That's the whole point of the toolbox approach adopted for the nWoD, after all:
Yes, but it remains to be seen if that makes for commercial success. Haven't they canceled at least one of the lines (Mage, iirc) at this point?
That's the whole point of the toolbox approach adopted for the nWoD, after all:
Nope. You see, every line after the Big Three (Vampire, Werewolf, Mage) was deliberately limited to only a few supplements (although Changeling then received a further extension due to its surprising popularity), and until now White Wolf has released a new one each year. Currently they are moving entirely into digital publishing: PDF, POD, that sort of thing.Yes, but it remains to be seen if that makes for commercial success. Haven't they canceled at least one of the lines (Mage, iirc) at this point?
True. For instance, the Strix is an ancient enemy that's mentioned repeatedly in the background information of Vampire: The Requiem. However, the presence of these owl spirits would only become a matter of metaplot if at some point during the line they were to, say, destroy one of the Covenants which following supplements then would no longer consider a valid option for PCs.Having built-in, setting-wide threats and conspiracies is not metaplot; it's just setting background. Metaplot is when those threats and conspiracies evolve over successive book releases, along a path dictated by the game designers.
Thanks for the info! I stand corrected then.That sequence of events isn't right. FASA's metaplot didn't start until Shadowrun, which wasn't published until 1989. White Wolf didn't even exist as a company until 1991.
Dragonlance, in 1984, is the grand-daddy of metaplot. (There may be some inklings in that direction from Traveller, but generally the Traveller metaplot isn't seen as really existing until MegaTraveller in '87.)
Torg's player-driven metaplot (originating in 1990) also predates White Wolf, but I think between Dragonlance and the Time of Troubles, TSR can be firmly identified as the company which gave birth to metaplot.
True. For instance, the Strix is an ancient enemy that's mentioned repeatedly in the background information of Vampire: The Requiem. However, the presence of these owl spirits would only become a matter of metaplot if at some point during the line they were to, say, destroy one of the Covenants which following supplements then would no longer consider a valid option for PCs.
Yes, but it remains to be seen if that makes for commercial success. Haven't they canceled at least one of the lines (Mage, iirc) at this point?
No, they haven't cancelled Mage. One Mage book came with an ambiguous afterword because WW hadn't quite figured out how they were going to present tabletop support.
Even though I've written for the company including creating the most toolboxy things around, I dislike toolboxes. But even though I dislike them, I can't say they make or break things either way.
Judging by what's been discussed on other forums, that's just part of their whole digital publishing initiative. White Wolf will be gradually abandoning printed products entirely, except through On Demand arrangements. They still have supplements scheduled for the next year, but those are all PDF-only.I'm talking about things people involved with the company have said in my presence: that development of products beyond a certain point has been halted, and that they aren't reprinting the base Mage rules, and are looking to empty out current inventory. That sounds like cancellation to me.