Dragonstar?

[Neo]

Okay assuming there was a new edition.. or a similar game. What would people want to see in it?

What specific improvements or additions would you like to see to the available races, classes, spells, mechanics of the game?

How about the setting how would you like to see that have evolved, what areas would you have it open up or concentrate on in more details?

 

[HellHound]

But remember, MEG was publishing their adventures (a type of book that is a notorious poor-seller) at the same time that FFG was actively publishing DS rulebooks and supplements. I'd bet that someone at FFG was overseeing what MEG was doing, to some extent, and sales of MEG adventures for DS were undoubtedly seen as benefitting FFG's sales.

Now that FFG is no longer publishing DS, letting someone else publish DS-related stuff has no significant financial benefit to FFG, because it'd be in support of a game that they're no longer supporting themselves.

That's very true.

One of the basic rules for writing adventures for DragonStar for the two third-party publishers that had the license was that the adventures had to be just that - adventures in the entirety and not sourcebooks masquerading as adventures, or even adventures with some sourcebook background material.

I was writing one of the adventures at the time, and it was pretty strict.

 

[Ghostwind]

heya Steve

long time no speak, how you doing?

..you know you want to develop Bastionstar...go on

Hey Neo... Doing better now. It was a very rough winter. How's that secret M&M project coming?

Hmmm... Bastionstar. It does have a kind of ring to it, doesn't it?

 

[scourger]

It is a shame that it's gone. I liked the Starfarer's Handbook so much that I bought 2 copies for a Rifts to d20 conversion. The free adventures at the FFG web site were great. I ran one and hoped to run the other. But, a better rules set for that kind of game came along, and I re-converted it to Omega World rules. It died sadly from lack of participation.

I liked the Guide to the Galaxy and Imperial Supply less. So, I quit buying the books int he line. I did pick up Raw Recruits, which I hope to use fro Prime Directive d20 when it comes out for a Star Trek type of game.

I think the problem with DS was that it just "D&D in Space". That was the mantra of my fellow gamers (who, ironically, turned Star Wars (d20) into D&D in Space). There were also some derisive references to Spelljammer. I was th eonyl one who saw the brilliance of DS.

It seems that magic is for fantasy and psionics is for science fiction. Most movies I watch and books I read follow that formula pretty successfully, and so do the games I've played or run. If I get around to running RR as a PD20 game, I'll probably just make all the elves into Vulcans, the drow into Romulans and wing the rest with weird "mind powers" instead of magic spells. Another game to add to the list, anyway...

 

[Neo]

Hey Neo... Doing better now. It was a very rough winter. How's that secret M&M project coming?

glad to hear you got through it okay.

the secret "it" is all done.. though whatever "it" is I still cant say as "It" still hasnt been announced . ..pesky NDA's Can't wait till "it" is though..been a real pleasure playtesting "it".

Hmmm... Bastionstar. It does have a kind of ring to it, doesn't it?

absolutely, so how many "make it" e-mails do I have to send you before you give in and add it to the release schedule hehe

 

[KaosDevice]

"The real deal..."

Well, the Dragonstar setting was cool, but let's deconstruct it a bit, find the flavors we liked.

1. A hard sci fi setting that had High Magic in the mix. Magic made interstellar travel possible, not science, the universe was still an Einstinian one but informed by Magic which overlay the strata of the universe to lesser or greater degree.

2. An old universe that had multiple groups that took advantage of that, the latest being Dragons. (To be honest the dragon thing was the bit I liked the least, I liked the houses, but having Dragons at the top seemed lame cop out like. All things even a Human in unlimited epic rules D&D alone could trounce a dragon so..eh..whatever, throw tech in the mix and things get even crazier) Anyway, lets just stick with multiple fantasy races laying claim on space forming, reforming and then forming an empire.

3. Said empire could descend on a 'normal' D&D world and trounce the natives and go all Britian on India on them.

4. The current rulers of said empire were "The Bad Guys". That's an easy one.

5. The players are ostensibly the 'good guys' in this empire.

Alpha/Omega that had the Dragonstar 'feel' to me.

So to capture it you need, hard sci fi tech (I still like the DS radiation rules, call me weird) and high magic. I like the classic d20 Fantasy rules with it, but a few other core classes rather then going D20 Mod or Future just because it seems like the goal is D&D in space.

That might just be me though.

 

[Ranger REG]

The inspiration wasn't really the problem. I can think of two reasons though...

1) It isn't D&D. A silly arguement, but I'm hearing the same about the new D&D Online game. It's Eberron, and it isn't following 3.5 exact. Apparently, this is enough to discourage a lot of people.

2) It isn't 3.5. I don't know if this is because FFG couldn't afford the refit, or if sales before the change weren't high enough to make it worth while. Either way, if it isn't 3.5 compatible, it isn't as likely to be bought.


I'm NOT bashing 3.5, just mentioning an observed pattern. No flaming please.

1) Of course, it's not D&D. I'm not asking for a Spelljammer-inspired game. I want a d20 game that featured fantasy races in clash with a futuristic world, inspired by Dragonstar.

2) Meh. If a publisher want to make use of 3.5e SRD and simply use the Player's Handbook requirement label (instead of the d20 Modern requirement label), I'm not stopping him or her. Just do what FFG failed to do with Dragonstar line at this moment. I'm not going to wait for them to decide when the time is right. By the time FFG act, I would have given up this hobby (not to mention my prostate).

 

[Cergorach]

(not to mention my prostate)

Don't expect any publisher to have something finished by next week, ol man. ;-)

 

[kenobi65]

I cant see the vast part of almost a thousand people getting e-mails they arent really bothered about anymore day in day out wihtou just unsubscribing were your "theories" correct.. can you?

Surely not every one of your list members has their membership set to "Individual E-Mails" or even "Digest"? I have most of my Yahoo group memberships set to "Special Notices Only" or "No E-mails" (particularly groups that I only have a passing interest in), and read the posts to those lists on the web.

If you've got less-involved list members, with their memberships on either of those last two settings, it'd be very easy for them to still be members, but completely ignoring the list. (Lord knows there's some lists that I'm on that I check on once a week, if that.)

Just saying that you shouldn't necessarily be assuming the vast majority of your group members are as intensely involved as you think they are.

 

[Neo]

Just saying that you shouldn't necessarily be assuming the vast majority of your group members are as intensely involved as you think they are.

fair point