Game News Knights of the Chalice 2 Released

[Mortmal]

It's true that games used to be more expensive in the early 1990s, but they also had better graphics than KOTC2, so it's a questionable comparison.

But seriously if KOTC2 could rise to the level of VGA gold box graphics (and had a similarly clean interface) then a $45 price tag would be completely justifiable.

I know that's a bit unrealistic to expect from a solo dev, but still.

Wasnt unrealistic there's plenty of roll20 and fantasy grounds token who can do the job , but anyway its too late. Been like 3 years i am saying the same things., a kickstarter of a pretty 5e book do 10x the money.

 

[holla_cabezas_de_mierda]

It's true that games used to be more expensive in the early 1990s, but they also had better graphics than KOTC2, so it's a questionable comparison.

But seriously if KOTC2 could rise to the level of VGA gold box graphics (and had a similarly clean interface) then a $45 price tag would be completely justifiable.

I know that's a bit unrealistic to expect from a solo dev, but still.

I loved those games back then, they really do look pretty good, even today. I don't see any reason why the game could not look the same as something like Low Magic Age which I think are assets bought from some other game or graphic company.

This steam game below is based on D20 and uses tiles too, but seems to look a bit better and cleaner and the assets also look off the shelf. I don't see any reason why KOTC2 could not look at least as good:

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

How and where does Fantasygrounds get their assets? They have nice looking stuff, do they directly license from Pathfinder and or D&D? They use the same exact names, like Players Handbook, and IceWind Dale etc.. Anyway, their tiles and art are really nice too..

 

[Tacgnol]

How and where does Fantasygrounds get their assets? They have nice looking stuff, do they directly license from Pathfinder and or D&D? They use the same exact names, like Players Handbook, and IceWind Dale etc.. Anyway, their tiles and art are really nice too..

Fantasy grounds sells official Pathfinder and D&D modules with all the assets from the books converted to tokens so presumably they license directly from Paizo and Wizards.

 

[holla_cabezas_de_mierda]

How and where does Fantasygrounds get their assets? They have nice looking stuff, do they directly license from Pathfinder and or D&D? They use the same exact names, like Players Handbook, and IceWind Dale etc.. Anyway, their tiles and art are really nice too..

Fantasy grounds sells official Pathfinder and D&D modules with all the assets from the books converted to tokens so presumably they license directly from Paizo and Wizards.

I see, well that would not likely be an option then..

 

[JarlFrank]

I've been thinking of making a module and have it sold under Pierre's 5-5-5 revenue share model, so I've been looking into cool token-like visual assets. Here's some things I found that look pretty decent.

https://www.patreon.com/onlinetabletop?l=de

Very slick top-down monster and character tokens. Those would be preferable to the current sprites tbh. Very clean look and fits perfectly to KotC2's original top-down dungeon design.

Then there's this one: https://immortalnights.com/product-category/token-bundles/

Some of these remind me of the Age of Fear artstyle:

 

[Dyskolos]

I've been thinking of making a module and have it sold under Pierre's 5-5-5 revenue share model

I'd really hoped - and I think Pierre did as well, given the state of the editor from the beginning - there'd be more interest in community-created modules. The only two I know of are felipepepe's Cragmaw Castle and dorateen's Hearkenworld.

 

[JarlFrank]

I've been thinking of making a module and have it sold under Pierre's 5-5-5 revenue share model

I'd really hoped - and I think Pierre did as well, given the state of the editor from the beginning - there'd be more interest in community-created modules. The only two I know of are felipepepe's Cragmaw Castle and dorateen's Hearkenworld.

There's one or two guys on the Discord dabbling with the level editor. I also plan to release a free module first before trying my hands on a DLC thing - and the free one would be full Jarl-style insanity

Gotta familiarize myself with the editor first though.

There's one other guy who's been helping Pierre out from the start and has been working on his own modules (intended for commercial release) since 2020 at the least.
The other top backer who's tied with me at the 500€ tier (Zappastuff) pledged this much money partially because of the editor, because he sees a lot of potential in it and really wants it to pick up. He might try his hand at a module too.

There's a somewhat nooby guy with an anime avatar on the Discord who wants to make short modules and asks a lot of questions on how the editor works. Maybe something will come from this.

Some other guy has been posting WIP maps, maybe he'll turn it into an actual released module:

So there is some activity when it comes to the editor, both with free community modules as well as people who plan to propose their modules as DLC to Pierre.
But it's a small amount of people at the moment, and due to the high barrier of entry (way too big a price for the game) I'm not sure if that modder base will rise any time soon.

 

[Mortmal]

I've been thinking of making a module and have it sold under Pierre's 5-5-5 revenue share model, so I've been looking into cool token-like visual assets. Here's some things I found that look pretty decent.

https://www.patreon.com/onlinetabletop?l=de

Very slick top-down monster and character tokens. Those would be preferable to the current sprites tbh. Very clean look and fits perfectly to KotC2's original top-down dungeon design.

