WOTC make some good products. After Days of Wonder having to be bought by Fantasy Flight I think all companies need to take the hard decisions (laying off staff is a tough and unpleasant task for any manager) and stay in business in this challenging economy. We have very few of what we all think of as proper 'companies' in this industry. The designers laid off have a following and hopefully will do some more stuff. My company had its first layoffs ever this year (100+, many divisions closed) and no matter how a company goes about it, people will be angry that there are layoffs. But it's just business, and the more companies that do business in an above-board and diligent manner, the bigger our industry will be. WOTC by being a success has brought many talents to the public eye, so I wish them and all game companies small or large success and survival.
Steve Geddes wrote:
Gotta disagree the choices aren't varied. I think this could be a DM or PC issue. We suggested our own non-combative courses of action in the last game: 1) convincing the last enemy in a fight to join us and 2) delaying a fight with a superior group of gravediggers that wasn't openly hostile by talking to them). In both cases, Diplomacy was involved, but also: 1) Religion, in convincing the enemy that his friends had blasphemed by switching gods. A noncharismatic character contributed with his language skill. And, 2) History, in realizing the gravedigger was no archaeologist. Perception, in noticing various things. Some wilderness/survival related skill to identify some animal parts that weren't what they were claimed to be. We must have used at least 3 separate skills each challenge, and both were spontaneously created by the DM and PCs. We may have gotten unseen bonuses for the words we put in our PCs mouths. We had many choices, avoided two combats, all using the skill challenge rules from the core rules. Voila, a working roleplay mechanic. In fact, the system worked so well, as another poster mentioned, we didn't even realized we'd passed a skill check until the next day!
bugleyman wrote:
NO they are NOT. All dungeon crawls. So far. I bought the first three for Hero level and the first for Forgotten Realms. On the upside, they all have killer maps that are also reusable. But no one got into the story of Keep on the Shadowfell. "There's your mentor! Should we save him?" "I dunno. I guess." I'd like to see more intrigue and mystery included.
Horus wrote:
Same. I am a recent subscriber but I find less infighting on the 4e threads elsewhere like rpg.net, i like threads where we talk about the game itself. i play all systems, but until the edition wars are over, i won't be visiting as often as long as i feel uncomfortable here.
donnald johnson wrote:
I'm referring to the promotional blurb with the product: "Only the most courageous and cunning of heroes will emerge victorious from Dragora's Dungeon." This sounds like hack-and-slash. as does the powergamey-sounding bit about great dungeons make graet adventurers. If there IS a deep story in there, maybe they should put that in their promotional material.
"Remember the good old days, when adventures were underground, NPCs were there to be killed, and the finale of every dungeon was the dragon on the 20th level? Those days are back. Dungeon Crawl Classics don't waste your time with long-winded speeches, weird campaign settings, or NPCs who aren't meant to be killed. Each adventure is 100% good, solid dungeon crawl, with the monsters you know, the traps you fear, and the secret doors you know are there somewhere." I like the old days, and the maps sound killer, but I dunno about the brainless part of the above. Is the series really like this? Sounds like criticisms of the new 4e adventure Keep on the Shadowfell.
Of course it should be noted that any copyright holder is well within legal and moral rights to determine how much of that copyright other companies can have access to, for free or for a charge. But yeah, the GSL gives WOTC more control. I imagine they felt they didn't make enough of a share in the overall market for the line.
I have gamed in the realms for years, so I hear ya. On the other hand it DID always striek me as somewhat generic, like nothing earthshaking would ever happen, like I was a speck on a mountain... THAT seems like it has probably changed. I will give it a shot, and read it (if just for the fun of it) but if I end up agreeing with you I will just keep using my old FR stuff as I am sure will a lot of others.
I like the Dragon concept of short modular adventures that require little prep time. I dunno if any group I could put together could finish an adventure that took more than one session. Paizo ceratinly needs to negotiate a GSL they can live with and start making stuff for 4e though, their quality level is tops and I don't see 4e going anywhere... despite the critics a LOT of people are getting back into gaming with this version. I have H1-H3 on order but if I don't like them I will probably be convert my Pathfinder subscription adventures instead because they're so rich.
Too bad, I liked her. Mystra also gone. I have the companion on order and can't wait to see it; I think the salient point for FR fans is they can still play in teh past if tehy prefer it; and the changes may bring in new players who didn't like teh realms before. Say what you want, but FR is a less 'generic' setting after the Spellplague. Bordering on 'out there', especially considering the landscape, per WOTC now looks like a Roger Dean cover from a Yes album. That strikes me as hearkening back to the 70s while putting a spin on things, which is cool, that's when the hobby began, so it makes sense to me. But a point many people miss about RPGs is that you can take what you like and leave out what you don't; unless yer playing in a tournament you just make the world what you want. A rehash of FR 3x using the 4e rules now strikes me as pointless so I am glad they took a new direction... and to repeat, the FR of 2 and 3x are STILL USABLE if you prefeer to set you campaign in them. But you may need the new book for a lot of the creature stats I guess.
I enjoyed 3e as an encyclopedia for teh books and for the Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale series of games, which is most of my exposure to FR. I will probably buy it because FR feels like home after so many years videogaming in it. I worry about the chanmges wrought by the spellplague and the new art design, but on the other hand, WOTC says the new art direction will be like Roger Dean's album covers for Yes, and that's great gaming music and one of my fave bands, with some of my fave cover art, so it might be fun if it feels all 70s, Wizards (the Ralph Bakshi movie) and Heavy Metal (the music and the movie) in 4e.
baradifi wrote:
Hi, please ship what you have ready now, and send the above with the next available pathfinder subscription ( i do not mean the pathfinder subscription that is shipping Aug 1, rather the next one.) Thanks!
Alison McKenzie wrote:
Hi, how much will it add to my total to have the items that are ready ship now? I imagine minis shouldnt cost too much to ship.
|