Does Anyone Care? (Cosmere RPG)

[bedir than]

ToV was definitley reactionary, but since they didn't do much re-design of 5e there's not a compelling reason to switch to it, unless you really want to cut out WotC from D&D.

They separated nurture and nature, they added unique actions for every monster (which 2024 wound up doing too, I think), they use luck rather than inspiration, and they have Doom.
It's a solid system I wish more people would use or at least permit within a 5e table.

 

[bedir than]

So, yes, completely non-combst oriented characters, like a merchant or a scientist, instead exist in these rules and contribute, largely because the game has types of "Scenes" outside of combat, namely Social encounters (which involce a sort of social combat that is gameified with the Cognitive Stats and Focus points) and "Endeavors" (which are basically Skill Challenges ala 4E but fully baked). Endeavors, in particular, allow for the ramifications of narrative elements like mass combat between armies or heists (Mistborn is going to play with Endeavors pretty heavily, apparently).

So, at merchant who is completely useless in a knock down drsg out fight can dominate a Social scene, or the master Strategist might be able to deftly maneuver through an Endeavor centered on a siege. Both of which are roles and types of narrative that D&D isn't really built around: you can build a super-magic warrior dude who can dominate combat in Stormlight, but that's not the only thing the game is about.

I'm very intrigued by this and have no concept of what Sanderson's about (except that he hated the Wheel of Time series and worked quite hard to help it fail).

 

[mamba]

ToV was definitley reactionary, but since they didn't do much re-design of 5e there's not a compelling reason to switch to it, unless you really want to cut out WotC from D&D.

I really like SotWW, it's sitting on my shelf, but I suspect it would have happened anyway as an evolution of SotDL, rather than being explicitly reactionary to the OGL.

I agree with both, I kinda like the ToV changes over the 5.5 ones tho, but ultimately neither went far enough imo.

The OGL accelerated at a minimum several of the games, including ToV, SD, and SotWW, probably also Draw Steel. They were all in the works before WotC decided to blow up their fanbase

 

[Micah Sweet]

I like these questions!

I am not here to sell folks on Cosmere, so this is just me liking that question and trying to answer it for myself ...

A. For me... D&D is a miserable system. It has terrible combat that is sooo tedious. It has no social rules, and there is zero support for character plot development. It's just Diablo with pen and paper. Go, quest, kill, rinse, repeat.

B. I am sick of generic fantasy, especially ones that lean into a foundation of ripping off Tolkien with Elves, Dwarves, Halflings, and humans, wrapped in a western European mythos patina.

C. I have been roleplaying for over 30 years, and I have made a LOT of custom worlds, setting, monsters, etc. I can do this and its fun. But sometimes its fun to dig into someone else's ideas and build from there. Hence why i am ok with Warhammer fantasy (but i like 40k better), and Dune, and Star Trek, and Infinity, and L5R, and Vampire the Masquerade.

D. The forgotten realms and dragonlance settings are bore. I read, played and dug into them decades ago, and they never got better, they just got more nonsense and messy. Especially Realms, its just nothing everything hodgepodge meh. Mork Borg was far more inspiring.

E. Numenera and Invisible Sun didn't deliver on the world and exploration intrigue they said they would. good games, fine rules, but overall just not really anything interesting going on to come back to and dig deeper.

F. For all the reasons folks are fleeing to Daggerheart, I left D&D and more. But Daggerheart is a bad system. And so far nobody has earnestly tried to, or been able to convince me otherwise. It is made of all the right ideas, in all the wrong ways. So when I went looking for other high fantasy games, other than the discontinued Conan 2d20 that i rather loved.... there isn't anything else to dig deep into.
......



Also here is some official Q/A that speaks to most of your questions = Interview with Cosmere (link)

What games do you like?

 

[RenleyRenfield]

sounds like a lot of words for 'I am bored with the stuff I have done for 30 years already'?

Oh heck no!

