Double-check my plans, please. NPC, Treasure, and Monster cards for Z.

[RangerWickett]

Our Kickstarter just reached the stretch goal where we'll add a set of NPC, Treasure, and Monster cards as an option, and I want to make sure the price is accurate. The price to print a set depends on how many cards we have, so I could use some help making sure I have an accurate count.

First question, is it better to have the cards with a blank back face, so the PCs can deface the cards with notes? To have a ZEITGEIST logo? A bit of personal information? Should the cards have the people's names? Basically, would you keep them for yourself as reference, or use them as hand-outs to the players (in which case they shouldn't have spoilers).

Second question, did I forget anything?

Note that we're only doing stuff from Act One - the Player's Guide, GM Guide, and adventures One through Five.

NPCs

1. Alexander Grappa, the Mindmaker
2. Asrabey Varal
3. Assistant Chief Inspector Stover Delft
4. Brakken of Heffanita
5. Brianne "Bree" Kaldeckis
6. Caius Bergeron
7. Captain Rutger Smith
8. Cardiff Hengehill
9. Cillian Creed
10. Damata Griento
11. Doctor Wolfgang von Recklinghausen
12. Duchess Ethelyn
13. Eberardo
14. Ekossigan
15. Hana “Gale” Soliogn
16. Geoff Massarde
17. Grundun Zubov
18. Principle Minister Harkover Lee
19. Heward Sechim
20. Isobel Travers
21. Julian LeBrix
22. Kaja Stewart
23. Kasvarina Varal
24. King Aodhan
25. Kvarti Gorbatiy
26. Lady Inspectress Margaret Saxby
27. Leone Quital, the Steelshaper
28. Lieutenant Hessar Marseine
29. Lorcan Kell
30. Lord Inspector Nigel Price-Hill
31. Luc Jierre
32. Lya Jierre
33. Malia Baccarin
34. Mister Mapple
35. Morgan Cippiano
36. Nathan Jierre
37. Nicodemus
38. Nicholas Dupiers
39. Nilasa Hume
40. Olivert Boone
41. Ottavia Sacredote
42. Quentin Augst
43. Governor Roland Stanfield
44. Mayor Reed Macbannin
45. Rock Rackus
46. Sijhen
47. Skyseer Nevard Sechim
48. Sokana Rell
49. Sovereign Han Jierre
50. Thames Grimsley
51. Tinker Oddcog, the Gearbuilder
52. Valando
53. Verzubak Tantalovich
54. Xambria Meredith

Treasure - There are far too many for me to think people really want them all. I think we'll have just the really interesting and plot-relevant stuff. Of course, some items don't exist in both PF and 4e, but my plan is to have stats for each game on opposite sides of the card.

1. Messenger Wind
2. Cracked Cauldron
3. Canary in a Coalmine Pendant
4. Amulet of the Ancients
5. Staff of the Ancients
6. Blade of the Ancients
7. Golden Icon of Apet
8. Golden Icon of Avilona
9. Golden Icon of Nem
10. Golden Icon of Urim
11. Razorburst Weapon
12. Distinguished Top Hat
13. Coat of the Genteel Butcher
14. Figurine of Wondrous Power: Mechanical Carriage
15. The Hurricane Violin

Would you change some of these?

Monsters - I'm not quite sure how many critters warrant cards. Complicated ones? Boss battles? Fights where you might need to refer back and forth? Allied soldiers and officers? Care to help me make this list? I'll come back with more after I get dinner.

 

[Hitomi Camacho]

Allied soldiers and officer will come handy.

 

[RangerWickett]

What are your thoughts about names of NPCs? I'm leaning toward no.

 

[vvZODvv]

My first thought on it would be no to the names and have room for writing but not totally blank. Something like the back of the Paizo cards (but perhaps a bit more room for notes) with an appropriate Zeitgeist border- even the one from the book. Perhaps a single sentence or two about the immediately obvious mannerisms and physical characteristics like the GM cheat sheet in the adventures. Visually, I think the ideal would be for the area to write in to be a very light off color white or tan.

