It's been a couple of days since my last blog entry and there has been a whole bunch of things happening. Some good and constructive and others less so. Sadly, because we are all fans of our respective games for a whole variety of reasons, we can all get very passionate about these things. From time to time, lines might be crossed. I have read other gamers stay away from a particular game because fans of said game were to fanatical. Regardless of the game, we have all seen it.
This causes two things: Assumptions on a game based on nothing but hearsay and being lumped in a group as a whole because of what behavior is being exhibited by other fans of the game you happen to be involved in. None of this does anyone any good.
All one has to do is consider is the label: TETSNBN (The Edition That Shall Not Be Named) and the disdain that *some* people refer to it. Not everyone does it and that's still nothing to a term like '3tard'. Take a step back and look at that and some might think that to be a bit infantile.
We all have our opinions and the internet is a large vehicle that enables us all to blatantly voice them. I'm not a fan of 4th Edition though 'hate' wouldn't be the word I would choose. Despite multitudes of 3rd Edition / d20 material I own, I typically use those books to mine them for material for the games I do prefer to play. I thought Spelljammer was AWESOME but can't accept any Star Wars RPG other than the original WEG version.
Bottom line: I'm not going to tell you what you should play or shouldn't. I'm not going to judge you if you actually like 4th Edition but I admit that I could be bewildered by such a proclamation. In the end, we all play the games we do because we enjoy them. Invariably, you'll find people that share your opinion or, will not. Simple. But if we are all gamers, we should all try to have a minimum amount of respect when decide to share our opinions. Doing so would be like 'good sportsmanship'.
Now I'm not going to go in the specifics of any one incident and a public apology has been made to the most recent one I witnessed earlier today. Hopefully everyone involved will take something from this and we can move on to better things.
Thus ends the 'negative vibes'. Now for the good --
Some people have been receptive to what we've been writing about. There are a few that understand we want better fan-created efforts and involvement. I've proposed an idea and if it takes off, I'll post it here (it's a contest). In any event, people have gotten to talking so we'll see where it goes.
M
What I'm Backing on Kickstarter:
After Winter Dark Campaign Setting
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Support and C&C Fandom
Josh over at Tartarus Press posed an interesting question.. you can his post HERE. In essence, he asks what happened and is there any way to turn it around.
Big questions and he covers some of the issues quite nicely. Also thanks for the compliment with regards to the material we produced for C&C -- I do pride myself with the fine work I put in to those adventures and I always tried to improve upon the last product I did. But to the question at hand.
I don't think it was one particular incident that led to dwindling fan supported material. I think it was a combination of factors. The biggest problem with the C&C Society was that very few shouldered the burden of keeping it going. Fewer were willing to tackle the responsibilities of providing direction but this was largely a problem of having spare time. At the time, when some members stepped down from leading rolls, I even offered to take on some of the responsibilities. Unfortunately, I was never given the opportunity. The material for the last issue of the Domesday zine was passed on to someone else and TLG was to push on with some of its own initiatives for the Society. One of the things TLG believed in (for the Society) was to use it as a vehicle to spread 'C&C' by members doing demos and in-store sessions of the game. They supplied members willing to do this with materials (known as the Harbinger box set) to facilitate this. It was (and still is) a great idea. Sadly, the society putting together material for the sake of putting out material ceased to be and those member who were most prolific have gone on to do other things.
When all of this came down, TLG and their product line was in a bit of flux and actually has been for the past couple of years. In 2009, they released the fourth printing of the PHB which was a bit expanded and featured a couple of key revisions. 2009 was a decent year with a few big releases -- very important with the loss of the Trigee license at the end of 2008. However, 2010 saw fewer key releases with the most significant book being the "Monsters & Treasure of Aihrde". While there were other cool releases in 2010 such as "Fields of Battle" or "Harvesters", 2011 had even less although the one product of note last year was the long-awaited "Castle Keeper's Guide". Sure, there were a bunch of other adventure modules over the past couple of years as well but nothing to really support the core game. I'm not necessarily thinking this is entirely bad though ... all you have to do is to take a look at the multitudes of books for Pathfinder or 3rd Edition D&D. People just won't keep re-purchasing the core books once they have them so these models require constant supporting material for the game. Adventure modules also only sell so well since that is the one thing that enterprising GM's don't mind developing themselves. In any case, less big titles coming out for C&C means a reduced interest in some cases simply because it isn't in the forefront anymore.
