Order Trailblazer online here…

The journey isn’t over… It’s just beginning.

Bad Axe Games peels back the outer layers of the 3.5 rules and reveals the inner workings for all to see. Within this book, you’ll find the keys to decoding the d20 rules and gain new insight into the mechanics of your game. Copious design notes detail the thought process behind every design change.

• Detailed introductory analysis of the “The Spine” of the 3.5 system
• Fixes for the most common 3.5 complaints
• Rebalanced classes, races, skills, feats and multiclassed spellcasters
• Streamlined combat and movement rules, including Combat Reactions
• Quick and easy Encounter Budgeting
• Elite and Solo templates to create memorable monsters
• Intuitive, streamlined rules for iterative attacks, grappling, wild shape, polymorph, summoned creatures, turn undead, familiars, and more!

TRAILBLAZER is an indispensable resource for gamemasters looking to breathe new life into their 3rd edition game and restore a sense of excitement and wonder to their players.

Here’s what people are saying about the Trailblazer PDF:

• “I am profoundly impressed. The mathematical analyses were very enlightening, and the revisions based on those analyses were right on the money.”
• “This is the best $4.95 I have ever spent on a gaming product.”
• “This is exactly what a 3.75 ruleset should look like. If you really want to stick with a 3.5-based system, I think Trailblazer is the way to go.”
• “Some of the changes are bold to say the least, and I don’t agree with everything, but I really like the analytic approach.”
• “The solution to multiclassed spellcasters is so elegant and effective that it should probably be adopted by all d20 games.”
• “Even if you don’t use stuff directly, just being in touch with the dicussion at this level is guaranteed to make your games better. This is a triumph in writing about game design and system adjustment.”

August 16, 2009 (Providence, RI) — Trailblazer, your 3rd Edition “system optimizer,” is now available for download in PDFformat.

Inside this work, you will find:

• A detailed analysis of The Spine of the d20 system
• Action Points
• 10-Minute Rest Mechanic
• Multiclass Spellcasters
• Character Class Rebalance
• Skill Consolidation
• New Feats
• Combat Reactions
• Customizing Monsters
• Elite and Solo Creatures
• Encounter Budgeting
• Treasure Parcels

Trailblazer includes generous design notes through the body of the work to call attention to items that have changed-and explain why.

Get Trailblazer (via RPGnow)

The print version of Trailblazer will be available through Amazon.com (September 2009).

Here’s what people are saying:

Brought to you by the designers of the award-winning Grim Tales, Trailblazer is designed to be fully customizable and compatible with your existing library of 3rd edition settings and supplements. Each section of the work addresses a specific complaint or problem with the ruleset, proposes a solution to the problem, and explains how to integrate each sub-system into your game. Copious designer notes help you fully understand the philosophy behind each change, and empowers you, the DM, to make your own tweaks and changes to get your game running at peak performance.

Trailblazer does not present “change for change’s sake.” Every change is a direct response to real problems raised by players in our own games and by the larger gaming community. Trailblazer tackles problems big and small:

1. the power curve, the “accident of math,” and the “sweet spot”
2. DM prep time
3. CR/EL/XP and encounter design
4. smoother, faster combat resolution
5. class balance
6. multiclass spellcasters
7. overhauling the skill system
8. annoyances like grappling, turn undead, 1-2-1 movement, and attacks of opportunity
9. “The 15-Minute Adventuring Day”

Trailblazer will be published under the OGL and will be available in both PDF and print format.