Does Anyone Care? (Cosmere RPG)

[Parmandur]

I was trying to find some stats independent of large cons and came across this:

The Most Popular TTRPGs On StartPlaying Games In 2024 | StartPlaying

Avatar RPG came out as 36th. Above Traveller and below Tales of the Valiant. Solid, but not earth shattering.

Not relevant to the 2024 numbers, but I have seen that SrartPlaying is actively pushing the Stormlight RPG thi past couple weeks.

 

[Campbell]

One of the key differences is that Cosmere/Plotweaver characters are more well-rounded and less specialized even if you focus on a single path for your character (you gain additional skill ranks at every level but the cap on how many ranks you can gain progresses very slowly). The heroic paths are also a lot less focused on adventuring for the most part and include things like being a military officer, a politician, a spy, a diplomat or a priest (in the not supernatural sense). A good deal more focus is placed on social encounters as well (with rules social conflicts getting their own section).

The game also expects rewards to be more about your place in the world. It has rules for acquiring companion characters, patrons and titles within the setting's various factions.

This is definitely a game where characters get embroiled in adventures rather than specifically seeking them out.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Apples and oranges.

Magpie goes out of their way to have a presence at gencon; they are the contact for all 130 events that the Avatar RPG has there. It is not organic.

Again; I am not saying that the Avatar RPG is not profitable for them. It clearly is. People like their favorite IP's.

What I am talking about is the actual network effect within the hobby that the game has built.

Has it built up a network effect within the hobby in the past two years similar to what ShadowDark has done? Clearly not.

I am merely pointing out that Big KS dollars do not necessarily translate to a large network effect. (The lifeblood of RPG's). Especially when most of the people backing it are doing so because they see it as collectable merch.

Fair. I know I backed that KS with zero intention to ever play the game I bought (way too narrative for me to invest in). I just wanted the setting info.

 

[Autumnal]

I’m not a Sanderson fan and completely uninvested in the Cosmere, but these modifications to 5e are sounding like exactly what I’d like in a “better D&D”. Thanks for rousing my curiosity! If a friend buys in, I’ll have to peer over their shoulder, or something.

 

[Greg K]

I have not read the books and have no interest at all in the RPG.

 

[Divine2021]

Seems popular at Gen Con. I just don’t think it’s cool to be a hater against something you don’t know much about.

 

[Parmandur]

I’m not a Sanderson fan and completely uninvested in the Cosmere, but these modifications to 5e are sounding like exactly what I’d like in a “better D&D”. Thanks for rousing my curiosity! If a friend buys in, I’ll have to peer over their shoulder, or something.

If anything, the generic SRD will come down the pike sooner rther than later.

The Mistborn setting coming up next year is less of a buy-in than the Stormlight Archives, particularly the later Era of the timeline which is about 1870s-1920s style pulp adventure with superpowers.