Calidar’s upcoming Series 3 project focuses on the elves. Barring unforeseen production changes, the author is pleased to announce the participation of Thorfinn Tait, master cartographer, and of Jeff Easley tentatively for the cover art. Joseph Garcia will provide internal illustration (b/w inks) and Janet Deaver-Pack line and text editing. Calidar gamebooks are intended for use with mainstream RPGs. As established in the two previous series, the new project will include:
- A Gazetteer: 132 pages color, PDF format or printed (hardcover or softcover). This book is already written and most of its maps are in their final states as of mid-May 2021.
- A Players’ Guide: About 24-28 pages, color, PDF format or softcover
- An Adventure Book: 24-68 pages, color, PDF format or softcover. Final page count will depend on stretch goals during the crowdfunding event. The more backers, the greater the adventure for the same price.
- Two Conversion Booklets: About 24 pages each, color, PDF format or softcover. They provide all game stats from the previous three titles specifically for use with Labyrinth Lordtm and Osrictm.
The Cal3 Gazetteer
The Queen’s Gift:
As with previous releases, this campaign book’s opening chapter is a novelette
running 18 pages. It is the third episode of the Star Phoenix adventures, a skyship exploring the Great Caldera. The
story is told in the style of the Voyage
of the Princess Ark originally published in Dragon
Magazine in the 1990s. The Queen’s
Gift features a mysterious living skyship.
History: The
Gazetteer’s main body goes on to unveil the history of the elves, covering
events in their ancestral moon, Alorea, and in the Confederacy of Alfdaín on
Calidar itself, a former colony of Alorea. The history tells of a bitter
rivalry between the old elven empire and the younger, independent nation.
Geography: This chapter focuses on Alfdaín, describing the lay of the land, the people, the economy, and the region’s climates. More than 12 full-page maps are featured, including a monumental 9-page atlas based on Thorfinn Tait’s topographical artwork and an overview of Undersea, the world of the sea elves, along with a map of the marine floor.
Riddle of the Woods:
A sinister event, care of the old empire’s nefarious machinations, corrupted
some of the forests covering Alfdaín. The evil plot lies behind this magical
plague, threatening to overtake the whole of the confederacy. Each tainted
region’s effects receive a detailed description.
The Law and the Sword: Alfdaín features an alliance of three sovereign realms. Who holds the power in each dominion, how they interact with each other, what armed forces they possess, how the traditional clans work, and what laws are in effect comes through in these pages.