 

[Ajar]

I'd say no on the names. Since my game is online, I won't be handing the cards out, but not having the names on them gives DMs the option. I can always write the names and my notes on the cards myself if I keep them behind the screen.

My players would love for the badger gun and/or the steam suit to be on the item list. Preference probably goes to the steam suit, which I'm about 100% certain they're going to requisition when they find out it could be available.

 

[RangerWickett]

The main factor is that each card is 10.5 cents to print. We're up to 65 just from the lists above, and I was hoping to add some spare illos for red herring style NPCs. Plus monsters. I wonder whether people will want to spend $15 or $20 on cards with no real gameplay element, just a prop.

Also, the Monster Card idea works best for 'common' foes, not boss fights. I can't imagine fitting the stats for The Thing From Beyond onto a card, not in any font size I'd want to read.

 

[Ajar]

That reminds me, I don't even know if I'll end up with cards! My group and I are the Grand Design pledgers. Not sure if cards are included in that bundle or not. I'm hoping to get some use out of the foam Coaltongue by enticing the rest of the group to come visit us later next year. And maybe by then we'll have some of our Bones minis from the Reaper Kickstarter painted...

Anyway, here are the rest of my thoughts on the cards:

I don't think monster cards would be super useful, simply due to the length of stat blocks. For live DMs, allied soldiers and whatnot would probably be helpful -- just give them to the players and let them run the allies.

I don't recognize a lot of the names on the NPC list, so I'm assuming they come from future adventures (we're still on #3). But I notice that some of them are only one-offs, like Eberardo and Valando, and Grappa (since his construct's head is what matters). Maybe prune that list down a bit and make up the difference with fake NPCs?

 

[Siberys]

For NPCs, what about doing different NPCs on each side, to "double" the space"? Might be problematic to just hand out, though... Either way, I wouldn't put names on the cards. Personally, I dislike the idea of writing space - I've run two separate (failed due to scheduling) ZG campaigns, and I wouldn't have wanted a prop ruined such that I couldn't use it for another go!

For monsters, I'd only want to see stuff the Players would need to see. Allied soldiers, Badgers for the Badger Gun, B-Team, Ship Stats, &c.

For items, I'd go with anything "custom" that appears in the books - Diamond Encrusted Piece, several cards for the Xambria artifact, the Martial Scientist bonus powers, whatever. Stuff that's from the books, just leave out, unless it's custom for one edition but not for another, in which case put full-size art on the opposite.

Also, I'm kinda in agreement with Ajar, but I wouldn't want to stop a DM from using a short-appearing NPC to expand the AP on their own...

 

[Morrus]

I personally like the way the To Slay A Dragon cards worked. Picture and name on the front. Spoiler-free description on the back (basically it says how the PCs know this person).

No name - that wouldn't work for me. That means GMs have to spend time matching up faces to text in the book.

 

[RangerWickett]

Yes, but it kind of ruins the point of having miscellaneous faces for new NPCs the GM creates, since those would have no name. Like, if the GM wants to create a red herring, it's pretty obvious that someone isn't key to the plot if they don't have a name, but everyone else does.

To Siberys, at least in the 4e version, we don't include any loot that already exists in 4e. I figure if we're going to put in some treasure, it should be novel. The character builder and compendium makes it easy enough to find existing stuff if you want it. (Though honestly, both 4e and PF are just bloated with magic items.)

Hrm. Now, what monsters are there?
Docker toughs
Sokana, her halfling buddy, engineers, fire sprites
Axis Island elementals
Guards, wizard, his pet
Gillie Dhu
Asrabey x2

Shadow man, 5 monsters on Cauldron Hill, Kell guild folks, smugglers, steam construct, flayed jaguars

Aberrant monsters x6 or 7, gunslinger and minions, etc. etc.

Yeah, okay, I think the 'monsters' should only be things PCs get their hands on. I can't imagine people want to spend $5 just for reprinted stats from the books.