Cult Of Games XLBS: The Big Bad Dungeon Master; Has The D&D Bubble Properly Popped?
January 15, 2023 by warzan
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Happy Sunday!
WotC is an absolute train-wreck. It managed to turn content creators and the community against it in a heartbeat. They are now saying what they released was a potential draft and no-one believes them. Even if it was only a draft, the damage is done and they have publicly said they want to monetise the community like they were video gamers. That’s GW talk. No-one expected it to come from WotC.
I can see ‘D&D Next’ falling flat, even if it is great just because of this very public mistake. I was already finding some of the ‘woke’ garbage they wanted to add totally unnecessary. Paizo/Pathfinder must be loving this. Personally I hope it leads to Cubicle7 getting more of the recognition it deserves (especially with Warhammer RPG).
On Henry Cavill etc, the Witcher will die without him. The problem with the next Superman is that fans are over re-boots because directors don’t like what the previous one did. The Batman was good, but was a massive drop on revenue on previous movies because the fans actually like Bale and Affleck as Batman (Batmen?).
It’s the XLBS Show……………..Happy Sunday Fellow CoGs!
As far as the WotC D&D implosion, I’ve been warning people not to build on the 5e system! Especially if you already have your own system. If you have your own system then no one can pull the rug out from under you. Only you can fubar yourself! Too many creative folks “went and got lazy” and tried to ride the Critical Role, Penny Arcade, ect, ect gravy train follower lemmings march. There are so many great systems out there. There is no need to blindly follow someone else’s choice just because some stars seem to be going that way. Personal I prefer ‘Dugeon World and Basic Fantasy’ over D&D 5e. But if I choose D&D I still roll back to AD&D.
So many good things out there now……..’Soulbound’ is rocking it out of the park big-time! Also ‘Monster of the Week’.
The WotC FUBAR has made me dig out my own homebrew RPG. It’s gone through countless iterations over the last 30 years (first version was very crunchy in early 1990’s) and the current version will be rules lite.
I had a look at the Modiphius ‘worlds’ stuff, but skimming the docs it’s apparent I would need to do so much editing to fit it to my setting that I might as well write my own rules.
Will I ever finish it? Who knows!
Will I play it for more that a couple of rules test? Dunno!
Will I publish it? Probably not!
I hope you continue to work on it.
I’d look forward to reading through them if you published or just want another set of eyes looking them over. I’d even sign an NDA, (I’ve sign a few of those over the years).
While I have always created my own adventure modules, (a complete world for low and high fantasy plus a Scifi Universe, which are all still moving along), I’ve never really set down and tried to create my own rules system. My adventure universes are really rules agnostic. The story has always been more important to me than the rules framework.
I write my own adventures because…
1) 1f I write it… I know the entire plot…
2) I don’t have to memorise stuff written by others…
3) I can pronouce the NPC’s and place names used…
I do plunder pre-written adventures for maps etc… but the internet is a good source for that too.
And there was something I read in Knights of the Dinner Table years ago that stuck in my mind…
Two GM’s were talking and one asked “Where do you get all the plots for wild west games when there is so little for the system?”
The other answered… “It’s simple… I pick up a fantasy module… make the goblins into bandits… have them hide out in a disused mine and have them kidnap a ranchers daughter instead the princess”.
It makes life a lot easier.
As for writing the rules… one thing I have found that is hardest to do is combat. I used to write the skills and character rules first… but then I always struggled to get combat to work with what I hae already created.
This time I’m going to figure out the combat first and the rest should fall into place… hopefully!
Remember OGL? Well, after Hasbro bought WotC, Hasbro was thinking of dropping D&D because it wasn’t making money by Hasbro standards. What WotC found out was that the core books were selling — so they stopped putting out supplementary material, releasing the OGL license instead. OGL had plenty of chaff, but also wheat and stuff better than what WotC put out. However, WotC also shortened the edition cycle of D&D, meaning that they expected their audience would buy core books again and again. I haven’t been following D&D since 4e, so dunno about the “living edition” D&D. But I’d say that WotC’s troubles started a long time ago.
That said, the Starter Sets are a great value, and good for us casual players who are fine with a few low-level games. And, while D&D works as “common tongue” for gamers, it wouldn’t be hard for rpg’ers to find another RPG, namely Pathfinder, which has enough core audience for players to find a game. D&D itself, much like OD&D, would find gamers continuing the game system without the brand name. I prefer the Dungeon World spin-off, One-Shot World, myself. It’s more narrative, involves the players in worldbuilding, and can be played casually for just a few games to have fun. : https://yochaigal.itch.io/oneshotworld
The Amazon 40K series has the potential to damage GW and Cavil if it’s not done right. Amazon will pass it off as a series that didn’t work and move on to the next big thing. It’s a big risk for Cavil because if it turns out to be a big pile hot steaming dog mess he’ll be blamed for it. As for GW, hobbyists will just go oh well what did we expect after the Space Marine movie, the general public won’t be convinced to look at Games Workshop other than a geeky kids toyshop.
Itssss the XLBS nutters show.
