Countdown-timer at Green Ronin...? What's it all about?

[Remathilis]

I don't know if he meant it that way, but Mike Mearls' comment on Twitter about the Green Ronin announcement came off kind of snarky in my opinion...

I remember when tabletop gaming companies used to be the licensors, rather than the licensees.

I took it to mean "I remember when Bioware licensed D&D to make kick ass video games, now Bioware is licensing out THEIR product to GR to make a kick-ass TTRPG.

Its all about whose getting the royalties for the project.

 

[Corinth]

Meh. Another D&D campaign setting in denial, i.e. another fantasy heartbreaker, albeit one with far more money (and thus superior production values) behind it and that means that it's going to fall before D&D's superior network of users. This property isn't different enough from the D&D style of fantasy to make it worthwhile.

 

[Obryn]

That comment he made was utter nonsense. Hopefully it was taken out of context.

Judging by his own response above... well, I don't think he was taken out of context, because there WAS no context. It's the tone that was assumed, and the conclusions that were jumped-to.

I'm continually amazed at how quick some posters are to take an ambiguous statement as interpret it as offensively as possible.

-O

 

[Imaro]

I miss the excitement that came with the release of Deadlands, Shadowrun, and L5R. A lot of the companies that built really interesting new worlds are gone, or not interested in doing that any more.

There used to be a balance between new and licensed games, and as an RPG fan I miss that.
So yes, color me wistful.

Mike, all I can say is that either you're not broadening your horizons enough or your purposefully ignoring (perhaps because they are not to your tastes) tons of games that aren't licensed... Just off the top of my head...

Qin: The Warring States
All the WoD games, Exalted, Scion
SW: Rippers, 50 Fathoms, Necessary Evil, Hellfrost, Shaintar, etc.
Mutants & Materminds
Witch Hunter: The Invisible World
Hellas
Dark Heresy
Reign
Jaws of the Six Serpents
Mutant City Blues
Wild Talents
Corporation
Houses of the Blooded...

and given time I could list 3x more. Really I find it a hard claim to swallow that the time of original rpg's is a thing of the past... or that licensed settings are any more prominent than they ever were.

 

[alleynbard]

I am sure WOTC would too since they have a successful STAR WARS line.

That comment he made was utter nonsense. Hopefully it was taken out of context.

The problem I see with Twitter is how carefully you need to choose your words. If you don't say just the right thing, it just comes out wrong.

But I agree, though I am not so sure I would have said it so strongly. Rather, the limitations of the medium was not taken into proper consideration by Mike. Licensed RPGs have been around a long time. They have been cornerstones of the RPG industry since at least MERPs. And, honestly, Green Ronin is well known for its ability to create unique and interesting worlds inspired by what has come before.

I don't think we have seen an end to that in RPGs today. Even amongst mainstream game producers we have some very vibrant and interesting original material being produced. So I see no reason to bemoan its loss.

It just so happens that licensed material is also very important. Unfortunately, licensed material seems remarkably hit and miss. Let's hope for Green Ronin's sake this is a hit.

 

[fanboy2000]

Technically, Dark Heresy is a license of Game Workshop's Warhammer 40k line.

Mutant's and Masterminds uses the OGL license, but I don't think anyone is talking about that kind of license.

 

[Zaukrie]

And people wonder why WotC doesn't communicate more directly with us....he made an off the top commenton Twitter....not some great, grand directive from on high.

I've been looking forward to this very, very delayed product for some time (not the RPG, the video game), but I find myself just not able to get into video games right now, so I'm not as sure as i was when it was originally supposed to come out.

 

[Imaro]

And people wonder why WotC doesn't communicate more directly with us....he made an off the top commenton Twitter....not some great, grand directive from on high.

Yeah, because nothing from a WotC employee, representative, gamer, etc. should ever be commented on, or challenged... for fear they may not like it. Look The same way Mike posted a comment in reference to an announcement by another company... people posted their thought's on what he posted. How is it any different, and why shouldn't people say what they think about it?

 

[CaptainChaos]

I don't know a lot about Dragon Age, but teaming up with the biggest name in computer RPGs sure seems like a smart move to me.

 

[Zaukrie]

There's nothing wrong with commenting, we are all doing that on the intertubes every day. It is the hyperbole (imo) and emotion that people place on what was a small little twitter comment that I believe would lead people to stop interacting at all (or make their comments guarded). I believe that mountains are often made of molehills on this and other sites.

YMMV, of course, just one man's opinion.