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| A handful of ingredients, one week, and the best indie game designers out there-- the Game Chef 2006 contest (up for a Diana Jones Award for Excellence in Gaming) creates the tastiest games, and we're publishing the winners! Vol I features the winner, "Crime and Punishment", as well as finalists "Decade", "Merryweather", and "The Opposite of People"-- four complete RPGs in one book! As a bonus, all profits will go to the "Child's Play" charity-- so enjoy some hot indie games and benefit the world, all in one go! | A handful of ingredients, one week, and the best indie game designers out there-- the Game Chef 2006 contest (up for a Diana Jones Award for Excellence in Gaming) creates the tastiest games, and we're publishing the winners! Vol I features the winner, "Crime and Punishment", as well as finalists "Decade", "Merryweather", and "The Opposite of People"-- four complete RPGs in one book! As a bonus, all profits will go to the "Child's Play" charity-- so enjoy some hot indie games and benefit the world, all in one go! | ||
| ===The Play's the Thing=== | ===The Play's the Thing: Adding Creativity to Your Characters and Game=== | ||
| Ready to move beyond just 'win or lose'? This collection of essays by RPGnet columnist David Goodner provides tips on creating and playing memorable roleplaying games. Players can add that extra 'oomph' that makes GMs sit up and take notice, GMs can add realism to their NPCs, and everyone can enjoy a good read. The Play's the Thing is our first RPGnet collaboration, publishing the best of the web as print collections. Play better characters and have more fun! | Ready to move beyond just 'win or lose'? This collection of essays by RPGnet columnist David Goodner provides tips on creating and playing memorable roleplaying games. Players can add that extra 'oomph' that makes GMs sit up and take notice, GMs can add realism to their NPCs, and everyone can enjoy a good read. The Play's the Thing is our first RPGnet collaboration, publishing the best of the web as print collections. Play better characters and have more fun! | ||
| ===ConQuests=== | ===ConQuests: Four Ready-to-Go Adventures for Those Short on Time=== | ||
| Clock ticking and need a game to run? ConQuests is four convention-style scenarios--complete with adventure, maps, handouts, and pre-generated characters. If you have 3 people, a couple of hours, and this book-- you're ready to RPG! Each scenario stands alone and is perfect for a last-minute session, or when only some of your players show up one night, or even if you find a clear table over lunch. Be ready to game at any time! | Clock ticking and need a game to run? ConQuests is four convention-style scenarios--complete with adventure, maps, handouts, and pre-generated characters. If you have 3 people, a couple of hours, and this book-- you're ready to RPG! Each scenario stands alone and is perfect for a last-minute session, or when only some of your players show up one night, or even if you find a clear table over lunch. Be ready to game at any time! | ||
Revision as of 22:46, 3 September 2006
Technomancer Press is a publisher of role-playing game products.
History
Technomancer Press, LLC was initially started by Tony Hellmann and Matthew L. Baldridge January of 2005. In January of 2006, Technomancer Press bought out Kajigi, Inc. and assumed their assets. Kajigi's president, Sandy Antunes, became the third owner.
Business Model
The company focuses on providing high quality content at prices well below that of the competition. It is banking on the idea that customers would rather pay $12 for a book with great content than pay $24 for that same book with color covers and expensive interior artwork.
Products
The Critonomicon: A Guide to Critical Hits, Fumbles, and Magical Mishaps
The Critonomicon contains over 60 critical hit, fumble, and spell fumble tables: simple, quick crits and fumbles decided by the roll of a d6; more sophisticated tables requiring a d20 or multiple dice, and large charts which have hundreds of possibilities. There are charts that are weapon specific and others that are opponent specific (mounted opponents, winged opponents, etc.). Notably, one of the spell fumble tables is even specific to spell level and school of magic.
The Manual of Mysteries: A Guide to Codes, Puzzles, and Riddles in Your Fantasy Campaign Setting
The Manual of Mysteries provides game masters creative tools to give players a wide variety of challenges. It provides information on how to use cryptography, riddles, murder mysteries, and many other types of non-cobat challenges.
The Player's Companion: Getting More out of Your PHB
The Player's Companion provides answers to questions like: What are your racial abilities when one of your parents is a halfling and the other is a dwarf? How much space does 100,000 gold pieces take up? How far does one fall in a round, or three? It also includes six new classes, dozens of new spells, and more.
Game Chef Vol. 1: Best New Indie RPGs of 2006
A handful of ingredients, one week, and the best indie game designers out there-- the Game Chef 2006 contest (up for a Diana Jones Award for Excellence in Gaming) creates the tastiest games, and we're publishing the winners! Vol I features the winner, "Crime and Punishment", as well as finalists "Decade", "Merryweather", and "The Opposite of People"-- four complete RPGs in one book! As a bonus, all profits will go to the "Child's Play" charity-- so enjoy some hot indie games and benefit the world, all in one go!
The Play's the Thing: Adding Creativity to Your Characters and Game
Ready to move beyond just 'win or lose'? This collection of essays by RPGnet columnist David Goodner provides tips on creating and playing memorable roleplaying games. Players can add that extra 'oomph' that makes GMs sit up and take notice, GMs can add realism to their NPCs, and everyone can enjoy a good read. The Play's the Thing is our first RPGnet collaboration, publishing the best of the web as print collections. Play better characters and have more fun!
ConQuests: Four Ready-to-Go Adventures for Those Short on Time
Clock ticking and need a game to run? ConQuests is four convention-style scenarios--complete with adventure, maps, handouts, and pre-generated characters. If you have 3 people, a couple of hours, and this book-- you're ready to RPG! Each scenario stands alone and is perfect for a last-minute session, or when only some of your players show up one night, or even if you find a clear table over lunch. Be ready to game at any time!
Unique Convention Presence
Technomancer Press, while a small company, has a reputation for highly creative, yet inexpensive booth displays, like the World's Smallest Dungeon™ which required participants to find one of a dozen "magic items" within 60 seconds. Those that found the item won a prize. Those that did not were invited to try again. The World's Smallest Dungeon was debuted at PAX 2006. The activity drew lines the entire time it was open, and was one of the only booth activities available that was appropriate for children and families.
Controversial View of d20 System
Technomancer Press publishes d20 System compatible products, but does not display the d20 System logo on its products. Their reasons are stated (on their website) as such:
If you read the text of the Open Gaming License (version 1.0a), it actually restricts companies from using certain terms in their books:
"You agree not to indicate compatibility or co-adaptability with any Trademark or Registered Trademark in conjunction with a work containing Open Game Content except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of such Trademark or Registered Trademark."
This means that saying our books are compatible with Dungeons & Dragons is a violation of the Open Gaming License. Further, the system reference document for D&D 3.5 released by Wizards of the Coast states:
"The following items are designated Product Identity, as defined in Section 1(e) of the Open Game License Version 1.0a, and are subject to the conditions set forth in Section 7 of the OGL, and are not Open Content: Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master, Monster Manual…"
In addition, the d20 System™ Guide, v5.0 states:
"You may refer to the Player’s Handbook by title or as the PHB. You may refer to the Dungeon Master’s Guide only as the DMG and the Monster Manual only as the MM. You may refer to the Psionics Handbook only by title. You may refer to the Epic Level Handbook by title or as the ELH. You may refer to the d20 Modern Roleplaying Game only by title. You must not cite page number references…"
Technomancer Press finds these requirements to be restrictive and more beneficial to Wizards of the Coast than any of the d20 System™ licensees. We also find it to be hypocritical, considering that Wizards of the Coast’s initial product line consisted of books intended to be used in other role-playing systems."