Modiphius' Conan TTRPG Is Ending

At the end of this year, Modiphius' license to publish the 2d20-powered Conan: Adventures in an Age Undreamed Of is coming to an end. Taking over with a new roleplaying game will be French publisher Monolith Edition, which already produces the official boardgame. While the license ends on December 31st, you will still be able to buy existing stock until the end of June 2023. Other Conan...

At the end of this year, Modiphius' license to publish the 2d20-powered Conan: Adventures in an Age Undreamed Of is coming to an end. Taking over with a new roleplaying game will be French publisher Monolith Edition, which already produces the official boardgame.

While the license ends on December 31st, you will still be able to buy existing stock until the end of June 2023.

Other Conan games include Mongoose Publishing's Conan: The Roleplaying Game, which used the d20 System back in 2004, TSR's Conan Roleplaying Game in 1985, and even 1984 D&D adventure modules called Conan Unchained! and Conan Against Darkness!

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MONOLITH HANDED THE CONAN ROLEPLAYING GAME LINE FROM MODIPHIUS FOR NEW EXCITING ROLEPLAYING STORIES IN THE HYBORIAN AGE!

“When we first started exploring Robert E. Howard’s world of Conan, little did we imagine the full expanse of what was to come. It’s been an incredible journey working with top Conan scholars, talented writers and artists who gave their all to dig deep into the Conan stories and bring them to life in a truly authentic way.” Said Chris Birch, Chief Creative Officer of Modiphius Entertainment. “Now with twenty beautiful hardback books to our name and numerous beautiful accessories, we are ready to call time on our journeys across Hyboria. We’ve reached the point where we feel like we have done justice to REH’s words, delivered some incredible Conan swords & sorcery gaming, and reached the ends of the Hyborian world in every direction we could imagine. It’s time to pass on the mantle to new hands who can tell a new story in the Hyborian age!”

The roleplaying game line, under licence from Heroic Signatures (Formally Cabinet Entertainment), will end on Dec 31st, no more re-stocks are being ordered, and all stock will be sold by June 30th 2023.

If you’ve been waiting to pick up one of the books, now is your chance, either from retail or from the US or UK-based webstores. Get them while you can!

Matthew John, Conan Board Game Developer for Monolith added “For 8 years now, Conan, Heroic Signatures and Monolith have been treading the lands of Robert E. Howard’s Hyborian Age, finding grand inspiration for our products. Our board game, which rallied tens of thousands of players, was soon joined by a great role-playing game, thanks to Modiphius, who did a fantastic job diving deep into this exciting setting. As fans, we’ll be forever grateful to Modiphius for their work and our collaborations on Conan.

We’ve said it before, Howard's stories are part of Monolith’s DNA, and so we happily accepted Heroic Signatures’ offer to develop our own Conan roleplaying game–one we can infuse with our passion and unique creative vision. While we prepare our next Conan board game project, which will offer new, long-awaited features next year, we wanted to let fans know it is not the only Conan game we’re bringing to the table–or rather, your tables.

So…Monolith will bring back the Conan board game, then an all-new role-playing game! And who knows–it’s certainly possible that our admiration for Robert E.Howard's work will lead us beyond the borders of the Hyborian Age.

Stay tuned, Conan fans; we’re just getting started”.
 

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Jaeger

That someone better
Monolith's RPG will likely be based on a 3e derived system that has been popular in France for many years now. They are using the same system for their Batman GCC RPG. I find the system reminds me a lot of Green Ronin's Mutants & Masterminds and True 20, as it significantly streamlines and simplifies the 3e base.

This will make it something recognisable to 5e players, as 5e is also based on 3e. So there will be some compatibility, but it won't be a standard setting reskin of 5e.

A big mistake if so.

Granted, Dark souls had its issues and diverged in significant ways from 5e - But it still had the "5e Compatible" label on it, which did generate interest for the game.

If Monolith really does a 3e derived game - It will come out that it's 3e derived. And people online will go: Why? Why not 5e? The systematic merits won't matter because the narrative will revolve around their use of an "outdated edition" of D&D.

That perception will kill potential sales.
 

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Skywalker

Adventurer
A big mistake if so.
Monolith's Batman GCC RPG is already confirmed for this system (Chroniques Oubliees), so I would expect them to do the same for Conan.

As said, though the system used was derived from 3e when originally created, its a long way away from that baseline following years of streamlining and simplification. Given that 3e and 5e have the same root system there will be a lot of familiarity for 5e fans, but it also won't fall into the trap of being a 5e reskin.
 
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Jaeger

That someone better
As said, though the system used was derived from 3e when originally created, its a long way away from that baseline following years of streamlining and simplification. Given that 3e and 5e have the same root system there will be a lot of familiarity for 5e fans, but it also won't fall into the trap of being a 5e reskin.

Nobody cares about that.

They can make a kickass 3e derived system for Conan, and it will not matter. Because it will be perceived as not being part of the current 5e ecosystem.

The narrative will go something like this: "Why are they basing this on an obsolete version of D&D? Why not 5e compatible? No? I'll Pass then..."

That is just the reality of the current market if they want to maximize sales.
 


TwiceBorn2

Adventurer
I like Conan, but I am mildly amazed that there is this much competition for the RPG license in the 21st century. Is anyone under 40 excited about the character?

The Jason Momoa film was unwatchable (sorry, Jason Momoa) and Marvel Comics' bizarre idea, upon regaining the comics license, was to stick him in the Avengers.

Perhaps they're banking on the upcoming Netflix series being successful and spurring renewed interest in a Conan RPG? Risky gamble (no guarantee the TV show will be any good/popular), but who knows...


EDIT: Latest news seems to be from around Oct 2020... so not sure if plans for the series have been shelved? Or if the reports were reliable to begin with?

 
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Skywalker

Adventurer
Nobody cares about that.

They can make a kickass 3e derived system for Conan, and it will not matter. Because it will be perceived as not being part of the current 5e ecosystem.

The narrative will go something like this: "Why are they basing this on an obsolete version of D&D? Why not 5e compatible? No? I'll Pass then..."

That is just the reality of the current market if they want to maximize sales.
I wouldn't say that nobody cares, given that we have already seen responses saying no interest if its 5e. Maybe you mean no 5e fan cares or more likely a majority of 5e fans won't care?

FWIW I agree with you that Monolith are likely to get more sales if they simply made a 5e reskin. But there are many publishers that are more interested in making the game they want than just maximising sales, and Monolith have a wider product range to support that may not do as well if they simply tie this RPG to the rules system of WotC. Modiphius obviously formed a similar view.
 

Skywalker

Adventurer
Perhaps they're banking on the upcoming Netflix series being successful and spurring renewed interest in a Conan RPG? Risky gamble (no guarantee the TV show will be any good/popular), but who knows...
I think they are banking on building on the success they have had with their own Conan board game, which has its next KS in 2023 with Red Nails expansion, rather than any new IP coming out. They are also very passionate about the Conan IP so that is likely to be a big factor in their decision.
 

Psikosis

Explorer
You know who would do really well with this license? Goodman Games. If freaking Empire of the East can get the DCC treatment, Conan ought to. Heck, a large part of the vibe of DCC is straight out of Conan.

It would also set up situations where you could, at last, have Conan team up with/fight Fafhrd, which is a good thing.
I'd not thought of this, but it makes perfect sense!!
 

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