Are you adding the podcast download?
Are you adding the podcast?
The warhammer + numbers is what the BBC would be like if they didn’t have the t.v.licence Gestapo officer’s because of the shite shows out now.
Look at the quality of the ?hellsreach? Fan film with time an the massive improvement of graphics.
Orks an gun/Whaaagh love ? ?
Helsreach.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nKMdHfOC7VQ
I feel like Loki after his dance with Hulk in avenger’s HQ most mornings.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=31ZjnrHR8EA
Warhammer 40K always seemed very Victorian/hungergames with most of the unwashed masses grinding away to survive.
As long as they tasted good Warren.
It’s a Punkasaurs @warzan
CONTROVERSIAL.
Future cars will be full size TCR with a button to change lanes.
No No you have to go back every 10/20 year’s to manage an thin the forest @warzan so they can grow properly.
On the subject of hardballing you haven’t been talking about GW harassment of a long time now. @warzan @lloyd ? Or do they just let the wookie win.?
Release the gimp as Spartacus ? Lol.
Greed is the killer.
A fantastic informative show guy’s.
Sunday it is.
00:00 Double-whammy!
04:00 If you have coin @warzan has warez
04:30 Seen that on facepage… tried to forget it XD
05:40 Candy cane? That’s a bolt pistol
06:35 “finishing off” *Sigh*
08:00 Wallec and Grommit!
08:30 Games W’ankh-shop
12:45 This weeks XLBS is now known as XLSX
14:45 good point there @lloyd We should compare patreon subscribers or “YouTube Members” (or what ever that’s called)
16:35 “every one White Dwarf but only up to volume X” Pretty sure I remember being said that you can’t read older WD
19:45 “That project” – call it what it is @brennon “Henry Cavill’s Hobby Show” XD
20:45 Word!
24:30 I’m not connected to this project!
28:00 Sometime in the far future I want a documentary on why Cavill really left the The Witcher
32:30 It’s going to have huge meme potential
34:00 Demographic? Who need that?!
34:45 Hero orgy?
36:55 Bot War!
37:15 Help? Help? Naaaah. Just have him on more often so he can unload on a regular basis…
38:30 Does it still light up?
43:05 promises!
44:00 lizz0rds!
46:15 shlaix. Not Shlek. GOTT IM HIMMEL! SHLAIX! @warzan
48:45 Unpull your fingers everybody!
50:15 Stop shooting Lloyd. That’s getting expensive…
55:00 Potatoes!
56:20 Diesel Fueled Drinks
58:00 Heeeee’s a lumberjack… *humm*
60:00 Now that’s a little bit of a stretch Warren XD
1:01:00 Explody-bit! Not going to comment on this. ’cause I don’t know shit about it. 🙂
1:14:30 I like Monopoly. Especially my Star Wars Edition
1:20:00 Yes. OS and CC is the way forward if you want to avoid monopoly’s. Also: why has nobody mentioned GURPS so far? Or did I miss that?
1:25:15 I hate to bring that to you @warzan but Linux is just one guy. Many people are working on it but if Linus Torvalds doesn’t like it, he has last say in it. He has axed some ideas in the past. And with to many people you’ll be getting “design by comity”
1:25:30 I use GIMP!
1:28:00 I’ll make my own rules with Jack Black and horkers.
1:31:00 Sappy Hu… I did that one already, didn’t I?
1:33:00 GURPS!
1:35:00 Burn all your D&D books as a protest! BURN THEM!
1:36:00 Love how Warren defaults to tampax… and not like. WAYLAND!
Now, give comments to read!
Happy Sunday.
It nice to see both the brothers back, and everyone getting stuck in with the conversation.
What’s this games Workshop people keep talking about? Is it the place where people go and make games?
I think even if they go back on the changes for the open license this has given many companies which rely on this a rude awakening. There’s going to be some series thinking on ways forward not to tie their property’s in the thralls to another large company.
Lol, like Teddy Bear Workshop ?
I do enjoy seeing Warren getting stuck into the business side of the industry. Almost as much as I like seeing Gerry get stuck into a new t shirt ?
Gerry mentioned that there is a thing called GURPS but that does have drawbacks. Piggybacking on Warren’s analogy of software, GURPS is like LINUX. You need to know how the backbone works in order to make the thing you want as a player using that game engine.
Without getting bogged down in details it is great for creative minds that custom craft a character to the Nth degree. It’s not a system you can pluck a pc off the shelf for a campaign if you found a random one to play in. The forays into things like VtM back in the 90s and others seemed like good ideas but the fan base just wasn’t going there to play outside of their WoD d10 system.
If the readership will forgive an animal reference, this may be the end game moment of Sword Art Online.
The revolution has already happened and the customers have driven the backlash!
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/13/hasbro-delays-new-dungeons-dragons-licensing-rules.html
It reads well enough for a non-gamer audience of normies. Its almost February and The Event has waned enough to allow people to meet in-person. Its time to revive Snag-a- Normie. Gear up, move out, take the uninitiated by storm!