Arcana Creations and Brave Halfling Publishing also noticed a steady drop in sales for our C&C related material. The biggest seller was the first C&C release but each subsequent C&C related release has fewer sales interestingly enough. And this was before Arcana Creations fell off the radar in 2010 and 2011. I had always planned to do more and I still am actually but I also have to weigh general interest as far as numbers are concerned -- especially if I have to concern myself with an art and production budget.
Now all of this isn't just doom and gloom. I really think TLG is trying to turn this around. The stuff is selling and not just through direct sales -- it's just not Pathfinder or D&D. Last year's release of the CKG did give it a good bump and TLG has three big projects lined up to be released in the first two quarters of this year (one of which I recently reviewed). Arcana Creations will be putting out at least two modules this year for the game and pretty much all the material which will be included in the "Ballista Rules Companion" can be used with C&C.
TLG just needs to keep focused in order to remain relevant and hopefully it will be enough to bring committed fans back to the fold and they can do their own thing and just play the game. And, while I remain hopeful, Arcana Creations will diversify in case C&C continues to falter amongst the fans as they more on to explore other gaming options.
M
Big questions and he covers some of the issues quite nicely. Also thanks for the compliment with regards to the material we produced for C&C -- I do pride myself with the fine work I put in to those adventures and I always tried to improve upon the last product I did. But to the question at hand.
I don't think it was one particular incident that led to dwindling fan supported material. I think it was a combination of factors. The biggest problem with the C&C Society was that very few shouldered the burden of keeping it going. Fewer were willing to tackle the responsibilities of providing direction but this was largely a problem of having spare time. At the time, when some members stepped down from leading rolls, I even offered to take on some of the responsibilities. Unfortunately, I was never given the opportunity. The material for the last issue of the Domesday zine was passed on to someone else and TLG was to push on with some of its own initiatives for the Society. One of the things TLG believed in (for the Society) was to use it as a vehicle to spread 'C&C' by members doing demos and in-store sessions of the game. They supplied members willing to do this with materials (known as the Harbinger box set) to facilitate this. It was (and still is) a great idea. Sadly, the society putting together material for the sake of putting out material ceased to be and those member who were most prolific have gone on to do other things.
When all of this came down, TLG and their product line was in a bit of flux and actually has been for the past couple of years. In 2009, they released the fourth printing of the PHB which was a bit expanded and featured a couple of key revisions. 2009 was a decent year with a few big releases -- very important with the loss of the Trigee license at the end of 2008. However, 2010 saw fewer key releases with the most significant book being the "Monsters & Treasure of Aihrde". While there were other cool releases in 2010 such as "Fields of Battle" or "Harvesters", 2011 had even less although the one product of note last year was the long-awaited "Castle Keeper's Guide". Sure, there were a bunch of other adventure modules over the past couple of years as well but nothing to really support the core game. I'm not necessarily thinking this is entirely bad though ... all you have to do is to take a look at the multitudes of books for Pathfinder or 3rd Edition D&D. People just won't keep re-purchasing the core books once they have them so these models require constant supporting material for the game. Adventure modules also only sell so well since that is the one thing that enterprising GM's don't mind developing themselves. In any case, less big titles coming out for C&C means a reduced interest in some cases simply because it isn't in the forefront anymore.
Arcana Creations and Brave Halfling Publishing also noticed a steady drop in sales for our C&C related material. The biggest seller was the first C&C release but each subsequent C&C related release has fewer sales interestingly enough. And this was before Arcana Creations fell off the radar in 2010 and 2011. I had always planned to do more and I still am actually but I also have to weigh general interest as far as numbers are concerned -- especially if I have to concern myself with an art and production budget.
