D&D: Is this the Golden Age?

[evil_rmf]

Some people in this thread seem to be implying that the feel of the game is defined as much by what is not published for it as what is published for it.

This flies in the face of the current d20 approach, where anything goes, does it not? Hmm...

In my estimation, correct on both counts. And I'm *not* taking a stand on which recipe of core plus add-ons is best. I certainly enjoy playing 3e with and without Prestige classes. I enjoyed AD&D before and after Unearthed Arcana. At once, the game felt the same, but different. Probably I felt that way because I was set in my ways with AD&D and OA/UA altered it to a pretty large extent (when we played with those rules).

 

[ColonelHardisson]

Re: On Golden Ages

I can't remember the person quoted or the exact quote, but a well-known SF author, when asked about the golden age of science fiction said that it was "twelve" or something similar.

I'm not certain, but I think Terry Carr said it. I think the age was 14. though.

Anyway, I concur with those who say the Golden Age of RPGs/D&D was the late 70s/early 80s. Today is very much a Silver Age. Of course, this is in keeping with how those terms are used in regards to comic books.

Ever read any Golden Age comics? Most of 'em are not that great. In fact, many are truly wretched. What they had going for them was this: they were covering virgin territory. Nothing like them had been seen before, and they generated huge interest because of that.

The Silver Age came along years after the Golden Age, in a period where comics had become less and less relevant, less spontaneous, less of a novelty. Many of the Golden Age comics, and their heroes, were either long gone or long dormant. The Silver Age saw a burst of new creativity, where the conventions, themes, and heroes of the Golden Age were still revered, but were revamped for a new age, and a new type of fan base. The Silver Age brought in more fans than comics had ever seen before. It saw the advent of new ways of doing comics. The only reason it wasn't a Golden Age in itself was that the basic concept wasn't new.

I see D&D (as well as RPGs in general) following the same pattern. The current Silver Age of RPGs is still ongoing, so there's not telling what will come next.

 

[kenjib]

I just hope we never get stuff like "The Book of Elves" where random filler and more powers is just inserted into a book that is pointless.

Naw, we already have Mongoose for that.

*ducks the flying tomatoes*

 

[Corinth]

These are the days of wine and roses for gamers, my people, and it does come down to Dancey's decision to push for the creation of the Open Gaming Movement. I don't worry about D&D, WOTC, Hasbro or any such entities because I know that the game will never die. D20 or not, there's such a zest to put forth great stuff right now that it's getting hard to not find something good that you like on the shelves.

More lapsed gamers return to the hobby every day. More people begin gaming every day. We're almost to the 30 year mark, the mark where mainstream acceptance becomes inevitable, and we are not universally reviled. Even the geek stigma is now more of a matter of gamers hating gamers than anything else, and one that is increasingly seen as a damned stupid thing to pull upon the community. I've never been happier to roll dice, thwop orcs and save the world one level at a time.

 

[Sulimo]

Re: 2020

The golden age of roleplaying will begin in or around the year 2020.

That's when the gamers who started playing as teenagers in the '70s will begin retiring. By 2030, you'll have thousands and thousands of people with lots and lots of free time, doing what they love.

Yeah. My friends have often wondered about setting up a nursing home for all the old roleplayers to congregate at when we get older.

 

[Jondor_Battlehammer]

Re: Re: 2020

Can I get a witness?!?!

Hallelujah!!!

Thats exactly how it was for me, about 10-12 years old when I discovered D&D. I was the entire group for my friend, who was the DM, and the coolest PC concept EVER was my idea to be a pseudo dragon wizard, with my brother as my familliar.

Frankly, either they will have an epiphany, and we will be flooded with great products, or they will wane out of existance for a while as they have done before. The pen and paper may take a real hit some day, but D&D will always be around. Neverwinter is just the start of the D&D on PC. If goes anywhere, it will be there, not into nothingness.

Of course, they could always take a suggestion that I'm sure I'm not the first to put forward. MAKE MORE ADVENTURES!!! No company that has ever done D&D has ever produced enough moduales. Thats where their high profit and turnover rate could come from. I don't think one a month is too much to ask. When 3E first came out, I ran my friends through the first five they produced, which came out about once a month, and that worked out perfectly for us, (then we hit rttoee). If the could just keep it up...

 

[S'mon]

IMO the solid base of the 3e PHB combined with the OGL has created a second golden age of artistic and creative freedom akin to the first golden age from the release of the 1st ed Monster Manual in '77 through to around the time of the boxed World of Greyhawk set in '83. Certainly the change from the dark era following the Fall of Gygax is very noticeable.

 

[dreamthief]

Re: Re: 2020

Yeah. My friends have often wondered about setting up a nursing home for all the old roleplayers to congregate at when we get older.

"Stop sucking on your IV, Steve, and roll those dice already!"

 

[JoeGKushner]

I don't think it's the golden age yet.

Editing, layout, and spellchecking still have a long way to go for the prices currently being charged and this is directed at Wizards of the Coast and every other publisher with more than a page of errata.

In addition, there are many parts of the D20 system yet to be challenged by the lack of the SRD being open. Deity ascension, Epic Level Support, and a "core" rulebook that allows a group to sit down and play in one setting. I'd love for someone to take parts of the SRD and make a combo PHB, DMG, MM that had enough of each to get a group started. Not everyone has $90 bones to see if they like a game. This isn't a personal complaint mind you as I have the core books and many supplements but unless something is done that encourages play itself, well, games like Neverwinter Nights, Warcraft III and others can take players away from the actual playing just as easily as they can introduce peopel to the genre itself.

I'm really hoping that Savage Species does some great things for ECL which I see as broken. Badly broken. I'd also kill for some more immediate psionic support ala new powers, feats, items, etc...

 

[Chromnos]

Why not ask me who really shot Kennedy?

As I understand it, it went roughly like this:

Dave Arneson wanted part of the profits from D&D, which he was co-creator of.

Gygax created "Advanced" Dungeons&Dragons, claiming it was a wholly new game, which Arneson had no part in creating, and thus, didn't get any of the profits from.

Naturally, all those involved have their own 'spin' on events.

Ah, the good ol Idea repackaging coup.

So how did Gygax eventually get cut out of the loop? I mean he's doing his own D20 press games now, isn't he?

-C