I know Quincey was interested in my artbook idea from one of the other threads, though I don't know if there was any interest outside of him. Personally, I would love to see faction-based splatbooks. New information regarding the Ultimates would be gold to me. Or any of the factions, really. And as has been stated many times before, equipment books are always loved by players.

Book of Skills. I would want something to explain what you can do with skills in a bit more detail. Sometimes things aren't clear as to what you can do with a given skill. For instance, medicine is listed as skill (a field skill of all things), but between basic biomods, medichines, healing vats, and nanobandages (priced as [trivial]), it makes one wonder if anyone really needs to have actual medical knowledge anymore. I would also like to have something that deals with the problem of field skills. In theory, the rules allow for an infinite number of field skills, which can lead to many problems. I would like something that sorts them into a manageable list that makes sense. The core rules doesn't make a clear distinction between "Profession: Security Ops" and "Profession: Security Systems", where they over lap and where they don't. I would also like to there to be topics and what field skills would be most useful and why. There is a good example of this on Panopticon, p. 146 . Topic is habitats and management, and it list knowledge skills that would be useful to have. The Tech of Ecliplse Phase. I would like a book that would cover the technology of Eclipse Phase. While I can figure a lot of this stuff out myself, I would find it handy to have a book that explains this stuff to me. Plus it should cover what they needed to make soft science (if any) in order to make the game playable. Sample Habitats. We have been given a number of explanations of what a typical habitat might look and feel like, but we don't seem to have concrete examples. I would like too see a detailed look into a handful of habitats, giving us maps of what it looks like, telling us who the important people are, and maybe giving some details regarding some important places there. Basically detail some of the important places in the solar system so that some of us don't have to, or have a good examples to work with.

We need a book dedicated to the Mesh and Infolife (same book, similar to Panopticon where they bundled surveillance and Uplifts into the same thing).

I would really like to see a book about factions (especially those left out of both Sunward and Rimward) and politics - a de-facto alternative to running Firewall games. I am aware that Firewall is the canon setting, but we only got a single page about possible alternatives. There is something about x-threats in every book, but precious little for GMs who prefer a mercenary group or party of meme-war specialists. An alternative would be - as mentioned before - technology and development. To be precise, a suggested timeline for GMs who prefer a detailed and dynamic background for their stories. It is only natural that technology progresses at atrocious rate (it is visible even now, and the more we know, the faster we develop) - I already declared some tech from splatbooks "in development and available in a year or two" in my story. Both subjects could be too small for a whole book, but would neatly fit as chapters of a Panopticon.

I would really like to see a campaign. Nothing huge and mindblowing, just a nicely-outlined series of 4-5 interlinked scenarios set across a few inner system locations and the mesh, with plenty of major faction NPCs for players to become acquainted with. Beginner-friendly; sandbox mode included and optional. Campaigns are among the first books I look for when getting to grips with a new setting - content supplements are all well and good, but I find there's an element of mental fatigue in reading what is essentially just lists of people, places and things. And the more fascinating those things, the quicker the 'choice fatigue' sets in. Conversely if there's some sort of a plot anchoring all the stuff together, I economise my attention and imagination much better and am more likely to actually get the game to the table at some point.

Campaing books as in a series of adventures that advance or have some relevance to the advancement of a "metaplot" (as in "it changes the game very deeply as it advances", like "Titan overrun by space weeds!") or just metaplot like the ones being presented in the new World of Darkness?

I'd like to see a tech source book, and that sort of thing- maybe a book on the ships. Maybe. Probably combine it with some more information about the Argonauts.

Ravn wrote:

I'd say "no thanks" to metaplot. I have a kneejerk reaction against that. I loooove scenarios/campaigns (especially now, when I'm of an age that I don't have as much time to prepare compared to before), but metaplots that change the setting as written in sourcebooks? No thanks.

Extrasolar Angel wrote:

Yeah, me too, especially after what WotC did with DarkSun. As far as I remember Posthuman Studios guys want to have metaplot options rather than one metaplot-a set of choices for GM to pick.