We are playing Wraith the Oblivion, and Star Wars, and Final Fantasy 8. After playing Infinity, L5R, Conan, Mork Borg and a bunch of other great games. We roleplay 2 to 3 times a week for 4 hours each - every week.

I have a lot longer list of RPGs I love than hate. But some RPGs deserve humble-pie honesty.

 

[RenleyRenfield]

Indeed. No one is trying to sell you personally on Daggerheart because it is clear that despite it being a genuinely great system either you have prejudged it or it doesn't click with you.

Good job at being another person who didn't give a good reason. And made laughably wrong assumptions. With good friends of mine co-authoring Daggerheart, quite the opposite - we had high hopes.

 

[RenleyRenfield]

I dig how you are feeling...and I'm not even tired of 5E D&D or generic High Fantasy tropes, bit I do love this Setting and think what they are offering here for ghe rules is the first really interesting alternative to D&D I've seen yet.

Too many other alternatives, for me, lean away from what I think works in D&D while leaning away other aspects in ways I don't find interesting or inspiring.

The Plotweaver system take what works in 5E d&D, and pushes it in an exciting novel direction WotC couldn't even take D&D.

This is very much what I am also thinking. Personally, I don't need the whole concept of high fantasy utterly re-written. And I don't necessarily want only RPGs that are entirely different than D&D. I love what PBTA improved upon in roleplaying. I love what Blades in the Dark improved in roleplaying. I love what 5th Ed L5R improved in roleplaying. I love what 2d20 Momentum improved in roleplaying. And yet, D&D has not improved. (for me) But I looked at Cosmere, and it looked like "oh hey, they did this rpg thing, and it looks familiar - but with improvements!" So I got interested.

Why do I need a sales pitch to get me into a game? No, no... I don't - and to be honest maybe others should not either. We SEEK out systems. We play a LOT of different games. And we go looking for stuff that is fun. And having never read Sanderson's books, I still sought out his game, and want to try it. Maybe it will fall flat, dunno. I won't judge till we get a lot of hours in first....

 

[mamba]

I won't judge till we get a lot of hours in first....

sounds like you are giving Cosmere more of a chance than Daggerheart got. Where did DH go wrong?

 

[RenleyRenfield]

What games do you like?

It's a long list... But her are my to favs. Some of which are "in the rotation" regularly...

- Pendragon (current new edition): this game has simple rules, characterful characters, and a very well utilized Trait and Passion system that let me feel like my character has different opinions than me.

- Infinity 2d20: this game is incredible for making every roll feel important. And its use of Social Spheres and Metanoia are what I always wanted in World of Darkness. I love the setting, and much more...

- Promethean: I love this game, it turns the table around by encouraging you to play to resolving philosophy of self, distill what you feel and do into meaningful moments that make the character grow.

- Mork Borg: I don't like OSR, and Mork Borg made OSR fun. Its Omen system was a blast, and its pressure of the apocalypse keep characters charged even when there was no monster to fight.

- L5R: (5th edition): the funky dice rock. It makes duels work great mechanically. It makes skirmishes work great mechanically. It makes social interaction dynamic. I could place this game with a dozen different characters and still return.

- Itras By: This game made the surreal adventure work in ways that for some reason Invisible Sun could not. Maybe it was its cards, maybe it was the character fiat, I dunno. but dang this game is good!

- Pasion de las Pasiones: this is the first, and currently, only - fun PvP game I have ever played. And its mechanic of asking questions to prompt character engagement in action at hand, so smooth and immersive!


so many more...

 

[RenleyRenfield]

sounds like you are giving Cosmere more of a chance than Daggerheart got. Where did DH go wrong?

Oh, no no no. We are not done with Daggerheart yet. And we have not played a full campaign of Cosmere yet. Lots more play to come!

I don't want to get into Daggerheart discussion in this thread (it was only intended as a perspective comment earlier, and too many people are emotion-guarding it here so...)
I am happy to chat with folks about it on a PM so as not to detract from this thread.