DC20 Kickstarter launch on June 4th

[Meech17]

No real way to tell if they’re honest but most will say if they’re sponsored.

I believe they are legally required to..

 

[Shardstone]

A campaign setting for a version of D&D can't, by definition, be a Fantasy Heartbreaker.

Just to reiterate, a FH is a game designed to be a better version of D&D by people that do not know much about RPGs beyond D&D. DC20 seems to qualify, in addition to looking like a bit of a mess, system wise.

I was posting it tongue and cheek, not being serious lol

 

[Dustin Cooper]

I haven't gotten a chance to watch any of the D&D tubers talk about it, but I saw that a lot of them are.. Has anyone watched some? Are they paid sponsor spots or are they just people genuinely stoked on this new system?

Treantmonk said he was offered an ad spot, but turned it down, since he doesn't do those. But he does have an affiliate link that does give him some kickback for people who pledge from there. Though it should be noted that he was already making videos on how much he liked what he was seeing six months ago.

 

[Staffan]

I'm surprised it's as big as it is.. I wasn't expecting half a million, and it still has weeks to go...

I always assumed heartbreakers were called as much because your heart broke for the creator, rather than the game itself.

Huh. I always thought the heart broken was that of the creator when they realize that other people don't appreciate their Revolutionary New Game (which is just D&D but our elves have pointy eyes instead of ears).

 

[Blue]

Skimming through the rulebook now, and definitely agree it looks like a Fantasy Heartbreaker.

BTW, I'm amused about how often they talk about "time for a NEW evolution" but evolution literally is just turning the crank. It's definitely not a revolution, looks like mix and match some good ideas from a few traditional RPGs plus "hey, why can't I do X that I see in my favorite shows?" like those Spell Duels, all while trying not to deviate too far from 5e norms (ability scores, saves for each ability, skills tied to an ability, death saves, skill mastery instead of expertise, Advantage/Disadvantage, etc.) - though some of them are the somewhat common "if Advantage is cool, double Advantage should be even more cool" and same for some other things.

It stands on the shoulders of giants, and I'm sure it will provide an enjoyable game for those that are looking for changes in this area. To me it's rather derivative, but of games that have licenses that allow that sort of thing so, good?, I guess.

 

[Reynard]

I am surprised there is no VTT implementation stretch goal and/or reward tier.

 

[Vexorg]

If the "heartbreaker" part is because nobody cares about it, does that really apply when it earns a million on Kickstarter?

 

[Reynard]

If the "heartbreaker" part is because nobody cares about it, does that really apply when it earns a million on Kickstarter?

I don't know, it seems to hit a lot of the original points in this article if you allow for 5E, rather than old school D&D, being the foundational document.

As to KS success: from a fantasy heartbreaker perspective it doesn't really matter if no one actually plays it. If in two years DC20 doesn't have a dedicated players and publisher base, it is still a heartbreaker even if it was a record breaker at the time it funded. The same goes for both Daggerheart and MCDM RPG as well, I think. They aren't exactly heartbreakers in that the designers acknowledge and are drawing on games outside the D&D lineage for elements of play, but they may well end up being heartbreakers from a publishing success category. Either one of those two games could end up novelties on backers' shelves but otherwise forgotten just a couple years down the line.

 

[mamba]

If the "heartbreaker" part is because nobody cares about it, does that really apply when it earns a million on Kickstarter?

valid question, the original heartbreakers never made that kind of money, YT and KS are new territory. I’d say it still has all the hallmarks of a heartbreaker in its design, and if it fizzles out in a few years it still qualifies, but DungeonDude’s heart might not be as broken as he made a decent chunk of money off it, unlike the ones in the past

 

[Blue]

If the "heartbreaker" part is because nobody cares about it, does that really apply when it earns a million on Kickstarter?

Luckily, it's not "heartbreaker" as a separate term. Or at least not anymore. While it was originally the two words, "Fantasy Heartbreaker" has become it's own term. Now it's "I can do D&D, but better!".