Now all of this isn't just doom and gloom. I really think TLG is trying to turn this around. The stuff is selling and not just through direct sales -- it's just not Pathfinder or D&D. Last year's release of the CKG did give it a good bump and TLG has three big projects lined up to be released in the first two quarters of this year (one of which I recently reviewed). Arcana Creations will be putting out at least two modules this year for the game and pretty much all the material which will be included in the "Ballista Rules Companion" can be used with C&C.
TLG just needs to keep focused in order to remain relevant and hopefully it will be enough to bring committed fans back to the fold and they can do their own thing and just play the game. And, while I remain hopeful, Arcana Creations will diversify in case C&C continues to falter amongst the fans as they more on to explore other gaming options.
M
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Save ... or Else!
Time and time again, the question and relevance of the idea of rolling and making a save with the consequence being death will pop up. Those who follow multiple blogs will have already noticed the topic come up elsewhere in the past day or so. There simply is no right answer and we should accept it as such. The heart of the issue is not whether a character can die so indiscriminately in a campaign based on single, it's been about the style of game being run and the motivations (or rather purpose) behind that game.
Consider this: What matter most for the campaign? The story itself or the (player) characters that make up the story?
If the goal is to tell about the varied stories of a city, dungeon, war, or whatever, and this happens to be the focal point regardless of who interacts with them, then the characters don't really matter. That doesn't mean we won't get attached to them but the focus will be just to see how 'the big picture' and the GM's vision unfolds. In this case, the GM clearly has a tale he wishes to tell but the importance on the participants are less pronounced. Players roll with the punches and learn to travel in greater numbers. More importantly, if it is an engaging campaign story, then the players will want to see how everything ultimately unfolds.
However in other campaigns, the characters are also the vehicle for the story being told. An untimely death of a key persona could grind the campaign to a halt. Sure... there is always danger and an element of chance in well run and evenly matched combat and sometimes the dice aren't doing the players any favors. But in those circumstances, does the campaign really need a death as 'random' as a save-or-die roll? This is not to say that the characters can never die in these campaigns but there is a sense that death should be more poignant and meaningful if it should visit the party.
I've had the pleasure of playing in campaigns where the story and some of the of characters were intertwined profoundly. Long term campaigns. A focal character met his death and it did come to a simple die roll in the end. While it was well done and an awesome story moment, it also affected the campaign thereafter. And you know something? An incident like this SHOULD. Unfortunately, it had the effect of completely stalling the campaign and story being told for months and pretty much killed the campaign. The problem was that the story and this particular character had become *too* intertwined but, at the same time, there was the knowledge that a single die roll was to blame.
I am certainly not against in running a campaign where this sort of save-or-die can happen but I don't allow it the luxury of being overly common nor allow it to sabotage the story or the enjoyment of group at my gaming table. Characters have died in my campaign and there ARE consequences for stupidity but being curious is not a mistake. While the Tomb of Horrors is a favorite of mine, this is not the usual thing players expect from my campaigns.
So... whether there is no right or wrong answer regarding the issue of Save or Die saving throws, I think any GM should consider the nature of the campaign being told -- is it 'story-centric' or 'character-centric'. Chances are, it will likely affect how *you* roll in your games.
M
Consider this: What matter most for the campaign? The story itself or the (player) characters that make up the story?
If the goal is to tell about the varied stories of a city, dungeon, war, or whatever, and this happens to be the focal point regardless of who interacts with them, then the characters don't really matter. That doesn't mean we won't get attached to them but the focus will be just to see how 'the big picture' and the GM's vision unfolds. In this case, the GM clearly has a tale he wishes to tell but the importance on the participants are less pronounced. Players roll with the punches and learn to travel in greater numbers. More importantly, if it is an engaging campaign story, then the players will want to see how everything ultimately unfolds.
