Magic the Gathering as RPG?

[shady]

And yes, that's exactly my suggestion - a Mirrodin setting, a Kamigawa setting, etc (I've forgotten the ones before that - see how well the branding stood up?). Since I think the setting bibles are developed (and possibly most of the cards) at the start of the block I'm not sure the setting actually changes during the release of the subsequent expansions so much as more information is published about it.

 

[Zappo]

How do you mean working on? A petition? Home brew deal? Speak up man!

MM has been working on Dusk, a campaign setting which is heavily influenced by Magic. People haven't been much responsive, though.

 

[Michael Morris]

MM has been working on Dusk, a campaign setting which is heavily influenced by Magic. People haven't been much responsive, though.

Art of Magic would allow you to run any MtG based setting with ease. But delay after delay makes me fear that it will hit the shelves of something official by WotC meaning all my work will have been for naught.

And responsive? Unresponsive is an understatement.

I always sound bitter when I point this out - but a seven year fruitless effort has made me that way. Dusk was planned out in 1996 to be a divided world where multiple GMs could develop campaign settings in one material plane world scape. This is the reason why I stayed away from huge swathes of the setting and concentrated on one small area.

I used to be very active in the setting's promotion. At one point it was even moved onto the TSR servers for semi-official development. Then WotC bought TSR out and the setting was kicked out.

I have watched my dreams turn to ash. When it comes to being a game designer I am very much a bitter and broken man. Campaign settings - even mine - are a joke in my opinion. Everybody wants to make one and nobody wants to buy one. The only time people help others to develop a setting is when they can PROFIT by it.

 

[Crothian]

There might be a need for it. More people play MAgic then role play I'd wager. So, create a setting and try to bring them to the RPG side.

 

[Michael Morris]

I've tried that. I was doing very well too until Werner started messing with my life

(The biggest thing that sucks about driving a truck is the complete lack of personal freedom - your personal life is non-existant. I endured 2 years of being a number instead of a human being - no more).

 

[philreed]

Campaign settings - even mine - are a joke in my opinion. Everybody wants to make one and nobody wants to buy one.

Absolutely. Each time I get the urge to spend time creating the campaign setting _I_ want to publish I pull down the bookcase of campaign settings and let them crush me. Either that, or slam my head into the sidewalk a dozen times. Either option tends to make me forget the horrific idea of wasting time writing a campaign setting.

 

[Fieari]

If it makes you feel any better, I'd seen bits of your alternate magic system (posted in house rules, I think it was) which made me eager to try it...

 

[ptolemy18]

My immediate cynical assumption is that WotC probably considered doing a Magic/D&D crossover a while ago, but decided against it because they didn't want to pollute their reasonably-successful Magic brand with that nerdy old role-playing. :/

Seriously, any sort of "Magic: The RPG" would really be a boost for RPGs, not for magic... and they probably decided that RPGs have to sink or swim on their own....

Jason

 

[ptolemy18]

I have watched my dreams turn to ash. When it comes to being a game designer I am very much a bitter and broken man. Campaign settings - even mine - are a joke in my opinion. Everybody wants to make one and nobody wants to buy one.

Shucks...! :/ I buy campaign setting material (TESTAMENT, AFRICAN ADVENTURES, EGYPTIAN ADVENTURES, MIDNIGHT) but I almost always end up modifying it for use in some homebrew of mine.

Really, I think every DM should make up their own campaign setting to some extent, unless they just need to run something quickly without thinking about it. The cool thing about RPGs is their customizability. When you get to the gaming table, no one from Wizards of the Coast can tell you what is and isn't permitted...

Jason

 

[Michael Morris]

Ryan Dancy once embarrased the Hell out of me at Gencon 2001 by fielding the question of should there be a MtG/D&D crossover to the room during the D&D 3e reviewing - at my prompting. He pointed out the Magic heads would see things the same.

But 1)sight-unseen it's hard not to be skeptical and 2)times have changed since then.

I've spoken with folks that are/were at WotC regarding this and have went over a few things - I won't mention names to keep them out of trouble. I know I'm on the right track.