As a note, the PDF has had the map updated, mostly. The path and X's are there now, no A's or B's. and the east and west vertical passages are still there. This is on the version I got from the Bundle of Holding that is (at the time of posting) still up for a few days.
For the option of having the serpent-folk be an enemy, I think a cool idea would be to have that be a development he goes through. When we start the campaign off, he's just a nice guy and a friend with genuine intentions of simply studying the ways of his people. Maybe he's a little doubtful or even an outright racist, but he's willing to overlook his preconceptions, because he is a gentleman at the end of the day. The second time you meet though, have that change. Maybe the murals, journals and other pieces of history show animosity between the serpents and humans in the past. Display obvious marks of desecration done to these ruins to fuel these thoughts of malice. Have the ghosts of yore taunt the man, pushing him further and further into hatred for his human friends. Any one of these wouldn't necessarily be enough to push him to murder, but that's where the relic comes in. The moment any player touches the egg-shaped jewel would act as a nice final straw for him, bending his will to his serpentine instincts. Give a tragic edge to his story instead of him being just a stock traitor. Perhaps with a few alterations to the history of the serpent-folk, you can try to make things like serpent-folk supremacy and the arrogance of these people leading to their demise in order to push a theme about escaping one's upbringing and legacy. How a friend is turned against you, because he is unable to break the chains of the past, falling to the same malice and arrogance that doomed his people ages ago.
I bought a printed copy of Jeweled Thrones recently, and can confirm that the map was fixed in my copy, so it Modiphious did fix later runs. Also thanks for the great content Seth! these videos have been really useful for running Conan, a game I now adore despite it's (minor) flaws.
I want to thank you Seth, for this video. I used to play Pen&Paper RPGs ... not anymore. However that doesn't prevent me from really enjoying this video, or for that matter *all* the videos you make. They are highly entertaining, especially the dress up you do! Keep up the work! I hope this small feedback of mine, can put a smile onto your face!
Love the idea of a serpent man scholar who isn't involved in any schemes or secret agendas. All he wants is to preserve his people's history for its own sake. It's a very human motivation, and a good way to remind the players that not *everything* that predates humanity is out to wipe out our race of hairless apes. Most things, yes, but not all of them. I also really like the idea of encountering him over and over again throughout the ages. It can create a nice bit of cohesiveness throughout campaigns, and just have a reliable NPC your players can look forward to bumping into.
Considering that I was planning on running this in our Conan campaign as a side story for the PCs to possibly get more experience and money, I am VERY thankful that you did the legwork of making an updated map for us GMs. I was going to run that stuff off-the-cuff based on what made sense, but now I can just have it already pre-done so less figuring things out as I go.
Super appreciative!! I'll be GMing Conan for the first time in a couple weeks. I have this book and would have been clueless. So glad you're covering the Conan RPG. It looks like a deep, flushed out system.
It's amazing that there's a glaring fault to it and you still managed to make it a great campaign. I think that says a lot about your GMing. Well done.
Having played the system a bit, even if it could have gone better, this does not reflect on the system as a whole. It appears to be a one off mistake, though a very notable one.
@@docartemis2878 that's not a mistake, the wrong map was the mistake. not correcting it after 2 years of people complaining and telling them is utterly unprofessional and a reason for me to never buy their shit. because if they can't be arsed to fix this small a thing, I don't trust them to correct possible bigger errors.. they also rest on the shoulders of fans doing UNPAID work correcting shit they (should) pay people to do, which is a really really shitty thing.. like aproduct should not depend on unpaid fans making it usable, y know?
Seems like if you want to leave the "friendly patron serpent person" option open for the PCs the GM should let him ignore or at least resist the compulsion about killing anyone that touches the relic jewel. That wouldn't apply to OTHER serpent men that they might run into later on, but if your party would enjoy the opportunity to work with/for an honest to goodness nonhuman taking that off the table because they went tomb raider on the gem seems like a waste. Serpent folk (or any nonhuman) aren't exactly normal allies in the Conan setting, and it would certainly set up for a unique campaign arc.
Or .. the tradition/superstition regarding killing any humans who've touched the gems could be left to sit in the back of Ahmeen's mind all the time. Slowly itching away at his serpent man conscience over the long term, secretly eroding his friendship with those people. Perhaps he eventually turns on them after getting more invested in his inheritance. It would be especially sweet if his sorcerous pupil was one to touch it because the setting often implies antagonistic relationships between power hungry sorcerer mentors and their students. Either way, I think it's a great start to have such a flexible long-term NPC frienemy inserted into the campaign so early. The possibilities! *evil grin*
I actually think there is some great potential for drama if you do acknowledge this idea. Have him be the PCs friend, but make it something like he's resisting these primal urges. Depending on how long he stays relevant with the party, have him go through this slow mental degeneration, as his will to impulsively kill the PCs get's stronger and his ability to resist it weakens. That could either have the players look for a way to save their friend from these urges, lift the curse off of them or have him just become a traitor, eventually giving in as the PCs have to tragically be confronted with a scenario, where it's hard to not kill him in self-defence.
