LivingDice.com has posted exclusive coverage of Amethyst including portions of the final cover and its first chapter. This is the most extensive coverage yet!

Amethyst is now available through Alliance distribution. Which means your FLGS (Friendly Local Game Store) can no order them in. So if I ever asked anything from anyone, now is the time. Call or go down to your FLGS and ask that they carry Amethyst.

The Product Number is GMG4370
Amethyst through Goodman Games

I wanted to discuss something I posted on another thread on RPGNet...there has been a lot of discussion on the possibilities of gamers creating their own original setting utilizing our rules. Turns out this is easier than it appears. As a result, I am going to attempt to include a new section in the new book detailing on how to do that. Here are the highlights of what I am thinking...

If you wish to keep the technology relatively low, you can choose to either create higher enhancement levels for low tech items or bestow free enhancements, thus removing the need to always acquire higher level weapons. Realistically, this only works if you allow magical firearms in your setting (see later for details).

Otherwise, it makes more sense to allow players to retain their original level 1 weapons and offer free enhancements to coincide with the character's capacity to use the weapon better (the gun isn't magically getting better, just the character's skill with it).

Armor works the same way. You can permit magical technology or bestow enhancement based on character level as said character gains more experience. You must however, consider financial rewards when employing automatic enhancement. Players would not require as much money because they wouldn't need to upgrade their weapons and armor.

Employing powerful weapons like plasma throwers and rail cannons (all Tech Levels higher than 0), require you to scale back their enhancements if introducing them at first level. Not only do weapons like railcannons begin at enhancement +4, they also feature abilities which may throw the balance of power if employed by a first level character. There are several solutions when wishing to use high tech weapons in a low-level game.

The first deals with simply rebranding low tech weapons. Perhaps all weapons are energy weapons and the high tech varieties are simply much more powerful versions of these smaller designs. If you want to remove the need for characters to purchase weapons repeatedly throughout their lives (like mentioned above with low tech games), you could use the same system above with one additional rule dealing with when the character acquires the weapon's special feature.

The only character class to be affected with a homebrew game is the Operator. This is an easy fix as a player just needs to avoid selecting any class powers which mention or deal with disruption.

Allowing fantasy classes to utilize technology is also a simple proposition. Depending on your setting, you may permit certain classes to have proficiencies in firearms. The general rule being that if a class has a proficiency only in simple ranged weapons, they may also have a proficiency in one-handed small arms. Those classes proficient in military ranged weapons may also have proficiencies in both one-handed and two-handed small arms. Heavy weapons may be a more difficult notion to explain away without the player selecting the proficiency feat later on. As a result, it is quiet easy to allow a Ranger to employ both one-handed and two-handed firearms with all of her ranged attack powers. Similarly, a useful rule could also be implemented to allow the Rogue the capacity to assume that all one-handed small arms also count as a hand crossbow (for the purposes of sneak attack and powers). This later rule can be employed in canon Amethyst as well for a techan character wanting more stealth and close-quarters assassination over the Stalker class.

Similarly, there is nothing to stop your custom game from throwing out the disruption rules with magical races and creating a techan group populated by orcs, elves, and dwarves.

Got something cool to share... The final cover of Amethyst--what to look for on the shelves when it comes out...

Our 3.5 Version of Amethyst listed nine playtesters. The 4th Edition boasts around 50. It just goes to show that if it's worth doing, it's worth doing well. So I want to take a moment and credit those playtesters which gave their time to ensure a high quality product...

Michael Andaluz
Charla Anderson
Daryl Anderson
Miquel Creus Bassas
Pamela Bennett
Trevor Bennett
Jeff Berndt
Gary Bratzel
Eric Braun
Chris Brown
Greg Brown
Jason Brown
Jordi Martin Castany
Andrew Cermak
Schuyler Den Dulk
Chris Dias
Pere Rodriguez Franch
Jordi Franch Ventura
Marc Franch Ventura
Glen Gratton
Aaron Hengst
R William Herschler
David Hoyer
Jennifer Hoyer
Steve Hoyer
Christopher Hunt
Ian Hunt
Jordi Sala Ibars
Geoffrey Lamb
Tiffany Lamb
Edward William Martin
Paul Johnson
Cameron Lauder
Robert Mann
Alan Mills
Mike McMullen
Michael Murphy
Jon Ohman
Jewel Sandeen
Kiara Sandeen
Sean Sandeen
Brad Scoble
Marc Sonnenberger
Clarence Sterling
Tim Sullivan
Sean Thompson
Chris Tyler
Ivolytch Tzulusky
Marina Ursa
Phil Vecchione