# Parsantium City Sourcebook - now on sale!



## RichGreen (Feb 3, 2013)

Hi,

Five years ago I started brainstorming a new city for my D&D campaign called Parsantium on this thread. Lots of helpful folks popped by and contributed ideas which fed into the backdrop to two awesome 4e D&D campaigns, one of which is still running and one of which is on hiatus.

Having had several things published in the last 12 months, including the Midgard Bestiary for 4th Edition D&D (Kobold Press) and So What's the Armour Like, Anyway? (Raging Swan), I've decided to write a Parsantium city sourcebook, compatible with all editions of D&D and Pathfinder. This is going to take me a while so I'm writing design diaries each week on my blog. You can check these out here if you want to know a bit more. 

So I can make sure this book is something other D&D gamers would like to read and use in their campaigns, please let me know what you think makes a city sourcebook cool for you!

Cheers


Richard


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## Nikosandros (Feb 3, 2013)

Well, taking for granted high-quality content, I'd like to offer a few suggestions on presentation.

1) First of all, I like to have cool, detailed and readable maps. The more the better. Ideally, an overall map, detailed maps of every district and maps of important buildings/locations.

2) A good index, including streets and locations and how to find them quickly on the maps.

3) Dual print/electronic format, with the electronic version being optimized for screen reading.

4) Links to information relevant to the current topic being discussed (much like those in Ptolus by Monte Cook). In the electronic version this would actually be hyper-links.


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## RichGreen (Feb 3, 2013)

Hi Nikosandros,

Good suggestions! 

I love maps too, but I'm on limited budget as I'm publishing the book myself, so I'm not sure I'll be able to afford more than one unfortunately. I'll try and make this as detailed as possible though. Also, the book is likely to be ebook only, with a possible print on demand option. 

A good index, easy to read on screen and links should all be doable.

Cheers


Richard


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## RichGreen (Feb 17, 2013)

Hi,

I've posted a new design diary here. I'd also be interested to know how useful a "facilities & services" section is for DMs in a city sourcebook. Do you like to know how much it costs to buy or rent a house, or how easy it is to track down an NPC spellcaster?

Cheers


Richard


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## Nikosandros (Feb 17, 2013)

Personally, I think that the facilities & services section is very useful. This kind of stuff comes up often in my games, whenever the party is staying long term in a city. I also like the inclusion of festivals that you described in your latest design diary.


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## RichGreen (Feb 17, 2013)

Nikosandros said:


> Personally, I think that the facilities & services section is very useful. This kind of stuff comes up often in my games, whenever the party is staying long term in a city. I also like the inclusion of festivals that you described in your latest design diary.



Thanks Nikosandros! Just noticed you live in Rome - one of the festivals I'm including is based on the Palio di Siena - thought that was too cool not to have 


Rich


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## Nikosandros (Feb 17, 2013)

RichGreen said:


> one of the festivals I'm including is based on the Palio di Siena - thought that was too cool not to have



The Palio is indeed something special. The rivalry between the "contrade" in incredibly fierce and for the supporters the defeat of the opposing contrada is almost more important than the victory of their own. Also people get intensely emotional and the whole ritual, with each horse being blessed in the church of the contrada is really something.


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## RichGreen (Feb 17, 2013)

Nikosandros said:


> The Palio is indeed something special. The rivalry between the "contrade" in incredibly fierce and for the supporters the defeat of the opposing contrada is almost more important than the victory of their own. Also people get intensely emotional and the whole ritual, with each horse being blessed in the church of the contrada is really something.



Thanks for that -I'll play up the rivalry and the blessings 

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Feb 26, 2013)

Hi,

I've just posted my latest design diary here, including a couple of sample PC backgrounds. 

Let me know what you think

Cheers


Rich


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## Nikosandros (Feb 26, 2013)

I agree with your choice about the regional map. If you're on a limited budget, better to focus on maps of the city itself. As you wrote, many DMs will drop the city in their own campaign world anyway.


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## RichGreen (Mar 3, 2013)

Hi,

Thought I'd post Six Things You Need to Know About Parsantium from the first draft of the introductory chapter:

*Six Things You Need to Know*

Parsantium is a complex city, but the following points encapsulate the main features of this campaign setting.

1.  A Melting Pot
Parsantium is a city where trade routes meet and where several cultures collide. It is a cosmopolitan setting, inspired by the real-world city of Byzantium which also sits astride two continents, and allows the DM to incorporate characters, monsters and magic from the tales of the Arabian Nights, ancient India, and the Far East into his game alongside the more traditional European fantasy elements.