@@AlluMan96 yes, that's far better, less cliche with unfortunate implications and less predictable boring shite. it should be a tragedy, losing a friend.. it also could be a the hook for a new adventure, where ameen explains this and the heroes maybe want to find a way to break the compulsion.. but its serpentman stuff, so is it a curse? is it something they could heal? they could search for information, artefacts, they'd need ameen so he can translate, and touch other stuff, but at the same time he has to fight this urge. maybe have the heroes chain him, find something that can help ameen to overcome this. far better than.. the monstrous lying snake with arabic-ish name will shank the heroes for touching his shit like the animal he is.
@@a_lethe_ion Yeah, and my players have been allies and friends of some snakemen in a long running D&D Campaign and other games in the Freeport setting. Of course, a lot of that was due to the original stuff with the setting before they had to strip out alot of the non-OGL stuff out...because the Snakemen Vs Yuan-Ti serpent war in the shadows was very interesting
Great review and I'm glad you've gone the extra mile for anyone purchasing the game in the future. I will say that things like this have happened in the past with other publishers and when as in one case you learn they went out of business without fixing the problem you can get rather frustrated.
I *really* want to run this system as I *adore* Conan!!!!!! (I was running a campaign in the Mongoose version.) I own Jeweled Thrones of the Earth and *really* appreciate this review!
I'm planning on running this adventure for my group this Sunday, and my copy has a corrected map, or at least somewhat corrected - there is a dotted line and several X's, but no points marked A or B. So it looks like Modiphius corrected the mistake, to a point.
I wonder if Conan ended up being much less of a money maker than Modiphius had hoped and so they're quietly abandoning it. Seems pretty odd that they wouldn't update it at all.
I dunno. They're still releasing stuff and the art is freakin awesome. But the non-update to the PDF or anything to let customers of the physical book get a correct map really disappoints me.
Conan hasn't been abandoned, there are still releases coming out quite regularly. I think the issue is due to Modiphius launching SO MANY rpgs in quick succession. The Conan release was barely out of the oven before Star Trek Adventures landed right afterward, along with some other smaller titles. Now John Carter Of Mars and who knows what else is popping out. The release rates of their lines is insane. I don't see how their manpower isn't overloaded with work due to this rapid pace. That said, I still think Modiphius has some of the best production and content value in the business, for their 2d20 games. I can overlook the occasional mistake in the heaps of content they've provided.
@@NefariousKoel Modiphius needs to slow down and focus on quality over quantity. Major screw-ups like this chases away customers. You can't treat a RPG book the way you treat a rushed out and cheap McDonald's burger.
I've Kickstarted a number of Modiphius games, and I have to agree. They do seem to be pumping out as much as they can, as fast as they can. I've seen a number of issues, in Mutant Chronicles, Conan, and John Carter, that I think are just editing mistakes made because someone didn't proof the galley copy before it went to print.
Can you please make a video of one of your sessions? I've watched a lot of these tutorials and reviews, and the way you talk about things makes me feel like a session video would be incredibly entertaining
Glad to hear some progress has been made. Was it through DriveThru RPG? Cause I bought it direct from the publisher and they haven't sent me an email with an updated PDF or anything. I mean, they have my email, they have my purchase history directly through them.... still nothing. And have they done anything for people who bought the physical books either through them or a different retailer?
@@SSkorkowsky Yes, I got notification through DriveThruRPG that it had been updated, along with some others. I wonder if they would also provide you with DriveThru copies of the PDFs, too. If you gave them your DTRPG account email. They did so for me after putting in my post-KS preorder on their site's backerkit long ago.
Modiphius did push an updated copy of the book out to DriveThru RPG recently. I haven't had a chance to look at it, but they may have resolved the map issue. Several of the other scenarios in Jeweled Thrones of the Earth have similar issues with their maps, and I do hope they've fixed the problems.
Thx for the map! I really like this game but when I gm'ed "The Red Pit" from the same book, the map for that was also completely unuseable compared to the describtion in the book... It is absolutely not good enough and a shame because the stories are so in line with the Conan atmosphere.
Hey Seth! I noticed that Tyenee necklace on Jack, didn't even notice it the first time I saw the video. Absolutely loved Mountain of Daggers, sped through it in less than a day and loved it.
Well I feel honored to have done that. Hahaha. P.S. I may be borrowing a few Valducan Weapons to become special magic items in a 5e campaign I’m running for a group of middle schoolers.
If it's the tall one on top of the bookcase between the corebook sleeve and the helmet, with CoC written in green font, that's the Starter Set. If you mean the very skinny green one that's on the top shelf with the other CoC books, that's The Lost Expedition.
