Draw Steel the MCDM RPG!

[SteveC]

Draw Steel definitely shows its influences as coming from what Matt likes. It seems to be working for him, as his brand is pretty strong. I'm older than Matt but I think we have a lot of cultural influences in common, so I get where he's coming from even if I don't always agree with it.

I think there's a lot in the game's design that will make people interested in it, and also a bunch that may make them want to steer clear. I backed the KS and I still don't know if I'm really going to adopt the game. But I trust the influences enough to make for something that will be interesting, so here I am.

I honestly think some of the criticism comes from people who don't want Matt to make his game. I could not disagree more. While that may ultimately make it not what I'm going to adopt, I'd rather he do that than make something more generic and with less heart.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Mod Note:

Could we please not accuse fellow ENWorlders of “bad taste” and other personal attacks? Thanks.

 

[EthanSental]

I’m watching the Average Roll channel on YouTube play the adventure that came with the packet, the fall of blackbottom. It feels like a Rifts game to me in the mish mash of genres and the packets does mention it being like a space opera. Class names takes some getting used to since I don’t have a reference point..sort of like listening to Warhammer players talking in the game store. I’m sure we will give it a read once it comes out in final form and see what we think then. Some parts I think I like but won’t know until we try it during a few game sessions.

Edit - just noticed their note that it’s using patreon play packet 2.

 

[OptionalRule]

I’m watching the Average Roll channel on YouTube play the adventure that came with the packet, the fall of blackbottom. It feels like a Rifts game to me in the mish mash of genres and the packets does mention it being like a space opera. Class names takes some getting used to since I don’t have a reference point..sort of like listening to Warhammer players talking in the game store. I’m sure we will give it a read once it comes out in final form and see what we think then. Some parts I think I like but won’t know until we try it during a few game sessions.

Edit - just noticed their note that it’s using patreon play packet 2.

It's changing so much, I've kind of tuned out until they reach a production version of the game. It'll be interesting to see what kind of community interest it gets, if any. I am curious but otherwise, I don't really think about it. I was a backer so we'll find out sooner or later.

 

[Helena Real]

I’m watching the Average Roll channel on YouTube play the adventure that came with the packet, the fall of blackbottom. It feels like a Rifts game to me in the mish mash of genres and the packets does mention it being like a space opera. Class names takes some getting used to since I don’t have a reference point..sort of like listening to Warhammer players talking in the game store. I’m sure we will give it a read once it comes out in final form and see what we think then. Some parts I think I like but won’t know until we try it during a few game sessions.

Edit - just noticed their note that it’s using patreon play packet 2.

Thanks for watching!

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I honestly think some of the criticism comes from people who don't want Matt to make his game. I could not disagree more. While that may ultimately make it not what I'm going to adopt, I'd rather he do that than make something more generic and with less heart.

I don't think it necessarily would have less heart. That's an irrational bit of magical thinking, frankly, where a single author always beats a team, and where teams are smirkingly slur-named as "committees". MCDM was never someone one-man project about MC's personal experiences. It was always a complex RPG designed by a team overseen by MC, but where the team has previously corrected for MC's bad ideas. The concept was never to make MC's dream RPG either - it was to make a specific kind of RPG which is kind of lacking in the market and which did things other RPGs aren't. None of that required or relates to the specific setting MC seems to be insisting on (which isn't even messed up in the ways he initially suggested it would be, which would have been easier to edit!)

The idea that it'd hav "less heart" if it was less space fantasy/Rifts-y is as patently silly as the idea that already has "less brains" because MC was convinced not to use "funky dice".

 

[Zaukrie]

It's changing so much, I've kind of tuned out until they reach a production version of the game. It'll be interesting to see what kind of community interest it gets, if any. I am curious but otherwise, I don't really think about it. I was a backer so we'll find out sooner or later.