2.  A Divided City
The layout of the city and the fact that the Batiaran rich tend to live on the north west side of the strait while the poor (many of Sahasran or Akhrani origin) live on the south east side makes Parsantium a divided city, both physically and culturally. This is made worse by restrictions on commoners from the Old Quarter visiting the Imperial Quarter – they need a pass which is only issued for those on “special business”. Unsurprisingly, there is a thriving black market dealing in stolen or forged passes, and many would-be burglars disguise themselves as nobility to sneak into the Imperial Quarter. However, since many of the residents of the Old Quarter are Sahasran in ancestry and therefore darker-skinned than the Batiarans of the Imperial Quarter, some of the guards are known to make racist assumptions about who is a commoner and needs to show a pass.

3.  Intrigue Abounds
The rich and powerful inhabitants of Parsantium are always scheming, and the presence of rakshasas in the city makes it difficult to know who to trust. As the player characters gain levels and grow in influence, they are sure to attract the attentions of those who seek to manipulate and use them for their own ends.

4.  A Dark Past
Parsantium is built on the ancient ruins of Dhak Janjua, ruled long ago by the rakshasa rajah and ruthless tyrant Vrishabha. Slain by a great hero, his reincarnated form is encased in ice atop the Pillars of Heaven Mountains far to the south east. Perhaps one day his disciples will find a way to free him from his prison so he might reclaim his throne.

5.  The Fourth Quarter
The cellars, cisterns and twisting tunnels and passages of the Hidden Quarter are supposedly ruled by the “Fourth Tribune”, a sinister crime lord and the “Boss of All Bosses”. Certainly, criminal gangs such as the Golden Scimitars, slavers and necromancers use the catacombs to conduct their evil business and make their way around beneath the city streets without detection by the City Watch. Monsters live here too, and in the deep places forgotten since the heyday of Dhak Janjua, dark things slither. 

6.  Dozens of Adventuring Possibilities
The city (and this book) contain enough adventure hooks and potential patrons and adversaries to keep most adventuring groups busy throughout their careers, without them having to leave the city. 

Let me know what you think! Note that some names are placeholders and need to change (e.g. Batiara, Sahasara)

Cheers


Rich


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## Ferghis (Mar 3, 2013)

I must spread some xp around before I give more to you.

I would encourage a quick-start or summary section to this kind of opus. Something a DM can quickly hand out to players. Maybe a shorter bit about what visitors would  know about the city, and some additional information for natives.


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## RichGreen (Mar 3, 2013)

Ferghis said:


> I must spread some xp around before I give more to you.
> 
> I would encourage a quick-start or summary section to this kind of opus. Something a DM can quickly hand out to players. Maybe a shorter bit about what visitors would  know about the city, and some additional information for natives.



I think this is a good idea - I need to do something like this for the playtest game I'm running at UKT4. I guess the above (post 11) doesn't work, huh?

I'll give it some more thought - think it needs to fit on one page so people can read it quickly and absorb it.

Cheers


Rich


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## Ferghis (Mar 3, 2013)

RichGreen said:


> I guess the above (post 11) doesn't work, huh?
> 
> I'll give it some more thought - think it needs to fit on one page so people can read it quickly and absorb it.



While juicy, your post is more of a back cover for the document. It peaks the reader's interest. What I'm thinking of is more along the lines of a summary of what a local is likely to know, a few important people, a couple of sentences on each quarter, how order is kept, a few of the better known common service purveyors (lodging, transportation, temples, vendors, etc), and some of the more famous rumors. Just to give them a quick idea of the city without obliging them to read several hundred pages. 

Yes a page would be perfect, but I wouldn't drive yourself nuts trying to fit it all in there. I'd be just as happy with a couple pages, as long as it is dense with information.


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## Ferghis (Mar 4, 2013)

I should say that you are undertaking a massive endeavor, so please place my suggestion at the bottom of an "if I get to it" list of some kind.


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## RichGreen (Mar 4, 2013)

Ferghis said:


> I should say that you are undertaking a massive endeavor, so please place my suggestion at the bottom of an "if I get to it" list of some kind.



LOL! I do have a lot to write still, plus art, maps, layout etc to sort, but it would be good to have a one-pager for UKT4. I'll see if I get time to do one in the next 10 days.

Cheers


Rich


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## D'karr (Mar 4, 2013)

RichGreen said:


> I'll see if I get time to do one in the next 10 days.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> ...




Make that 1d10 days, or 2d4+2 days if you need to get really inspired.