I'm going to need this a little bit of help I am going to be running cyberpunk the apartment for the cyberpunk red jumpstart kit and also I think I might want to run other Adventures I have a senior pass video of other cyberpunk game modules I just wanted to know is there any more that would be good for beginners thank you
Seth-Thanks so much for the updated maps. I actually made a whole new map in Roll20 because even with then corrections these collections of featureless rectangles was so underwhelming. Moreover, for me the idea that the dude hiring the PCs runs off during the sandstorm is just plain illogical. Why hire the PCs, outfit them, and bring them there just to abandon them nonsensically? I am going to have him use them as bodyguards until the final fight, and then shockingly betray them. Probably he will escape and become a recurring foe!
Don't know if physical books got a second print run with the updates, but I've been told the PDFs were updated. However, Modiphius just recently lost the licensing to Conan, so the line is being discontinued. So no new books will be made and any books you want are only around as long as supplies lasts (no clue if/when PDF sales will end or not)
Oh that sounds pretty epic and like a perfect setting for Call of Cthulhu, with things perhaps getting more and more mysterious the farther east you get, and a host of memorable NPC’s traveling on the train with the players.
I would treat the serpent person like the Klaxxi are in Warcraft: friendly and helpful for the moment, but if the Great Old Ones should ever seek to return, they will side against humanity and they're open about this with the player characters.
Not every monster is a bad guy. It’s always fun to leave enough room to let players talk to monsters if they want. Also, wrapping the eye in cloth would probably avoid the whole serpent person must kill you thing. It’s usually skin contact that causes that sort of thing.
Does anyone know how long this adventure is approximately? Like is it a one shot? And would it work as good adventure for a First time DM, long time player? We have a long suffering DM, who would love to play Conan himself but the only other friend who DMs isnt into Conan. I feel like having an NPC that basically leads the Players to the city and gives them a good reason to explore / look for him would work well with things not getting too out of hand location wise, so you could guide the players to where you want? Rulesets are not a problem, since we played Conan before, its more about, would a new DM who isnt too good at improvising and nervous about the story be able to run this with some prepared additonal visiuals and aids for atmosphere and improvised additional infos?
With my players really taking their time and an epicly long fight on the way to the city, it took us about 12 hours of play-time across 2 sessions. Depending how much of the journey you want to play out to the city you might be able to squeeze it into one session, but I'd prepare on at least 2. (Again, results may vary if you have players who really take their time or rush themselves) It could be a 1-shot, but we worked it pretty smoothly into our regular campaign. I believe it was the adventure we did directly after Vultures of Shem. I don't see it as being particularly difficult for a first-time GM to run, especially if you and your group are already familiar with playing Conan.
@@SSkorkowsky oh gosh thank you so much for replying yourself and also so quickly. I don't wanna squeeze it into a one shot necessarily. Your info is perfect, I'm sure he'll be happy to play more than one session. I just knowing how much time it might take, makes planning for dates around our work schedule easier so we already know it might take longer. Again, thanks so much. He's also a big fan of you, so there might be a chance he's seen this before, but maybe I'm lucky and he forgot the plot by then ;)
Literally just a pdf of the map, without context could be on their website for next to no cost and the map would be useless without the book to go with it
Hey Seth have you ever played the original Deadlands RPG? If not you should check it out! Seems like something you'd be into, and lord knows we're long overdue for a cowboy Jack.
@@SSkorkowsky I highly recommend checking out the 20th Anniversary edition that recently came out. It contains both the Player's and GM's guide in one book, and captures the spirit of the West better than any other system in my opinion. I'd love to potentially see you review it one day!
I strongly second this idea! that original system was pretty clunky but boy was it unique and evocative. also, the flavor and fiction of the setting was off the charts! what a really cool game!
I love the 2d20 system and really enjoy Conan but the books definitely have problems. Modiphius definitely have a problem with this. Star Trek is the same and I'm waiting for John Carter and hoping the books for that are better.
I don’t know your players seem to ask a lot of questions that Conan would never stop to think about. “Gee I wonder what the serpent men’s courtship rituals were like.”
I will be doing a Conan review in the next few months. I want to get at least one more adventure under our belts first. It will probably be a single long review like I did for Cyberpunk or HEX than a full series like I did for Call of Cthulhu. My players and I have loved the game, but the core book is laid out terribly. Character creation is good, but much of Combat and General Rules is written almost as if the author thinks you know the rules already instead of introducing the rules to someone new. They need way more examples instead of the huge 2 page examples which spend half that space telling you a story about characters you don't care about. Most of my criticisms will be about book layout. Then some for Zones.
@@SSkorkowsky I only got a handle of the rules by having a friend go through them at the same time I did and develop a good back and forth in the process. We had a google doc open that we would leave rules questions and thoughts about and then discuss them over discord or facebook chat. A game book should not be that convoluted imo, the system isn't that complex but the way it is laid out is really problematic.
