Modiphius' Conan TTRPG Is Ending

At the end of this year, Modiphius' license to publish the 2d20-powered Conan: Adventures in an Age Undreamed Of is coming to an end. Taking over with a new roleplaying game will be French publisher Monolith Edition, which already produces the official boardgame.

While the license ends on December 31st, you will still be able to buy existing stock until the end of June 2023.

Other Conan games include Mongoose Publishing's Conan: The Roleplaying Game, which used the d20 System back in 2004, TSR's Conan Roleplaying Game in 1985, and even 1984 D&D adventure modules called Conan Unchained! and Conan Against Darkness!

MONOLITH HANDED THE CONAN ROLEPLAYING GAME LINE FROM MODIPHIUS FOR NEW EXCITING ROLEPLAYING STORIES IN THE HYBORIAN AGE!

“When we first started exploring Robert E. Howard’s world of Conan, little did we imagine the full expanse of what was to come. It’s been an incredible journey working with top Conan scholars, talented writers and artists who gave their all to dig deep into the Conan stories and bring them to life in a truly authentic way.” Said Chris Birch, Chief Creative Officer of Modiphius Entertainment. “Now with twenty beautiful hardback books to our name and numerous beautiful accessories, we are ready to call time on our journeys across Hyboria. We’ve reached the point where we feel like we have done justice to REH’s words, delivered some incredible Conan swords & sorcery gaming, and reached the ends of the Hyborian world in every direction we could imagine. It’s time to pass on the mantle to new hands who can tell a new story in the Hyborian age!”

The roleplaying game line, under licence from Heroic Signatures (Formally Cabinet Entertainment), will end on Dec 31st, no more re-stocks are being ordered, and all stock will be sold by June 30th 2023.

If you’ve been waiting to pick up one of the books, now is your chance, either from retail or from the US or UK-based webstores. Get them while you can!

Matthew John, Conan Board Game Developer for Monolith added “For 8 years now, Conan, Heroic Signatures and Monolith have been treading the lands of Robert E. Howard’s Hyborian Age, finding grand inspiration for our products. Our board game, which rallied tens of thousands of players, was soon joined by a great role-playing game, thanks to Modiphius, who did a fantastic job diving deep into this exciting setting. As fans, we’ll be forever grateful to Modiphius for their work and our collaborations on Conan.

We’ve said it before, Howard's stories are part of Monolith’s DNA, and so we happily accepted Heroic Signatures’ offer to develop our own Conan roleplaying game–one we can infuse with our passion and unique creative vision. While we prepare our next Conan board game project, which will offer new, long-awaited features next year, we wanted to let fans know it is not the only Conan game we’re bringing to the table–or rather, your tables.

So…Monolith will bring back the Conan board game, then an all-new role-playing game! And who knows–it’s certainly possible that our admiration for Robert E.Howard's work will lead us beyond the borders of the Hyborian Age.

Stay tuned, Conan fans; we’re just getting started”.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

If only. I would gladly trade all the Terminator movies after the second for a single King Conan movie with Arnold.

Sadly, King Conan with Arnold will never come to pass, but it would pop up in almost every interview with Arnold.

The original text from "A Witch Shall be Born" is an absolutely banger, and indeed, metal as hell. It highlights the visceral poetry of R.E. Howard's writing at its best:

"The sun sank, a lurid ball in a fiery sea of blood. Against a crimson rampart that banded the horizon the towers of the city floated unreal as a dream. The very sky was tinged with blood to his misted glare. He licked his blackened lips and stared with bloodshot eyes at the distant river. It too seemed crimson with blood, and the shadows crawling up from the east seemed black as ebony.

In his dulled ears sounded the louder beat of wings. Lifting his head he watched with the burning glare of a wolf the shadows wheeling above him. He knew that his shouts would frighten them away no longer. One dipped—dipped—lower and lower. Conan drew his head back as far as he could, waiting with terrible patience. The vulture swept in with a swift roar of wings. Its beak flashed down, ripping the skin on Conan's chin as he jerked his head aside; then before the bird could flash away, Conan's head lunged forward on his mighty neck muscles, and his teeth, snapping like those of a wolf, locked on the bare, wattled neck.

Instantly the vulture exploded into squawking, flapping hysteria. Its thrashing wings blinded the man, and its talons ripped his chest. But grimly he hung on, the muscles starting out in lumps on his jaws. And the scavenger's neckbones crunched between those powerful teeth. With a spasmodic flutter the bird hung limp. Conan let go, spat blood from his mouth. The other vultures, terrified by the fate of their companion, were in full flight to a distant tree, where they perched like black demons in conclave.

Ferocious triumph surged through Conan's numbed brain. Life beat strongly and savagely through his veins. He could still deal death; he still lived. Every twinge of sensation, even of agony, was a negation of death."

There is also the scene where Conan is crucified in a desert and when a vulture lands on his shoulder to peck at his throat, he bites the bird in the neck and drinks its blood to survive a few hours more!

The most metal thing ever put to page.

 

[halfling rogue]

I think that a large part of the reason for this comes from the IP holder.

