And Here It Is - Wil Wheaton's TABLETOP RPG Show Is TITANSGRAVE: THE ASHES OF VALKANA

Wil Wheaton has made the official announcement! As we already know it's Green Ronin's Adventure Game Engine (AGE) which powers Dragon Age and the upcoming Fantasy AGE. The show is called Titansgrave: The Ashes of Valkana, and starts on June 2nd 2015.

Interestingly, Wil mentions that he worked together with Green Ronin to develop the Fantasy AGE system.

The world is written by Wil and his son Ryan, and is inspired by the 1978 Heavy Metal movie (I haven't seen it, sadly) and the 1980 cartoon show Thundarr the Barbarian (which I have also sadly never seen). Goblins with laser rifles, that sort of thing.

Watch the video below. And see here for all our fun, exciting clue-gathering and speculation which led to us figuring out eveything but the name in advance!

[video=youtube;4Er6gDch9Lc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Er6gDch9Lc[/video]
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[am181d]

The whole thing looks like a marketing gimmick. Even from the point that Dragon Age was on Tabletop with one of the designers of it being the GM. That would totally be fine, if they were upfront about it and if this show wasn't Kickstarted.

The whole point of the Tabletop brand is that they promote games that they like. That's like saying their Settlers of Catan episode was a cheap marketing gimmick to sell more copies of Settlers of Catan.

 

[Morrus]

Not that I think Wheaton & co are doing anything other than just making a show they think will be cool and which they can make part of their living doing, even if it were marketing, what on earth is wrong with marketing? If companies didn't tell you about their wares, you wouldn't know about them. As long as you're not being spammed or cold-called or anything, marketing is perfectly fine and dandy.

 

[JonathanV]

Hank Green, of the VlogBrothers, on the set of TitansGrave in this Youtube video called "Snap Questions: On the Set of Titansgrave!": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ie-drkpj6p4

 

[variant]

The whole point of the Tabletop brand is that they promote games that they like. That's like saying their Settlers of Catan episode was a cheap marketing gimmick to sell more copies of Settlers of Catan.

If it was just them promoting games they liked, that is different. When it goes into the realm of marketing, money is changing hands for brand awareness. It looks like marketing, when the game designer is the GM for the game they have on it. It's also the only RPG they've ever had on Tabletop.

Not that I think Wheaton & co are doing anything other than just making a show they think will be cool and which they can make part of their living doing, even if it were marketing, what on earth is wrong with marketing? If companies didn't tell you about their wares, you wouldn't know about them. As long as you're not being spammed or cold-called or anything, marketing is perfectly fine and dandy.

Marketing is perfectly fine, if they are upfront about it.

 

[Von Ether]

If it was just them promoting games they liked, that is different. When it goes into the realm of marketing, money is changing hands for brand awareness. It looks like marketing, when the game designer is the GM for the game they have on it. It's also the only RPG they've ever had on Tabletop.



Marketing is perfectly fine, if they are upfront about it.

Just to clarify, you think that GR paid TT to promote Adventure Age? Just like Martha Stewart and Ophra are paid to promote the kitchenware and books they "like" on their shows. And if that was true, you'd like full disclosure, though you think it's bad form that they took money from a KS to get the show up if that's the case. All based on the fact that Pramas ran the game for them? Does that mean SJ Games paid for Munchkin to be on the show? Or that AEG gave them half a day rate for supplying custom player mats?

I think if they were in the market to that, we'd be watching either DnD, Pathfinder or even more likely FFG's Star Wars. I also think that would be a much tamer show with all the suits watching.

I could be wrong, but I think that it mostly evolved from established friendships. Mostly because if this was a sponsorship gig, they're doing it wrong and most game companies have a lot less money than you think for a gamble like this.

If Wil and his kid got something for their writing efforts for the campaign book, it would be a pittance compared to sponsorship.

And even if you want to waggle your finger than Wil got a game writing gig based on already having a book out and who he knew, then you don't know the industry.