I heard from some viewers that they have since been updated in the PDF. I never got at update from Modiphious about updated PDFs (I bought directly from their website instead of DriveThru RPG or the like), so mine is still incorrect. Dunno about the hardbacks, if they're still going through the print run of versions with the incomplete maps or if a new printing has been done since the corrections.
If you like Conan System, you'll love the FFG Star Wars system. It's the exact same concepts, but way less numbers and minor things to keep track of. Plus, don't quote me on this, but I think they have the same writer.
For the record, modiphius are AWFUL when it comes to support for this game. Really disappointed as someone who went in deep for the kickstarter. I love the core system, it isn't perfect (and is WAY too impacted by minmaxers if you don't houserule) but it is really disappointing that they have decided to take such a "publish and never touch again" route.
I may also be a bit bitter as they recently tried to blame inflated shipping costs on my getting it wrong, thing is I overpaid at the time and have an email record with their support talking about it as well as screenshots of their pledge manager and a saved html page from its results. I get the issues with Brexit and massive changes in shipping costs from when the Kickstarter launched so I haven't gone to the ombudsman yet, but it is tempting given they chose the "blame the user" approach. The Australian government has pretty harsh trade laws when it comes to stuff like this if the consumer can provide evidence. I am concerned about those who didn't have proof like this and are getting unknowingly shafted though. That and their deluxe, foil inlaid, gilt paged, soft leather bound copy... Ended up being a thin cheap stamped Vinyl copy of the core book... No foil inlay or gilt edges to the paper. It was literally the standard core book with a wrapper glued to it (the art was still there). This happened without any communication, I would have not chosen to get the deluxe leatherbound book if I had known it would have been the laziest Vinyl collectors book I have ever seen.
I’m sensing a trend here with this company. You loved the core rules, but the book was badly organized. You loved the adventures, but they're not well organized & have serious omissions or severe errors.
Loved the core rules isn't quite right. I loved parts, disliked others. We recently tried another 2D20 game and our big conclusion was that while we love the idea of 2D20, we don't like the reality of 2D20. It reads far better than it plays in our experience. Basically, they tried too hard to make it both very crunchy and rules-light, when they should have chosen one or the other. With portions being complex and highly detailed, the portions that are incredibly vague come off as half-finished. Add in the bad organization and it leads to a lot of frustration. I have heard that the latest printing of Jeweled Thrones of the Earth has corrected the maps. So that's good.
A YouTubing GM being more eager and willing to correct and provide a broken map for an adventure than Modiphius themselves??? Shame on you, Modiphius, shame on you! That's embarrassing... great game though, just not so great publisher. 🤨
Thanks for going the extra mile and making an updated map which will be easy to find for other GMs!
Thanks for doing what Modiphius should have, but didn't.
This is another another great video.
As a note, the PDF has had the map updated, mostly. The path and X's are there now, no A's or B's. and the east and west vertical passages are still there. This is on the version I got from the Bundle of Holding that is (at the time of posting) still up for a few days.
Amazing, thanks for doing publisher's job for us ❤️
For the option of having the serpent-folk be an enemy, I think a cool idea would be to have that be a development he goes through. When we start the campaign off, he's just a nice guy and a friend with genuine intentions of simply studying the ways of his people. Maybe he's a little doubtful or even an outright racist, but he's willing to overlook his preconceptions, because he is a gentleman at the end of the day.
The second time you meet though, have that change. Maybe the murals, journals and other pieces of history show animosity between the serpents and humans in the past. Display obvious marks of desecration done to these ruins to fuel these thoughts of malice. Have the ghosts of yore taunt the man, pushing him further and further into hatred for his human friends. Any one of these wouldn't necessarily be enough to push him to murder, but that's where the relic comes in. The moment any player touches the egg-shaped jewel would act as a nice final straw for him, bending his will to his serpentine instincts.
Give a tragic edge to his story instead of him being just a stock traitor. Perhaps with a few alterations to the history of the serpent-folk, you can try to make things like serpent-folk supremacy and the arrogance of these people leading to their demise in order to push a theme about escaping one's upbringing and legacy. How a friend is turned against you, because he is unable to break the chains of the past, falling to the same malice and arrogance that doomed his people ages ago.
I bought a printed copy of Jeweled Thrones recently, and can confirm that the map was fixed in my copy, so it Modiphious did fix later runs.
Also thanks for the great content Seth! these videos have been really useful for running Conan, a game I now adore despite it's (minor) flaws.
Talking about Pulp Cthulhu - with some minor changes, you can play this adventure in the 1930s as well...
I love it when you point out the pitfalls for us. Thank you.
I'm glad you mentioned the Nameless City, because that was on my mind practically from word one!
Thank you for consistently sharing the modified maps and handouts you make for these adventure.
Great review, and I really appreciate the updated map you put together.
I want to thank you Seth, for this video. I used to play Pen&Paper RPGs ... not anymore. However that doesn't prevent me from really enjoying this video, or for that matter *all* the videos you make. They are highly entertaining, especially the dress up you do! Keep up the work!
