Allen Taliesin, chief of the Clockwork Gnomes, has decided to turn Sailing the Starlit Sea, his fantasy space sourcebook, into a bigger project -- in fact, his first Kickstarter project. He sent me the announcement, and I am posting it below. All his projects are interesting, but here is a chance to be involved in the development and influence its final form.
Captain Helios stepped onto the deck and surveyed the forces arrayed before his ship, the Emerald Gryphon. Suspended in the void of glittering stars were three juggernauts flying the colors of Nimbus. The crew were running to man the ballista while his trusted first mate, Achenar, strapped on his spring-loaded bracers packed with various wands.
The wizard nodded, though his face was grim. “It looks like the mercane took exception to the plunder of their supply ships. I hope you have a plan!”
“I’m just making this up as I go along.” Helios winked and smiled at Achenar. The captain turned and pointed at the tightly packed mass of asteroids in the distance. “Make for the Shattered Wanderer! We will play a little game of cat and mouse.”
Achenar winced. “The mouse rarely comes out of that game in one piece.”
“It’s a good thing I intend to be the cat.”
As the Emerald Gryphon turned to enter the grinding field of rock, the juggernauts moved to follow. The chase was on.
Sailing the Starlit Sea will be the definitive sourcebook on fantasy space travel. Designed for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and Labyrinth Lord, Sailing the Starlit Sea will provide guidelines for magical star travel set within an easily adapted setting. Explore alien worlds laden with ruins from forgotten civilizations. Bargain in exotic marketplaces at the edge of the solar system. Take on the role of pirate and plunder your way to infamy. Risk your sanity to uncover cosmic knowledge from aeons past. Now is the time to test your mettle. A universe of adventure awaits!
It’s time to take your adventures to the stars. Sailing the Starlit Sea is going to Kickstarter and you now have the opportunity to help shape the design of this landmark sourcebook. Make your mark on this new project and bring the stars to Pathfinder Roleplaying Game fans everywhere.
When will this Kickstarter campaign begin and how long will it last?
The Kickstarter campaign will begin January 23rd and end on February 29th.
Who will be working on the design of Sailing the Starlit Sea?
Developers on the project will include Mike Welham (Open Design, Paizo Publishing, Rite Publishing, Clockwork Gnome Publishing), Allen Taliesin (Owner of Clockwork Gnome Publishing, Along the Faerie Path), and Craig Johnston. Other designers will be joining the project as well. These will be announced soon.
What will the format for Sailing the Starlit Sea be?
The print version of Sailing the Starlit Sea will be a full-color hardcover book with a minimum of 96 pages. The PDF edition will include two versions of the book; a color copy suitable for screen viewing and a bare-bones, art-free copy. Each download will also contain files for use with Lone Wolf Development's fantastic Hero Lab software. A print and PDF package will be also be available.
Are there any previews for the project?
There are currently four previews available to give you a glimpse at what Sailing the Starlit Sea will contain.
- The Major Planets of the Seren System
- The Moons, the Shattered Wanderer, and Other Celestial Bodies of the Seren System
- Monsters of the Starlit Sea
- Starships of the Starlit Sea
Throughout the Kickstarter campaign new previews will be posted to grant an even more in-depth look at the rules and setting of Sailing the Starlit Sea
What kind of benefits do backers receive?
While there is not space to list all of the benefits, some of the highlights include:
- A copy of Sailing the Starlit Sea and the first adventure, Voyage of the Emerald Gryphon.
- Access to the Sailing the Starlit Sea playtest forums. Every backer will be able to playtest the basic rules and provide feedback on their design.
- High level backers will have the opportunity to pitch an idea to the development team and see their concept become a part of the Sailing the Starlit Sea universe.
- Exclusive access to the development blog so you can stay up to date with the latest StSS news and receive previews seen nowhere else.
When will Sailing the Starlit Sea be released?
The original release date for Sailing the Starlit Sea was February 2012. Naturally, this date has changed and the expected release date is now August 2012. While we understand this is disappointing for those looking forward to a February release, we also hope those who are excited about the release help support the project by becoming a backer. No matter what your backing level, you will be able to playtest certain rules and view previews not open to the general public.