But I'm torn about that. Because settings like Shadowrun and Battletech are [i]defined[/i] by their metaplot, and wouldn't be nearly as interesting if they weren't part and parcel to a living, shifting and changing game universe. And I have a lot of faith that Rob and Adam could pull it off, because they did Shadowrun for years. And the problem with a branching metaplot is that you can only go so far with that before it just becomes too hectic. Let's say I have one metaplot adventure with two outcomes. We now have two different metaplot story-arcs. Every book from that point on has to be written with two different histories in mind. Now let's bring in another. Same thing: a metaplot adventure with two outcomes. Suddenly, there are four histories. And this is only going to get worse, with every branching decision multiplying the number of total histories that will exist. Eventually you're going to have this insane collection of setting events, histories, outcomes and concepts that are part of a fractally-branching timeline structure. That could get… hectic, to say the least.

Trekkin wrote:

Would a metaplot even work with how intentionally vague Eclipse Phase is? I can't help but think that in order to establish and progress a plot, some of the superb ambiguity surrounding the TITANs, Ozma, et cetera would have to be cleared up. Beyond liking having that freedom designed into the system, the more the boogeymen of the system show themselves, the less effective as shadowy Cthuvian horrors they are, no?

This. Eclipse Phase is best handled as a sandbox kit game, rather than a metaplot, just because it takes those choices out of the hands of the GM/Router. I'm enjoying not knowing what the TITAN's really are, or Ozama, etc. As for what I'd like to see next, I'd like a Panopticon Vol 2: Everyday Tech, Pods, and Warfare. Everyday tech would be about the little things that have advanced by 10 AF. What is brushing your teeth like when biomods and medichines make it more habit than required? What is a trip out to eat like? The game rules section at the end could have a whole bunch of Trivial and Low cost items that are not game changers, but very useful for specific situations that illustrate how post-scarcity EP is. Also in this chapter could be a section on what happens when a couple have a kid the old fashioned way. At the opposite end, the Pods chapter could detail more on Pods, how they are made, and the advantages and disadvantages (physical and social) of them. More on the natural healing versus repair option of pods, the customization of the form (or lack of, depending on where you are), and the utility of a body that is made to survive when it comes to exo-colonies. In the rules section, a few more pods (including a 'kid' pod, and the 'normal' pod, a non-worker, non-sex pod for those who just want a body). Then the Warfare chapter. What is warfare like in the EP era, where the firepower available is virtually useless compared to the level of intel that can be gathered, and the conflicts that can be stopped without ever firing a shot by having the right people in the right system. Or even conflicts over stellar distances where the combatants never even see each other. More details on Direct Action, Stellar Intelligence, and Gorgon Defense Systems, as well as the Militia's of various major habitats and scum barges. The game information at the end for that could include a few more guns. I myself would like to see a real shotgun, using slugs, flechettes, and good ol shot, among other types. I think that book would be awesome.

I hate meta plots... I like making my own mind up about things. A 'Panopticon 2' with a range of topics could add a fair bit. Everyday life in all (or as many as is practical) types of society would be nice. I know that this has been touched upon on these forums, but an overview of what life is like in 2247 would add a lot, and help to "flesh-out" the setting and make it even more "real". Information on economics and how various polities use (and abuse) markets/trade/IP/jobs. This could be another basis for a non-Firewall type game-style. The setting presented is certainly rich enough to support non-Firewall style foci. Info-life and AIs. i.e. what it is to be one/interact with same/and the deep social repercussions of AI type technology. This could have also have more information on indenture structure and what they do etc.. New tech is sort of interesting, but social stuff is far more useful (well, at least to me). I don't need "Mil-porn"... slightly dull and best left as background. Same goes for spaceships, although the economics and cultural impact of their use is more interesting. An additional few Exo-planets would be dandy... perhaps using such a planet as a location for a possible campaign.

