JackSmithIV
First Post
For a long time, I've been an admirer of World of Darkness. I've always looked through and enjoyed reading their book. They are obviously a well-written series of books. I love their core game, their supplements (Vampire, Werewolf, Mage, Changeling... all golden for me), and their approach to empowering roleplayers through the Storytelling system. I've always wanted to run their games, but something always irked me about WoD. I'd want to start a campaign, and then some nagging, discouraging feeling would get the best of me. And it wasn't untill I saw Wizards and 4th Edition D&D that I understand what that feeling is.
I'd like to say first off that I'm not attempting to needlessly espouse the wonders of WotC and 4th Edition. While I love the new system and the game, I understand how the community might be turned-off (and sometimes plainly offended) by some of their practices or short-comings. But there is one thing I have complete adoration for. And that's supporting their game and it's community.
I take a look at the Wizards site, and I see not only the game, but constant communication, updates, and content. Every other day we see new articles with classes, races, plot hooks, and adventures being published for the core game. We're seeing updates to errata, the early stages of online tools, and editorials. Just the previews for new products alone is hard to keep up with (and when the product releases, the next day we have previews for the next product). New class being released? Playtest rules! Event-only adventures get published? Wait a while and the PDF gets released for free download. Not only that, but the new rules, additions, and content are (in my opinion) excellent. Also this content, and at the same quality I'd expect of a fully published work.
But my point isn't to draw fanatical attention to WotC, and I'm really not up for drawing up another thread for that whole debate, so please only take it in context with my next point. Which is...
When I look at the White Wolf site, I'm amazed. Absolutely shocked! The website is clunky. I'm never sure whether I'm on the main page, or the online store. Or what game I'm looking at! The only thing that changes when you select a different game is some text in the toolbars, the color scheme and some of the news stories. It's poorly orginized, and that's just the main page. The writers are nowhere to be seen. And the community? I know there's the Camarilla, but it's poorly orginized, membership is down, activity is low, and the forums are dead. For one of the greatest LARP-book publishers in history, they can't even afford to release new supplements for Mind's Eye Theater in PDF because they can't sell enough product to pay the writer!!
The biggest shock to me was Hunter: the Vigil. Hunter is such an enormous power-house franchise for them. Video-games, a LARP book in their older edition... Hunter: the Reckoning was popular. Now, with the opportunity to make what could be the second-biggest game release of 2008 (4E being the obvious first), they could strike while the iron is hot! The opportunity to maybe bring some new players who feel unwilling to take on 4E D&D into World of Darkness. And when did Hunter release? This past week. But you'd never know from their site, because they havn't even announced the release in a news feed yet!
I don't understand what's going on here. World of Darkness is an incredible game. The books obviously sell well due to many years of a loyal fanbase, but where's the game!? I'm part of the gaming community in New York City, where I see all sorts of games being played. I see World of Darkness books fly off the shelves constantly at the gaming hub I frequent, but I never see a group playing the game or any orginized gaming going on for WoD at all. And I blame this on poor community-building skills.
Maybe I'm wrong. I'm not very old, or much of a veteran gamer. While I'm out in the community, and playing and running games constantly, I havn't been active and present for the whole history of WoD. Or even most of the recent history of WoD. Maybe I just don't see the picture, or am missing the great website. All I know is what I see...
Nothing. Nothing being played, nothing being done. No orginized play, no play at all. It's sad, cause I've played the game and loved it. But now I know why I never started a campaign. The WoD community is almost as lonely and dark as the world it takes place in.
I've been talking to my gaming store (a big-deal game shop in NYC) about getting some hunter games going in the store. They've handed me the Hunter: the Vigil sample adventure and quick-start booklets, so I'll see if I can get an event going. But not with any help from White Wolf. Don't see how that could happen.
Anyone have any insight as to what the hell is going on?
-IV
[EDIT: This post was way too long. Oh well... thanks for reading it if you took the time!]
I'd like to say first off that I'm not attempting to needlessly espouse the wonders of WotC and 4th Edition. While I love the new system and the game, I understand how the community might be turned-off (and sometimes plainly offended) by some of their practices or short-comings. But there is one thing I have complete adoration for. And that's supporting their game and it's community.
I take a look at the Wizards site, and I see not only the game, but constant communication, updates, and content. Every other day we see new articles with classes, races, plot hooks, and adventures being published for the core game. We're seeing updates to errata, the early stages of online tools, and editorials. Just the previews for new products alone is hard to keep up with (and when the product releases, the next day we have previews for the next product). New class being released? Playtest rules! Event-only adventures get published? Wait a while and the PDF gets released for free download. Not only that, but the new rules, additions, and content are (in my opinion) excellent. Also this content, and at the same quality I'd expect of a fully published work.
But my point isn't to draw fanatical attention to WotC, and I'm really not up for drawing up another thread for that whole debate, so please only take it in context with my next point. Which is...
When I look at the White Wolf site, I'm amazed. Absolutely shocked! The website is clunky. I'm never sure whether I'm on the main page, or the online store. Or what game I'm looking at! The only thing that changes when you select a different game is some text in the toolbars, the color scheme and some of the news stories. It's poorly orginized, and that's just the main page. The writers are nowhere to be seen. And the community? I know there's the Camarilla, but it's poorly orginized, membership is down, activity is low, and the forums are dead. For one of the greatest LARP-book publishers in history, they can't even afford to release new supplements for Mind's Eye Theater in PDF because they can't sell enough product to pay the writer!!
The biggest shock to me was Hunter: the Vigil. Hunter is such an enormous power-house franchise for them. Video-games, a LARP book in their older edition... Hunter: the Reckoning was popular. Now, with the opportunity to make what could be the second-biggest game release of 2008 (4E being the obvious first), they could strike while the iron is hot! The opportunity to maybe bring some new players who feel unwilling to take on 4E D&D into World of Darkness. And when did Hunter release? This past week. But you'd never know from their site, because they havn't even announced the release in a news feed yet!
I don't understand what's going on here. World of Darkness is an incredible game. The books obviously sell well due to many years of a loyal fanbase, but where's the game!? I'm part of the gaming community in New York City, where I see all sorts of games being played. I see World of Darkness books fly off the shelves constantly at the gaming hub I frequent, but I never see a group playing the game or any orginized gaming going on for WoD at all. And I blame this on poor community-building skills.
Maybe I'm wrong. I'm not very old, or much of a veteran gamer. While I'm out in the community, and playing and running games constantly, I havn't been active and present for the whole history of WoD. Or even most of the recent history of WoD. Maybe I just don't see the picture, or am missing the great website. All I know is what I see...
Nothing. Nothing being played, nothing being done. No orginized play, no play at all. It's sad, cause I've played the game and loved it. But now I know why I never started a campaign. The WoD community is almost as lonely and dark as the world it takes place in.
I've been talking to my gaming store (a big-deal game shop in NYC) about getting some hunter games going in the store. They've handed me the Hunter: the Vigil sample adventure and quick-start booklets, so I'll see if I can get an event going. But not with any help from White Wolf. Don't see how that could happen.
Anyone have any insight as to what the hell is going on?
-IV
[EDIT: This post was way too long. Oh well... thanks for reading it if you took the time!]