R.E. Howard's Conan goes full tilt public domain in 2028. (It's already public domain in some European countries, I know that Chuck Dixon is doing new Conan stories for a Italian based webcomics publisher.)

They have a less than a 6 year window to maximize profits for the Conan IP.

Bingo. I did a deep dive into Conan copyright a few years back and assumed the milking (across a variety of media) would commence. In my opinion, the current IP holder really squandered Conan (not to mention other Howard creations that are already slipping into the public domain...for instance the first Solomon Kane tale was published in 1928, which means it enters PD in 2024). It wouldn't surprise me in the least if they tried to go after people post-2028 based on Trademark. Here's hoping they produce something good with the little time that remains, otherwise, good riddance.

 

[Jaeger]

Did they pull the license or is it simply expiring? Modiphius has printed something like twenty Conan books, it could be that they've simply decided they've ridden that horse about as far as she can go.

The press release doesn’t say the licence was pulled. It sounds more like Modiphius decided not to renew it, most likely as they have already released plenty of books for their RPG.

Well, they won't be releasing their Picts book, obviously they had plans to continue...

But the IP holder might have thought that the line was played out and with less than 6 years left to cash in - made it not worth modiphiuses while to renew. A new Conan RPG = more sales...

For what it’s worth, Monolith don’t seem all that motivated to capture the 5e dollar as it’s not been mentioned with the Batman or Conan RPG plans.

Silly. They have less than 6 years...

Monolith already has a big presence in the Conan IP with its successful board game. No doubt, they will be continuing to build on that. As Call of Cthulhu RPG shows, an official licence and market presence can lead to a more successful product regardless of the status of the copyright.

Apples and Oranges.

CoC established its player base and network effect long before people were aware its IP was public domain.

Call of Cthulhu is a first mover in RPG land for horror gaming. As such it enjoys a first mover status, with the corresponding player base network effect. Not to mention the large back catalogue of adventures and supplemental material available.

The Conan IP RPG's have always competed directly against the Fantasy monolith that is D&D. And has suffered from being bounced around as a licensed IP trying to cash in from whomever was willing to pay for it.

If you gave 2d20 Conan a look when it came out and were put off by how the rules were presented, or were confused by them (I think most of us were), you might want to give the system, in general, another look via Achtung! Cthulhu. That's a more streamlined version of the rules, but would be a gateway into getting Conan's rules.

In my case no. I disagreed with fundamental design decisions, and did not like how they played out. Not using d6 damage dice in a standard way was annoying initially, but ultimately no big deal.

It was the 'doom pool' that did me in. I completely disagree with 'GM points' like this. They have no place in RPG's. Gamey, antagonistic, and immersion breaking for the players.

How popular was the 2D20 system with Conan? I know lots of people who purchased the books for information and art more than playing the game. Online reviewers didn't seem to favor the system or how it was presented for play. I saw several games in our area start up but end pretty quick.

Sales are sales, and the line sold relatively well. But my impression is similar to the part in bold... 2d20 Conan was bought more than played.

I believe that when looking at sales to judge how "successful" a game is, the IP collector effect is heavily underestimated...

So in 2029 we'll get a slasher flick a Conan's name on it? A modern day dude who wears a loincloth when he goes on a murder spree?
(That's is what just happened to Winnie the Pooh and another IP that went public domain this year)

You know it's happening.

For RPG land Conan will finally be freed from the shackles of licensing. That is very, very, good!

I expect to see 2-4 RPG's released around that time. One should actually be good.

Win -win.

 

[Jaeger]

Bingo. I did a deep dive into Conan copyright a few years back and assumed the milking (across a variety of media) would commence. In my opinion, the current IP holder really squandered Conan (not to mention other Howard creations that are already slipping into the public domain...for instance the first Solomon Kane tale was published in 1928, which means it enters PD in 2024). It wouldn't surprise me in the least if they tried to go after people post-2028 based on Trademark.

Neither would I... That kind of lawfare will work until they go against someone with deep pockets. But they haven't gone after anyone in Europe that is making Conan stuff right now, so hopefully they will not be jerks about it.

But IMHO; The idea of trademarks based on public domain material remaining valid after the IP goes public domain is a question that does need to be settled though...

 

[aramis erak]

I wouldn't say that nobody cares, given that we have already seen responses saying no interest if its 5e. Maybe you mean no 5e fan cares or more likely a majority of 5e fans won't care?

FWIW I agree with you that Monolith are likely to get more sales if they simply made a 5e reskin. But there are many publishers that are more interested in making the game they want than just maximising sales, and Monolith have a wider product range to support that may not do as well if they simply tie this RPG to the rules system of WotC. Modiphius obviously formed a similar view.

Simple math - if the majority of 5E players won't be interested, the majority of ALL players won't be interested, as D&D is still, far and away, the biggest fanbase by about 2:1 over the rest of the industry in total.

