What do you want in a players' guide?

For the past few weeks, I've been working very hard on the upcoming NeoExodus players' guide, adding things in there that I had in the works for a long time, things that we had to cut out of the Campaign book (space restrictions and all), and yes, even some of your ideas and comments.

This questioning is something that Louis struggles with often. "What do our customer want? Adventures? Character-building material (feats/classes)? Monsters?" To which I usually respond (which frustrates him to no end), "Yes." This usually amuses me very much...

But not today.

Nope, today, I find myself thinking about the same question. When I worked on the NeoExodus Campaign Book, I looked at all the elements I wrote and thought to myself, in the following order...

1 - Does this add to the flavor of the setting? Flavor is everything in NeoExodus, otherwise, might as well play in Golarion/Forgotten Realms with new races.

2 - Does this stimulate or give me ideas to write an adventure in NeoExodus? A few friend of mine mentioned to me that "every page of an RPG book should contain an idea that could be directly used in a home campaign.

3 - Is it cool? (Yes that was the last question, LPJ would disagree and say it has to be at the top).

Now for a Campaign Book, you have to hit wide: make sure all the little secrets we have for the setting are hinted at and mentioned, that most things we were working on were mentioned in there.

But a players' guide... that's a different beast altogether! One of the things I've been doing lately was look at the characters created by NeoExodus players (and there have been quite a few) to play the game: Arman machinesmith, Cavian Rogue, Enuka sorcerer, Kalisan barbarian, Sasori monk to name but a few. Yes, you did read correctly "Enuka sorcerer", I was surprised too, but he was pretty fun with his nasty 15 foot tongue. I love these out-of-the-blue, weird concepts that work (somehow).

Currently (as of the writing of this blog entry), I have the following:

- New Race Options (each race gets alternative traits, including the Gevet and Kalisan)

- New Class Options (archetypes, an oracle mystery, a sorcerer bloodline)

- New Feats (including a new type of feats: the nobility feat, allowing you to play a noble)

- New Traits (including the Affinity traits, which define where your character is from and gain benefits from that)

- Twelve pages of new spells (including some spells which can be taken by any members of a given class)

- New Magic items

- New Equipment

So the question I wrestle with right now is: What do *YOU*, the players and customers of NeoExodus want to see in this book?

Do you have any ideas for things you would like to see?

Anything that would make those of you who waffle go "because *this* is in there, I have to get me this book" type of reaction.

So, the floor is open...

JP