I would like to see a Panopticon 2 style book that covers spaceships, yes freaking spaceships.I know they try to make em all background, but sometimes you want that info and what they now have is scarce. I would also like to see a threats book and a gatecrashing 2 book as well. Also anything with new morphs and gear is a plus.

The book of horrors seems like a good addition to me. Example of scary stuff, biological, technological and bio-tech combo stuff that you can run into would be nice. Also, a better feel for how the mesh works, the UI and how much AR most people use etc etc. I have interpreted it my own way and tried to explain it to my players, but it might ease things if there was a better explanation than what's in the core book. And along the same lines, it would be interesting with information of the life of an infomorph. How does the world seem to an infomorph? What input do they have when they are not in a VR or do they spend all the time there? How easy is it to change what computer is processing you and how often does it happen etc etc. I am sure I will come up with more as time progress and more of the setting is explored. Because I assume a book of fashion is never going to happen. :P

My idea of a metaplot is more akin to how Shadowrun's setting advances. The timeline shifts a year or two, some major events unfold, and it changes the setting to some degree. That's really all I want. For the setting to move and be alive, for the cutting edge to get ever-sharper, and for the various economies and factions to ebb and flow as time goes on. I dislike the idea of Eclipse Phase's core setting always being stagnantly stuck at 10 AF, with GMs being forced to move the story on their lonesome. Even if it's just minor books, like "SOTA 11 AF" that adds new prototype technologies, or an "11 AF Almanac" that deals with all the events of the past year. I just want something that makes the setting feel like it has an actual moving history.

Now, I'm sure it's all subject to change, but originally they were saying there would not be a game-wide metaplot, like Shadowrun has. There are many good reasons for that, but one important one is that once you start a game-wide metaplot, it defines your game. Shadowrun, for better or worse, has its development guided by its metaplot. What they were saying early on was that there would be campaigns with big plot events, but that those were not canon metaplot events, meaning that future books would not be shaped by them and that you could completely ignore them in your game. It can be done by making the plots self-contained and just not building off of them. Give GMs the freedom to continue that storyline if they love it. That seems to fit very well with EP's open source philosophy anyway.

I have to admit, what would get me the most excited would be a book that advances the eclipse phase timeline, either to AF11 or to AF20. I was an enormous fan of Alderac's 7th Sea when it was still in print, and of all the books they published there were three that I sprinted out of my house to buy, Waves of Blood, The Montaigne Revolution, and Rapier's Edge. Those were books that walked the setting a year, or several years, forward. It wasn't a matter of "do I want these books?" it was compulsory. I needed to have them. Humans are naturally curious creatures, and few questions can incense us more than "what happens next?" Now, I recognize this is a situation wherein one must carefully tread. I'm not sure a plot-advancing book has ever made a game easier to play. The setting becomes far more complicated, because its components all turn into moving pieces. Small inconsistencies can become gaping plotholes as bits of the setting fail to advance consistently. Add faction-biased readers to the mix and things only get worse. "What do you mean a Barsoomian splinter group dropped an O'Neill cylinder on Valles-New Shanghai?" I guess what I'm trying to say is, I know advancing the timeline would be an enormous amount of work for you guys. I suspect an advanced timeline would make my game a fair bit harder to gm. Even so, I can't help that I want it.

Extrasolar Angel wrote:

X-threats book: Exhumans-their goals, organisations, plots, types and NPC's Exsurgents-types, monsters, creations, infiltrators Extraterrestrials-dangerous relics found on other planets, mysterious astronomical puzzles, dangerous ruins, maybe some exotic diseases or organisms that are threat to human existence. Titans-their legacy, installations, left over war machines, secret experiments. Chapter on Project Ozma-their knowledge of aliens before the Fall, how to play them, their operations and possible adventures.

This for sure. Preferably with stats for various enemies or advice on how to design your own exsurgent forms/viruses. I love the EP setting so much but I have real trouble designing enemies/foes since things are deliberately vague on that subject.

