RPGA:No to Living Modern, Yes to Living Dragonlance?

[Coreyartus]

I don't get it. Mortality Radio's interview with Sovereign Press and Margaret Weiss says that RPGA is going to start two new fantasy campaigns: Living Dragonlance and Living Sovereign Stone. That means they're ignoring a Living Modern Campaign.

Aren't Living City, Living Arcanis, Living Greyhawk, Living Kalamar, and now Legacy of the Green Regent enough medieval-fantasy-oriented to give people a variety? Why do we need a Living Dragonlance AND a Living Sovereign Stone on top of that? I understand these campaigns won't be actually run by RPGA (neither is City or Arcanis or Kalamar), but c'mon! It's HARD to find people interested enough in taking time to create an entire Modern homeplay campaign, so I would think a Living Modern campaign could take off like a shot because it'll draw all those players!

I was hoping they would investigate the Urban Arcana angle, but I guess that's just not going to generate enough participation for them. I guess I'm just horribly naive. Here's hoping their myopically narrow genre selection works in their favor, because then they can come around and finally start the games I'm interested in...

Coreyartus

 

[Voneth]

Well, if your priority is modern setting over what d20 rules you want to use, there is a Living Spycraft game.

 

[Coreyartus]

Nah, I just found it ironic that they kept saying there was absolutely no hope of a Modern campaign, and yet they somehow find the time to assist two more variations of something they've already got... I find that sorta frustratin'.

Coreyartus

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Well, d20 Modern is MUCH more of a broad setting than most. It doesn't HAVE a default campaign setting. It has three...or so. Also, Urban Arcana hasn't been out too terribly long, and perhaps there is some waiting to see how well it does. It isn't like Dragonlance, which already HAS a huge fanbase. Patience.

 

[vrykyl]

Please don't misunderstand, the RPGA is not planning on running and managing either a Living Sovereign Stone or a Living Dragonlance campaign. We have been in early talks to establish such campaigns and get the "seal of approval" of being RPGA-sanctioned.

As for why we (the gaming community) "needs" a Living Sovereign Stone or Living Dragonlance campaign, for us it's simple: Our customers are asking for it. A lot of them. They want to be able to play our games at the conventions they attend, and we would like to provide them the means to do so.

As to why there is no "Living Modern" campaign being planned, that should be answered by companies that produce material supporting the d20 Modern SRD. (I personally like d20 Modern a lot, and have run some interesting home games for it, so as a fan I'm all for such an idea.)

I hope that clears things up from our end!

Jamie Chambers
Vice President
Sovereign Press, Inc.

 

[Ranger REG]

I don't get it. Mortality Radio's interview with Sovereign Press and Margaret Weiss says that RPGA is going to start two new fantasy campaigns: Living Dragonlance and Living Sovereign Stone. That means they're ignoring a Living Modern Campaign.

Aren't Living City, Living Arcanis, Living Greyhawk, Living Kalamar, and now Legacy of the Green Regent enough medieval-fantasy-oriented to give people a variety? Why do we need a Living Dragonlance AND a Living Sovereign Stone on top of that? I understand these campaigns won't be actually run by RPGA (neither is City or Arcanis or Kalamar), but c'mon! It's HARD to find people interested enough in taking time to create an entire Modern homeplay campaign, so I would think a Living Modern campaign could take off like a shot because it'll draw all those players!

I was hoping they would investigate the Urban Arcana angle, but I guess that's just not going to generate enough participation for them. I guess I'm just horribly naive. Here's hoping their myopically narrow genre selection works in their favor, because then they can come around and finally start the games I'm interested in...

Don't assume that Margaret Weis and Jamie Chamber speaks for RPGA's entire Living Campaign operation. They're simply volunteering their time to set up and organize just the two mentioned above.

Just as AEG is responsible setting up Living Spycraft and Fantasy Flight Games are doing Living Dragonstar, every campaign is being organized by a pool of volunteers who want a networking campaign that everyone can participate in.

As for a "Living Modern" campaign (for d20 Modern/Urban Arcana), so far no one has stepped up. If you want it, then ask RPGA that you want to set one up.

 

[Prest0]

Re: Re: RPGA:No to Living Modern, Yes to Living Dragonlance?

As to why there is no "Living Modern" campaign being planned, that should be answered by companies that produce material supporting the d20 Modern SRD.

I'm not sure I follow you here. I thought most Living games were written by volunteers and not necessarily by those in the industry. At least, that's the way it seems with many of the Living Greyhawk games I've played.

 

[Voneth]

Re: Re: RPGA:No to Living Modern, Yes to Living Dragonlance?

Don't assume that Margaret Weis and Jamie Chamber speaks for RPGA's entire Living Campaign operation. They're simply volunteering their time to set up and organize just the two mentioned above.

Just as AEG is responsible setting up Living Spycraft and Fantasy Flight Games are doing Living Dragonstar, every campaign is being organized by a pool of volunteers who want a networking campaign that everyone can participate in.

As for a "Living Modern" campaign (for d20 Modern/Urban Arcana), so far no one has stepped up. If you want it, then ask RPGA that you want to set one up.

I also belive that some of these "volunteers" are staff or friends of the companies that are putting out the related products. So perhaps you should ask "Why is there no Living Dark Inheritance" games out there. And if you wish to volunteer your time to start one,start selling Mythic Dreams Studios on the idea that you are dependable enough to organize such endevor.

(I guess in that respect, a Living Campaign is like a lot of regular campaigns, in that they are actually things the GM's wish they were playing, but couldn't find anyone else to run for him -- so he started up the campaign so that he could at least enjoy the fact that someone else is getting to enjoy the cool idea he wanted to play in. .... I know that's how it is for me. )

 

[Coreyartus]

A couple months ago, in numerous emails to WotC and posts on the Wizards boards, those that expressed an interest in a Living Modern campaign were told that RPGA wasn't going to be starting any more campaigns because they didn't have the time. We were told that even those of us who were actually willing to start a member-run Living Campaign would find that RPGA had no interest in supporting anymore campaigns. The resources were too thin, and that's why they were dropping Living Jungle, Virtual Seattle, and Living Rokugan.

And now they're doing exactly the opposite of what they said.

Apparently the three dropped campaigns are continuing in some fashion, but if it is simply a shift from full RPGA support to member-enabled status, I find it curious that we were told they were going to be too busy for d20 Modern to create something similar. Yet, Dragonlance and Sovereign Stone will be exactly that.

The member-enabled campaigns center around products not managed by WotC. The companies support the campaigns. I understand there is a very limited number of d20 Modern camapaign settings out there, and the biggest one, Urban Arcana, is a WotC product, making any Living Campaign using that setting a fully-RPGA-supported-campaign by default.

But gimme a break. Don't tell us one thing, and then turn around and do something else. We were told that even if we could get a company to support a campaign with their setting, it wasn't going to happen.

I'm just kinda boggled.

Coreyartus

 

[Morgenstern]

Let me help you. Living Soveriegn Stone, Arcanis, Spycraft, etc. all had additional staff show up to make them happen. They don't "strech the RPGA's thin resources" because they brought their own. Those companies were willing to put in the work to find and organize fans with the drive to make the living games happen. The RPGA simply indicated that they are not going to self-initiate new campaigns, and WotC hasn't stepped up to make things happen for their own games. I guess they are counting on a champion arising from the people to do it for Modern for them.