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## Storminator (Mar 4, 2013)

I'd recommend looking at Sharn: City of Towers, and in particular the "First Impressions" entry in each district. I read those to my players every time they enter a district, even if it's for the 100th time. It's great to set the atmosphere for the scene. It helps that it's only a sentence or two, so I actually _can_ read it every time.

PS


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## RichGreen (Mar 6, 2013)

Storminator said:


> I'd recommend looking at Sharn: City of Towers, and in particular the "First Impressions" entry in each district. I read those to my players every time they enter a district, even if it's for the 100th time. It's great to set the atmosphere for the scene. It helps that it's only a sentence or two, so I actually _can_ read it every time.



Yes, that's a great book. When I was researching the various city sourcebooks out there to come up with my structure for Parsantium, there were a lot of things I liked about how the Sharn book was put together. First Impressions is definitely one of them - I plan to have a paragraph like that at the start of the section for each ward.

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Mar 19, 2013)

Quick update - I ran a Parsantium game for a group of strangers and two former players at UKT4 on Saturday. They all seemed to enjoy the setting and I got some useful feedback. Pictures here.

I need to write another design diary soon but have been too busy writing the actual book! 

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Mar 20, 2013)

Hi,

I've posted a new design diary here. This includes a preview of the University. Feedback welcome!

Cheers


Richard


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## RichGreen (Apr 2, 2013)

Hi,

Design Diary No. 9 is up here. This one includes the intro section to the Harbour Ward. Feedback welcome! 

Cheers


Richard


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## RichGreen (Apr 16, 2013)

Hi,

I've just posted Design Diary No.10 here, including a preview of the Slums in the Dock Ward. I'm also keen to get feedback on how to describe NPC class and level (if at all) in an edition neutral D&D book. 

Let me know what you think

Cheers


Rich


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## Ferghis (Apr 16, 2013)

The problem with granting class and level to NPCs is that it will not be edition neutral, even for D&D. My suggestion is to give NPCs a general description as to capabilities, even going insofar as ranking them if the character has a real reputation. For example, a guard may be described simply as mildly competent with a spear and shield, but with little actual combat experience. Or a famous warrior might described as one of the best swordsmen in the land, likely able to best X and Y, but probably not Z in a straight sword fight. 

Then, if you really want to do the work, you might note race, level and class for a few editions of D&D (probably Pathfinder and 4e), and perhaps describe the more noteworthy equipment and spells they would normally carry. I wouldn't waste time noting ability scores, hit points, or those kinds of things for each NPC. Maybe include a few tables in the appendix covering combat stats for each class & level used of the editions you want to cover, just so DMs aren't caught with their pants down if the players start a fight.


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## RichGreen (Apr 18, 2013)

Thanks Ferghis. I'm sticking with general descriptions for now - this has the benefit of allowing the DM to customize the NPC according to the PCs' level. The main reason for asking is to give an idea of which clerics/temples can offer high level healing, raise dead etc. For the moment I'm just including that info in the description too.

I did think about the appendix idea but it's hard to express 4e PCs with level + class. It would be more like level + brute/skirmisher/controller etc

Cheers


Rich


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## Ferghis (Apr 18, 2013)

RichGreen said:


> It would be more like level + brute/skirmisher/controller etc



Correct.


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## RichGreen (Apr 18, 2013)

Hi,

That could work - I could at least do a table/long list with name, race, sex and then level + class for Pathfinder, level + monster role for 4e. What about all the experts and commoners - make them minions?


Richard


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## Ferghis (Apr 18, 2013)

Just to be clear, at the bottom of the NPC's description, I'd add something like:







> Pathfinder: level X Adept or Aristocrat or Commoner or Expert or Warrior
> D&D 4e: level X (solo/elite/minion) soldier or skirmisher or etc.



And then, in an appendix, give defenses, HP, attack bonuses, and average damage for each of those. You can probably use the slyfluorish tables (with attribution) for the 4e stuff.



RichGreen said:


> What about all the experts and commoners - make them minions?



In 3.5, those would be experts - in theory. I do hate the notion of a librarian or a smith having a ton of HP, but that's how the game implements it, I think. 

In 4e, just give them the skills, rituals or powers you want. You can even say "Can cast up to level 13 Nature rituals." No need for combat stats if they're not combat-worthy, so to speak. At least that's my opinion.


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## RichGreen (Apr 18, 2013)

Ah, right. I was thinking of putting the level + class info in the appendix and not bothering with hp etc. I guess putting it with the description makes a bit more sense 

Will give it some thought and discuss with my layout person/editor (aka my wife Kate)

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Apr 18, 2013)

Ferghis said:


> In 4e, just give them the skills, rituals or powers you want. You can even say "Can cast up to level 13 Nature rituals." No need for combat stats if they're not combat-worthy, so to speak. At least that's my opinion.



