What games from the early 80's are still being published?

[Garmorn]

Thanks, I did not know so many of the early games where still available.

As for as the break between 3e and 1/2e DD as being different. Your right I had not look that deep.

 

[jmucchiello]

Talislanta (still no elves)

Star Wars lives on, not in the Wizards version which is not only a completely different game but soon to be out of print, but in the D6 system by West End Games.

You mean the D6 System released to the OGL by the defunct WEG/Purgatory Publishing.

Without the Star Wars license (not to mention WEG being out of business), the D6 system by itself doesn't count as the WEG Star Wars still being in print.

 

[pawsplay]

You mean the D6 System released to the OGL by the defunct WEG/Purgatory Publishing.

Was there a stipulation it had to be in print by the original publisher?

Without the Star Wars license (not to mention WEG being out of business), the D6 system by itself doesn't count as the WEG Star Wars still being in print.

Okay, sure. And then we can bump Champions off the list, because that RPG is now called Hero System and Champions is a genre book.

 

[MortonStromgal]

Was there a stipulation it had to be in print by the original publisher?

No, but I think Star Wars would fall under this

... not D&D 4e because of the radical changes..

thus d6 changing to d20 would not count because of "radical changes" and while the d6 system is still around its no longer Star Wars.

[Edit] Otherwise you could say MERPS lives on because of Rolemaster, yet you cant buy new MERPS books.

 

[M.L. Martin]

Was there a stipulation it had to be in print by the original publisher?

I'm trying to think of what original publishers from those days are still around--Chaosium, Palladium, Steve Jackson and possibly FGU are the only ones that come to mind. (And FGU, IIRC, is just a corpse that twitches ocassionally to avoid rights reverting to the creators.)

D6, though, is iffy on the 'in print' status because the new WEG has just gone under. If PDFs count, though, I suppose those and the forthcoming (or is it out yet?) OGL version of D6 would qualify.

 

[Garmorn]

I'm trying to think of what original publishers from those days are still around--Chaosium, Palladium, Steve Jackson and possibly FGU are the only ones that come to mind. (And FGU, IIRC, is just a corpse that twitches ocassionally to avoid rights reverting to the creators.)

D6, though, is iffy on the 'in print' status because the new WEG has just gone under. If PDFs count, though, I suppose those and the forthcoming (or is it out yet?) OGL version of D6 would qualify.

Iorn Crown Enterprises (ICE). Yes the when into bankruptcy but where able to stay in business.

 

[smetzger]

Car Wars

 

[darjr]

For publishers there is, maybe, Games Workshop. I dunno since they actually don't publish an RPG at the moment but license someone else to.

 

[M.L. Martin]

Iorn Crown Enterprises (ICE). Yes the when into bankruptcy but where able to stay in business.

AFAIK, that's a new company that bought ICE's IP and is doing business under the old name. The same applies to Hero Games, and would apply to TSR from 1997-1999.

 

[MerricB]

I think we can break this down into:

* Games that are published in print form and that have ongoing supplement support.

* Games that are published in PDF form and that have ongoing supplement support.

* Games that are published in print form and have no ongoing supplement support.

* Games that are published in PDF form and that have no ongoing supplement support.

* Not published in either form.

Really, I only count games of the first category to be really "in print". Everything else is on life support. Some in the first category are as well (see Call of Cthulhu).

Yes, it's harsh, but without that game store presence, a game is unlikely to be building an audience.

Cheers!