I hope this small feedback of mine, can put a smile onto your face!
Thank you for the updated map!
Just sitting around wondering earlier today, “I wonder when Seth is going to give us an update on how Conan is going?”.
Modiphius dropped the ball on this one
You always manage to get a giggle out of me, and now I want to play Conan, thanks for that.
*dude, Jack is calling fools out. Everyone head for cover...
Love the idea of a serpent man scholar who isn't involved in any schemes or secret agendas. All he wants is to preserve his people's history for its own sake. It's a very human motivation, and a good way to remind the players that not *everything* that predates humanity is out to wipe out our race of hairless apes. Most things, yes, but not all of them. I also really like the idea of encountering him over and over again throughout the ages. It can create a nice bit of cohesiveness throughout campaigns, and just have a reliable NPC your players can look forward to bumping into.
Considering that I was planning on running this in our Conan campaign as a side story for the PCs to possibly get more experience and money, I am VERY thankful that you did the legwork of making an updated map for us GMs. I was going to run that stuff off-the-cuff based on what made sense, but now I can just have it already pre-done so less figuring things out as I go.
Super appreciative!! I'll be GMing Conan for the first time in a couple weeks. I have this book and would have been clueless. So glad you're covering the Conan RPG. It looks like a deep, flushed out system.
What a channel name 😂
It's amazing that there's a glaring fault to it and you still managed to make it a great campaign. I think that says a lot about your GMing. Well done.
Thanks on the map info. Black eye for them. Makes me less likely to ever get invested in the system.
Having played the system a bit, even if it could have gone better, this does not reflect on the system as a whole. It appears to be a one off mistake, though a very notable one.
Yeah you'd be missing out on an amazing game for 1 bad mistake from a single adventure in a supplement containing like seven scenarios?
Easy fix though.
I doubt they’ve sold enough of these to make fixing it worth their time.
@@docartemis2878 that's not a mistake, the wrong map was the mistake.
not correcting it after 2 years of people complaining and telling them is utterly unprofessional and a reason for me to never buy their shit.
because if they can't be arsed to fix this small a thing, I don't trust them to correct possible bigger errors..
they also rest on the shoulders of fans doing UNPAID work correcting shit they (should) pay people to do, which is a really really shitty thing..
like aproduct should not depend on unpaid fans making it usable, y know?
Hey, thanks a million for the map.
Thanks for the link, Seth. Legend.
Seems like if you want to leave the "friendly patron serpent person" option open for the PCs the GM should let him ignore or at least resist the compulsion about killing anyone that touches the relic jewel. That wouldn't apply to OTHER serpent men that they might run into later on, but if your party would enjoy the opportunity to work with/for an honest to goodness nonhuman taking that off the table because they went tomb raider on the gem seems like a waste. Serpent folk (or any nonhuman) aren't exactly normal allies in the Conan setting, and it would certainly set up for a unique campaign arc.
Or .. the tradition/superstition regarding killing any humans who've touched the gems could be left to sit in the back of Ahmeen's mind all the time. Slowly itching away at his serpent man conscience over the long term, secretly eroding his friendship with those people. Perhaps he eventually turns on them after getting more invested in his inheritance. It would be especially sweet if his sorcerous pupil was one to touch it because the setting often implies antagonistic relationships between power hungry sorcerer mentors and their students.
Either way, I think it's a great start to have such a flexible long-term NPC frienemy inserted into the campaign so early. The possibilities! *evil grin*
I actually think there is some great potential for drama if you do acknowledge this idea. Have him be the PCs friend, but make it something like he's resisting these primal urges. Depending on how long he stays relevant with the party, have him go through this slow mental degeneration, as his will to impulsively kill the PCs get's stronger and his ability to resist it weakens. That could either have the players look for a way to save their friend from these urges, lift the curse off of them or have him just become a traitor, eventually giving in as the PCs have to tragically be confronted with a scenario, where it's hard to not kill him in self-defence.
@@AlluMan96 yes, that's far better, less cliche with unfortunate implications and less predictable boring shite.
it should be a tragedy, losing a friend.. it also could be a the hook for a new adventure, where ameen explains this and the heroes maybe want to find a way to break the compulsion.. but its serpentman stuff, so is it a curse?
is it something they could heal?
they could search for information, artefacts, they'd need ameen so he can translate, and touch other stuff, but at the same time he has to fight this urge. maybe have the heroes chain him, find something that can help ameen to overcome this.
far better than.. the monstrous lying snake with arabic-ish name will shank the heroes for touching his shit like the animal he is.
@@a_lethe_ion Yeah, and my players have been allies and friends of some snakemen in a long running D&D Campaign and other games in the Freeport setting.