That makes sense.


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## RichGreen (Apr 26, 2013)

Hi,

I've posted design diary no.11 here. 60,000 words done! 

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (May 3, 2013)

Hi,

I've just posted a new design diary here. 

65,000 words of the first draft done, about 10,000 to go 

If anyone reading this thread would like me to post something here as a preview, let me know what you'd like to see and I'll see what I can do.

Cheers


Rich


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## Ferghis (May 3, 2013)

I agree about the art (the postcard evokes a nice feel). I would scan through some deviantart posters and see who match the kind of thing you want. Then, if you put this opus up for sale at some point, offer them a share of the profits (along with proper accreditation). Here's some I found after a quick look:

http://inkthinker.deviantart.com/art/City-at-the-Edge-of-the-World-3550656

http://calliefink.deviantart.com/art/My-fantasy-city2-121009844

http://fyreant.deviantart.com/art/City-of-Kroog-357893372

http://twosox.deviantart.com/art/Fantasy-city-112006404


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## RichGreen (May 4, 2013)

Thanks for the links, Ferghis!

I've been sticking a few pictures on a Parsantium Pinterest board too. The style of art isn't always right - but it's good to collect pictures that invoke the setting.  

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (May 10, 2013)

Hi,

I've posted the latest design diary here. This one is about the Organizations chapter. Feedback and comments welcome 

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (May 17, 2013)

Hi,

I've just posted Design Diary No.14 here. Word count is now over 76,500 so looking at 81,000 altogether. 

I'm going to be writing about the noble families next so any fun suggestions for eccentric noble houses greatly appreciated!

Cheers


Rich


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## Stereofm (May 18, 2013)

It seems you've been inspired by Byzantium a lot. Good, good.


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## RichGreen (May 19, 2013)

Stereofm said:


> It seems you've been inspired by Byzantium a lot. Good, good.



Yes, I took Byzantium as the starting point, but also added Arabian, Indian and Chinese elements. I wanted to create a city where non-Western cultures rubbed shoulders with the  more usual D&D medieval European vibe. It's a lot of fun writing about and running games in the setting  

Do let me know if you have any questions

Cheers


Richard


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## RichGreen (Jun 5, 2013)

Hi,

Very happy to report the first draft of Parsantium: City at the Crossroads is finished! Coming in at 87,800 words it's a lot longer than I initially thought but I've tried to do each aspect of the city justice.

I think I might take tomorrow off and prepare for my D&D Next game, then get stuck into the revised draft from Friday 

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Jun 8, 2013)

Still very much a work in progress but my new website for Parsantium: City at the Crossroads is live  

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Jun 10, 2013)

Hi,

There's a new post on the blog about the new names I'm using for Sahasra, Batiara et al. 

Let me know how you come up with names for places and people in your games!

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Jun 15, 2013)

Hi,

There's a new post on the blog about art in city sourcebooks. What kind of art is most useful or relevant to you?

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Jun 18, 2013)

Hi,

I’ve had a busy few days revising the first draft of the text and also working out a “flat plan” with Kate to see how the text will fit the pages and where the interior art will go. As things stand, the text is 90,000 words and will fill 136 pages, making the book pretty meaty in size. I’ve revised over 25% text so am making good progress there.

The real exciting news, though, is that I have found an excellent artist for the cover and a fantastic cartographer to draw the map! Details to follow….

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Jun 22, 2013)

Hi,

I've posted an update on the blog about the cover 

What do you think makes a good RPG cover?

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Jun 25, 2013)

Cartographer confirmed! http://parsantium.wordpress.com/2013/06/25/cartographer-confirmed/

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Jun 27, 2013)

Hi,

A new post on the blog about compatibility with all D&D editions + Pathfinder. Feedback appreciated! Would a "Pathfinder compatible" logo put you off?

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Jul 1, 2013)

Hi,

I've just posted a brief update to the blog here and there's a poll on what I call Parsantium's dragon-like humanoids here.

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Jul 5, 2013)

The final draft is finished  Blog post here.


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## RichGreen (Jul 9, 2013)

Hi,

I've posted a brief update to the blog. 

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Jul 16, 2013)

Hi,

There's a sneak preview of the cover on the blog 

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Jul 20, 2013)

Hi,

I've posted an update cover sketch by Joe Shawcross to the blog, now in colour 

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Jul 25, 2013)

Hi,

There's an update on the blog about the gods of Parsantium.

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Aug 1, 2013)

Hi,

I've posted an update to the blog, including an NPC sketch 

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Aug 4, 2013)

The final cover art by Joe Shawcross is up!

