mother Magri and Mother Niya are in the illustrations, and the fact that Shasarak has only been ruling the united empire for 16+ years at the start of GS, there's the clear implication the Wytches you fight were there from the beginning. I have to think there's so much history to explore there. Moreover, their magic seems to touch on some of the broader LW31 themes of left/right hand paths. Without her full training, Tanith's basic training as a Wytch enables her to control animals--not really left or right. We'd assume that had she continued with Mother Magri, she'd take the Kazim Stone and the full suite of powers (truthsay, control over demons) and use them for evil. Yet she's clearly implied, as the Wytch-Queen, to be further developed and using her powers for good...and the Kazim Stones themselves appear to be highly neutral (we don't know for sure that their original owners are good, in fact, just aligned with the Shianti mission of taking Shasarak down). The completionist in me (I grew up during the pre-digital age, when the Magnamund Companion was already out of print, so I remember how excited I was to finally get the complete list of 20 Darklords) also wants to get the final two names and cities of the Wytches during the GS series! It always bothered me that five of them were named but there was the implication there were two more (from the seven Kazim). Is the one in LW31 intended to be one of the original seven? And just what are the Kazim up to now that they're fully restored ? Your enthusiasm for the Shadakine Wytches and the GS setting is infectious ! I feel delighted you noticed the revelations about Shasarak's history in Book 31. I also agree with your analysis regarding the importance of the Wytch as foes in the Grey Star series. I'm not sure reading your post if you have been able to read some bonus adventures, notably "A Wytch's Nightmare" (the BA of LW22), "The Chains of Ghol-Tabras" (the BA of GS3 -only in German) and "Battle of the Wytches" (the BA of GS4 -only in German), which contain some of the information you're seeking, notably regarding the powers of the Wytches and the identity of other important Wytches of the Empire (For info, Mother Squanni in LW31 is not one of the 7 owners of Kazim Stones.)
Regarding the Kazim... well I think you'll learn more about them in further books, sorry for remaining so vague ;-).
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jkl
Kai Lord
Posts: 2
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Post by jkl on Apr 5, 2021 1:22:31 GMT
Amazing. Now rushing to get my German translator + Kindle to "scratch my itch" about this particular part of the lore...good luck with 32. You've done a phenomenal job closing out the series with Ben. I'll post a longer review down the road but I think the book has really resurrected the epic spirit that was missing in the NO series.
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Post by Black Cat on Jun 27, 2021 21:19:46 GMT
Alright! Most of you have read or probably heard about the upcoming schedule for the Definitive Edition, which will lead to the publication of book 32 in November 2023.
However, something was absent in yesterday's announcement: what about the extended version of book 28? Will it get a Collector's Edition release in the next few months or are we going to wait for its version as a Definitive Edition to come out (which will be in July... 2023)? Surely Vincent, you must know when you will write the missing 50 sections of that book?
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Post by zorkraan on Jun 28, 2021 16:52:32 GMT
Actually I'm on it (slowly), a Collector Edition is still considered for LW28, don't worry! But it may not help you to guess the precise date of release. Ben will announce it as soon as possible but the immediate priority is the release of the first tomes of the Definitive Editions.
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andyc
Kai Lord
Posts: 210
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Post by andyc on Jun 27, 2022 20:16:14 GMT
Hi Vincent,
I have just discovered that the German paperback and kindle versions of the four Grey Star books all come with their bonus adventures.
Now before I buy them all and struggle through what would likely be a Google Translated mess, are we likely to see these four BAs turn up in the BA compendiums in English in the not too distant future?
Also, and I realise you may not be able to answer this yet, but are the BA Compendiums going to have to wait till all the DEs are out first? I suspect all the hard work to produce these beautiful DE hardbacks and also to arrange a successful wide release of paperbacks/kindle versions will leave little time for the BAs at the moment, but it be good to know if there are any plans you can perhaps hint at.
Thanks for your time regardless!
Andy
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Post by zorkraan on Jun 28, 2022 16:45:41 GMT
Hi Andyc
I say it's possible (even if the definitive list of the BAs that will be republished is not yet established - we'll make choices) these 4 BAs return in English versions when Holmgard Press will start to release the BA Compendiums. All of them are big ones, with a lot of revelations and surprises you can trust me* . Now I'm afraid the BAs compendium will be released post-Definitive Editions, your assumption's correct, I'd like to be wrong because it's a project I love and support, but we have to be realist. Sorry for not helping you more. Vincent
*(SPOILERS there are for instances ties between GS1BA and LW31, and between GS3BA that I co-authored and LW22BA, LW30 and LW31!)