Of course, a lot of that was due to the original stuff with the setting before they had to strip out alot of the non-OGL stuff out...because the Snakemen Vs Yuan-Ti serpent war in the shadows was very interesting
I picked up the 2nd Printing of this book recently and it looks like they've corrected the map.
Great review and I'm glad you've gone the extra mile for anyone purchasing the game in the future. I will say that things like this have happened in the past with other publishers and when as in one case you learn they went out of business without fixing the problem you can get rather frustrated.
I *really* want to run this system as I *adore* Conan!!!!!! (I was running a campaign in the Mongoose version.) I own Jeweled Thrones of the Earth and *really* appreciate this review!
I'm planning on running this adventure for my group this Sunday, and my copy has a corrected map, or at least somewhat corrected - there is a dotted line and several X's, but no points marked A or B. So it looks like Modiphius corrected the mistake, to a point.
Great work. Keep up the good work.
I wonder if Conan ended up being much less of a money maker than Modiphius had hoped and so they're quietly abandoning it. Seems pretty odd that they wouldn't update it at all.
I dunno. They're still releasing stuff and the art is freakin awesome. But the non-update to the PDF or anything to let customers of the physical book get a correct map really disappoints me.
@@SSkorkowsky Understandably so. Especially considering how large a publisher they are.
Conan hasn't been abandoned, there are still releases coming out quite regularly.
I think the issue is due to Modiphius launching SO MANY rpgs in quick succession. The Conan release was barely out of the oven before Star Trek Adventures landed right afterward, along with some other smaller titles. Now John Carter Of Mars and who knows what else is popping out. The release rates of their lines is insane. I don't see how their manpower isn't overloaded with work due to this rapid pace.
That said, I still think Modiphius has some of the best production and content value in the business, for their 2d20 games. I can overlook the occasional mistake in the heaps of content they've provided.
@@NefariousKoel Modiphius needs to slow down and focus on quality over quantity. Major screw-ups like this chases away customers. You can't treat a RPG book the way you treat a rushed out and cheap McDonald's burger.
I've Kickstarted a number of Modiphius games, and I have to agree. They do seem to be pumping out as much as they can, as fast as they can. I've seen a number of issues, in Mutant Chronicles, Conan, and John Carter, that I think are just editing mistakes made because someone didn't proof the galley copy before it went to print.
Cool H.P.L shirt. Love Conan stuff, easy to port it over into Dark Sun
I wish i could play Dark Sun someday. At this point i probably need to run it myself
Can you please make a video of one of your sessions?
I've watched a lot of these tutorials and reviews, and the way you talk about things makes me feel like a session video would be incredibly entertaining
*FYI*
Modiphius recently updated the 'Jeweled Thrones Of The Earth' PDF.
I took a brief look. Pretty sure they updated the map for this scenario.
Glad to hear some progress has been made.
Was it through DriveThru RPG? Cause I bought it direct from the publisher and they haven't sent me an email with an updated PDF or anything. I mean, they have my email, they have my purchase history directly through them.... still nothing. And have they done anything for people who bought the physical books either through them or a different retailer?
@@SSkorkowsky Yes, I got notification through DriveThruRPG that it had been updated, along with some others.
I wonder if they would also provide you with DriveThru copies of the PDFs, too. If you gave them your DTRPG account email. They did so for me after putting in my post-KS preorder on their site's backerkit long ago.
Sounds like Modiphius really dropped the ball on this one. That's disappointing. Thanks for the review and the map correction.
I recently purchased the book. It’s a 2nd printing and the map is corrected.
Good to hear. Was it the Physical book or PDF?
Looks like this will be my next Necron encounter for Rogue Trader!
Modiphius did push an updated copy of the book out to DriveThru RPG recently. I haven't had a chance to look at it, but they may have resolved the map issue. Several of the other scenarios in Jeweled Thrones of the Earth have similar issues with their maps, and I do hope they've fixed the problems.
wow your subscribers have grown so far since the last time i checked unc
Looks interesting.
Soo good. True storytelling!
Hey, this could actually be shoehorned in as a pre-pre-pre-pre prequel to Two Headed ...oh damn, you beat me to it!
Thx for the map! I really like this game but when I gm'ed "The Red Pit" from the same book, the map for that was also completely unuseable compared to the describtion in the book... It is absolutely not good enough and a shame because the stories are so in line with the Conan atmosphere.
Yes!
They’ve edited the pdf now
New VIDEO!!
Seth is to Modiphius as modders are to Bethesda, fixing the stuff they're just not interested in doing.
Between Cthulhu and Conan do you do anything other then kill snake people? When not RPing do you go to the zoo and chop up snakes in the enclosure?
Do you happen to still have that unmodified map, the one the pcs used that wasn't updated?
Hey Seth! I noticed that Tyenee necklace on Jack, didn't even notice it the first time I saw the video. Absolutely loved Mountain of Daggers, sped through it in less than a day and loved it.
Glad you enjoyed it. I'm pretty sure you're the first person to to notice (or at least mention) that little detail.