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Aug 19, 2013)

Hi,

Parsantium: City at the Crossroads is currently in editing (and will be for some time yet) so I thought it would be fun to preview some WIP art on the blog over the next week or so. The first sketch is here.

Happy to answer any questions anyone has about the book too!

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Aug 23, 2013)

I've been previewing WIP art on the Parsantium blog all week. Let me know what you think 


Rich


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## Stereofm (Aug 29, 2013)

I am interested, as I have always been a fan of Byzantium, and maybe this could spur a different kind of game, But I'd rather wait until the book is out, before I read too much.


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## Stereofm (Aug 31, 2013)

I love the Cover.


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## RichGreen (Sep 1, 2013)

Stereofm said:


> I love the Cover.



Glad you like it!

We're deep into editing the text – all 93,000 words of it! – so there probably won't be much in the way of updates on the book for a while, although I will try and preview some more art on the blog when I have it.

I'm also looking at providing some guidance on using Parsantium with 13th Age when it is published, including icons for the setting. We've been playing the game and have really enjoyed it – we're thinking of using it for our next Parsantium campaign when the current one ends.

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Sep 7, 2013)

Just posted a finished street scene from Matt Morrow  on the blog.


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## RichGreen (Sep 8, 2013)

Hi,

Today, while Kate has been working her way through her first edit of the lengthy Gazetteer chapter – at 43,000 words, it’s the biggest in the book by a long way – I’ve been drawing a map of the hideout of the infamous Golden Scimitars criminal gang in the tunnels beneath the Old Quarter. I started with a handrawn map which I scanned,  then edited and labelled using Photoshop. It’s pretty old school, but I’m pleased with how it’s turned out. This location was the site of memorable battles in both Parsantium campaigns so it’s fitting there’s a map of it in the book.

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Sep 24, 2013)

Hi,

Just posted an update on the blog 

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Sep 29, 2013)

I've posted another brief update with a new art preview here.

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Oct 6, 2013)

Hi,

This weekend, we imported the first chapter of Parsantium: City at the Crossroads into InDesign and started work on the layout. Firstly, we got rid of the border we had scanned from Dover's Authentic Turkish Designs – it just didn't look good enough – and bought a new decorative font to use instead. This looks much better and gives us some nice little graphics we can use to break up the text if we need them. We're using one of these next to the page numbers on each page and it works very well. Next, Kate created the five levels of headings we are using throughout the text to indicate new chapters, sections, subsections etc.

We've now have the first chapter laid out without illustrations and it's very cool to see a load of Word documents start to look like a real book! There's still some more tinkering to do with spacing and the illustrations need to be added, but once that's done I'll post a sample double page spread here.

Nearly all the art is in too – just one illustration and the map to come 

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Oct 11, 2013)

All the art is now in, and I've posted the new city crest, drawn by Marc Radle, to the blog here.


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## RichGreen (Oct 13, 2013)

I've added a preview of a fully laid out double page spread to the blog here.

Let me know what you think. The book is coming in at 150 pages so far without art!

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Oct 20, 2013)

This weekend, we’ve cracked on with the layout of Parsantium to stay on track for our target publication date of 29th November (Black Friday). InDesign is a harsh mistress but Kate has got her tamed 

The first two chapters – City at the Crossroads and Life in the City – are finished, with all art added in, and have come in at 35 pages total. Since these represent about 20% of the total word count, I think the whole book will be between 175 and 200 pages long, bigger than most WotC sourcebooks for D&D 4e!

I finished proof-reading these two chapters today. Next up is the relatively short third chapter, Running a Campaign, and then it’s onto the huge Gazetteer, starting with the Imperial Quarter.

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Oct 23, 2013)

Hi,

Just trying to gauge how much interest there is in a printed book vs PDF. If you have a minute, please answer the poll here.

Cheers!

Rich


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## RichGreen (Oct 29, 2013)

Poll results and a progess update on the blog.

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Nov 5, 2013)

Hi all,

Just wanted to let you know we are running a bit behind schedule – more detail on the blog.

Cheers

Rich


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## RichGreen (Nov 16, 2013)

Hi,

I'm going to be running a Parsantium adventure at Dragonmeet on 7th December – details on the blog. Come and say hello!

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Nov 24, 2013)

Layout is now finished and you can see a preview from the Mercantile Quarter chapter here.

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Dec 8, 2013)

Hi,

I've posted an update and new preview on the blog here.

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Dec 21, 2013)

I've posted an update to the blog including a preview of the Contents page. And if you haven't seen it, Jon Roberts previewed a small section of his awesome map here.

