Draw Steel News

[SteveC]

This has been an experience I didn't expect. I've listened to Matt for a long time, and have seen how he's run previous projects. And he brought in a bigger team for Draw Steel. I'm sort of at the point where I'm losing any concern for how this project is going to come out. And the thing is, this was what I had intended to be my system going forward. It's disappointing to say the least.

Now when the game comes out, it may rock and all may be forgiven. If I had to wager, however, the lack of showing the higher level materials off tells me I may not be pleased with that part of the game.

This is a project that I want to work, and I'm looking forward to the eventual release, but I'm going agree that for something this big, and from someone who's been really solid in the past, it's been a disappointing experience. That does not make me a hater, just not having my interest in the project ramping up as the game looks to be finally coming out.

 

[Neonchameleon]

I'm in the same boat. If you'd asked me a year ago which D&Desque game I was most interested in I'd have said Draw Steel in a heartbeat. I don't watch Colville much, mostly because his sensibilities are too like mine.

In the last month Daggerheart (a game I expected not even to be worth picking up based on Mercer's design skills and Candela Obscura) has become my go-to and I expect little from Draw Steel

 

[Reynard]

It seems to me that this whole situation is a question of people reading the fine print.

Do that.

 

[mamba]

It seems to me that this whole situation is a question of people reading the fine print.

Do that.

I don’t think the fine print said anything about ‘you will get two early releases and then nothing for over 6 months right up until the final release’

 

[Not a Decepticon]

Honestly, I always saw nothing but unnecessary hostility from online fandom towards this game, so I don't even know if I can take complaints about updates seriously.

 

[Neonchameleon]

It seems to me that this whole situation is a question of people reading the fine print.

Do that.

No one is saying that Colville has done anything illegal or even unethical. Just that his approach to publicising his game is annoying and counterproductive.

Honestly, I always saw nothing but unnecessary hostility from online fandom towards this game, so I don't even know if I can take complaints about updates seriously.

Better than ignoring them...

 

[Reynard]

I like Coville as a D&D communicator, but I'm not terribly impressed with MCDM. Strongholds and Followers is a mess, design wise, and while I like Flee Mortals better from that perspective, it annoys me that they tried to PI all the statblocks.

I ultimately did not back Draw Steel because I need to see a finished product before I give them money again.

 

[SteveC]

It seems to me that this whole situation is a question of people reading the fine print.

Do that.

It seems we have reached this part of the discussion about the project. I like Matt. I like MCDM. Matt knows a million times more about running a project like this than I do. And at the same time, whoever is managing the social media/updates part of this project has done a crappy job.

I've backed over 100 projects and I've seen better communication from companies that were one-person shops.

For much of the project, there was a buzz about Draw Steel. There were videos. Influencers were talking about it with Matt. And we were getting regular updates. And then that stopped. And that would be when things turned crappy.

I love 4E and I think Draw Steel is doing a great job using some of those mechanics while also adding the "you can't miss" mechanic. I like all of that. What I don't like is just stopping talking about what's happening to the backers.

And that doesn't make me a hater. If the game is good, I'll definitely be trying it out with my group. I was excited about it. But since then the conversation has pretty much stopped. And that's not a good sign. If I had to speculate, Matt's going through the same conversation that a lot of other companies who are putting out games this year are having: So, Daggerheart happened. What do we do to position ourselves and market our product when there's something that's a smash success out there?

 

[gnarlygninja]

Honestly, I always saw nothing but unnecessary hostility from online fandom towards this game, so I don't even know if I can take complaints about updates seriously.

It's not just this game, I usually don't even bother clicking on topics about MCDM or Matt Colville because I find the way people on here talk about him specifically to be really naughty word weird. But re: the updates, while I'm not particularly fussed that I "only" got two play test versions and don't understand why it matters if influencers were talking about it, I do think the decision to not tell backers the tentative release date isn't happening was a misstep.

 

[Zaukrie]

It's not just this game, I usually don't even bother clicking on topics about MCDM or Matt Colville because I find the way people on here talk about him specifically to be really naughty word weird. But re: the updates, while I'm not particularly fussed that I "only" got two play test versions and don't understand why it matters if influencers were talking about it, I do think the decision to not tell backers the tentative release date isn't happening was a misstep.

It's not happening?