Press release today:
———————
Free League Develops Two New Open Game Licenses
Free League Publishing today announced the development of two new Open Game Licenses (OGL). One is a rework of the Year Zero Engine OGL, the other a new license specifically designed for third-party modules for the upcoming Dragonbane fantasy RPG.
The work on these new licenses was initiated last year, but was intensified after the news regarding the update of Wizards of the Coasts’ OGL v1.0, on which the Year Zero Engine (YZE) license was based.
“It’s clear that it is high time for Free League to have an OGL that is fully our own,” says Free League CEO Tomas Härenstam.
The Year Zero Engine in various iterations has been used in most Free League RPGs in recent years, including Mutant: Year Zero, Coriolis, Tales From the Loop, Forbidden Lands, ALIEN, Vaesen, Blade Runner RPG, and the upcoming The Walking Dead Universe RPG. The YZE is an accessible, fast, and adaptable rules framework that encourages story-focused and player-driven playstyles.
The new Year Zero Engine OGL is designed to be easy to understand and use for creators. It will give creators an irrevocable, worldwide, and royalty-free right to use Year Zero Engine Standard Reference Document (YZE SRD) and freely publish their own roleplaying material based on it.
Alongside the new YZE OGL, the YZE SRD itself is being given a major overhaul and update, based on the developments of the Year Zero Engine in recent years. The new SRD will include more rules variants and add rules for chases, vehicles, travel, and magic.
Beside the YZE OGL, Free League will also release a third-party license for the upcoming Dragonbane RPG, which was successfully Kickstarted last year. This license allows creators to freely publish RPG supplements explicitly compatible with Dragonbane, and to place the special A Module for Dragonbane logo (see below) on the front cover.
The Dragonbane license is intended for third-party supplements for the game, not new standalone games, and thus does not have an SRD. This license is similar to the Free League Workshop community content program on DrivethruRPG, but allows creators to freely choose where to share or sell Dragonbane modules and without paying any royalties to anyone.
Both new Free League OGLs will be released in the next few weeks.
Unrelated to the two new OGLs, Free League currently publishes two product lines for 5E using WotC’s v1.0 OGL: The Lord of the Rings™ Roleplaying (based on the original game The One Ring™) and Ruins of Symbaroum (based on Symbaroum). Based on the latest announcement from WotC, it seems like these two game lines can continue largely unaffected even after their updated OGL, but Free League continues to monitor the situation as more information becomes available.
Great show. I enjoyed the WOTC debacle discussion. Also thank you for the Golden Button.
I think Henry Cavill would probably aim for playing Roboute Guillemin because, he is around in the Horus Heresy and around in modern day 40K, so 30K filming check, 40k filming check.
So whatever era of story there doing he could be a part of it, either that or he’s the Emperor and yet another one of his 40k descended offspring turns out to be a hero, again. Oh, you know Henry your look like a chip off the old block almost a spitting image of the Emperor when he still walked amongst us.
Nice show guys… how many backstagers are there in total
My backstage pass had lapsed a few months back but I renewed it just to watch this show. I love hearing your opinions on the industry stuff. These days, I still engage in the hobby but I’m not so bothered about new stuff andxwhat others are doing, but I’m always up for an industry discussion.
And +1 for Warren’s opinion that big companies are shite. Totally agree – Coca Cola, Nestle, Esso, etc.,etc. Small companies are brilliant. Medium sized ones too. Big ones suck hairy balls because once they are listed on the stock exchange the ONLY thing that matters is constantly increasing profits, and everything ultimately gets sacrificed on that altar. Its simply the nature of big PLCs to do so.
I don’t think the bubble is about to burst. I suspect the D&D bubble might deflate a little in the short term as people leave and go elsewhere. But the majaority of players will likely continue consuming whatever turds WotC serve up to them.
When you talk about shows not being able to carry it off forever, I think that’s right up to a point. The problem I see with modern TV shows is that they are made with the intention of milking it for as long as possible, rather than coming at it with a complete story that can be concluded. That’s why shows tend to linger way longer than they need to. the Walking Dead is a perfect example – that show could have finished and done so on a high, with the defeat of Negan. There was no need to continue the story after that point. Another prime example is the Disney Star Wars sequel movies; there was clearly an appetite for more Star Wars movies but Return of the Jedi was a fully concluded story, it did not need (nor did it particularly facilitate) a continuation. The world is utterly averse to trying anything new and so Hollywood just keeps flogging those dead horses until there’s literally nothing left to flog.
Game of Thrones is an exception and there’s absolutely no excuse for the dismal failure of the last few series of that show. There was a story, GRR Martin had told them the story and that story could have been made. But the showrunners had received an offer from Disney to make some Star Wars and they couldn’t wait to get out of there so they basically phone series 9 in. Ultimately that decision and the subsequent reception of the last series would then see them axed from Star Wars as well.
Loved the debate at the end!
Lets not become the D+D peoples front or the peoples front of D+D. Stick together comrades 🙂
Fight the Power….
I’ve only been able to watch this now, but thanks for the kind words on my Lizardmen project, really helps with motivation.