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Jan 5, 2014)

Just had the finished map in from Jonathan Roberts and it's absolutely gorgeous! Preview here.

All being well, the book should be completed by the end of this month 

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Feb 3, 2014)

*Getting Ready for Printing*

Hi all,

We worked on Parsantium all weekend, inputting all our proofreading corrections and making last minute tweaks to the text and layout. Once the back cover blurb had been edited and the cover (front and back) finalized, we went through the whole InDesign file, making sure all the images were at the correct spec for printing. It was hard work, but we got it all done, and I uploaded the printer files to drivethrurpg.com last night and set up the product page.

The next step is for drivethrurpg.com to send the files to Lightning Source for checking. Once this is done, I can order a test copy to sign off. If this is looks good, the print version and pdf will go on sale, hopefully around Valentine’s Day. Phew!

Hope you all like it!

Cheers


Rich


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## fireinthedust (Feb 3, 2014)

Just found this.  stunning.  great choice on artwork for merchant district.


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## RichGreen (Feb 3, 2014)

fireinthedust said:


> Just found this.  stunning.  great choice on artwork for merchant district.



Thanks, glad you like it! That illustration is by Matt Morrow who did some great illustrations for the book.

Cheers


Rich


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## fireinthedust (Feb 4, 2014)

Looking forward to my eventual purchase; hope I don't miss the release date!!!

Do you have a company FB page?


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## RichGreen (Feb 4, 2014)

fireinthedust said:


> Looking forward to my eventual purchase; hope I don't miss the release date!!!
> 
> Do you have a company FB page?



Not yet, but I am on G+ here and Twitter here. Probably, the best thing to do is follow the blog at parsantium.com and you'll get an email when I post the announcement that the book is out 

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Feb 16, 2014)

Hi all,

It's been a long wait but my book, Parsantium: City at the Crossroads is now on sale in PDF & print here. I'm very happy with how it's turned out 

Hope you all enjoy it!

Cheers


Rich


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## Will Doyle (Feb 16, 2014)

Well done, Rich. I'm looking forward to getting a copy into my hands!


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## RichGreen (Feb 16, 2014)

Will Doyle said:


> Well done, Rich. I'm looking forward to getting a copy into my hands!



Thanks Will - much appreciated!

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Feb 20, 2014)

Hi,

Parsantium is now also available on Paizo.com here.

Very pleased with the early feedback and sales of the book. Megan Robertson gave it a great review at drivethrurpg.com 

Any questions, please shout!

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Feb 25, 2014)

Hi all,

Parsantium: City at the Crossroads has been on sale for just over a week now and I am thrilled with how well it has sold. The book has remained in the Hottest Small Press top 10 on drivethrurpg.com all week and is over halfway to breaking even - not something I was expecting this soon!

I'm also really pleased at the positive reception the book has received - as well as a 5 star review on drivethrurpg.com, there have been favourable comments on social media and forums which I've really enjoyed reading. After working on Parsantium so long, it's great to hear what others think of it.

At the weekend we bought ISBNs from Nielsen so we can get the book set up with Lightning Source to make the print edition more widely available through games stores, booksellers and online retailers.

Thanks to everyone who has bought the book! I'd love to hear any comments or questions you have – either below or through the contact form on parsantium.com 

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Mar 18, 2014)

Hi all,

I've posted update on how Parsantium is doing and what's coming up next on the blog.

Let me know what you think  

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Mar 28, 2014)

Hi all,

Parsantium: City at the Crossroads is now available in print online at Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com. 

If you're interested in 13th Age, i've posted a couple of PC races for the Parsantium game I am running at #UKT5 next weekend: the vanara and the gnoll.

Let me know what you think

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Apr 6, 2014)

Hi all,

Yesterday I ran a Parsantium adventure under the 13th Age rules at #UKT5 in Worcester. Write up here.

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Apr 8, 2014)

Hi,

I've posted a new map of the wider world of Parsantium here

Cheers


Rich


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## Tharen the Damned (Apr 9, 2014)

RichGreen said:


> Hi all,
> 
> Parsantium: City at the Crossroads is now available in print online at Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.
> 
> ...




Also now available at Amazon.de


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## mach1.9pants (Apr 9, 2014)

This is sitting in my wish list til I reach critical mass on shipping from RPGNow, looking forward to it.


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## RichGreen (Apr 9, 2014)

Tharen the Damned said:


> Also now available at Amazon.de



Thanks for letting me know!

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Apr 9, 2014)

mach1.9pants said:


> This is sitting in my wish list til I reach critical mass on shipping from RPGNow, looking forward to it.