Then there's this one: https://immortalnights.com/product-category/token-bundles/

Some of these remind me of the Age of Fear artstyle:

That's an excellent idea , now by sheer curiosity i hope you tell us how much they want for the license.

 

[JarlFrank]

That's an excellent idea , now by sheer curiosity i hope you tell us how much they want for the license.

Says so on the websites, doesn't it?

Although I'd contact them if I were to use them commercially for a PC game, as the commercial license is intended for P&P modules... shouldn't make a big difference though. Especially considering KotC2 feels like a pen and paper module simulator.

EDIT:

from the Patreon of the first guy:

If you want to use my content commercially, contact me for approval.

Once approved, you can join this tier and use the tokens commercially if you agree with the following conditions:

• You must include an attribution to Jan Loos with a link to this patreon.
  
• You can use the tokens commercially for as long as you are a member of this patreon tier. If you decide to leave this tier, you can still sell the products containing my tokens that you created while you were a patron, but you are not allowed to include my tokens in any new products.
  
• You may include up to 10 of my tokens in your commercial product.
  
• You may publish up to 4 commercial products using my tokens per month.
  
• It is not allowed to sell the tokens individually or as packs containing just the tokens.
  
• Adventures and other written products that include my tokens must be at least 1000 words of length.
  
• You can use tokens that are listed in the Archive post.

If you use my tokens in Social Media or other promotional posts, a mention is appreciated but not required.

If you have any questions or want to discuss different terms, contact me.

That's the 22€ per month tier. Pretty good deal.

 

[Mortmal]

That's an excellent idea , now by sheer curiosity i hope you tell us how much they want for the license.

Says so on the websites, doesn't it?

Although I'd contact them if I were to use them commercially for a PC game, as the commercial license is intended for P&P modules... shouldn't make a big difference though. Especially considering KotC2 feels like a pen and paper module simulator.

EDIT:

from the Patreon of the first guy:

If you want to use my content commercially, contact me for approval.

Once approved, you can join this tier and use the tokens commercially if you agree with the following conditions:

• You must include an attribution to Jan Loos with a link to this patreon.
  
• You can use the tokens commercially for as long as you are a member of this patreon tier. If you decide to leave this tier, you can still sell the products containing my tokens that you created while you were a patron, but you are not allowed to include my tokens in any new products.
  
• You may include up to 10 of my tokens in your commercial product.
  
• You may publish up to 4 commercial products using my tokens per month.
  
• It is not allowed to sell the tokens individually or as packs containing just the tokens.
  
• Adventures and other written products that include my tokens must be at least 1000 words of length.
  
• You can use tokens that are listed in the Archive post.

If you use my tokens in Social Media or other promotional posts, a mention is appreciated but not required.

If you have any questions or want to discuss different terms, contact me.

That's the 22€ per month tier. Pretty good deal.

you need an hundred of them for a rpg, you can always contact the guy and negotiate. Now to find chris avelonne email and make him write for you.

 

[JarlFrank]

you need an hundred of them for a rpg, you can always contact the guy and negotiate. Now to find chris avelonne email and make him write for you.

The commercial patreon tier contains ALL tokens he ever made.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

I'll probably pick up the archmage edition because I'm a chump for extra content esp the manual on module editing. I take it either version has the editor? That is by far the most awesome thing IMHO if people actually work with it. I know a few here love making modules so that's great news. For all the 3.5/pathfinder crpgs I have I realize I know next to nothing about the pnp rules.

 

[JarlFrank]

I'll probably pick up the archmage edition because I'm a chump for extra content esp the manual on module editing. I take it either version has the editor? That is by far the most awesome thing IMHO if people actually work with it. I know a few here love making modules so that's great news. For all the 3.5/pathfinder crpgs I have I realize I know next to nothing about the pnp rules.

The editor is included by default, only the manual is locked behind the Archmage edition. Kinda dumb, but eh.

You can also hop into the editor at any time during gameplay to examine the current level.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

It's true that games used to be more expensive in the early 1990s, but they also had better graphics than KOTC2, so it's a questionable comparison.

But seriously if KOTC2 could rise to the level of VGA gold box graphics (and had a similarly clean interface) then a $45 price tag would be completely justifiable.

I know that's a bit unrealistic to expect from a solo dev, but still.

To think even FRUA could have had more improvements. I learned how to change font, borders, switch out icons, music, overland maps ..... before my 486 got a virus from dialup and was erased.

Years later I saw that iron works dungeon craft. I saw they were working on crisper gfx, more sound effects and chaining all sorts of sound and effects for combat. It looked damn cool. Sorting shit on dos was a pain in the ass though (talking RAW FRUA as i can't recall if dungeoncraft was win only). Oh yeah, i x-copy and moved shit to sort, copied, modified art with my shit freeware dos art programs. Seems my Pa erased win3.11 long ago on that computer. Windows would have been much faster to navigate.

compare FRUA to BTCS and it has a lot more shit you can do but i do love Bardstale set up. I'd love to see a compatible crossover construction. I still say stealth in GOLDBOX sucks ass. Give me the hidden status of wizards crown/eternal dagger any day. I forget the stealth in Jagged Alliance or Silent Storm since I rarely played it (yeah, i got the games around the same time i finally bought fallout 1-2 and arcanum and TOEE. I played a lot of FO and Arcanum instead.)