Well I feel honored to have done that. Hahaha. P.S. I may be borrowing a few Valducan Weapons to become special magic items in a 5e campaign I’m running for a group of middle schoolers.
what is the CoC book ( The Green One) ?...not sure if I recognized the book...need to check my collections.
If it's the tall one on top of the bookcase between the corebook sleeve and the helmet, with CoC written in green font, that's the Starter Set. If you mean the very skinny green one that's on the top shelf with the other CoC books, that's The Lost Expedition.
I'm going to need this a little bit of help I am going to be running cyberpunk the apartment for the cyberpunk red jumpstart kit and also I think I might want to run other Adventures I have a senior pass video of other cyberpunk game modules I just wanted to know is there any more that would be good for beginners thank you
Seth-Thanks so much for the updated maps. I actually made a whole new map in Roll20 because even with then corrections these collections of featureless rectangles was so underwhelming. Moreover, for me the idea that the dude hiring the PCs runs off during the sandstorm is just plain illogical. Why hire the PCs, outfit them, and bring them there just to abandon them nonsensically? I am going to have him use them as bodyguards until the final fight, and then shockingly betray them. Probably he will escape and become a recurring foe!
Does any one know if Mydifis has corrected the Map problem from 5 years ago.
Don't know if physical books got a second print run with the updates, but I've been told the PDFs were updated. However, Modiphius just recently lost the licensing to Conan, so the line is being discontinued. So no new books will be made and any books you want are only around as long as supplies lasts (no clue if/when PDF sales will end or not)
Wow, whose brother is Modifius's editor?
What is that Orient Express game that’s always on your back shelf? I’ve always had an interest in the Orient Express.
That's the mega Call of Cthulhu campaign Horror on the Orient Express. It's been on my "One Day I'll Run This" list for a long time.
Oh that sounds pretty epic and like a perfect setting for Call of Cthulhu, with things perhaps getting more and more mysterious the farther east you get, and a host of memorable NPC’s traveling on the train with the players.
All they had to do was print maps as erata and add to physical copy.. plus put online..
I would treat the serpent person like the Klaxxi are in Warcraft: friendly and helpful for the moment, but if the Great Old Ones should ever seek to return, they will side against humanity and they're open about this with the player characters.
Not every monster is a bad guy. It’s always fun to leave enough room to let players talk to monsters if they want.
Also, wrapping the eye in cloth would probably avoid the whole serpent person must kill you thing. It’s usually skin contact that causes that sort of thing.
Does anyone know how long this adventure is approximately? Like is it a one shot? And would it work as good adventure for a First time DM, long time player? We have a long suffering DM, who would love to play Conan himself but the only other friend who DMs isnt into Conan.
I feel like having an NPC that basically leads the Players to the city and gives them a good reason to explore / look for him would work well with things not getting too out of hand location wise, so you could guide the players to where you want? Rulesets are not a problem, since we played Conan before, its more about, would a new DM who isnt too good at improvising and nervous about the story be able to run this with some prepared additonal visiuals and aids for atmosphere and improvised additional infos?
With my players really taking their time and an epicly long fight on the way to the city, it took us about 12 hours of play-time across 2 sessions. Depending how much of the journey you want to play out to the city you might be able to squeeze it into one session, but I'd prepare on at least 2. (Again, results may vary if you have players who really take their time or rush themselves)
It could be a 1-shot, but we worked it pretty smoothly into our regular campaign. I believe it was the adventure we did directly after Vultures of Shem.
I don't see it as being particularly difficult for a first-time GM to run, especially if you and your group are already familiar with playing Conan.
@@SSkorkowsky oh gosh thank you so much for replying yourself and also so quickly. I don't wanna squeeze it into a one shot necessarily. Your info is perfect, I'm sure he'll be happy to play more than one session. I just knowing how much time it might take, makes planning for dates around our work schedule easier so we already know it might take longer. Again, thanks so much. He's also a big fan of you, so there might be a chance he's seen this before, but maybe I'm lucky and he forgot the plot by then ;)
Literally just a pdf of the map, without context could be on their website for next to no cost and the map would be useless without the book to go with it
Hey Seth have you ever played the original Deadlands RPG? If not you should check it out! Seems like something you'd be into, and lord knows we're long overdue for a cowboy Jack.
I've heard good things about Deadlands, but haven't tried it.
@@SSkorkowsky I highly recommend checking out the 20th Anniversary edition that recently came out. It contains both the Player's and GM's guide in one book, and captures the spirit of the West better than any other system in my opinion. I'd love to potentially see you review it one day!
I strongly second this idea! that original system was pretty clunky but boy was it unique and evocative. also, the flavor and fiction of the setting was off the charts! what a really cool game!
I see your post credits joke Seth. This is coming up later, isn’t it?
Maybe.
Probably.
OK, yes.
There aren't enough pulp movies.