Great - hope you enjoy it!


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## RichGreen (Apr 23, 2014)

Hi all,

I've posted a short update to the blog.

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Jun 8, 2014)

Hi all,

I've posted a (rough) expanded world map to the blog here. 

I've also been posting some content to make it easier to use Parsantium with 13th Age - you can check out four Parsantine icons plus members of the Golden Scimitars criminal gang here.

Happy to answer any questions or comments!

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Jun 14, 2014)

Hi there,

If you haven't bought Parsantium yet, the PDF is on sale at 33% off ($7.99) from today through to 24th June!

You can get it at Paizo or at drivethrurpg.com.

Cheers


Rich


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## Emerikol (Jun 19, 2014)

Rich I have the item ordered.  I love city books so I hope yours does well.  I can rarely pass one up.  

I'll post here after I have a chance to check it out.  It looked good and I will say that if the enworld reviewer hadn't mentioned it I never would have known so that review got you one sale for sure.


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## RichGreen (Jun 27, 2014)

Emerikol said:


> Rich I have the item ordered.  I love city books so I hope yours does well.  I can rarely pass one up.
> 
> I'll post here after I have a chance to check it out.  It looked good and I will say that if the enworld reviewer hadn't mentioned it I never would have known so that review got you one sale for sure.



Thanks Emerikol - that's great! Please do let me know what you think of it 

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Jun 27, 2014)

Hi all,

There's an update on the Parsantium blog with latest news.

Cheers


Rich


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## Emerikol (Jun 28, 2014)

I got the book!  I love it.  I haven't read every square inch of it yet but I'm sure much of it will feature in one form or another in my coming campaign world.  

It's a nice book, book wise too if you know what I mean.


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## RichGreen (Jul 2, 2014)

Emerikol said:


> I got the book!  I love it.  I haven't read every square inch of it yet but I'm sure much of it will feature in one form or another in my coming campaign world.
> 
> It's a nice book, book wise too if you know what I mean.



Excellent! So glad you like it


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## RichGreen (Jul 2, 2014)

Hi all,

Endzeitgeist has reviewed Parsantium and has given it 5 stars and his seal of approval!

He says _"Parsantium BREATHES authenticity and love – New York City meets Byzantium, modern metropolis meets swords & sorcery – this book actually manages to portray a believable, interesting, unique city that oozes the spirit of Al Qadim, early weird fiction and recent phenomena like the god of war-series, all while staying believable."_

Read the full review

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Jul 20, 2014)

Hi all,

How to Race a Chariot, a guest post by Paul Baalham is new on the blog today.

Also, I've now written up nine Parsantium NPCs and organizations as icons for 13th Age, with six more to come.

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Jul 21, 2014)

Hi,

Parsantium: City at the Crossroads is part of the awesome Christmas in July sale on DriveThruRPG.com, so the PDF is available at 25% off until 28th July!

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Jul 30, 2014)

Hi all,

Here's the 11th icon write-up, the Mummy Queen Merytnofru. Four more to go!

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Aug 22, 2014)

Hi all,

Just wanted to let you know Parsantium has had another great review, this time on the Thoughts of a Part-Time Hobbyist blog. 

Lester Gash writes: _"I can't recommend Parsantium enough if you want a rich, detailed setting for your fantasy roleplay that's different from the usual fare. No matter what kind of game your players like, Parsantium can fit it in."_

You can read the full review here.

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Sep 2, 2014)

Hi,

I've written up two more icons for Parsantium: the Emperor of the Jade Throne and the Lady of the Summer Kingdom, bringing the total to 13. There are two more to come....

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Sep 18, 2014)

Hi,

My 15 icons for 13th Age are all done – you can check them out here. 

And if you haven't bought Parsantium yet, it's on sale at 20% off print & pdf at drivethrurpg.com and Paizo until 30th September 

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Oct 25, 2014)

Hi all,

I’ve been a bit quiet on here recently – my day job has been pretty busy – so it’s definitely time for an update on what’s going on with Parsantium.

Firstly, although it’s not that scary, Parsantium: City at the Crossroads is included in the Halloween sale at drivethrurpg.com so you can purchase the PDF at 33% off through to 31st October!

I’ve also been doing a fair bit of thinking about how to follow up the book in the last few weeks and have a couple of projects in mind. The first is _Icons of Parsantium_, a PDF compilation of the fifteen 13th Age icons I wrote for the Parsantium blog – thanks to everyone who voted in the poll or gave me feedback. This will be a professionally edited and laid out PDF at a low price, probably around $2. I’m hoping this won’t take too long to do but Kate will need to fit this in around her other commitments.

