Changing of the Guard
Well, as many of you know, Shadowforce Archer is now officially dead. Though I hadn't been a really big fan of SFA from the onset, my work on the line starting with European Commonwealth made me interested in seeing the story's resolution. I think 2003 saw SFA's return to the true "technothriller" genre, and the follow up book (the Russian Confederation) was to be mine, all mine, to write. Damn - I had such cool ideas for that book too. But this should reinforce to all of you out there paying attention to the state of the market - it still ain't good. Publishers, even bigger publishers like AEG, are being forced to make tough decisions about the viability of their product because of the slump/backlash that we faced over the summer right around the time of the release of 3.5.
So in short, if you like a line, please buy its books. No matter how much acclaim and hype a line gets, it's economic popularity will decide whether you can continue to enjoy it. On behalf of the companies, and of the freelancers that work for these companies, I thank you.
But on the brighter side, this is not the end for "weird stuff" for Spycraft. My friends over at Mythic Dreams have announced they will be producing their acclaimed modern mythological horror game Dark Inheritance as a Spycraft family product. Like SFA, DI has the factions, conspiracies and varied genres of play built right in to each of its allegiances - you can explore mystical martial arts and crime with the 8 Heavenly Dragons Triad, wage in espionage with genetically superior agents of Project: Titan, or protect the worlds for the scourge of Daemons as a Brother of the Iron Rose. DI also features a newly revamped system for mystics and spellcasting, which will allow you to access the broader spectrum of spells from all of d20 and take them to the streets! And for those of you keeping track, Scott Gearin will be the Mechanics Lead for these guys, so you know you're getting quality stuff, and I will be doing some freelance work for them as well.
So, while we mourn SFA, we can also look to the future with Dark Inheritance, for those of you SFA fans who still love the unique blend of espionage, high action and weirdness that SFA presented now have a new world to explore. Enjoy.
Well, as many of you know, Shadowforce Archer is now officially dead. Though I hadn't been a really big fan of SFA from the onset, my work on the line starting with European Commonwealth made me interested in seeing the story's resolution. I think 2003 saw SFA's return to the true "technothriller" genre, and the follow up book (the Russian Confederation) was to be mine, all mine, to write. Damn - I had such cool ideas for that book too. But this should reinforce to all of you out there paying attention to the state of the market - it still ain't good. Publishers, even bigger publishers like AEG, are being forced to make tough decisions about the viability of their product because of the slump/backlash that we faced over the summer right around the time of the release of 3.5.
So in short, if you like a line, please buy its books. No matter how much acclaim and hype a line gets, it's economic popularity will decide whether you can continue to enjoy it. On behalf of the companies, and of the freelancers that work for these companies, I thank you.
But on the brighter side, this is not the end for "weird stuff" for Spycraft. My friends over at Mythic Dreams have announced they will be producing their acclaimed modern mythological horror game Dark Inheritance as a Spycraft family product. Like SFA, DI has the factions, conspiracies and varied genres of play built right in to each of its allegiances - you can explore mystical martial arts and crime with the 8 Heavenly Dragons Triad, wage in espionage with genetically superior agents of Project: Titan, or protect the worlds for the scourge of Daemons as a Brother of the Iron Rose. DI also features a newly revamped system for mystics and spellcasting, which will allow you to access the broader spectrum of spells from all of d20 and take them to the streets! And for those of you keeping track, Scott Gearin will be the Mechanics Lead for these guys, so you know you're getting quality stuff, and I will be doing some freelance work for them as well.
So, while we mourn SFA, we can also look to the future with Dark Inheritance, for those of you SFA fans who still love the unique blend of espionage, high action and weirdness that SFA presented now have a new world to explore. Enjoy.
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