Hi Paul,

I'm not sure "timeline" and "CGI" really belong in the same sentence, so take this with a grain of salt and the understanding that CGI will ultimately decide how long it takes to see print. I think we'd all like that to be more predictable, but it's usually not.

Having said that, there are at least three things that need to happen before CGI gets a hold of the material:

• As Richard mentioned above, "someone" needs to finish the art. In the case of Tontury Lake, that's all that is needed.
• The L6 Map needs to be finished. Right now, the focus is on completing the maps that delayed part 2 of Rethem. Those maps are very complex with tons of settlements (E7 especially), but are almost done. L6, by contrast is fairly simple and should take minimal effort to finish.
• Due to the delay of Rethem part 2, there are enough articles and maps for two back-to-back HQs to "catch up" -- however a couple of the smaller ones need to be edited and a little bit of material written to round them out. That probably won't take very long, either, but I can't offer an exact timeline.

All of those things could be done pretty quickly, but then it goes to CGI. If they are prompt and don't make many changes, they could see print fairly soon. If not...

Plus, for me and other Canadians, a factor to take into consideration is whether or not Canada Post goes on strike and for how long. During my last CGI order, I discovered why it seems to take so long for a package to arrive despite CGI being just across the border... packages get sent to San Francisco before crossing the border, which takes roughly a week.

I'm certainly looking forward to the upcoming material.

That's awesome. Sorry you have to deal with that.

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http://www.lythia.com/nelafayn/

Laughs, so look for it around Christmas... but lets not assign a year to that prediction... just quite yet

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Smile and wave boys, smile and wave.

You can tell how dysfunctional a person is by how many bumper stickers they have

The art work for Tontory lake will be held up whilst Richard finishes off the illos for the Gargun Heraldry.

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··<SableFox>··
AKA Jonathan M Davidson

A half chewed corpse on a stick no doubt. Handy as it can also be used as a mid battle snack.

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"You're gonna cut off the Dragon's what?"

really?
Gargun have heraldry?
Why?

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everybodyTHINKShimselfSOwellSUPPLIEDwithCOMMONsenseTHATevenTHOSEmostDIFFICULTto PLEASEneverDESIREmoreOFitTHANtheyALREADYhave. RENEdescartes.

And to that we could have an article of Gargun etiquette and table manners.

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"Corpora lente augescent cito extinguuntur" - Tacitus
Fenhorn's Hârnpage

How long is usual lag between being billed for a Harnquest and receiving it? Tontury/Ilme will be my first, so I'm just curious. My card was charged July 18.

Adventures of course.

I would also like to see a remake of Tharda that is not so Roman-esque. I am sure you can have a republic that is unique, but not a Rome clone. Maybe something anti-monarchy / anti-theocratic. They are a corrupted haven from the abuses of Monarchy. A group of "never-again" after Lothrim and Tekhos.

Same with the Orbaalese. I appreciate NRCs reuse od the familiar, but after reading about the Greyjoys in Game of Thrones, Orbaalese seem a bit... staid. That said, too much borrowing does not give Harn a uniqueness.

I would like to see a remake of Elves into something more alien and wilder than Tolkien Elves. In my pHarn, I have remade them to be more like the Celtic Sidhe. As far as they are not of this world, they have their own motivations, be wary of dealing with them. Otherwise I am trying to make them unique. Yeah I borrow, but at least it is not Tolkien Elves like everyone else.

In that vein, I would like to see some better rules for making Dwarven / Elven characters. By current rules, these races feel kind of human.

Harn has a lot of facts, but one thing I have always felt it was missing was story. Something to give the land more of a personality.

Usual lag?
That phrase has little meaning. It all depends on the editing and printing issues. In most cases just a few weeks for the printing and shipping, but it varies. Columbia Games has this focus on getting it right rather than fast, so great product but hell on shipping schedules.

Yeah, I know I should have put quotes around the word usual...

But once payment is processed, I infer that the product is actually done and ready to go. I get that CGI may have some sort of print on demand process, of course.

I wasn't complaining, just curious what past experience has been.

Usually you are correct, credit cards are charged when the product is about ready to go. Unfortunately, this time there is a slight delay and it will be a few more weeks. Apologies for any inconvenience.

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Visit the updated HârnWorld website!

Hi,
delays seem to be the rule not the exception. And a few weeks are not a slight delay.
Regards,
R.

I was wondering whether in the new Rethem push there would be a revised article on Kustan? Revised meaning seeing Kustan and its immediate settlement as it would of been in the past as well as in its current form as a ruined Corani fort. The best example of this that I can immediately think of is Kerry Mould's article on the ancient Khuzan settlement of Irkhar Kyg. In this article the current human occupiers of Gardiren Castle are unaware that their basement once formed the upper level of the ancient Khuzan settlement of Irkhar Kyg. The article shows Irkhar Kyg as it was in the past (including how it functioned as a Khuzan settlement) as well as how it looks and how it currently functions as a cellar for Gardiren Castle. I would be interested in seeing Kustan's original floor plans, data on the settlement, impact on the Kubora, etc. This is probably wishful thinking, but we all like to dream....