Tyrnis wrote:

I would definitely prefer NOT to see an advancing timeline, myself. I don't find that it makes the setting any more dynamic than one that has a more detailed history, and if it's not so vague as to be almost useless it starts running into the chance of diverging from individual games and becoming a hindrance instead of an asset. The closest I would want to something like that would be a single book full of different (and sometimes conflicting) possibilities for the future development of the EP timeline. Basically: If you want to take your game in direction X (for several values of X) as time goes on, here are some ideas.

Every book released after the first one risks contradicting things you've already established in your games. Such is the nature of putting out new material. Panopticon already contradicted one of my campaign's use of elephants. Gatecrashing [i]sort of[/i] contradicted one of our first games, where an async passed through a Pandora gate without any weirdness whatsoever. If we're going to argue against a progressing timeline because it threatens to contradict stuff we do in our games, then we should equally argue against any new material at all.

Tyrnis wrote:

As much as I liked Gatecrashing, I also don't particularly want Gatecrashing 2. At this point, we have a pretty good list of exoplanets, and there's a limit to how many worlds you can find and colonize in less than ten years, especially when you're also recovering from the Fall.

Which is another reason I would enjoy a progressing timeline. At some point we'll hit the cap for what is possible in the context of 10 AF, both in places to delve into and technology that exists. I would like to know that there will be more places, more tech, and more material to come. I don't necessarily want a timeline that progresses like Shadowrun, which tries to sync up with the actual progress of real life. Hell, I wouldn't even mind if they only updated the setting one or two years every 5 or so. I just think that if they stick with 10 AF, there's only so much they can explore before they are either repeating themselves, or losing the mystery and open-ness of the setting.

Tyrnis wrote:

* A look at the everyday lives of people in EP, from the plight of the indentures or the clanking masses to the lifestyles of the glitterati. We've got lots of information on how to run system-hopping special agents fighting x-threats, but horror often works best when it poses a stark contrast to the everyday, and honestly, this is a rich enough setting that so many other things that Firewall games are possible, so a little more support for non-Firewall games would be very welcomed.

I agree. I want to see some more info on other things that player can potentially do. I would love to see mechanics for trying to portray characters that run and manage a hypercorp, for instance. And maybe for running mercenary or criminal campaigns.

Tyrnis wrote:

* A closer look at the Planetary Consortium and some of the agencies that make it up -- including a chapter on Ozma, of course. Support for political games in the inner system, for Firewall teams infiltrating the PC, and of course for people who want to play Ozma agents instead of Firewall.

I don't know about this. While the Consortium would be awesome to get a book about, I don't know if I'd want to see a book on Ozma. They are a sort of boogeyman for the setting. Trying to go more into their goals and structure would be like going more into the goals of the TITANs and exsurgents. I always felt that the stuff talked about in the 12th chapter of the core book should be largely off-limits for new material. The factors, TITANs, ETI, exsurgent virus, Firewall and Ozma should all stay moderately mysterious. That way, individual groups can determine their own aims and goals, motivations and purposes. One part of that is who Ozma works for, or who backs it. It's going to be hard to talk about Ozma while avoiding that. If anything, maybe they could release info on new strains of the virus, and maybe small amounts of factor tech in books. But I don't want to see too much getting into the deeper parts of these things. Even if they decide to go with a progressing history, I hope these stay largely untouched.

Tyrnis wrote:

* A book on the mesh and mesh-related technologies, from some of the more common virtual worlds to ideas for games set entirely in it. Also a chapter that gives AGIs and characters that live as infomorphs some of the attention that Uplifts got in Panopticon.

OH GOD YES! The mesh gets so little love, and we need to know more about its inner workings. It's arguably the most nuanced and dense part of the setting (only limited by the processing power existing in the system), so it should get plenty of setting info. I want to know what mesh sites are like, custom ectos/mesh implant systems, server properties and costs, new software, and all sorts of other stuff. I want more AI rules for programming them yourself, improving them over time, and more.

It looks like we agree on more than we disagree, but I did want to respond to a few points.

