[Arrows of Indra] The Author's Q&A Thread

[Bedrockbrendan]

Hey I've got a couple:

In the print version are the maps going to be full sized (as in poster maps) or just a page in the book?
What size is the book letter/A4 or more like digest?
Are the insides colour in the PDF and/or print?

Thanks

The maps in the book will be page-sized and black and white (all of our print books are black and white because the cover cost for color would be too expensive). The book will be about 8x11, so standard rgp book size. The maps in the PDF are color, but the interior illustrations are black and white.

[Zachary The First]

-How do the classes scale? Do any become much more powerful than other classes at higher level, say, as much as in classic or even more recent D&D?

-How does the skill system scale over longer-term play, in your experience?

[RPGPundit]

-How do the classes scale? Do any become much more powerful than other classes at higher level, say, as much as in classic or even more recent D&D?

-How does the skill system scale over longer-term play, in your experience?

Good questions. I want to say in the first place that "balance" was not as big an obsession in AoI as it is with 3e/4e-style D&D; we are an old school game after all.

What we've found is that in the game, at low, mid and early-high levels (we didn't play into the really high levels), the game maintains a sense of balance quite well: Siddhis can potentially get some really powerful magic even quite early on (the equivalent of some spells that might not be available to a regular low-level D&D mage), but on the other hand their choice of magic is largely random.  Fighters and their subclasses also manage to maintain a high level of effectiveness thanks to the "skill" (weapon proficiency) system; at 7th-9th level its still quite clear that the two broad types are still equally useful, we didn't see Siddhis just wiping the table with everything while fighters felt useless, nor did we see siddhis feel useless compared to fighters.
Thieves and the like also maintain a high degree of utility, though less so in combat compared to other things.

RPGPundit

[RPGPundit]

I've posted the first week's Q&A summary on my blog. Please keep the questions coming!

RPGPundit

[Kuroth]

Does the map on page 103 represent any particular part of Patala? I wasn't sure what it was referencing or whether it was simply meant as an example cavern complex.

[RPGPundit]

Does the map on page 103 represent any particular part of Patala? I wasn't sure what it was referencing or whether it was simply meant as an example cavern complex.

No, it doesn't represent a particular place.  I believe that's a public-domain image, the publisher just thought it looked cool (and I agree).

RPGPundit

[Hezrou]

What brought you to choose India as a setting? Do you have a connection there (family, studies, lived there, etc.)?

[RPGPundit]

What brought you to choose India as a setting? Do you have a connection there (family, studies, lived there, etc.)?

I have done both a fairly large amount of academic study of Indian religion, as well as having spent many years practicing as a Tantrist (Buddhist, nominally, but I think Tantra really transcends either Buddhism or Hinduism).

RPGPundit

[Planet Algol]

I assumed there was an element of wanting to "one-up" Empire of the Petal Throne as well?

[RPGPundit]

I assumed there was an element of wanting to "one-up" Empire of the Petal Throne as well?

I don't know if "one up" would be the right term: I wanted to create something that was exotic (like EPT is), but that avoided the fall into total culturewank and being so alien as to be difficult to play in (the pitfalls of EPT).  

So you could say that AoI is in part me wanting to create a game that has some of the same things that I always found cool about EPT (most of which were taken by Barker out of the same sources I used), but without any of the things I found regrettable about that setting.

And for me, I found the answer was in sticking way way closer to the source material.

RPGPundit

[RPGPundit]

Here's the latest Q&A summary on my blog! Keep the questions coming...

RPGPundit

[RPGPundit]

bumped.

[RPGPundit]

No update today, because I'm moving!

[jeff37923]

I have done both a fairly large amount of academic study of Indian religion, as well as having spent many years practicing as a Tantrist (Buddhist, nominally, but I think Tantra really transcends either Buddhism or Hinduism).

RPGPundit

My question is similar to Hezrou's.

Why India? What is it about that country and its mythology really let you know that this would be a good source and setting for a fantasy role-playing game?

[Mistwell]

I received this set of replies over at EnWorld, and I thought it would be good to get your perspective on answering this before I posted a reply.

This looks really interesting.  While this is the first I've heard of it, ever since Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (I know, right?) I've been fascinated by historical India.  I might have to check this out now, thanks!

From what I understand it's more "Do you like OD&D? Here's a way to play it in India!" than "Do you like Hindu myths and legends? Here's an RPG for that!"

-O