Since all Columbia Games publications are written from the position that the date is 720TR, I would not expect they would publish an article that looks into the past like this. It would be an interesting work of fanon, though.

By the way, for those who don't have the original, out-of-print Kustan article, it should be rereleased (in print and PDF) in a month or so as part of the Hârn Classics line.

Since Shostim, Tormau, and Kustan were part of the original Rethem module, won't all three fortifications be updated as part of the new Rethem related articles?

Not if they are released as Harn Classics (i.e. Kustan)

The new Rethem gives you kingdom level information - it dosn't not reprint or expand the existing castles, keeps or city.

Though the kingdom article dosn't contain the detailed settlements that does not mean that they, or even some new ones, won't be released in the future.

_________________
··<SableFox>··
AKA Jonathan M Davidson

The Shostim and Tormau articles from the original, out-of-print Rethem kingdom module were rereleased as Hârn Classics in late 2009. Both are available from ColumbiaGames.com (print) and RPGNow.com (PDF).

As part of the Hârn Classics line, this simply means the original content is back in print (and PDF). The content is the same as the original, with maps and plans redrawn to new standards and the whole thing copyedited and given a new layout. It really just means you can now buy a new copy instead of hoping to find an old one on eBay.

Anyone else worried that they charged cards when they knew they didn't have a product to ship?

Not really. I have never had a problem with Columbia and that has always been their business model.

from Iemckinnon:


Here, here!
That's something I've tried to show in my campaign. Neither the Sindarin nor the Khuzdul are human, and there should always be some question about just how they will react and what their motivations are. The Sindar aren't blond human hunters; their motives revolve around plans that may well be centuries in the making. Similarly, the Khuzdul aren't chubby human miners -- they build things for a level of permanence that must seem like eternity to humans. Both species look at things from a different perspective than humans, a viewpoint that has to sometimes seem outright alien. Looking at it from the other end, a human who is fully comfortable with long exposure to EITHER species is either uncomfortable around his own people or he isn't recognizing the true outlooks of either of these alien species.

Both are in something of the position of apex predators around humans. (Endangered species, if you want to make the comparison a bit closer.) No matter how much you may think you've made friends with a lion or a badger, don't ever let your guard down around one. They are never domesticated, but for reasons of their own they may submit to being around you for awhile. As soon as you starting thinking they're just furry humans, you'll get a shocking reminder that that one's a lion, and the other one's a badger.

With the Sindar or the Khuzdul, the shock is likely to be intellectual or emotional rather than deadly, but no less disturbing.
You just can't ever know exactly what they're up to. Safer to keep some distance and be cautious.


Sorry, no threadjack intended. Good line, sir. Bravo.

The way the Khuzan look at transactions with the humans reminds me of that issue. A human trader who tries to cheat a Khuzan or act in a dishonourable fashion will forever be blackmarked. The consequences will be refusal of future trade or dealings with the Khuzan with him or his descendants until this act is repaid in some form. It is easy to see some human knight demanding some outrageous payment from the Khuzan for a newly recovered Khuzan artifact which they view almost as a religious symbol. That knight's family could suffer a serious decline in fortunes if the Khuzan felt they were being cheated or extorted.

This is a great idea; Khuzan should never forgive or write off a debt. Of course, theirs is a Clan based society, so the debt belongs to the clan not the individual who slighted them.

It can work the other way too - they will be very concerned to make sure they pay their own (& their clansmens) debts. E.g. perhaps that poor orphan boy is actually the heir to the friendship of the dwarves, and owed a fortune. Now obviously no Khuzan would want to insult the poor child with an unwelcome offer of assistance - they understand an honourable man always tries to stand on his own feet - it's just necessary to make sure his bloodline doesn't end since the debt could never then be discharged.

For Sindarin, there ought to be a different way of thinking. Obsession with dues paid doesn't seem right for them. So what do we know about them? They have exceptionally long lives, and have difficulty remembering all the details of their own lives never mind other peoples. They value poetry, music and all fine artistic expression. They are willing to accept the inevitability of a tragic defeat and leave the world to men.

I think one way to deal with them is to recognise that they value things worthy of rememberance above all other things. It could be a song or a precious work of art, but it is just as likely to be an act of valour or passion. This is why they deal with the Khuzan and the Humans - they recognise their is something of merit in these cultures.

The Khuzan have produced some permanant works - the Sindarin can recognise these have a real value. The Humans have their valiant heroes and their passionate lovers - such brief lives, yet they can burn so bright an elf must shade his eyes. An adventurer guided or aided by an elf ought to undertake acts worthy of a song - or else they have wasted a precious gift indeed. It's when something worth remembering is under threat that an elf will be moved to act swiftly.

Received the Tontury HQ today. At first glance, this is an interesting assortment of articles, but not what we were expecting. I'll leave out specifics so as to avoid spoilers.