Kalamar losing popularity?

[Iron_Chef]

My local game store refuses to order in any new Kalamar products (except as special orders) and has marked down their remaining inventory by 30%. They cite that Kalamar sells poorly compared to other d20 settings they stock and that while they think it is well-written, customers tell them it is just another Forgotten Realms clone and they want settings with a twist, or else they say "why pay for Kalamar if I already own FR?"

Many customers are, according to my game store, under the misconception that Kalamar products can only be used in the Kalamar setting, something that's plainly not true, as the Kalamar Player's Guide attests in its cross-setting versatility. I'm not a fan of the Kalamar setting itself, and rarely buy any setting specific supplements, though I have no problem adapting excellent Kalamar rules (KKPG, Villain Design Handbook, variant vampires from Harvest of Darkness adventure) for other d20 settings. I guess that I, too, see it as merely a variant FR, and as I'm not a huge FR fan, have no desire to run the setting, using only those parts of it that appeal to me.

Amazon and Wal-Mart.com are not carrying the new Kalamar releases such as Loona: Port of Intrigue (the one setting specific supplement I had some interest in). Is this, combined with my game store's decision to stop stocking the setting, a sign that Kalamar is on the way out, sales-wise?

 

[Harlock]

No idea, but from what I have seen Kalamar is very generic, and that was one of the things that attracted me to it vs. Forgotten Realms where the metaplot sorta rolls along taking its fans along for the ride in various novels, etc. Weird.

 

[Treebore]

I like and own most of Kalamar, and have never run it. I enjoy just reading the material. Would i run a camapign in it? Yes, if players came and asked me to. Right now I have another campaign world or two to run/explore.

There are a lot of people on their boards, unlike Green Ronin, AEG, Mongoose, and even my favorite, Necromancer, and they are pretty friendly and helpful. More so than even this board.

If nothing else they have a good sized loyal fan base. Besides, Kalamar has been around a bit longer than d20. I can't remember if it was 1987 or 1997, but that is when their stuff came out in its original incarnation.

 

[johnsemlak]

I really don't know the numbers to justify it, but my feeling is Kalamar remains easily the most popular non-WotC setting (that doesn't include Dragonlance).

 

[DWARF]

I really don't know the numbers to justify it, but my feeling is Kalamar remains easily the most popular non-WotC setting (that doesn't include Dragonlance).

I've gone from Kalamar to Arcana Unearthed, mostly for the same reasons I started into Kalamar; didn't like the restrictions put on me by the campaign/game. Plus, I have taken a good amount of philosophy in my day and the whole entranched alignment system drove me nutz. That led me to look at AU and everything else about it just clicked.

Kalamar is a good generic setting, heck I may even run an AU game in it, but for now I'm unfoirtunately going to be spending less time and money on it.

 

[Nightfall]

No idea, but from what I have seen Kalamar is very generic, and that was one of the things that attracted me to it vs. Forgotten Realms where the metaplot sorta rolls along taking its fans along for the ride in various novels, etc. Weird.

One hopes though you might stick with your character's current setting...I mean you already heard what happened to last dozen or so clerics...

 

[Darklone]

Kalamar freak here... on several boards. I can't really say it's losing popularity, FR gamers are not so important to me...

I visit Kalamar sections on several boards daily and if I can say anything, then it's the opposite: I see more and more new guys on the boards.

One big advantage seems to be that many use the setting for other systems, I know three AU campaigns in the Kalamar world, at least one Gurps, 2 hero system, 1 Fudge, several Hackmaster campaigns...

 

[der_kluge]

If nothing else, there is a valuable lesson to be learned here - don't tie generic rulebooks to a setting.

 

[Rhialto]

Kalamar was popular?

*drum roll*

 

[Arnwyn]

or else they say "why pay for Kalamar if I already own FR?"

Heck, I say that about every campaign setting except for the one I own and have run over the past decade (and will continue to do so as long as I DM).

Never could understand this proliferation in campaign settings...