Heavy Gear Line?
 

I realize this is probably just pointless pondering, and possibly extremely premature, but what books are we going to, or likely to, see?

Obviously, we'll get a Heavy Gear 4th Edition Rulebook (hopefully edited by an already-overworked, and always-busy Kromm) and a Life on Terra Nova, 4th Edition, but what other books?

Will SJGames be writing the next story-line book? Maybe written by Bill Stoddard or Ken Hite? Will there be another story-line book?

Will David Pulver delve into the Heavy Gear Vehicle Construction System and correct it as necessary (or is that just a pipe-dream and I should just stop hoping for it)?

Will the League Books (including Into the Badlands) get re-written, or just re-released?

Related, will the other world books be re-written or re-released.

Will there be a new Black Talon book?

Will the Gear Catalog books get re-written, again, this time to remove the OGL content?

Will SJGames be in charge of The Story, or just the books?

Other than jumping up-and-down and screaming "Yay!" at the top of my lungs, what can I do to help?

Re: Heavy Gear Line?
 

My guess is that they'll want somebody else to ride herd on the Heavy Gear line. Kromm's already overstretched overseeing GURPS. As for the rest, Bill, Ken, and David would have to be a) familiar with and 2) interested in the projects. Giant robots don't sound like a Stoddard or Hite thing, so I wouldn't hold my breath, but I could easily be wrong.

Re: Heavy Gear Line?
 

One question I've had is what role the DP9 folks will have. Even their little-b brains should be sufficient to contribute, and they ought to be familiar with the material.

Re: Heavy Gear Line?
 

As long as the folks responsible for editing GURPS books edit the new HG books I'll be happy. The editing of the DP9 HG books was terrible.

Re: Heavy Gear Line?
 

Yeah, it's a little premature. Our first priority is the new edition, and that's where our brains are at the moment. We'll keep everyone informed when we have more to announce (like playtests).

Re: Heavy Gear Line?
 

DP9, specifically John Buckmaster, will be providing the rules guru-ing. They'll also be providing the timeline info and canon guidance. And, as part of the standard licensing agreement, they'll be reviewing the manuscripts.

Re: Heavy Gear Line?
 

So far everything I've heard is good news to me but one. Primarily PDF, sorry but I hate PDFs.

Re: Heavy Gear Line?
 

I'd say the odds of POD products appearing for the line are pretty good.

Re: Heavy Gear Line?
 

That's my hope

Re: Heavy Gear Line?
 

The decision is not "print or PDF?" At this point, the decision is "PDF or nothing?"

As POD technology improves, the barrier between PDF and print will continue to crumble, but we're not making any promises on that front yet.

Re: Heavy Gear Line?
 

I'm pretty sure the DP9 people will have alot of input on the storyline. From what I've gathered, early releases will work on consolidating setting and storyline material, with a healthy dose of fact-checking and error-checking from the folks at SJG. Early books won't explore new aspects of the setting, as they've got to cover established material again for the benefit of new players.

As for the future of the story (especially what comes after Storyline Book 5: Distant Shores...ultimate friggin' cliffhanger...), I'm sure the DP9 people will be working with the SJG people extensively on that, when they reach that point (probably at least a couple years in the future...there is alot to re-cover from the first five storyline books)...the Heavy Gear Blitz timeline will publish material updating the setting before the new RPG material catches up to it, so I'm sure the SJG people will be using that information as they work on new product.

Re: Heavy Gear Line?
 

On a somewhat unrelated topic, I recently had a look at your game, Koing, and I have to say, I like the look of it. Very nice, and possibly the first online game I know of that delves that far into the future.

Re: Heavy Gear Line?
 

Thank you for the kind words! HG:WD has always had a special place in my heart, as that was a really exceptional campaign, that turned out very well. One of these days, I plan to run the sequel game, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.

Here's the website for the sequel:
http://hgwd2.outlawstar.net/ - It never got completed, but hopefully will be one day.