A lot of guys, ones that I personally admire, got their start with an English degree and friend in the biz. Some had to start up their own company in order to get published. Wil at least got a book out first.

 

[Scrivener of Doom]

Oh good, more people for my ignore list.

On a more positive note, I am really happy for Chris [MENTION=995]Pramas[/MENTION] and the Green Ronin team. This is great news for them and for a company that has done a great job putting out good products for 15 years. I hope this proves to be an even bigger success for them.

 

[variant]

Just to clarify, you think that GR paid TT to promote Adventure Age? Just like Martha Stewart and Ophra are paid to promote the kitchenware and books they "like" on their shows. And if that was true, you'd like full disclosure, though you think it's bad form that they took money from a KS to get the show up if that's the case. All based on the fact that Pramas ran the game for them? Does that mean SJ Games paid for Munchkin to be on the show? Or that AEG gave them half a day rate for supplying custom player mats?

I think if they were in the market to that, we'd be watching either DnD, Pathfinder or even more likely FFG's Star Wars. I also think that would be a much tamer show with all the suits watching.

I could be wrong, but I think that it mostly evolved from established friendships. Mostly because if this was a sponsorship gig, they're doing it wrong and most game companies have a lot less money than you think for a gamble like this.

If Wil and his kid got something for their writing efforts for the campaign book, it would be a pittance compared to sponsorship.

And even if you want to waggle your finger than Wil got a game writing gig based on already having a book out and who he knew, then you don't know the industry.

A lot of guys, ones that I personally admire, got their start with an English degree and friend in the biz. Some had to start up their own company in order to get published. Wil at least got a book out first.

I have a feeling people think that what Wil Wheaton is doing with shows like Tabletop is solely motivated out of wanting to have fun or love of the hobby. However, he's getting paid and Geek & Sundry is owned by Legendary Pictures, a large motion picture company who produces blockbuster films.

I certainly don't think all the games they played are paid for, their goal is to increase viewers. However, I have suspicions when it comes to Dragon Age and now this new show. Green Ronin even released a press release. Though when suspicions are raised on one, it would be natural to wonder about the rest of the games they played.

The whole thing simply sounds like promotional material, and with its production paid for by Kickstarter backers at that. Even if it's some friendships that led them to promote Dragon Age and now the Adventure Games Engine, is it any better? He had a lot of spiel about why he chose this particular RPG and it would all be lies, and again more marketing.

 

[Morrus]

And Here It Is - Wil Wheaton's TABLETOP RPG Show Is TITANSGRAVE: THE ASHES OF...

I have a feeling people think that what Wil Wheaton is doing with shows like Tabletop is solely motivated out of wanting to have fun or love of the hobby. However, he's getting paid and Geek & Sundry is owned by Legendary Pictures, a large motion picture company who produces blockbuster films.

So? No, G&S is not a charity. That doesn't make them *corrupt*.

We're talking about the same thing here, right? A guy who is going to play a game on a YouTube video?

 

[TarionzCousin]

... and Ophra are paid to promote ....

Uh oh. You misspelled Her name. She's going to come after you, probably with
[sblock]

[/sblock]

 

[MatthewJHanson]

I think if the people at Table Top were going to let money make the choice, they could have gotten more money from a bigger publisher. I think what Green Ronin did provide is a lot of support with the game system and probably even let the people at Table Top have some input into the Fantasy Age core.

I also think that people are using marketing to mean different things. [MENTION=41293]variant[/MENTION], I feel like you are saying that marketing is paying people to promote your product who wouldn't otherwise, while other people people are using it more broadly to mean ways that companies communicate. (I subscribe to the belief that "Everything is Marketing," so I would say of course it's marketing)

Finally a couple of minor nitpicks. It was an Indigogo campaign, not a Kickstarter. Also Dragon Age wasn't the only RPG, there was also Fiasco and Dread is on schedule for later this season.