Decivre wrote:

Every book released after the first one risks contradicting things you've already established in your games. Such is the nature of putting out new material. Panopticon already contradicted one of my campaign's use of elephants. Gatecrashing [i]sort of[/i] contradicted one of our first games, where an async passed through a Pandora gate without any weirdness whatsoever. If we're going to argue against a progressing timeline because it threatens to contradict stuff we do in our games, then we should equally argue against any new material at all.

To a much lesser degree than an advancing timeline, however. Right now, if there's something contradictory to your game in one book, the odds of it being mentioned in another are fairly slim -- you could be using a very different Jovian Republic than the one in Rimward and the next book in the line will be every bit as useful to you as if you were using the canon one. Once you start establishing certain events in a timeline as having occurred, future supplements may depend on those events, which may or may not happen in an individual game (and I'm not sure I see the point of advancing the timeline if there _aren't_ any important events like that detailed.)

Decivre wrote:

Which is another reason I would enjoy a progressing timeline. At some point we'll hit the cap for what is possible in the context of 10 AF, both in places to delve into and technology that exists. I would like to know that there will be more places, more tech, and more material to come. I don't necessarily want a timeline that progresses like Shadowrun, which tries to sync up with the actual progress of real life. Hell, I wouldn't even mind if they only updated the setting one or two years every 5 or so. I just think that if they stick with 10 AF, there's only so much they can explore before they are either repeating themselves, or losing the mystery and open-ness of the setting.

Whereas I don’t think that advancing the timeline will significantly help with that. If the ideas are new and different, they’ll probably work just as well in AF 10 as in AF 15, and we both agree that repetition isn’t worthwhile, so advancing the timeline doesn’t give leeway for Riward 2: AF 25. I’ll also note that a game line eventually ending instead of continuing to produce supplement after supplement isn’t something I necessarily object to – I wouldn’t want it to happen any time soon, of course, but just from the suggested book lists we’ve seen here and in similar threads, there’s plenty to keep things going for a several years yet at least, and that’s not even touching on individual adventures.

Decivre wrote:

I don't know about this. While the Consortium would be awesome to get a book about, I don't know if I'd want to see a book on Ozma. They are a sort of boogeyman for the setting. Trying to go more into their goals and structure would be like going more into the goals of the TITANs and exsurgents. I always felt that the stuff talked about in the 12th chapter of the core book should be largely off-limits for new material. The factors, TITANs, ETI, exsurgent virus, Firewall and Ozma should all stay moderately mysterious. That way, individual groups can determine their own aims and goals, motivations and purposes. One part of that is who Ozma works for, or who backs it. It's going to be hard to talk about Ozma while avoiding that.

While I agree at least to some degree, I tend to view Ozma as a boogeyman only because Firewall are the default protagonists. I see Ozma as a prime example of an organization that would make every bit as viable an organization for a group of PCs to be working for. Firewall is a better default for the game as a whole, since it allows anyone, as opposed to being centered on the Planetary Consortium, mind you. And you can still keep some elements, such as the backers of Ozma, mysterious, with several suggestions for the GM based on the feel desired for an individual game. This really ties back in to making as many different types of game as possible viable, in my mind.

A book about the Mesh, how some Infomorph clusters live their lives in some simulspace on the brink etc Somewhere, a chapter on generating habitats. What to think about to make it feasable and not fall down like a card house after the first few questions the players ask.

I absolutely, positively, do NOT want anything that spells out everything there is to know about factions, corporate or otherwise. Something presented as rumors, or conspiracy theories, absolutely, but nothing more as concrete fact. I hate a thoroughly well defined setting where I have to worry about conflicting with "canon". I absolutely want the freedom to do whatever I want, whenever I need to, with a setting, and not have to worry about remembering every little fact about canon.

I think it deserves it, with the several layers that comprehends it For Panopticon 2, I would rather suggest all the stuff about nanofabrication, and how to create new gear, how much it's gonna be worth and how hard will it be to create it There's something I'm dying to make in nanofab blueprint and AGI: a Primer book, like in The Diamond Age

Good God... i have a Deja Vu... is this the real world?