Expanding my publishing horizons...

[Gamerprinter]

About 15 years ago, I had developed a race of gnomes, who comprised a racial thieves guild called the Gnomic Syndicate, unfortunately Star Trek TNG created the Ferengi, which is very much like my Gnomes.

1. Holy Codex is called the Gnomicon, similar to the rules of acquisition.
2. Instead of an ear fetish, my gnomes have a boot fetish.
3. Gnomes sponsor or found all thieves guilds of other races.
4. Goal of the gnomes is the total fiduciary domination of all non-gnome races.
5. They breed and sell human pleasure slaves.
6. They steal, reverse engineer, improve and sell weapons technology.
7. Shrinking pantheon of gods who through alliance and assassination kill off other gnome gods to rise in hierarchy.
8. Fiduciary high priests are head of the syndicate, while Wizards and Sorcerers form the officer corps, rogues, bards and fighters at the bottom.

These are the guys, whom the Gnomic Vault map is all about.

Anyway, I've just talked Johnn Four into adding them as part of the Underworld Map set, to expand the resource - cool, cool!

Expected for publication early in 2010.

GP

[Sigurd]

I think the best thing you've got going for you GP is you obviously enjoy doing it and you make a good product.


good luck,


S

[Turgenev]

Best of luck on your new venture, GP. I love the idea about the Gnomic Syndicate and your maps are always top quality.

[Gamerprinter]

Working on my thieves guild map for the upcoming product. A few things I need to think about.

1. A thieves guild should look like a normal structure on the outside, so as not to draw attention to itself and better blend into the neighborhood, but on the inside I need a cool layout as better looking gaming tool.

2. I plan to place a small dungeon maze beneath the structure for things like practice for opening locks, find traps and remove them, also as a defensive means for escape (knowing where the traps and dead ends are) when the authorities raid the guildhouse - it will happen.

3. I need multiple stories so that a hidden courtyard in the center, as some interesting wall surfaces to practice climbing and ledge walking skills.

My problem is not knowing 4e enough. What sort of "powers" do thieves have and how should I implement the 4e powers as part of the design of the guild. For example, if Shadow Power is a thief thing in 4e, I might need to place a shadowy chambers with light obstruction to create the atmosphere necessary to really make the site a 4e guild layout.

Since I'm a Pathfinder or 3e and earlier guy, I don't know what is intrinsically 4e as regarding thieves. I don't want to necessarily buy 4e books just to make one map. I'm hoping there are some 4e experts here (more or less) to give me pointers on how I should fulfill this aspect of a 4e thieves guild map.

Any tips somebody can offer?

GP

[mearrin69]

Ahem. They prefer the term "rogues"...have for a while now. "thieves" just isn't p-c anymore.

I can't help you with 4E powers but it sounds like you're on track with the stuff you've outlined so far. I think your room of light and shadow sounds like a good idea anyway, even if there's no power that grants an SU ability to hide. How about a room filled with noisy traps and crisp leaves, etc. to hone Move Silently? Maybe 4E has combined Hide/Move Silently too? If so, put them in the shadow room.

A product like this would help build a fun side-adventure for a rogue...make her do a bunch of skill challenges to get into the guild. You thought about doing something similar for wizards, fighters, and other classes? I'm not a big CRPG player but I did play Oblivion for a while and I think there were guilds in there for every class and they had pretty cool stuff inside that you could train your skills on.

[Gamerprinter]

Yax of Game Mastery blog, one of the two writer/publishers involved in this project has already expressed interest in follow up products to include a Wizards Academy, a Druids Grove, a Fighting Man's border fort and other specific locations for all the base classes, perhaps including the more "not so base" classes like a Shadow Dancers guild hall.

I am aware of the class being "rogue" rather than "thief", however, I am building a specific Thieves Guild rather than the more general "rogues hall", which follows the historical and/or trope fantasy Thieves Guild concept. The D&D rogue is often described as a free spirit depending on manual skills versus special powers that other more arcane classes practice, this is never just "thief-like" in nature. A thieves guild on the other hand is specifically a criminal organization and thereby "thief" is more accurate than simply "rogue" in this instance.

I am hoping with some 4e insight by one of the members I can touch upon a 4e rogues aspect that may have not been emphasized in a guild map before, therefore provide a much more appropriate playing aid for 4e DMs.

GP

[Gamerprinter]

OK, I asked this question on another board more specifically related to D&D, however the answer only helps slightly. Rather than an arcane type power, rogues use Martial Power, just as the Fighter and Ranger uses.

The only problem now, is I am aware that 4e powers like Martial is not equivalent to mundane powers, there is a kind of "magic" in all 4e powers, at least that's how things are treated in that game. So the next question then is what is unique and non-mundane regarding Martial power?

GP