Bestiary 4e

[jeff_wilson]

Originally Posted by OldSam

Anyway, I'm disappointed that having multiple small releases (as pdf) most likely means we won't see nice color artwork, maybe not even good artwork at all, but just some occasional b/w-reprints of a few animal drawings from 3e. Well, it seems we can't have it all... ;)

Actually I really think a Bestiary would be a good selling item if it would be released as a Hard- or Softcover with nice graphics. This can be seen in different other games where bestiaries usually are a popular buy.

RW bestiaries may benefit from the extreme volume of copyright expired art depicting real animals. It's difficult to get a coherent "style" this way, but graphical manipulation tools are constantly improving.

[Not another shrubbery]

Originally Posted by Bruno

There comes to a point where you just can't put everything in every book. I really don't think it's unreasonable to say "If you want every animal, you might have to buy every book". I'm going to get honked off at looking at a new copy of "Rat" in every single freeking book, I tell you what.

I would have thought that 'duplication is to be avoided' was axiomatic, but some people seem OK with the idea... go figure. A format like your earlier proposal seems ideal, but unlikely.

[Crakkerjakk]

Originally Posted by Not another shrubbery

I would have thought that 'duplication is to be avoided' was axiomatic, but some people seem OK with the idea... go figure. A format like your earlier proposal seems ideal, but unlikely.

I care less about duplicated content, especially in PDF format where you can push out the length of the book more easily than print, than about being able to find everything I need mid-game in one place.

[gruundehn]

This would work for PDF better than print but how about each page having the stats and other information on one side and the picture on the other side? I seem to remember that other game did that in an earlier edition, the bestiary was loose-leaf and and you could add sheets to fit your needs. This would allow various creature groups to be published cheaply and you could collect what you need and use as needed.

[jeff_wilson]

Originally Posted by Crakkerjakk

I care less about duplicated content, especially in PDF format where you can push out the length of the book more easily than print, than about being able to find everything I need mid-game in one place.

Repetition of content has been problematic on SJG projects I've helped with in the past. The policy of pricing PDFs on page count means consumers pay for the redundant material over and over again, and royalty clauses can mean the publisher also pays for the redundant material over and over again.

[PhoenixPaw]

Originally Posted by Refplace

What I would like to see is
GURPS Bestiary: Animals of the World which includes a template for each major animal type (and a lot of minor ones) and chapter on creating or modifying animals, animal statistics (simple explanation of templates), Folklore as part of the template description, and a section on game mastering animals that includes tactics and combat.
then GURPS Bestiary: Arctic; GURPS Bestiary: Vermin; GURPS Bestiary: Forest and Woodlands; GURPS Bestiary: Desert; GURPS Bestiary: Oceans and Seas; GURPS Bestiary: Mythic Creatures; GURPS Bestiary: Plains; GURPS Bestiary: Urban Creatures; GURPS Bestiary: Jungle; GURPS Bestiary: Mountains; GURPS Bestiary: Swamplands; GURPS Bestiary: Subterranean

Maybe GURPS Bestiary: Rivers and Lakes; but I can see that being a part of the others.
And of course more exotic stuff for fictional material.

I would also like to see GURPS Bestiary done this way. Possibly with Jungle & Swamplands being combined if there wasn't much to put in either (note: there's more than enough in those environments ...)

[Dammann]

I prefer the biome/ survival organization, and I'd be fine with duplicated content, but maybe that would complicate things for how SJG pays authors. If someone writes a book about mountain animals, and includes deer, then someone else writes supplements about plains, and another writer handles woodlands, both of which have the deer as entries, does the first writer get paid for his work on deer three times? Is his crunch work compensated less in the other books that include that deer?

On one hand, it isn't my business as long as I am not an author, but I do wonder if my preferred organization is realistic to hope for. It seems really ideal from an adventure writing standpoint, but from the publishing end, maybe it is prohibitively complex.

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by PhoenixPaw

I would also like to see GURPS Bestiary done this way. Possibly with Jungle & Swamplands being combined if there wasn't much to put in either (note: there's more than enough in those environments ...)

Yeah I am working on pages for it but its a long project. However it will give us an idea what kind of creatures might fit in each biome and see how useful it turns out as a method for organizing.

[Rasputin]

Originally Posted by Refplace

Yeah I am working on pages for it but its a long project.

Uh, again, I have all of Bestiary 3e converted, at first draft stage of stats.

[Faolyn]

Originally Posted by Rasputin

Uh, again, I have all of Bestiary 3e converted, at first draft stage of stats.

Do you need help proofreading/fact-checking? I'm not a zoologist, but...