Thoughts on the Failure of Licensed IP in the Hobby: The Lack of Disney-fication is a Feature, not a Bug

[Enevhar Aldarion]

Instead of just telling me that I had a bad example, maybe you could tell me what would have been a better choice if you wanted to show that run time is not a good metric of an IPs total scope or focus?

You could compare it to the hundreds and hundreds of hours of popular TV Westerns from the 50s-70s, yet Western RPGs are a niche of a niche. Where is the Gunsmoke or Bonanza RPG?

 

[The Shadow]

You could compare it to the hundreds and hundreds of hours of popular TV Westerns from the 50s-70s, yet Western RPGs are a niche of a niche. Where is the Gunsmoke or Bonanza RPG?

I suspect it has to do with the desire of gamers for "cool powers" to at least be an option. I experience this myself, but whenever I think about it, it seems odd. Why should it matter? Is it just a matter of tradition, or is there something more?

One thing I'm pretty sure of, though, is that it's not simply an imaginative power fantasy. If that were all that mattered, there would be better ways of getting it.

 

[Staffan]

I suspect it has to do with the desire of gamers for "cool powers" to at least be an option. I experience this myself, but whenever I think about it, it seems odd. Why should it matter? Is it just a matter of tradition, or is there something more?

Very likely. Particularly as, as far as I know, the most successful Western game is Deadlands.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

You could compare it to the hundreds and hundreds of hours of popular TV Westerns from the 50s-70s, yet Western RPGs are a niche of a niche. Where is the Gunsmoke or Bonanza RPG?

....OD&D is a Western RPG.

 

[Alzrius]

....OD&D is a Western RPG.

All joking aside, I can't help but note that we've just recently gotten some further insights from Rob Kuntz into how Gary developed various D&D-isms, via Rob's new release Gargax's Glorious Gewgaws. Do you know what film inspired Gary to make the finger of death spell? Because I do, now.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

All joking aside, I can't help but note that we've just recently gotten some further insights from Rob Kuntz into how Gary developed various D&D-isms, via Rob's new release Gargax's Glorious Gewgaws. Do you know what film inspired Gary to make the finger of death spell? Because I do, now.

I don't! I'll have to check it out. That said ... I love Rob Kuntz's stories, and I love hearing them. I do know that he has, on occasion, like all of us as we get on in age*, had memories that were not corroborated by contemporaneous evidence.


*For a long time, I had a distinct memory of playing a certain module at a certain event. A while back, I checked the publication date and I learned that I could not possibly have played the module I was thinking of - I had just misremembered it, and over time, has confused similar, but unrelated, events. Which wouldn't be that spectacular, except it was an error of seven years.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

....OD&D is a Western RPG.

I think it was more about frontier-pushing than being a Western myself. Which lines up with some Western stuff but not like, the stuff a lot of people think of re: Westerns. Also unfortunately the most problematic aspects of that genre.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

I think it was more about frontier-pushing than being a Western myself. Which lines up with some Western stuff but not like, the stuff a lot of people think of re: Westerns. Also unfortunately the most problematic aspects of that genre.

Because that is the element of westerns that are open-ended. D&D style fantasy has an endless supply of mysterious locations where weird stuff happens and a large supply of motivations to go there.
There are only so many times one wants to help the sheriff save the town from the evil what ever.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Because that is the element of westerns that are open-ended. D&D style fantasy has an endless supply of mysterious locations where weird stuff happens and a large supply of motivations to go there.
There are only so many times one wants to help the sheriff save the town from the evil what ever.

I'd argue that, dramatically, whilst there is significant overlap, something like Wagon Train and The Magnificent Seven, say, are basically different genres, and that whilst D&D is undoubtedly influenced by both, it generally has a lot more in common with frontier-pushing Westerns, where it does play out like a Western, which can get a little unfortunate.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

I'd argue that, dramatically, whilst there is significant overlap, something like Wagon Train and The Magnificent Seven, say, are basically different genres, and that whilst D&D is undoubtedly influenced by both, it generally has a lot more in common with frontier-pushing Westerns, where it does play out like a Western, which can get a little unfortunate.

I am not sure that we are disagreeing on anything here, are we?