Subj : Re: Hello
To   : All
From : mbottorff@sprintmail.com
Date : Sat Feb 17 2001 02:34 pm

From: mbottorff@sprintmail.com (Michelle & Boyd Bottorff)
Subject: Re: Hello
Organization: =?ISO-8859-1?Q?=CF?=



> NI>Here, the most of RPG's titles don't come or come, but with
> NI>years of delay...Warhammer, for example, we haven't.
> 
> At least you have something to look forward to. It just does not seem
> like anything New or exciting is coming out in the world of RPG's. Just
> another edition or more supplements.

Depends.  The sheer numbers of RPGs put out are definitely down, but
that may not be a bad thing.  After all, how many new systems do you
want to learn?  Especially the complex ones.  After all, the main reason
D&D survived so long is that it's simple.  Lots of tables, yes, but
they're simple tables once you've worked out the basics.

On the plus side, most of the new RPGs coming out aren't generic fantasy
(or generic SF, or generic cyberpunk, or generic horror....)  Lessee...
in the last two years or so, the new RPGs I've seen or heard of are
Seventh Seas, Legends of the Five Rings, Deadlands, and Blue Planet.  I
haven't actually seen Blue Planet, so I don't know if it's generic or
not, but the promotional material I've seen would indicate not entirely.
The others are all not generic, which is a big plus in my book on the
storytelling end.

> I understand that gaming companies are in the business to make money,
> but to change things just so people will spend more money to buy the new
> books doesn't seem right to me.

Doesn't necessarily work, either.  TSR was sold to WotC for not a whole
lot of money.

A certain amount of accessories are nice for any RPG system.  But you
have to know when you've overdone the whole thing.  And the other
critical thing, IMO, is to be able to make things that people *want* to
want.  GURPS was an example of rather esoteric,
not-many-people-would-want-this-one resource books.  I mean, sure, there
are a bunch of people who like SF books, but a complete handbook on Alan
Dean Foster's commonwealth books?  That's pushing it.

> I understand supplements that help the GM set up a world, and even
> premade adventures (even though I rarely use premade  adventures), but
> sometimes it seems that they go overboard.

Idea for most RPGs, to me:
* rulebook(s) with basic overview of a/the campaign setting
* campaign setting book/box, with maps.  Possibly more detailed
supplements covering areas you expect players to frequent, but check
your projected sales *before* starting the project.
* Possibly a separate player rulebook, and/or sourcebooks, but go easy
here.  
* Generic "can drop in anywhere" adventures.  Dungeon magazine was a
reasonable source for these, but usually they could have summarized
background of most of their adventures into a couple paragraphs rather
than a couple pages.
* More detailed "work up to these" adventures, with notes in front of
thigns that ought to happen *before* the players even see the cover of
the *big* adventure.


-- Boyd

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|Fidonet:  mbottorff@sprintmail.com
|Internet: scott@conchbbs.com
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| Standard disclaimer: The views of this user are strictly his own.


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