The Douchey DM » RPG Industry BS
I’m Mad as Hell, and I’m Not Going to Take It Anymore!
Tweet Editor’s note: While I seemingly rail against Kickstarter creators in this post, I am well aware that many good people are conducting good business on Kickstarter. I also acknowledge that many projects by first-time creators get funded and made because of Kickstarter, and I know these projects might not otherwise see the light of day. Kickstarter is a valuable service to our community and many others. This article is not to attack the concept or all creators, but to shine a light on those who seemingly abuse it. I recently ranted on and on about a very late projects on Kickstarter on the most recent episode of Happy Jacks RPG Podcast. The rant began when I heard a recent episode of the Bear Swarm podcast, where a listener mentioned in an … Read entire article »
Filed under: Alternate Views, General Gaming, Opinion, RPG Industry BS
Character Uniqueness in Various Systems
Tweet I sometimes wonder what my “perfect” RPG system would be. And most of the time, when I wonder this, I often assemble in my head a synthesis of several games I like and the things I like about them. This particular bout of wonder came up after a discussion about Savage Worlds and the lack of PC uniqueness, and I started assembling in my head the various ways games give us the ability to make unique player characters. Method One – Theater of the Mind This is what I call the Savage Worlds method. You can often end up with mechanically similar characters, and the way you differentiate these characters is with trappings. In essence, your description or narration provides uniqueness to the characters. This uniqueness, however, is a thin veneer. Ultimately, your … Read entire article »
Filed under: General Gaming, RPG Industry BS
What Irks Me About Kickstarter
Tweet Near the end of the most recent episode of Happy Jacks RPG Podcast, I engaged in a rather heated tirade about Kickstarters. We received an email from a listener who was promoting a Kickstarter, and he asked “what do you want to see from a Kickstarter?” My answer, was this, “I’d like to see a fucking product.” I’ve backed four or five Kickstarters now, and so far, I have very little for my money. Some of these Kickstarters are, I realize, still not near their estimated delivery dates for their products, but some are and some have said they’ll miss them. In the future, I’m going to look at Kickstarters with more skepticism that I have in the past. Here are some warning signs I’ll look for: 1. Distant Estimated Delivery Dates If you are … Read entire article »
Filed under: RPG Industry BS
GenCon 2012 Interview: Paizo Publishing
Tweet The first interview I was able to negotiate at GenCon this year was with a representative for Paizo Publishing. Being the most popular role playing game there is to find at the moment I felt it was a good place to start. I asked Sean K. Reynolds for a few minutes of his time and we talked. Just as a little background, Sean has worked for TSR, Wizards of the Coast, Black Isle Studios, Upper Deck, and now o course Paizo Publishing. He has done a little bit of just about everything in the gaming industry from the video game side, to card games, and of course rpg design. He has his own personal site at www.seankreynolds.com and if you wish to learn more you … Read entire article »
Filed under: Misc, RPG Industry BS
Hero Games Scaling Back
Tweet There’s an announcement on the Hero Games web page stating at Steven S. Long (line developer) and Darren Watts (president) are leaving the company. Jason Walters (general manager) will remain the only full-time employee. It’s difficult to avoid reading a lot into such an announcement. Does this mean the end of the Hero System? Probably not for a while, anyway. Certainly there are plenty of of folks out there who will continue to play and run Hero System games. And the company has stated that there will be an attractive third-party publisher option out there for those who which to support the system. There are also indications that Long and Watts will continue to support the system as freelancers or third-party developers. If this had happened fifteen years ago, I’d declare the Hero System … Read entire article »
Filed under: General Gaming, RPG Industry BS