However in other campaigns, the characters are also the vehicle for the story being told. An untimely death of a key persona could grind the campaign to a halt. Sure... there is always danger and an element of chance in well run and evenly matched combat and sometimes the dice aren't doing the players any favors. But in those circumstances, does the campaign really need a death as 'random' as a save-or-die roll? This is not to say that the characters can never die in these campaigns but there is a sense that death should be more poignant and meaningful if it should visit the party.
I've had the pleasure of playing in campaigns where the story and some of the of characters were intertwined profoundly. Long term campaigns. A focal character met his death and it did come to a simple die roll in the end. While it was well done and an awesome story moment, it also affected the campaign thereafter. And you know something? An incident like this SHOULD. Unfortunately, it had the effect of completely stalling the campaign and story being told for months and pretty much killed the campaign. The problem was that the story and this particular character had become *too* intertwined but, at the same time, there was the knowledge that a single die roll was to blame.
I am certainly not against in running a campaign where this sort of save-or-die can happen but I don't allow it the luxury of being overly common nor allow it to sabotage the story or the enjoyment of group at my gaming table. Characters have died in my campaign and there ARE consequences for stupidity but being curious is not a mistake. While the Tomb of Horrors is a favorite of mine, this is not the usual thing players expect from my campaigns.
So... whether there is no right or wrong answer regarding the issue of Save or Die saving throws, I think any GM should consider the nature of the campaign being told -- is it 'story-centric' or 'character-centric'. Chances are, it will likely affect how *you* roll in your games.
M
Monday, March 5, 2012
Review: Classic Monsters - Part 2
One of the biggest criticisms that a segment of the C&C fans have laid at TLG's feet deals with missed opportunities. From the very beginning, they have had to contend with fans who wanted C&C to be a just a clone of their favorite game and then there were those who wanted something more. In either case, the general consensus has always been that C&C was simple and adaptable enough to use older, 'classic' gaming material as well as newer, 'modern' (read d20) material. The other consensus (for some) was that TLG wasn't doing enough to support the core of the game.Well, I feel that "Classic Monsters: The Manual" is a step in the right direction. Not only should it please fans who loved the original Monster Manual I and II books but the Fiend Folio as well. The author, Kim Hartsfield, takes a look and updates these classic creatures for use in C&C. Over 200 entries can be found in this book spreading across 144 pages. Actually, the critters themselves occupy just over a hundred of these pages. The Introduction and a general 'How to Use' section takes up 4 pages, and the index takes up a full 31 pages.
You may ask, "Why are there 31 pages for the index?"
Simple. The 'index' is a complete summary listing of all creatures along with their stats from the 'Classic Monsters' book as well as the original 'Monsters & Treasures' and the 'Monsters & Treasures of Aihrde'. This easily makes the index one of the best aspects of this new book.
As for the rest of the book, the essay on 'Monster Creation' in the 'Introduction' is a nice enough read and the creatures which adorn the majority of the pages are standard fare and is what one would expect for a book on monsters. In fact, the book will hold little surprises for those who have gamed well before Castles & Crusades was first published. I expect there will be some that will compare previous iterations of certain creatures by consulting the d20 'Tome of Horrors' by Necromancer Games or consulting the original Monster Manuals and Fiend Folio in order to see how these new versions actually stack up. Even I will be tempted to take a look at some of the entries as I have had to create C&C versions of these for works published by Arcana Creations. The Giant Crab, Selkie, Giant Centipede, and Huecuva are four examples of the top of my head (and this from just two modules!). I suppose this is one of the issues here when you think about it. Was this book actually necessary?
The book is certainly convenient and, it could make my job as a third-party publisher of C&C material easier (provided they correct some of the OGL related issues uncovered in the pre-release PDF version). However, a lot of people who use C&C undoubtedly also have access to a variety of other published work which can be just as easily converted and used for their games. I have run a few 1st edition modules and used the stat blocks pretty much as-is. I've done the same with d20 D&D modules. I have many books I can draw from which would only require the minimum of tweaks to use it for my personal C&C campaigns. On the other hand, it's nice to have a book which is readily available and in print for my gaming needs. No fuss at all. Of course, there are those that don't have or no longer have all these other books. People will want to use this book for different things.