The second project is much bigger and will take some time to write and pull together so we’re looking at publishing some time in 2015. Tentatively entitled _Tales of Parsantium_, this will be a collection of three or four low to mid-level adventures set in and around the City at the Crossroads. Ideally – and this depends on WotC producing a third party license for D&D – the adventures would include stats for Dungeons & Dragons 5e as well as Pathfinder and 13th Age.

At the moment I am writing (and DMing) the final epic adventure in my long-running 4e Parsantium campaign featuring the infamous Juma Gang and their attempts to prevent the return of the Rajah Vrishabha, and this has been taking up a fair bit of my free time. I’m also going to be running _Blood on the Sands_, a D&D 5e adventure set at the Hippodrome,  at Dragonmeet 2014 so there’s work to do on this too (made all the more challenging by the absence of a DMG!). Once both of these projects are done I’ll be able to devote more time to working on the new adventures for _Tales_. I’ll keep you all updated on how it’s going in this thread.

Finally, I’d love to hear about how you are using Parsantium in your games. And please do let me know if you have any questions or comments too 

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Jan 31, 2015)

Hi all,

I've posted a news update on the Parsantium blog.

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Feb 17, 2015)

Hi all,

I've posted the cover sketch for the forthcoming _Icons of Parsantium_ PDF to the Parsantium blog.

Let me know what you think!

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Mar 5, 2015)

Hi there,

Just thought I'd mention that Parsantium is included in the GM's Day sales at drivethrurpg.com and paizo.com 

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (May 4, 2015)

Hi there,

I've just posted an update to the blog on the forthcoming supplement, _Icons of Parsantium_.

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Jun 14, 2015)

Hi there,

We’ve both been very busy with our day jobs so work on Icons of Parsantium  has been slow-going since my last update.

However, I do have one bit of exciting news to make up for it – Rob Heinsoo has very kindly written an excellent foreword to the book in his own inimitable style. Rob’s connection with Parsantium goes back a few years when he found out I’d named a villainous rakshasa in my campaign after him. Fortunately, he took this in good spirits, and since then, he’s given me some great advice on how to adapt Parsantium’s NPCs into icons. I’m thrilled to have him write the foreword to Icons of Parsantium.

Today I’ve been wrestling with InDesign as I make some final revisions to the text before editing, including adding a short section to each icon describing their NPC champions and followers. This has played havoc with the two-page layout for each icon but I’ve every confidence Kate will be able to fix this when she starts editing.

More news and hopefully a finished cover to follow soon….

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Jul 6, 2015)

Hi there,

The cover for Icons of Parsantium is finished and we've completed editing and layout. Just need to proofread and upload the files to drivethrurpg.com and Paizo 

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Jul 11, 2015)

Hi there,

In case you've missed it, Parsantium: City at the Crossroads is included in the Fantasy Frontiers Bundle of Holding, running until 22nd July.

This new collection of tabletop fantasy roleplaying games and campaigns takes you to exotic cultures and unusual times. Drawing from myths of many lands, eras of high intrigue, and even modern medicine, these games explore the far boundaries of fantasy RPG settings.

For just $5.95 you get all three titles in the Starter Collection (retail value $30) as DRM-free PDF ebooks or if you pay more than the threshold (average) price, currently $17.91, you also get all the titles in the Bonus Collection. 

Well worth checking out 

Cheers


Rich


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## RichGreen (Jul 17, 2015)

Hi there,

It's taken a while but Icons of Parsantium is now on sale drivethrurpg.com and Paizo.

*Icons of Parsantium* is a supplement for use with the 13th Age Roleplaying Game and Parsantium: City at the Crossroads,  featuring the fifteen most influential NPCs in the city and the world beyond. These movers and shakers will also prove useful for GMs running Parsantium games using the 13th Age icon relationship rules with other incarnations of the world’s bestselling fantasy RPG – or indeed anyone using the setting.

“The blueprint for 13th Age campaigns set in a world of Byzantine intrigue” – Rob Heinsoo

The influential NPCs described in depth throughout the book include the rulers of kingdoms, powerful priests, arcane and martial orders and their leaders, and monstrous beings, both malevolent and benign. Your player characters can ally with or work against the machinations of these icons, thereby driving the story of your campaign in interesting new directions.

_Icons of Parsantium_ contains:


Full two-page descriptions for 15 icons
New PC races – the gnoll and the vanara
Five pages of icon relationship dice results and adventure hooks
Secret Knowledge for the GM
World Map
Foreword by 13th Age designer Rob Heinsoo

Cheers


Richard


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