This site doesn’t get a lot of traffic, but for those few of you who come here looking for the next release I must apologise for the lack of updates.
I won’t give you any of the platitudes which recent events have made abundant. I’ll just say that the changes have impacted on Pointy Pony, the staff and on the people who directly support us through playtesting etc. As a result things have become further and further delayed. We didn’t make any announcements because, it would just be a temporary thing, right? Yet here we are almost two years later.
So what has happened? We certainly haven’t stopped writing! Already written and awaiting editing is one module for TORG Eternity, set in our home country of Australia. We also have one supplementary book for TORG Eternity which any GM running groups into Omega level should appreciate.. The problem is, we don’t have an active editor at the moment so the titles are not suitable for release.
D&D titles have been put on the back burner for now, though we do have a full on Sourcebook for the Phaemorea World near final draft. We also have the first ‘Adventure Pack’ for Phaemorea outlined and ready for development.
Where the majority of the work has been going is into an entirely new system. Does the world need a new system? I wouldn’t be working on it if I thought it didn’t offer more than a few new things that made it unique and worth it. There has been an endemic dumbing down of RP systems over recent years and I believe that while that’s a great way to get new players into the hobby, it can leave seasoned players a little fatigued, as if there’s nothing new to do except buy a new sourcebook which will scratch that itch for a month or two before they become bored with that as well. So, it’s a game system, plus initial source book, plus initial book of adventures which are all being worked on concurrently. More about this when we’re closer to release, but for now it’s all super secret.
The biggest issue right now is obtaining a trustworthy editor, and getting together a new bunch of play-testers. Not being able to meet up in person is a problem, partly because there is a lot of information about a play test that you cannot get over a computer camera. I don’t even have the hardware of online gaming right now. Still, online play looks like the only viable future for properly play-testing the publications. We don’t think it would be taking proper care and responsibility to release something that wasn’t tested at least once. Most of our stuff went through two to three play test rounds before final edit.
So what does the future hold? Lot’s of hard work, that’s for sure! The writing will continue until the other ingredients needed can be put into the mix. No promised release dates though, things will be ready when they are ready. I personally wouldn’t feel like I was treating the gamers out there with proper respect if I wasn’t sure a product was ready for general publication.
If you like what we’ve released so far then hang in there, more will come. When it does, you can trust I believe in the quality of what you will be getting. Stay safe, and happy gaming
Kieran Brannan
Pointy Pony Publications