Not DnD - Shadow of the Weird Wizard with Rob Schwalb

Shadow of the Weird Wizard was voted as one of the most anticipated TTRPGs of 2023 by EN World readers. Join us as we discuss Rob Schwalb's family-friendly incarnation of his Shadow of the Demon Lord ruleset. Announced in 2020, this game went through numerous names, and has been long in the making, and redesigns the Demon Lord system for a new audience. The Weird Wizard is an eccentric character who lives in Clockwork City, and whose magic has transformed the lands.

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NOT DND is our weekly streamed show where Jessica Hancock interviews tabletop RPG creators about their games -- focusing on those which are not D&D! You can catch it every week at 10-pm on our Twitch channel, catch up on past episodes on YouTube, or listen to it as a weekly podcast wherever you get your pods! Past episodes include Dune, Star Trek Adventures, WFRP, Blade Runner, and many more.

Weird Wizard Archives - Schwalb Entertainment

schwalbentertainment.com

 

[mamba]

Indeed this seems like a great value. I'm looking forward to checking out the quick play materials. Can anyone suggest a link to get an overview of the Shadows of the Demon Lord?

Game Review: Shadow of the Demon Lord

A review of Robert Schwalb's Shadow of the Demon Lord, a dark, apocalyptic fantasy TTRPG that walks the line between OSR simplicity& modern crunch.

deathtrap-games.blogspot.com

In case you want to jump right in, now is a great time for that...

Bundle of Holding - The Void has consumed all

bundleofholding.com

Bundle of Holding - The Legacy is spent

bundleofholding.com

You really want the first one, the second one is 'just' more expansions and supplements, all the major parts are in the first. Even with just the $8 starter collection of the first you are set. Both active right now because of the Weird Wizard kickstarter

 

[Zaukrie]

I'm shocked at this low sales level. But it is a game that looks complicated. Not sure the marketing is great either.

 

[Crusadius]

I'm shocked at this low sales level. But it is a game that looks complicated. Not sure the marketing is great either.

I'm not shocked - it's targeting the same space as 5E. And that space is crowded enough as it is.

I don't think the game is overly complicated but then all systems look complicated to those unfamiliar with them, so SotWW has at least one more obstacle to overcome with attracting backers when compared to something like Dolmenwood.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I'm shocked at this low sales level. But it is a game that looks complicated. Not sure the marketing is great either.

The campaign is definitely talking mostly to people who already know what it is rather than people who don't know Schwalb's work or why they should be interested in this game versus the alternatives.

 

[Nikosandros]

The campaign is definitely talking mostly to people who already know what it is rather than people who don't know Schwalb's work or why they should be interested in this game versus the alternatives.

On that note, compare the free downloads for the two games. The one for Weird Wizard has actually more oomph, since it has pre-gens and an adventure, but the layout and writing style is far more spartan. The Dolmenwood one is sleek and polished and is a well made "trailer" for the full game, IMO.

 

[schneeland]

I'm shocked at this low sales level. But it is a game that looks complicated. Not sure the marketing is great either.

I think, it unfortunately missed the "OGL-window of opportunity" (not Schwalb's fault, if I got it right, he had to take care of a family member - also, I think Shadowdark is probably really the only game that did).
And now, as @Crusadius already brought, there is less demand for alternatives in the 5e space. Also, if I look at Dolmenwood, it has an interesting setting with a massive of polish that makes it hard to resist. SotWW's setting seems kind of generic (which is probably by design).

 

[Morrus]

I'm shocked at this low sales level.

Eh? It's made quarter of a million dollars with nearly a month left to go! It's doing incredibly well!

 

[mamba]

I'm not shocked - it's targeting the same space as 5E. And that space is crowded enough as it is.

if this had come out earlier as planned (April I believe), or better yet in Jan / Feb, it would have gotten a lot more backers. The anger over the OGL stuff seems to be well and truly gone

 

[mrm1138]

I preferred the name Shadow of the Mad Wizard, but I get why it's been changed.

 

[mamba]

Eh? It's made quarter of a million dollars with nearly a month left to go! It's doing incredibly well!

It is doing pretty well, I just think that in Feb or even April it could have made Shadowdark kind of money.

Looking back the Demon Lord kickstarter in 2015 made 140k. Obviously KS has grown since then, either way 175k on the first day is not bad at all.