As to the manual being on AM edition.... maybe he's banking on people getting it or the upgrade for more of that green.

 

[mediocrepoet]

The commercial patreon tier contains ALL tokens he ever made.

Ok, but don't you think this is important and would need to be negotiated?

If you want to use my content commercially, contact me for approval.

Once approved, you can join this tier and use the tokens commercially if you agree with the following conditions:

• You may include up to 10 of my tokens in your commercial product.

 

[JarlFrank]

The commercial patreon tier contains ALL tokens he ever made.

Ok, but don't you think this is important and would need to be negotiated?

If you want to use my content commercially, contact me for approval.

Once approved, you can join this tier and use the tokens commercially if you agree with the following conditions:

• You may include up to 10 of my tokens in your commercial product.

Oh right I missed that one. Yeah that would require some negotiation.

 

[Mortmal]

The commercial patreon tier contains ALL tokens he ever made.

Ok, but don't you think this is important and would need to be negotiated?

If you want to use my content commercially, contact me for approval.

Once approved, you can join this tier and use the tokens commercially if you agree with the following conditions:

• You may include up to 10 of my tokens in your commercial product.

Oh right I missed that one. Yeah that would require some negotiation.

When you offer your gentleman card before the negotiations , no nazi stamp, despite the nostalgy and all it wont be well perceived, the codex multiheaded dick stamp wont do good either.

 

[baud]

Why is no one making a game with Mentzer Vasic rules or 1e of 2e or a retroclone close to those?

copyright? Has any of the retro clone published free rules like the OGL? Though it'd be easier to negotiate with a small tt rpg dev than WotC

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Woke
Ogress
Tyrant
Cunt

.... is a bitch.

(Or is it
Woke
Orgie
Tranny
Cucks?)

 

[Roguey]

copyright? Has any of the retro clone published free rules like the OGL? Though it'd be easier to negotiate with a small tt rpg dev than WotC

Game rules can't actually be copyrighted. Anyone can make a game that uses D&D's rules, they just can't copy/paste anything that would be covered by copyright.

 

[Alchemist]

Yeah you can either go that route and rename all the terms (like many early CRPGs did) or use retro-clones, most of which have pretty open OGL-based licenses as long as you don't use IP: http://taxidermicowlbear.weebly.com/dd-retroclones.html

 

[Tacgnol]

copyright? Has any of the retro clone published free rules like the OGL? Though it'd be easier to negotiate with a small tt rpg dev than WotC

Game rules can't actually be copyrighted. Anyone can make a game that uses D&D's rules, they just can't copy/paste anything that would be covered by copyright.

Yeah. Mindflayers are a classic example of something you can't use with the OGL rules.

Paizo and others are generally super careful to avoid stepping too close to any Wizard IPs. Probably wise considering how litigious wizards/hasbro are.

 

[LostHisMarbles]

Speaking of monetised modules, am sure this is old news to all of you, lol, but as i only just read about this..

https://www.techspot.com/news/94326...ows-fans-create-vampire-masquerade-games.html

"Paradox Interactive, known for publishing games like Europa Universalis and Crusader Kings, is launching a new indie publishing program called Unbound which will allow fans to create and monetize games set in the Vampire: The Masquerade universe.
Video game publisher Paradox Interactive just announced a program that allows fans to develop, publish, and profit from video games set in their World of Darkness universe.
Paradox acquired the rights to World of Darkness in 2015 when it purchased White Wolf Publishing and all of its intellectual property. It started as a series of tabletop role-playing games with the most well-known being Vampire: The Masquerade. These were eventually adapted into other media including a line of video games.
The Unbound program was created following the success of Vampire Jam, a game jam with over 80 submissions - six of which will launch under the program.
There are some limitations to what developers are allowed to do, however. Unbound games aren't allowed to contain "Vampire: The Masquerade" or "World of Darkness" in the title. The games also have to be first submitted to Paradox for review, and they can only be sold on Itch.io. In addition, Paradox will receive a 33 percent cut on the net revenues earned from the games.
However, developers can earn additional money through donations on Patreon or by posting content on platforms like YouTube or Twitch. They are also entitled to commercialize any original game assets, like soundtracks or game art, as they see fit without paying Paradox any fees."

'Reviewed first' doesn't bode well of course.. on the other hand, woke for woke, so who knows, maybe for their current audience this is just fine.

Regardless, it's a good approach far as i'm concerned.
Skipping the software-centric (which let's be honest, holds back a lot of talent) element, putting all your money and time where it matters.

If the crazy Frenchman lowered his take a bit .. this could help put a lot of new names on the board as it were.