Also, to show the versatility of SilCore, I wrote an RPG based on the ZOIDS setting/toyline. You may find it interesting.
http://zoidsncz.outlawstar.net/

Re: Heavy Gear Line?
 

ZOIDS, huh? For a kids show it was pretty-well put together. I like what you did with the Caprice thing, though, and am glad one of your lead characters for both was a Humanist. I've always been attracted to the Alliance, and the first character I ever actually generated was a Protector EOD. She didn't pilot a Gear and I really liked her. Too bad that campaign died... Maybe I can re-work her stats somehow using just Life on Terra Nova? (the only book I currently own... unless Tac Packs count)

Re: Heavy Gear Line?
 

On the subject of ZOIDS, the America version is heavily edited...the first series, first season (Chaotic Century), is actually a pretty serious war story...the second season (Guardian Force) is less of a war story, but there is quite a bit MORE death in that part, due to some of the Zoids used. New Century Zero is more a kids show, because the violence is sanitized in the form of gladiatorial games. FUZORS is a kiddie show until about half-way through, then it gets really serious (although only the first half was broadcast in America). Finally, Genesis is mostly a coming of age story, but told against a war backdrop (and pretty darned violent at points). So, you may want to give it another look if you get the chance.

Back to Heavy Gear though, our resident Humanist, Heraclitus, was a very cool character, especially the change from what he was (a cold, merciless tool of dark side of the Alliance), to what he became (a more human, more emotional individual), and then the merging of those personalities to make a more "human" Humanist. ^_^

As for making a character with just the core book and Life of Terra Nova, that is more than enough material to do so. Life of Terra Nova is an exceptionally good book, with more than enough info to make a darn fine character. The Humanist Alliance is really easy to work with as well, as you can draw on lots of utopian/dystopian literature for reference.

However, if you do want more info on the Alliance, DP9 is still selling the Humanist Alliance Leaguebook, along with many of the other RPG books, and for a very good price ($9.95 is hard to beat)...you should check it out.

http://www.dp9.com/Products/HGRPG.htm (I apologize in advance if this forum frowns on posting commercial links...no harm is intended)

As someone who owns pretty much every HG book published to date, I can honestly say that the HA League Book is one of the better ones, and if you enjoy them as a faction, you should go and pick it up. However, if cash is tight, then Life on Terra Nova is more then adequate.

Also, for anyone else looking to get some of the old books, here is the opinion of a long-time HG fan of the most important books to pick up.

• Heavy Gear: Roleplaying Game 2nd Edition - The revised core book, which contains more setting material, and the most streamlined edition of the Silhouette rules. Definitely sets the bar against which all other HG products are judged (with HG: Blitz! being a close second). Still available on DP9's website.
• Life of Terra Nova 2nd Edition - The definitive guide to Terra Nova. The first edition is also good, but there is a bit more content in the second edition. Still available on DP9's website.
• Technical Manual 2nd Edition - In addition to providing the awesome Silhouette Vehicle Design Rules, this book is a fascinating look into the technology that shapes life in the 62nd century. Really good read from start to finish, surprisingly, even for non-mecha heads. Still available on DP9's website.
• Into the Badlands 1st Edition - Similar to Life of Terra Nova, but just covering the Badlands in detail...the Badlands are an excellent campaign setting, and this book really does them justice. If you can find it, get it.
• Duelist Handbook 2nd Edition - This text focuses on one of the coolest aspects of Terra Nova culture...dueling with Heavy Gears...in addition to providing a comprehensive view of all the different types of dueling, the book also provides alot of info on Khayr ad-Din, the City of Trash. Still available on DP9's website.

Those are without a doubt the essentials...even with the new edition SJGames if working on, I wouldn't hesitate to pick these books up...and for the people at SJGames, if you wanted my advice on the books to base remakes on, then the above list also applies. Bar none, they are the "core" books of the Heavy Gear setting/system.