Thursday, August 18, 2022

13th Age 2e: The Same Core Team

Several people have wondered whether Jonathan Tweet is working on the 2nd Edition of the 13th Age core book. The answer is yes. The 13th Age core book was a collaboration between Jonathan and me, teaming up to create the game we wanted to play together, with Lee Moyer and Aaron McConnell providing the art. The same core team is creating 13th Age 2e. For the final manuscript we’ll bring in the game’s current line editor, a new sensitivity reader, and a new layout artist.

Why? Because I can’t create a credible revision of 13th Age without Jonathan. He and I don’t see eye-to-eye on everything, but we share a vision for this game, we have synergistic skills, and we’ve been talking for years about how to make 13th Age better—qualities that can’t be replicated with another designer. Pelgrane has long wanted to publish a 2nd edition of the game, and the community has been asking for one for even longer. I told Pelgrane that I couldn’t do it without Jonathan—either it would be a collaboration between me and him, or 13th Age 1e would be the only edition. Pelgrane and I knew that without a second edition, 13th Age would stagnate and the game would wither away; so they agreed to publish the new edition with the original creative team.

Beyond the core book, I will continue to run the line of supporting products without Jonathan—an arrangement that suits both Jonathan and Pelgrane. After his contribution to the manuscript is finished Jonathan will start work on a new children’s book to follow up on Grandmother Fish. I’ll move on to finishing Icon Followers (up to 128K words at present), one of the 13th Age books that will follow up on 2nd Edition.

Unlike the first time we created this game, we’re working pretty quickly. We’ve already run several playtests and plan a full playtest packet for wide distribution in the next few weeks.

8 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. After reading Jonathan's comments, and his attempts to defend himself that read as doubling down on everything, I really, -really- do not want to give him my money and I regret having bought things he worked on in the past. It doesn't reflect well on Pelgrane that you're still willing to work with him, frankly. I don't suppose he could be persuaded to do this one for free?

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  3. This is fantastic news. By having Tweet return, I think Pelgrane takes an important step in correcting a terrible mistake: it had chosen to distance itself from a worthy collaborator over hearsay that had no basis whatsoever. Companies have to stop pandering to anonymous mobs. I don't know Tweet personally, but he should be judged by the quality of his work, and not by what a small number of anonymous people on the internet say. None of us should pretend to be judge, jury and executioner - it has impact on people's reputations and livelihoods. If people are so offended, perhaps they should be the ones to work free of charge to support their cause, whatever that may be. Anyhow, this is great news, and I look forward to following the playtesting process that will lead to the new edition. Keep up up the great work Rob. The way you have handled the whole matter shows that besides your skills as a game designer, you also have integrity. It's an example for the rest of us to do the right thing even when it's inconvenient. Thank you, and looking forward to the next posts.

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  4. I'm glad you bring Tweet back. His creative vision and talent should be distanced from his personal views. You have my money.

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  5. No thanks. I do not need a woke RPG.

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  6. You lost me as I read "sensitivity reader". SMH

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