Wednesday, August 2, 2017

#RPGaDay 2017 Day 2: What is an RPG You Would Like to See Published

Ah, Day 2!  "What is an RPG You Would Like to See Published"

While I think the question wants us to ponder new properties or ideas becoming RPGs, I'll venture in to the area of "I hope this gets published."

Short Answer: Talislanta: The Savage Land

Long Answer:  Talislanta: The Savage Land (TSL) is a new version of the classic Talislanta line, however this time, the game is set shortly after the Great Cataclysm, a time of savagery and chaos.  The world pf Talislanta, with its pockets of safety within civilization gets no such luxury in TSL.  To me, it had everything I loved about the early editions of Tal with heaping doses of post-apocalyptic fantasy, and a great Conan vibe.

It must be loved by others too, as the Kickstarter campaign raised $70,000 for TSL. And that's where my fanboy love gets overridden by years of FLGS managerial experience, vaporware disappointment, and a healthy dose of watching Kickstarters implode as a spectator (or a $1 pledge to get better seats).

First was the variety of rule sets this was getting written for.  Classic Tal mechanics (OMNI for some),  Fifth Edition D&D, and d6 were all getting represented with their own printings.  That caters to some preferred tastes and complicates any further products.  Then they decided to expand the choices even further to include Pathfinder and Savage Worlds.

Second was the Kickstarter lead creator, Stewart Wieck.  Stewart was with White Wolf and Nocturnal Media fame.   Sixteen projects is the sign of an experienced man who knows what he's doing.  Except that I'm still waiting on rewards for Prince Valiant that were supposed to arriving in November, and progress was barely starting to peak its head out earlier in the Summer....

...before Stewart passed away.

It's completely tragic that an otherwise healthy, vibrant man was cut down in the prime of his life.   Updates by his brother and fellow collaborators are certainly appreciated during this time of grief... and general chaos. I've seen less organized efforts collapse under stress, and those reasons were minute to compare with a death within the project.  

Let's just say I'm not holding my breath to see either project finished, but I'm hopeful that one day I'll get my copy of TSL (original rules).

I usually have a keen nose for avoiding problems on Kickstarters, and I did cut down my initial pledges considerably, but this knack is reserved for production issues, not the loss of an influential member of gaming history.

(Update: Without editing this entire write-up that I finished over this weekend, I'm happy to report on not only have numerous updates been sent from someone within Nocturnal Media, but a BackerKit link to finalize my order as well. Fingers still crossed, but I'll be wildly surprise if even the electronic rewards hit by early 2018.)

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