 

[aramis erak]

So in 2029 we'll get a slasher flick a Conan's name on it? A modern day dude who wears a loincloth when he goes on a murder spree?
(That's is what just happened to Winnie the Pooh and another IP that went public domain this year)

And don't tell the Lorraine Williams and the rest of the Flint family, I think they are still beating that Buck Rogers horse. And that hero is not even remotely on the same level of recognition as Conan.

That's because The estates have kept the trademarks active and defended, despite the copyrights having expired over a decade ago.

In the US and UK, trademarks don't expire...

So while anyone can film a Buck Rogers movie, they have to pay up to call the characters Buck Rogers, Wilma Deering, Dr Huer, etc

Flash Gordon likewise.

There are 4 major kinds of IP: Copyright, Trademark, Patent, and Trade Secret. The US doesn't have a federal trade secret law, but several states do. US and UK copyrights last not quite a century; trademarks last as long as used and defended, patents vary by type of item, and trade secrets don't have standard durations since they lack uniformity of law.

Note that the oldest still defended trademarks I'm aware of are for beer, and in the UK...17th C or earlier.

 

[Jaeger]

In the US and UK, trademarks don't expire...

So while anyone can film a Buck Rogers movie, they have to pay up to call the characters Buck Rogers, Wilma Deering, Dr Huer, etc

This is the kind of thing that needs to be challenged in court...

Because if you "trademark" the right names, it essentially amounts to unlimited copyright.

 

[Skywalker]

Simple math - if the majority of 5E players won't be interested, the majority of ALL players won't be interested, as D&D is still, far and away, the biggest fanbase by about 2:1 over the rest of the industry in total.

Cool, so we agree that "nobody cares" wasn't the right phrase.

There is no doubt that making a 5e compatible game will get a bunch of extra $ in the first instance. But there are plenty of RPG companies making RPGs not compatible for 5e and doing OK with that in building their own brand and business. My expectation is that Monolith sees its Conan board game as being a bigger seller than the RPG, so their focus will be on coming up with an RPG that they see supports their entire product range nd appeals to its current customer base (which has a large French component) and not just grabbing low hanging fruit from a largely disconnected 5e customer base.

 

[antiwesley]

A big mistake if so.

Granted, Dark souls had its issues and diverged in significant ways from 5e - But it still had the "5e Compatible" label on it, which did generate interest for the game.

If Monolith really does a 3e derived game - It will come out that it's 3e derived. And people online will go: Why? Why not 5e? The systematic merits won't matter because the narrative will revolve around their use of an "outdated edition" of D&D.

That perception will kill potential sales.

It's interesting to note that it seems this poster is judging sales based on US mores and standards. The post he quoted flat out states that this 3e-based system is POPULAR in France. Euro RPGs are far different from American RPGs. Euro-based RPGs aren't written for mass media indulged spoiled players, most of whom you'll find in America and play a game that looks like an RPG, but plays more like a video game.

America is NOT the world. Just because something is popular here, does not mean it is popular elsewhere. You can ask nearly any 30-40 year old person in the Eastern hemisphere who "Human Nature" is. Ask an American, and they'd have no clue.

It really is typical of a misinformed pundit to think that the world revolves around American RPGs and nothing else.

 

[Jaeger]

It's interesting to note that it seems this poster is judging sales based on US mores and standards. The post he quoted flat out states that this 3e-based system is POPULAR in France. Euro RPGs are far different from American RPGs. Euro-based RPGs aren't written for mass media indulged spoiled players, most of whom you'll find in America and play a game that looks like an RPG, but plays more like a video game.

America is NOT the world. Just because something is popular here, does not mean it is popular elsewhere. You can ask nearly any 30-40 year old person in the Eastern hemisphere who "Human Nature" is. Ask an American, and they'd have no clue.
...

It's interesting to note that it seems this poster glosses over the fact that the whole point of my posts is that the IP holder has less than six years to maximize profits before the Conan IP goes public domain.

If one is looking to maximize licensing profits before public domain kicks in; they would be well advised to Care Less if some 3e knockoff is 'popular' in France.

You want to get that 5e cheddar! And with the 50th not-a-new-edition release coming up; it is a no-brainer.
(The astute will realize that I never said that such a Conan game would actually be good, or be something that I myself would have any interest in...)

I readily concede that it is possible that the current Conan IP holder with less than six years to profit off of licensing their IP - has no interest whatsoever in maximizing their ROI in the intervening years. I would find it odd, but it could be the case...

It really is typical of a misinformed pundit to think that the world revolves around American RPGs and nothing else.

When it comes to maximizing ones RPG sales, I don't have to think:

I know for a fact that any RPG company interested in high sales figures revolves around how many units they are able to sell in the American RPG market.

Anyone that tells you different is "misinformed"... I highly doubt that Monolith is translating their upcoming Batman RPG into English just for kicks...

In case I am being unclear; Yes, the RPG "world" does revolve around American RPG's; Because D&D. The hobby was literally invented here. And more people play RPG's here than anywhere else in the world.

Euro RPGs are far different from American RPGs. Euro-based RPGs aren't written for mass media indulged spoiled players, most of whom you'll find in America and play a game that looks like an RPG, but plays more like a video game.

Project much?