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andyc
Kai Lord
Posts: 210
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Post by andyc on Jun 28, 2022 17:22:12 GMT
Hi Andyc I say it's possible (even if the definitive list of the BAs that will be republished is not yet established - we'll make choices) these 4 BAs return in English versions when Holmgard Press will start to release the BA Compendiums. All of them are big ones, with a lot of revelations and surprises you can trust me* . Now I'm afraid the BAs compendium will be released post-Definitive Editions, your assumption's correct, I'd like to be wrong because it's a project I love and support, but we have to be realist. Sorry for not helping you more. Vincent *(SPOILERS there are for instances ties between GS1BA and LW31, and between GS3BA that I co-authored and LW22BA, LW30 and LW31!) No, no that is very helpful and informative thanks. Completely understandable that the priority should be on the DEs right now and they are absolutely making the wait worthwhile. Looks like I'll be double dipping on these bad boys. Time get get Google Translate warmed up again; let's hope it doesn't mangle the revelations too badly!
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Post by johntfs on Jun 28, 2022 18:19:05 GMT
Here's a idea for a tribute to Joe Dever that you could put on the 1st few pages of Book 32, I'm posting what I think would be the best small tribute and I mean this suggestion in a very nice way. What do you think? We dedicate this great book to the great memory of the great man that was The great Joe Dever, a great person who was a great author and a great parent Thanks for the suggestion! We have actually something in mind to celebrate Joe Dever in the last book. Any chance of Holmgard Press selling us English versions of the Autumn Snow books? Megara... well let's just say they "effed" up badly on that front. We got The Pit of Darkness but not The Wildlands Hunt or any further books. They're really good and I really, really want them.
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Post by zorkraan on Jun 28, 2022 19:43:54 GMT
Simple answer: Yes, it is planned to publish the entire Autumn Snow saga at Holmgard!
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Post by johntfs on Jun 29, 2022 20:36:29 GMT
Simple answer: Yes, it is planned to publish the entire Autumn Snow saga at Holmgard! That's excellent news. I'm just going to assume that any answer to the question, "When?" will be some variation of "Eventually, but it's going to be a while." As I understand it, first up is publishing the "Definitive" editions of at least books 1 - 22, the Collector's and/or Definitive expanded version of Book 28 and then the conclusion to the main Lone Wolf saga with book #32. Is that correct?
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Post by Black Cat on Jun 30, 2022 14:02:54 GMT
As I understand it, first up is publishing the "Definitive" editions of at least books 1 - 22, the Collector's and/or Definitive expanded version of Book 28 and then the conclusion to the main Lone Wolf saga with book #32. Is that correct? I think one thing that needs to be clarified is the format of book 32: currently, books 29-31 are listed as "First Edition" but they have the size and shape of the CE (they even have BA in two of them!). From what I understand, they will also be eventually released as DE. So, book 32, will it be first released in its FE/CE format and then in its DE form? Both versions at the same time? Only as a DE? I know the release is far away but surely this has been already discussed at Holmgard Press.
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andyc
Kai Lord
Posts: 210
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Post by andyc on Jul 1, 2022 9:35:41 GMT
As I understand it, first up is publishing the "Definitive" editions of at least books 1 - 22, the Collector's and/or Definitive expanded version of Book 28 and then the conclusion to the main Lone Wolf saga with book #32. Is that correct? I think one thing that needs to be clarified is the format of book 32: currently, books 29-31 are listed as "First Edition" but they have the size and shape of the CE (they even have BA in two of them!). From what I understand, they will also be eventually released as DE. So, book 32, will it be first released in its FE/CE format and then in its DE form? Both versions at the same time? Only as a DE? I know the release is far away but surely this has been already discussed at Holmgard Press. Maybe they could ask the Wolf Pack whether they would buy a FE/CE in addition to the DE? If it is only a select few of hardcore collectors who would buy it then it may be not worth their while. Additionally, as Light of the Kai is likely the thickest of all the books, it may not be feasible to have it in the shorter/fatter FE/CE format.
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