I love the 2d20 system and really enjoy Conan but the books definitely have problems. Modiphius definitely have a problem with this. Star Trek is the same and I'm waiting for John Carter and hoping the books for that are better.
Annnnddd they are publishing the fallout RPG later this year too...
I don’t know your players seem to ask a lot of questions that Conan would never stop to think about. “Gee I wonder what the serpent men’s courtship rituals were like.”
Hey, Seth! I picked up this book on your recommendation. Would you consider doing a How To Play series like you did with CoC?
I will be doing a Conan review in the next few months. I want to get at least one more adventure under our belts first. It will probably be a single long review like I did for Cyberpunk or HEX than a full series like I did for Call of Cthulhu.
My players and I have loved the game, but the core book is laid out terribly. Character creation is good, but much of Combat and General Rules is written almost as if the author thinks you know the rules already instead of introducing the rules to someone new. They need way more examples instead of the huge 2 page examples which spend half that space telling you a story about characters you don't care about. Most of my criticisms will be about book layout. Then some for Zones.
@@SSkorkowsky I only got a handle of the rules by having a friend go through them at the same time I did and develop a good back and forth in the process.
We had a google doc open that we would leave rules questions and thoughts about and then discuss them over discord or facebook chat.
A game book should not be that convoluted imo, the system isn't that complex but the way it is laid out is really problematic.
Wonder if that map has been fixed yet 🤔
I heard from some viewers that they have since been updated in the PDF. I never got at update from Modiphious about updated PDFs (I bought directly from their website instead of DriveThru RPG or the like), so mine is still incorrect. Dunno about the hardbacks, if they're still going through the print run of versions with the incomplete maps or if a new printing has been done since the corrections.
@@SSkorkowsky thanks for the info, you're a great help like always :)
... You know, at the mention of being a "dungeon" game master... I have to wonder if there's a vid of yours I haven't seen on dungeon tips. XD
Do you think they updated it by now?
I was told they did. However the license on Conan expired a couple months ago, so Modiphius cancelled the line.
SPOILER:
You can't fight the seethers.
Wow. I'm going to have that stuck in my head all freakin day now.
Oh man that's a blast from the past.
Mitra! I see by his medallion that Jakthey Ennpiessey is a Mason. I didn't know they existed in the Hyborean Age...
If you like Conan System, you'll love the FFG Star Wars system. It's the exact same concepts, but way less numbers and minor things to keep track of. Plus, don't quote me on this, but I think they have the same writer.
Weird, they support Star Trek Adventures with PDF corrections...
For the record, modiphius are AWFUL when it comes to support for this game.
Really disappointed as someone who went in deep for the kickstarter.
I love the core system, it isn't perfect (and is WAY too impacted by minmaxers if you don't houserule) but it is really disappointing that they have decided to take such a "publish and never touch again" route.
I may also be a bit bitter as they recently tried to blame inflated shipping costs on my getting it wrong, thing is I overpaid at the time and have an email record with their support talking about it as well as screenshots of their pledge manager and a saved html page from its results. I get the issues with Brexit and massive changes in shipping costs from when the Kickstarter launched so I haven't gone to the ombudsman yet, but it is tempting given they chose the "blame the user" approach.
The Australian government has pretty harsh trade laws when it comes to stuff like this if the consumer can provide evidence. I am concerned about those who didn't have proof like this and are getting unknowingly shafted though.
That and their deluxe, foil inlaid, gilt paged, soft leather bound copy... Ended up being a thin cheap stamped Vinyl copy of the core book... No foil inlay or gilt edges to the paper. It was literally the standard core book with a wrapper glued to it (the art was still there).
This happened without any communication, I would have not chosen to get the deluxe leatherbound book if I had known it would have been the laziest Vinyl collectors book I have ever seen.
Secrete snake people again, Seth...?
Lol killing them won't undefile your sacred relic
wow, modi ceo, that's so unprofessional.. is he called rich or what..
scnr
I’m sensing a trend here with this company. You loved the core rules, but the book was badly organized. You loved the adventures, but they're not well organized & have serious omissions or severe errors.
Loved the core rules isn't quite right. I loved parts, disliked others. We recently tried another 2D20 game and our big conclusion was that while we love the idea of 2D20, we don't like the reality of 2D20. It reads far better than it plays in our experience. Basically, they tried too hard to make it both very crunchy and rules-light, when they should have chosen one or the other. With portions being complex and highly detailed, the portions that are incredibly vague come off as half-finished. Add in the bad organization and it leads to a lot of frustration.
I have heard that the latest printing of Jeweled Thrones of the Earth has corrected the maps. So that's good.
Why are they seething? Why don't they turn on the lights? These are the questions I had when I saw your video.
five thumbs down... wtf
A YouTubing GM being more eager and willing to correct and provide a broken map for an adventure than Modiphius themselves???
Shame on you, Modiphius, shame on you! That's embarrassing... great game though, just not so great publisher. 🤨