Wilderlands too old?

[JoeGKushner]

funny coming from a guy named Joe.

Why? Is Joe seriously connected to the 70s? If so, it's another thing I was unaware of!

 

[Shadowslayer]

Amazon is where I got my copy. No problems in my order but that was a few weeks ago.

I stand corrected. Sorry.

 

[gizmo33]

The question that occurs to me as far as Wilderlands goes, is not so much whether or not it's good for what it tries to do, but whether or not what it tries to do is a good idea with regards to RPGs.

Wilderlands hex system (I can only talk about the originals) seems like an attractive idea in the case where:
1. the balance of "fighting stuff at random vs. plot" is tipped more in favor of the former
2. you can't play a computer game that accomplishes the same technical thing that the hex system does.

Back in the late 70s, due to the relative newness of RPGs, and the relatively poor state of computers as game machines, it seems like the conditions were much more favorable for something like the hex system than they are now.

Then again, I really don't understand what a new gamer is interested in, because things are different than when I started playing. When I started playing, it was actually interesting to walk around and bash orcs at random and cast lightning bolts. Nowadays, I *could* always just play DOOM instead for the same thing. It seems like that's what the industry is thinking as well, and the pendulum has moved in the direction of what computers don't do as well, which is Plot. Do new players still like bashing orcs?

 

[Cam Banks]

I don't know, I'm 36 and think it's pretty cool. I got my first box set back in, I think it was about '82 or so. I still have it actually.

Well obviously, I'm not talking about your experiences.

My point is that since the 80's there are a lot of things I have come to like and appreciate more than what this product offers, but if I had seen it back then I would have loved it. This doesn't mean every other 30-something gamer will share my response.

Cheers,
Cam

 

[diaglo]

Why? Is Joe seriously connected to the 70s? If so, it's another thing I was unaware of!

no, the name Joe or Joseph goes way back...

as does my name... David or Dave

neither of which were left behind in the time of their origin.


why i'm laughing is just imagining people sitting around playing Paychecks & Pencils coming up with names.

you don't see many Gertrudes or Jehoshaphats but they are still out there.

 

[Mishima]

Last Final Word Ever (Not)

Yes, the Wilderlands is almost a blank canvas...but any DM worth his salt should love the opportunity to turn this giant sandbox of a setting into their perfect fantasy campaign. There's been a lot said about the variously humorous names...but again, customisation is expected and from my experience, names are so much of a variable depending upon the tone one wishes to set, that their scant consideration didn't bother me in the slightest. Personally, I love the Conan feel and the Olympian meddling of the gods. Most of all I'm enamoured of the tantalising hints towards the Cthulhu Mythos which perfectly worked as regards the atmosphere I wished to create and the savage hoplelesness of the setting.
I'm not exactly a newbie since I'm a 2nd edition veteran and enjoyed the Mayfair edition of 'City State of the Invincible Overlord'...but I was surprised and delighted by the Wilderlands setting. It turned me back to D&D and has resulted in some shiver inducing sessions which reminded me of why I turned to the hobby in the first place. No longer do I regard my bi-weekly games with a mixture of dread and nausea (as had become the norm for my Exalted and Vampire games). No longer do I know the 'Ultimate Outcome tm' of my sagas. I'm sharing in my players excitement and wonder, laying the atmosphere thick and having a ball. Sure I have terrible plots and strange mysteries in my pocket... but so much leeway is given to PC's and so much detail is granted on the hard practicality of running a game that I tend to just run with their ideas. And it's the empahasis on the practical that lifts this head and shoulders above most gaming products out there. This is NOT a collection of fiction with a little crunch thrown into the mix. It is a the foundation for an extremely solid campaign that is meant to be used. I don't need RPG designers visions of 'kewl'... I have my own juvenile indulgences, thankyou very much.
Did I mention that I liked the Wilderlands?...

 

[DaveMage]

If I were 12 years old again and this was given to me, and I hadn't seen anything else that was produced for D&D since, say, 1983, I would probably have thought it was the coolest thing ever.

Now, as a 34-year old, I have no interest in this sort of thing at all.

Cheers,
Cam

Ironically, this is exactly how I felt, and feel today, about the Dragonlance setting.

I loved it when I was a teenager...

 

[JoeGKushner]

Yes, the Wilderlands is almost a blank canvas...but any DM worth his salt should love the opportunity to turn this giant sandbox of a setting into their perfect fantasy campaign.

But, if you're going to go through all the trouble of turning it into the perfect fantasy campaign, why not just homebrew it?

One reason I can think of is the maps. It's nice to have some organization, even to stuff that's 95% homebrew.

Another reason is that there is core information there if you need to fall back on it. town stat blocks and other goods. Few random encounters if you need them, etc...

Another reason is that if you play multiple campaigns, you still have the breadth to have multiple characters coming from numerous parts of the setting without having to create that setting yourself.

 

[Krypter]

One of the things that disturbs me as an older gamer reading this and other threads and listening to comments from many of my fellow gamers is the desire to have everything created for you. I have been playing D&D in one form or the other for almost 30 years now. The only thing that will enable any gamer to enjoy such a long love affair with their hobby is imagination and creativity.

Amen to that. Sometimes the hobby industry feels more like a crutch than an inspiration. When everything is detailed and laid out for you, from floors plans to evil villain plans, what room is left for imagination? The GM has a job to do: create a world. Sometimes he needs a bit of help, but the books shouldn't do all the work for him.

 

[howandwhy99]

But, if you're going to go through all the trouble of turning it into the perfect fantasy campaign, why not just homebrew it?

One reason I can think of is the maps. It's nice to have some organization, even to stuff that's 95% homebrew.

Another reason is that there is core information there if you need to fall back on it. town stat blocks and other goods. Few random encounters if you need them, etc...

Another reason is that if you play multiple campaigns, you still have the breadth to have multiple characters coming from numerous parts of the setting without having to create that setting yourself.

I think you've got it. It's not a "homebrew" exactly, but neither was Greyhawk(1980).

As for plots, I use every good one I can get my hands on. But I find them easier to port into Wilderlands (or equivalent) than needing to whisk the players 1/2 way across Faerun.

My favorite aspect is, instead of putting plot-building on the DM (1 person) it rests on the players too (many people) - and by doing so invests them in the world. I know if I make up a murder mystery the players might ignore it (or worse feel obliged to plod along disinterestedly). But when they choose to become private investigators to solve murder mysteries for nobility (all the while casing out their homes to pilfer later), than I don't have 1/2 so much to plan.