Karameikos - Vaults of Pandius

Bruce Heard InterviewYannivey Islands, Aquas, etc. This is inquestion now, as the result of WotC’s refusalto work with me in reviving the “Adventuresof the Princess Ark”. I wrote those forDragon Magazine in the late 80s and early90s, and therefore they became DragonMagazine’s property. On a higher level,these stories were based on Mystara, whichwas a D&D Game intellectual propertyowned by TSR. All of it eventually went toWotC and is now unavailable for theforeseeable future. This situation promptedme to start a separate project with a newworld setting, a new ship, and a new crew inthe spirit of the Princess Ark and Mystara. Atleast judging from the amount of materialreleased, the result is a new series ofadventures of a much greater scope to seethe light both as e-books on Amazon.comand printed versions afterward. This is mypresent project. Concept work is nowcomplete, graphic contributors have beenselected, the logo is ready, maps are wellunderway, and efforts are in progress tobudget the endeavor and prepare a credibleKickstarter campaign slated for later this year.I’ll make announcements on the blog aboutthis as the right times come along.So, what does this really mean for theblog’s Mystara content?You might have noticed a slowdown in thenumber of posts these past few months.That’s because I’ve been busy working on thenew project. I expect to continuecontributing Mystara entries, at a reducedpace. Once the new project kicks in, therewill inevitably be a growing number of postsabout the latter. WotC may object to D&Drelatedarticles because this blog will bepromoting my project, rather than justMystara. If Wizards intervened, I would beforced either to cease any further support ofMystara (likely), or move Mystara-relatedmaterials to a separate blog (maybe). Youmight also have noticed I removed the termD&D from the blog’s header. Eventually, I’llhave to change its look as well, replacingClyde’s Glantri artwork (which I believeWotC owns) and using in its place what willbe available from the new project. If Wizardsdoes not interfere, I can go on contributingto Mystara on the side, which I would prefer.Mystara is a hard thing to give up.You recently announced on your blogand elsewhere that you are working oncreating a new setting and new stories.What can you tell us about this project?Do you think it will appeal to fans ofMystara and your work on Glantri and thePrincess Ark?The new setting is called Calidar, from thename of its main world. The present seriesof stories will have the subtitle “In StrangerSkies.” This universe is designed to promoteairships and their voyages in the skies andthrough outer space. Major efforts weremade during concept stages to create a styleand format familiar to fans of Mystara and thePrincess Ark. You might have noticedsurveys I posted on Facebook concerningMystara and the Princess Ark. These are toolsto help capture the essence of these settingsand what made them endearing to their fans.Copyright limitations prevent me entirelyfrom using names, geographical features, orelements particular to Mystara and thePrincess Ark; however, general analogiesshould help maintain a familiar feel and aneasy transition. The Calidar series remainnon-game-specific to avoid issues with theD&D product in general. The project followsthe same approximate structure as the one85THRESHOLD: The Mystara Magazine Issue #1