WW's "Top Secret" project

[Greatwyrm]

Additional does not equal exclusive

WW may be looking at d20 versions of WoD stuff, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it will be necessary to abandon the ST system.

Mage, Werewolf, and Vampire are available in 2 systems: ST and GURPS

Deadlands is available on 3 systems: Original Deadlands, d20, and GURPS

L5R is available on 2 systems: Original L5R and d20

7th Sea will soon be available on 2 systems: Original 7th Sea and d20 (soon)

Let's look at this from a different point of view. Video games are often available on several different systems at once. Just because they came out with Diablo for my PSone doesn't mean I can't play it on my PC anymore. Video games are put on multiple systems to reach the most customers. I don't like the Game Cube--I have a PS2. If Sega makes a Sonic game for the Game Cube and then releases it for the PS2, all the Nintendo fans aren't going to stage a riot somewhere.

A lot of this reminds me of arguments I heard about people not wanting to see 3E D&D. The long and the short of it is, the RPG police aren't going to boot your door because you're not playing the newest release of a game.

 

[kenjib]

Why would there need to be any negotiations for a d20 Vampire, or Exalted? It seems like WW would just do it in-house. It seems to me like it would be silly for WotC to do it. I, too, think that WW wants one of WotC's properties. Planescape sounds like a reasonable option, especially with their relationship with Malhavolic.

 

[Fast Learner]

Greatwyrm, I'm not sure your videogame analogy is correct.

Consider instead if there were suddenly PS/2 versions of Mario and Pokemon games. The Gamecube buyers partly bought the system because you could only get those games on the Gamecube and felt... special about it. If there were suddenly PS/2 versions I think you would, indeed, see a pretty good sized group of Gamecube users up in arms.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

Vampire d20 and Werewolf d20 would be a win/win situation for White Wolf and WotC.

I doubt White Wolf would lose the core fans of their games. It's not like they'd drop their system in favor of d20. Chaosium and Pinnacle, for example, have done d20 versions of games they publish, but continue to put out stuff with their own house systems.

So, WW would add to their fan base with d20 fans, and WotC would likely draw some WW fans to d20. Like I said above, GURPS has done WW stuff, and it didn't hurt either side.

Yeah, there are some diehards who'll scream, but most of the grousing probably is done online, which means it is simply a very vocal, but very small (relatively speaking) minority.

All in all, I can't think of anything else that WW and WotC would be doing that would need to be so "Top Secret."

But, I wish Top Secret would be done as d20. We had Merle Rasmussen posting here for a very brief - too brief - while.

 

[PenguinKing]

Consider instead if there were suddenly PS/2 versions of Mario and Pokemon games. The Gamecube buyers partly bought the system because you could only get those games on the Gamecube and felt... special about it. If there were suddenly PS/2 versions I think you would, indeed, see a pretty good sized group of Gamecube users up in arms.

It's been done before, albeit not by Nintendo. Back when Sega was still making their own console, they were in the habit of publishing a number of their "exclusive" titles (Sonic the Hedgehog, Virtua Fighter, etc.) for the PC, and it didn't hurt the popularity of said titles one whit.

- Sir Bob.

P.S. Nih!

 

[Greatwyrm]

Greatwyrm, I'm not sure your videogame analogy is correct.

Consider instead if there were suddenly PS/2 versions of Mario and Pokemon games. The Gamecube buyers partly bought the system because you could only get those games on the Gamecube and felt... special about it. If there were suddenly PS/2 versions I think you would, indeed, see a pretty good sized group of Gamecube users up in arms.

I see where you're going, but I don't really agree. One of the reasons I bought a PS2 because I knew I'd be able to get PS2 versions of Tekken and SmackDown when they came out. I got the games and I was happy with them. Really, I could give a rat's hindquarters whether both were released for the Game Cube or XBox tomorrow.

I guess what I'm really trying to get at is I don't understand why it would be a big deal if this happened. Looking at it from the other side, Let's say WW got the rights to make a ST version of D&D. I've spent a heck of a lot of money on D&D as it is. I really wouldn't want an ST version. However, I don't care if hundreds or thousands of people buy and enjoy the ST version. I still have my standard 3E stuff. I can still run a game with it whenever I want. No one is coming to my house and forcing me to convert to ST.

I'll even go one step further. Let's say this D&D in ST system took off like gangbusters. I'm the only guy still buying traditional 3E anywhere in Illinois. Everybody then stops supporting it and moves to the ST system. Then I'd be upset, but I'd certainly understand it. Business is business.

Getting to the point, it just doesn't make sense that people get upset with companies approaching new markets when their existing customers wouldn't suffer at all.

 

[bondetamp]

Personally I adore the various incarnations of the Storyteller system. I know it well and can bend it to my will. Clunky combat mechanism is a nice pavlovian way of ensuring less combat. I also find it nice that I can explain the system in three or four sentences.

I'm not really a fan of D&D or the d20 systems that I've seen (this could change when I get GODLIKE though, even if I'm buying that game for the "one roll" system). I find it to provide too little detail in non combat situations and too much in combat situations. I could probably fix this very easilly, but why should I do that when I already love Storyteller?

So a d20 version of WoD wouldn't hold much interest with me. I might buy it, but I'm unlikely to use it. I see that it can be a good thing as it can make WW money with which it can make more Storyteller games. It can also be a bad thing, if making the d20 version takes resources away from making ordinary Storyteller games. I don't really see either scenario as particularly likely, though, as they will probably be published by different subsidiaries, and have different budgets, at least in the short term.

WW licensing Planescape would be insanely cool either way. A d20 Planescape from SSS would be very welcome and Storyteller (preferably using the Exalted version of the rules) Planescape from Arthaus would be my dream.

 

[PenguinKing]

I don't know if Arthaus would do to well with Planescape. Y'see, PS differs from all their other settings in one key respect - the universe isn't breathing its last. Parts of the multiverse are quite bright and shiny and not decaying at all. My primary worry is that if WW started doing Planescape, the first thing we'd see is "oops, looks like the Doomguard/Dustmen/Bleakers were right after all - all those optimistic philosophies can just pike off".

- Sir Bob.

P.S. Nih!

 

[bondetamp]

You mean like in "Exalted", or Æon "Adventure!"?

Personally I would love to see a Black Dog "Guide to the Abyss", or maybe even "Dirty Secrets of the Succubi".

 

[Dream]

D20:The Tyranny