Shiny Is As Shiny Does: Meditations on Shaintar
Today, I pretty much finished the first pass layout for Shaintar. (And I want you to learn to say it right. Say Shain like Shine as in SHINY! Don’t be one of THOSE people who get it wrong. Thank you!) The reason I say pretty much is, even though we split Shaintar into two volumes, when I wrapped the layout up today it wasn’t so much laid out as just stopped. There is STILL too much for this book.
What does that mean? We have to review what stays in and what doesn’t. Some of it may be migrated to the second book. Some of it may be a bonus to folks who pre-order. The reason is simple. There comes a point when too much is too much.
The stuff is good. It’s not like we’ll just vaporize it into a million pixels or shoot it out an airlock. However, this is one of those points where my approach may differ. I don’t typically set hard and fast parameters. I establish guidelines and work on what makes sense for the project in question. Even then, we sometimes have to see how it all stacks up when laid out. There are a few other variables, such as price point, and that kinda jazz which are beyond the scope of what I’m trying to convey here.
I can say this. It looks nice. Really nice. Shaintar has a nice clean look to it and I’m certain everyone is gonna dig it. There is a LOT of information within these pages. It just comes down to what are the essential bits to include in the first volume, what are extras, and what gets reserved for the second volume.
Finally, I will add, today is when it went from a mass of words into something pretty special. This is going to be Shaintar as it was meant to be, and something which belongs in the library of anyone who enjoys our products.
Until next time, I bid you, dear reader, adieu!
4 Notes on, Shiny Is As Shiny Does: Meditations on Shaintar
Sean B
I’m looking forward to this. Any chance of previews or teases before pre-orders begin?
Shaintar Fan
“This is going to be Shaintar as it was meant to be”
No way. Shaintar: Immortal Legends was Shaintar the way it was meant to be, pure and simple.
Sean Patrick Fannon
Dear “Shaintar Fan,”
While I greatly appreciate your support of the original product, I have to say that Shaintar: Immortal Legends was only the beginning of something that was meant to be much bigger and more complete. Alas, personal tragedies and missed opportunities left that one main product hanging alone out on the branch, so to speak, and it was denied the chance to flourish as it might have.
Fortunately, in working with Sean Preston and the rest of the Reality Blurs team, I’ve had an opportunity to not only rectify that situation, but vastly improve upon my original work. I’ve taken everything I’ve learned in being a consulting developer for Savage Worlds, as well as incorporated exceptional design ideas from RB’s library (the Racial Edges, for example) to re-craft Shaintar into an even greater expression of what it is meant to be –
The ultimate Epic High Fantasy setting and rules expansion for anyone craving that style of play.
As well, the lineup of support material is much greater and stronger, meaning you will get a complete package of world information, adventures, organizations, and other key support materials for a fully fleshed out and realized world.
If, perhaps, someone else were doing all this work, I might see your position, but the truth is, this is all coming directly from the source. Namely, me.
And while I will always be grateful to the incredible team at what is now Savage Mojo for helping me get the ball rolling with Immortal Legends, I am equally grateful to the Blur for helping me create the ultimate expression of Shaintar.
Cheers!
– Sean Patrick Fannon
Lord Mhor
I’m looking for a new home in which to locate “The Giggler Strikes Again” convention runs. Harn has been useful, but is simply too, well, British. It’s been too easy to destroy, alas.
Shaintar can handle terrible cosmic forces and invasions through the cracks between universes – right?
I am tortured, tormented, and filled with covetous thoughts regarding the new incarnation of Shaintar.
Indeed, I’m looking forward to it.