The Biggest RPG Story of the Year?

Green Ronin's Chris Pramas has offered some cryptic clues as to a product slated for Gen Con this year. "Our goal is to release Fantasy AGE in May. Then at the end of July we will release the game’s first setting book. This is our big GenCon release and part of something super exciting … that I can’t talk about yet. This will be the focus of our GenCon presence this year and perhaps the biggest RPG story of the year. Watch for an announcement in a few months." What could it be?

I mentioned Green Ronin's plans for 2015 a few days ago, including their whole product range. Fantasy AGE is the core rulebook of the system that drives Green Ronin's current Dragon Age roleplaying game. "This will be strictly a rule book with no attached setting. The core of the game will be well-familiar to Dragon Age fans but there are some differences, the biggest of which is the magic system. That of Dragon Age was meant to emulate how magic works in Thedas, so I am modifying it heavily for Fantasy AGE."

Is Steve Kenson writing it? Pramas says "Nothing we can talk about right now unfortunately, but stay tuned for some exciting announcements over the coming months. What has Steve Kenson been working on the last five months? Find out in April!" Steve Kenson is, of course, best known for superhero RPGs including Mutants & Masterminds and his own ICONS system.

So, a setting book for a fantasy RPG by Steve Kenson which might be the biggest RPG story of the year? I'm curious! What do you think it might be?

 

[Morrus]

Green Ronin has a history of acquiring really big licenses. Dragon Age, Song of Ice & Fire, DC Comics. It's a thing they're very good at.

 

[Dahak]

Are we still talking about Lankhmar? If so, it's already been done - Mongoose adapted it to Runequest in 2006.

Though I'm not sure if Lankhmar really counts as a "D&D setting" - wasn't it itself licensed from Leiber?

Pinnacle has the Lankhmar license currently for an upcoming Savage Worlds setting. It was indeed just a licensed setting for TSR, too, but back then there were so few settings published that it "counted".

 

[lyle.spade]

Morrus: good point, and nice evidence to support it.

Let's continue this thought exercise. Harry Potter? Lankhmar? I'd put the former on an 'A' list and the latter on a 'C' list - not because of quality, but because of name recognition & popularity. Grognards and others would recognize Leiber's world, but who else would?

C'mon, you apes! What else is out there?

 

[M.L. Martin]

Are we still talking about Lankhmar? If so, it's already been done - Mongoose adapted it to Runequest in 2006.

Though I'm not sure if Lankhmar really counts as a "D&D setting" - wasn't it itself licensed from Leiber?

I wasn't sure if Morrus was talking about Lankhmar or your earlier speculation of the Forgotten Realms. I wasn't counting Lankhmar as a D&D/TSR setting, since it's an adaptation.

Pinnacle has the Lankhmar license currently for an upcoming Savage Worlds setting. It was indeed just a licensed setting for TSR, too, but back then there were so few settings published that it "counted".

For some values of 'counted'. It had its own line logo, but it was never broken out from the core AD&D releases in TSR's solicitations and catalogs.

 

[Darkstar360]

What about game licenses?

Assassin's Creed, Mass Effect or even Tamriel (Skyrim). An Elder Scrolls rpg would be pretty big news.

 

[delericho]

C'mon, you apes! What else is out there?

Black Company? Or do Green Ronin still have that?

Maybe they've got the WFRP license back?

World of Warcraft?

 

[Hand of Evil]

Another setting that would be BIG -- Magic The Gathering Setting

The Witcher (new game is out in May and could tie in with it)

Diablo

 

[lotofsnow]

Wheel of Time? Could be due for one now that the series is done. Then again, it has been done for awhile, so it might be too late.

 

[RevTurkey]

Elder Scrolls is a good call Dark Star...that would be big.

Marvel?

 

[MatthewJHanson]

My guess is it's not a license, but that instead the setting will be what Wil Wheaton and friends play in the Table Top RPG Spin off.