Same

 

[EthanSental]

So the latest play test packet mentioned on brackerkit was in August with the survey in September. What was the expected “publish” for the book/pdf? Sometime in 2025 I think since the crowdfunding ended January 5th 2024. Just curious as I’m sorta like @OptionalRule and @Zaukrie in that I haven’t thought of it until recently and can wait for it to be ready since I did the pdf version of both.

 

[SteveC]

I don't think it necessarily would have less heart. That's an irrational bit of magical thinking, frankly, where a single author always beats a team, and where teams are smirkingly slur-named as "committees". MCDM was never someone one-man project about MC's personal experiences. It was always a complex RPG designed by a team overseen by MC, but where the team has previously corrected for MC's bad ideas. The concept was never to make MC's dream RPG either - it was to make a specific kind of RPG which is kind of lacking in the market and which did things other RPGs aren't. None of that required or relates to the specific setting MC seems to be insisting on (which isn't even messed up in the ways he initially suggested it would be, which would have been easier to edit!)

The idea that it'd hav "less heart" if it was less space fantasy/Rifts-y is as patently silly as the idea that already has "less brains" because MC was convinced not to use "funky dice".

I don't think I can disagree with this more. Does the world need another RPG? I don't think so. There are thousands of them available. What we really don't need is a bog standard fantasy game by any particular author. I don't need to hear about dwarves and elves and hobbits (or whatever they call them so the Tolkien estate doesn't sue) fighting goblins or rats in the sewers.

What we may need is Matt's weird vision for a world based on 70s prog rock and a mix of science fantasy that fits in line with the movie Wizards. I'm not sure where you get the idea where this is about fitting a niche that isn't currently being served as a part of the RPG community ... I doubt very much that the game will do something there isn't some variation on. Will this game work? I think that part remains to be seen. That's even for me, and I backed the game. I back a lot of projects that are "weird" because the designers talk about them in a Reddit Sub I'm involved with. Some of them have been really good.

But, as you said, Matt is making the game as part of a team, so they can do things like say, "Please, for the love of God, don't use funky dice!" It's ultimately up to Matt to listen to them, or not, because it's his brand. And one thing I know about Matt is that he is incredibly excited about the things that are important to him and brings a lot of people along with him. Would anyone care about this game if Matt wasn't associated with it?

Now might the game be better without some of the weird 70s sci-fi era stuff? Maybe. But if Matt isn't as excited about it, he doesn't drag as many people along with him. Does some of that stuff hurt the game? Probably yes, but I don't think Matt cares very much. But you never know, because he has listened about the dice thing.

 

[tetrasodium]

I don't think it necessarily would have less heart. That's an irrational bit of magical thinking, frankly, where a single author always beats a team, and where teams are smirkingly slur-named as "committees". MCDM was never someone one-man project about MC's personal experiences. It was always a complex RPG designed by a team overseen by MC, but where the team has previously corrected for MC's bad ideas. The concept was never to make MC's dream RPG either - it was to make a specific kind of RPG which is kind of lacking in the market and which did things other RPGs aren't. None of that required or relates to the specific setting MC seems to be insisting on (which isn't even messed up in the ways he initially suggested it would be, which would have been easier to edit!)

The idea that it'd hav "less heart" if it was less space fantasy/Rifts-y is as patently silly as the idea that already has "less brains" because MC was convinced not to use "funky dice".

Uhh... Your complaint here seems to very much boil down to "if all you watch is Matt's videos you really only see Matt". Many of the Patreon entries are literally written by other team members and have talked about things they bring in. Just a quick skim of the most recent posts I see:
one from Matt (an hour ago) about gods
one from Lars,(22hr ago)art preview
one about consumables for 2nd 3rd & 4th echelon with a pdf (5 days ago)
One from Grace (Nov11) hard to summarize setting stuff & good king ormond
one from James(Nov6) shadow to Level 10
Some .STL files (nov4) noting "Dave and his Trenchworx team"
two more from James (nov1 & oct30) about the survey & conduit to level 10
etc.