Mayhem in the Middle Kingdoms

Can anyone articulate what the community of people who fancies Artesia and Artesia: Adventures in the Known World want from the products?

As fans, what are our needs?

How can those needs be addressed by other members of the community?

What do “we” need that only Mark S. and ASP can provide?

This is a challenge to those people that visit this site: Post. Post if you have a want or need from this system. Post if you have a complaint or a special challenge to those who are in power. Don’t feel comfortable? Tell us. We’ll try and communicate to those who have some power. We have, on occasion, e-mailed the creative geniuses at ASP and let them know what we think.

We know you’re out there. We know of all the trials and tribulations that the hardcore fans of Artesia have had to go through in the last months and years – we are also those fans. If there was a time to speak up about what you problems you have, what issues you see with the sourcebook, and what you want from the game in the future, now is that time to speak up.

Here are some other links, from the ASP forums, that discuss and influence this post.

Suggestions for FAQ and Errata – This thread was started by Thor Olavsrud, games editor for ASP. He wants to know where ASP boofed in the original sourcebook. DON’T BE LAME. Post here, or forever shush.

Wishlist for New Books – This thread is for discussion about what future publications fans would like to see of AAKW. We need to bulk this list up. If you haven’t registered and posted here, for gosh sakes, do it.

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Archaia Studios Press responded to a thread about discussing what forum regulars were looking for from the company in terms of future releases. Thor Olavsrud, Games Editor for ASP wrote:

Hey everyone!
I can’t discuss exactly what we have in the works, but I can tell you this:
* We’ve got a number of game scenarios in the works at various stages.
* We are actively commissioning more scenarios.
* We are not currently working on any source books. That’s not to say there won’t be any in the future. I would very much like to see source books written.

So what does this seem to mean for the franchise in the near term?

The work entitled “Universities of the Middle Kingdoms” (UOTMK) by A. Dave Lewis may (or may not) be in active production. Mr. Lewis posted an impromptu rough draft of a map on April 8th in the ASP forums, fueling speculation that the project was alive and moving forward. No direct, specific news has emerged since, but Mr. Olavsrud’s statement would seem to imply that UOTMK will be scenario-length, rather than sourcebook-length. (It should be noted that Mr. Olavsrud’s comments on length may be more appropriately compared to Burning Wheel scenarios, which are much longer and complex than typical d20 linear-adventure scenarios. Mr. Olavsrud is a regular editor to the Burning Wheel system).

Cults of the Known World, The Middle Kingdoms Sourcebook, De Re Militaria, and The Book of Secrets are not going to be making any published appearances in the short term, or at least in the form that most forum posters have postulated.

Mr. Olavsrud continued:

I should make it clear that I don’t just see scenarios as one-shot stories that you play and they’re done. Each one should provide setting information, NPCs and even cult write-ups that you should be able to use again and again.
In any case, I’m keeping my eye on this thread. When we are ready to start working on source books, I’ll keep it in mind. So keep the ideas coming.

Interested in discussing this topic? Feel free to visit Archaia’s forums, or start a discussion about the future of Artesia and Artesia: Adventures in the Known World right here at Mayhem’s very own discussion place. It’s quick, easy, and non-invasive.

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For those that dabble with this particular vice, Archaia Studios Press has gone mainstream with a foray into MySpace.

Link

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On the “official” Archaia Studios Press forums, an Artesia comics thread about the contents of Besieged #3 had lay dormant for a long while, but has recently sprung back to life with a slew of new theories about what may happen in and around Abenton while Artesia is incapacitated.

Spring, forum administrator and regular poster, has promised a “prize”, in the form of a custom forum title, for the individual who has the most accurate prediction(s) about what happens next in the third issue.

Got Prediction? Come give them, and win!

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