Arthaus reverts rights to Ravenloft and Gamma World back to Wotc

[Voadam]

Let's pretend D&D went out of print the year before you learned it. Would your life be better or worse for not having it available to you?


And they'll want to check the setting out because they'll hear about it ... how?


Clearly. But hey, you're taken care of, so whatever.

Planescape went out of print a while ago. I only recently started picking up stuff for it and my campaign is currently in the setting. I've now got pdfs of the boxed set CS, planes of law, planes of chaos, the outlands, and the inner and ethereal plane supplements. The PCs are currently knocking around the outlands and checking things out and gearing up for possible explorations of more dangerous planes.

The thing that I was most disappointed with Ravenloft was the no module support in 3e. I've gone through most of the 2e ones and I like good horror themed D&D modules. I thought the 3.0 CS was top knotch, the monster conversions OK in the Denizens book, and the heroes of light and champions of darkness supplements really sub-par for the line and setting. I recently got the guide to walking dead and am enjoying it. I plan on eventually getting a bunch of things from the line as pdfs if they are around for a while.

 

[Geoffrey]

Given the not-so-excellent work he's done on his own as part of Fast Forward Games, I doubt that would be particularly successful.

There aren't all that many designers whose names I associate with quality stuff - there are plenty of names I recognize, but only a few who make me think "That's probably going to be a good treatment of whatever the book is about." Monte Cook has done good stuff, as has Bruce Cordell and a few others. Jim Ward is on the other end of the spectrum - one of the few authors that make me go "Oh, I'd better stay away from that book."

Many people in this thread like Gamma World but don't like the d20 version of it. Jim Ward is responsible for all the pre-d20 editions of Gamma World with the single exception of the Alternity version of it. Given that so many people like non-d20 Gamma World, and that most pre-d20 Gamma World is by Jim Ward, I think Jim Ward could create an awesome new version of Gamma World.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

I really don't think Heroes of Horror had anything to do with it--that book was announced about eight months ago.



The Arthaus books were decidedly hit or miss--and I think it was the 3.5 "conversion" that crippled the line both creatively and financially.

Matthew L. Martin

About sums up my view - I saw one player get very upset with SSS when he bought the 3.5 Player's Guide for Ravenloft - he already had the 3.0 version, but because they changed the title he thought that he was getting a new book. As far as I know he has not bought a single WW product since (White Wolf in this case only referring to their own games studio, not folks like Necromancer and Malhavoc). Can't say as I blame him much, changing the title was bound to lead to confusion.

I have otherwise never understood why so many people stopped buying 3.0 products after 3.5 came out, they work fine for the most part.

The Auld Grump, who does agree about Gamma World though, it was not very much fun compared to the older version. Sorry Ari, I wanted to like it, but didn't.

 

[broghammerj]

I have otherwise never understood why so many people stopped buying 3.0 products after 3.5 came out, they work fine for the most part.

Sometimes I can't even remember what the difference between 3.0 and 3.5. Except for those darn weapon size damage changes. That just fuels my hatred for the early edition update, but that is a whole new thread entirely.

 

[Mouseferatu]

I'll definitely be taking a look at it.....but I expect the same as most of what they've been putting out recently.....horror themed prestige classes, spells, feats, and new monsters. Ravenloft was a complete system. It offered all of the above, but more importantly, guidelines on story techniques, how to build and instill horror, and a complete campaign setting. Most of the things they put into the hardcover could be easily imported into other campaigns. I don't expect the same utility from WotC with the new book, but I'm willing to be surprised if my guess is incorrect.

Greetings from GenCon.

Banshee, I can't go into anymore detail than this, but if you look at the promo copy for HoH, you'll see that we've got advice on running horror campaigns, on using different types of horror, on tweaking the rules, and so forth. Yes, it's got new feats, spells, PrCs, etc. But it's also got everything you seem to be looking for, with the obvious exception of a specific campaign setting.

Can't and won't promise it'll float your boat, of course. But I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

And thanks much for the kind words on Hamunaptra.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Sooo, does the preview copy mean that you can start talking about HoH now? I'm curious what sort of new base classes would be necessitated by horror fantasy, myself.

 

[Banshee16]

Greetings from GenCon.

Banshee, I can't go into anymore detail than this, but if you look at the promo copy for HoH, you'll see that we've got advice on running horror campaigns, on using different types of horror, on tweaking the rules, and so forth. Yes, it's got new feats, spells, PrCs, etc. But it's also got everything you seem to be looking for, with the obvious exception of a specific campaign setting.

Can't and won't promise it'll float your boat, of course. But I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

And thanks much for the kind words on Hamunaptra.

Well, I'll see....I'm not going to have it on my pre-orders list, but I'll check it when it comes out. There aren't too many products from WotC in the last four months of the year that I'm eager to purchase.

Hamunaptra was very cool. It's a treatment of Egypt, sort of like how Al-Qadim handled Arabia....D&D applied to the setting, and it worked. Not necessarily intricate enough for an Egypt simulation, but perfect for D&D in Egypt. Now if only you and Green Ronin could get together and write Al-Qadim 3E, we'd be all set

Hopefully the open call Green Ronin put out for adventures will lead to some for Hamunaptra.

That entire Mythic Vistages line is really well done.

Banshee

 

[The Grumpy Celt]

Green Ronin put out for adventures...

When did that happen?

 

[Kesh]

Y'know, it's not quite the same... but Monte put out Beyond Countless Doorways as a pseudo-Planescape book for 3.5e.

It'd be interesting to see the Mangrum and the Kargatane put out their own one-shot OGL rulebook in a similar vein. Sure, it wouldn't be Ravenloft... but it'd be neat to see their vision of what it could be all condensed into one book.

 

[Kanegrundar]

That's a shame for Ravenloft, but I'm not one bit surprised about GW. GWD20 had some great ideas in it, too bad the mechanics didn't fit to well with the setting or D20 in general. Nanotech is a cool idea and one I'd like to see reworked so that it meshed with mainstream D20 products better, but IMO it wasn't GW. I'm in the camp of not really understanding why so much was changed. It felt like a cheap way of making a buck on a book that likely would have done as well with the GW logo. It was as if someone had an idea for a PA setting, and just tacked on the GW name. That said, the GWPHB was the only purchase in the line that I didn't get much use out of and left me with a sour taste in my mouth, but there was some good in the book from setting ideas to beginning character talent trees. Machines and Mutants was a much better book and one that I can easily use with better PA lines (like Darwin's World 2) once I tweak some of the mutations. Beyond the Horizons was also a book filled with great ideas. The line wasn't a loss, but it never made me really think of GW.

Ravenloft was one of my favorite 2E settings. However, I lost interest with the rise of Necropolis, the death of Van Richten, Lord Soth's escape, and (sorry Monte) Vecna Reborn. I picked up the Ravenloft 3E PHB when it came out. It was good, but I didn't feel the desire to run it again. I ended up selling my copy, but I still have the 3.5 monster book (Denizens of Darkness?), which I really liked.

Kane