D&D release? Are you ready to ride the wave?
They announced the release dates for the next edition of Dungeons and dragons, which will be called appropriately enough "Dungeons and Dragons."
Other blogs have reported the dates prices and times, in much more detail than I have the brain for.
like this one:
Dyvers reports all the D&D release poop we can handle.
As for the rest of us, that group of abnormal-s who like to write our own games what does this mean to us.
It means hang on to your Fucking hat.
Get ready because on July 15th when the new basic box drops, the R.P.G. blog-o-sphere is going to go crazier than an ape on Carmen Miranda's hat.
Then in August it's going to do the same thing again, when the P.H.B. hits the general masses.
And so on.
Every one who does this is going to have an opinion about the new product. Some blogs will publish pointed and intelligent reviews. Others will just troll the new edition mercilessly, still others will regurgitate what they read on other blogs. It will be a tidal wave of content positive and negative, and sorting it will be no small task.
They will also serve to drown out the Indy and OSR game scene for a few months, perhaps longer. Every blog and G+ feed is going to be full of real play accounts, hacks, complaints, monsters, reviews, and more complaints.
Not that any one was going to stop working on games, but I get the feeling it's going to seem like no one is listening for a while.
Getting a word in edgewise about our little projects is going to be like farting in a hurricane.
In my narrow world view the reason the Indy game, OSR communities, and the non-mainstream release gaming community have become so strong in recent years is two fold.
First the act of self publishing with the rise of digital books, and print on demand got that much easier. We are not living in 2002 when Adept press put out Sorcerer, now days any one can write just about anything and get it out there to any one who wants it. This has created a sort of land rush of people writing games, writing settings, and getting in on the fun. The fun spread to people still playing older editions of games and they started pooping out games and modules and other kick ass stuff, making for a very active hobby.
Secondly in my opinion fourth edition was not good, (I'm being gentle, I 'm not interested in slapping what is truly a dead horse.)
Having a weak game as theflag ship product of Hasbro * Industries flag ship RPG produced by Hasbro (better known as that 600 lb gorilla that's about to reenter the room.) made many gamers particularly those who have been gaming for a long time start seeking out new things.
Pathfinder jumped into that void and took off, but even the 3.5x system of Pathfinder is starting to show it's age bloat now, a good number gamers wandered even farther a-field, or started doing their own thing.
Fate, Apocalypse World, Dungeon World, Numenera, Dungeon Crawl Classics, Gumshoe, and so many others have gained real, creative, and interesting followings. (If I left a game out it was for brevity not lack of respect.)
A new edition of 'the Worlds greatest Role Playing Game" lumbering a crossed the landscape will for a while change the dynamic of the hobby. Almost every one will give it a try and have an opinion, Hasbro will make money and release more things, it's what they do. there will be allot of talk , both positive and negative.
My advise for what it's worth is ride the wave keep working on your games.
The initial noise will subside and in a year or so some people will start looking for alternatives again and we'll all be here. Ready to throw down more new ideas, more heart breakers, more of the good stuff.
* This is an edit:
I fucked up the way I worded that point and it was pointed out to me in the comment section by am eagle eyed reader. I appreciate it, the commentator was 100% correct. I'm a pretty shitty writer and need the help sometimes. I certainly did not mean that Hasbro is hanging it's jacket on the hanger of D&D. I do however think the resources Hasbro can bring to a project make them the overweight gorilla in the room, and That D&D is the industry's flagship RPG, whether any of us like it or not.
Other blogs have reported the dates prices and times, in much more detail than I have the brain for.
like this one:
Dyvers reports all the D&D release poop we can handle.
As for the rest of us, that group of abnormal-s who like to write our own games what does this mean to us.
It means hang on to your Fucking hat.
Get ready because on July 15th when the new basic box drops, the R.P.G. blog-o-sphere is going to go crazier than an ape on Carmen Miranda's hat.
Then in August it's going to do the same thing again, when the P.H.B. hits the general masses.
And so on.
Every one who does this is going to have an opinion about the new product. Some blogs will publish pointed and intelligent reviews. Others will just troll the new edition mercilessly, still others will regurgitate what they read on other blogs. It will be a tidal wave of content positive and negative, and sorting it will be no small task.
They will also serve to drown out the Indy and OSR game scene for a few months, perhaps longer. Every blog and G+ feed is going to be full of real play accounts, hacks, complaints, monsters, reviews, and more complaints.
Not that any one was going to stop working on games, but I get the feeling it's going to seem like no one is listening for a while.
Getting a word in edgewise about our little projects is going to be like farting in a hurricane.
In my narrow world view the reason the Indy game, OSR communities, and the non-mainstream release gaming community have become so strong in recent years is two fold.
First the act of self publishing with the rise of digital books, and print on demand got that much easier. We are not living in 2002 when Adept press put out Sorcerer, now days any one can write just about anything and get it out there to any one who wants it. This has created a sort of land rush of people writing games, writing settings, and getting in on the fun. The fun spread to people still playing older editions of games and they started pooping out games and modules and other kick ass stuff, making for a very active hobby.
Secondly in my opinion fourth edition was not good, (I'm being gentle, I 'm not interested in slapping what is truly a dead horse.)
Having a weak game as the
Pathfinder jumped into that void and took off, but even the 3.5x system of Pathfinder is starting to show it's age bloat now, a good number gamers wandered even farther a-field, or started doing their own thing.
Fate, Apocalypse World, Dungeon World, Numenera, Dungeon Crawl Classics, Gumshoe, and so many others have gained real, creative, and interesting followings. (If I left a game out it was for brevity not lack of respect.)
A new edition of 'the Worlds greatest Role Playing Game" lumbering a crossed the landscape will for a while change the dynamic of the hobby. Almost every one will give it a try and have an opinion, Hasbro will make money and release more things, it's what they do. there will be allot of talk , both positive and negative.
My advise for what it's worth is ride the wave keep working on your games.
The initial noise will subside and in a year or so some people will start looking for alternatives again and we'll all be here. Ready to throw down more new ideas, more heart breakers, more of the good stuff.
* This is an edit:
I fucked up the way I worded that point and it was pointed out to me in the comment section by am eagle eyed reader. I appreciate it, the commentator was 100% correct. I'm a pretty shitty writer and need the help sometimes. I certainly did not mean that Hasbro is hanging it's jacket on the hanger of D&D. I do however think the resources Hasbro can bring to a project make them the overweight gorilla in the room, and That D&D is the industry's flagship RPG, whether any of us like it or not.
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