As for the presentation of the book itself, it keeps the look of the recent books such as the latest printing of the 'Monsters & Treasures' book. The art style is typical of what you will find in the newer printings of the C&C books with some pieces being more 'sketch-like' than others. Art is a very subjective thing but it's consistent enough throughout and there isn't any one piece I dislike. There is one aspect of the layout done which I am not happy with though. The book is presented in two columns which is fine but there are instances where the stat block (as opposed to the description) is 'cut' and split at the bottom of one column to resume at the top of the next. Worse yet, at least a couple of instances has this across two pages! Now, the issue is not a terrible one but they seem to have managed to avoid this sort of issue in the past so I was genuinely surprised to see it. Who knows though, maybe this too will get fixed before it sees print.
Don't get me wrong -- I do like the book and I can't wait to see the 'real' finished product. If you are a C&C fan and run a game, should you buy the book? I guess in the end, you have to ask yourself what kind of C&C fan are you. When you first heard about a new monster book for C&C, did you wish to have more classic monsters that you know and love or would you want to have a book of brand new, never-before-seen monsters to throw at your players? Do you want to keep you C&C game to be more like the older games that inspired it, or would you rather go 'your way'?
For what it is, I'm generally satisfied with it and retailing at $24.95 for a hardcover edition, you are still getting value for you dollar compared to the typical cost of a gaming book today. For what it is, there is little else that this book 'needs'. One thing I would have liked to see included was the handful of critters found in 'Of Gods & Monsters' included in the appendix but that's just me. And, as usual, this is a product from TLG and thus never quite perfect. The quirkiest thing I found with the book was the decision to include the Cloaker. I find this odd since the original M&T for C&C also has an entry for the Cloaker. We probably don't need two but I chuckle when I think that they are also both listed in the Index.
When I do finally get my physical copy, I'll post a little something about it and see if there are any substantial difference with the PDF I have now and the version that ends up going to printers. I'll see if I can include a couple of pics as well. I just wouldn't expect them anytime this month!
M
C&C Classic Monsters Problems
Well, first off, it looks as if there will be a delay in the physical product getting into the hands of those eager to get it. With the PDF being released to those who pre-ordered it, it quickly became apparent that there was a series of problems with the text and specifically how things tied in with the OGL. As it stands, many of the monsters should have different names than what they currently have (you can see a the list in Part 1 of the review). This is simply to address the issue that the majority of these creatures are not in the original SRD provided by WOTC. Others were sourced from 'The Tome of Horrors' from Necromancer Games. As it stands, the OGL nor the text can be considered in its final form. Fortunately, this was caught by a fellow Crusader and TLG (Steve) has been aware of the issue and writes:
Well, it looks like (at the very least) the list of names will be changing though, in essence, those are the critters you'll be seeing in the new book. As far as the name changes go, it won't be the first time that TLG does this. In the original 'Monsters & Treasures' book, they had a creature that was largely inspired by the Carrion Crawler, a monster with is deemed as Product Identity by WOTC. They have a similar creature which is named a 'Flesh Crawler'.
Now, with this in mind, I will go ahead and review the product anyway... Read the next entry for Part 2 of the review!
M
Many of these monsters had name changes that didn't get put in the book...on a quick glance it looks like some of the original text got put in the book. What a jumbled mess.
Looks like Todd has some cross referencing to do and we have to find the original text!
Thank you most kindly for catching this before it goes to full print (I have the proofs in front of me right now). I had set this book aside and out of my mind...won't be doing that again.
Well, it looks like (at the very least) the list of names will be changing though, in essence, those are the critters you'll be seeing in the new book. As far as the name changes go, it won't be the first time that TLG does this. In the original 'Monsters & Treasures' book, they had a creature that was largely inspired by the Carrion Crawler, a monster with is deemed as Product Identity by WOTC. They have a similar creature which is named a 'Flesh Crawler'.
Now, with this in mind, I will go ahead and review the product anyway... Read the next entry for Part 2 of the review!
M
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