[News] Decipher RPG Product Lines Transferred

[REG]

Originally posted by Capt Daniel Hunter

Geez, what did you guys do until ICON came along?

Have a real life. Learn to groom (i.e., use hair gel). Go on dates and have casual sex. Watch and actually enjoy sports. Bought new eyeglasses to replace the taped-up old ones. Stop wearing flannel everyday. And postpone grand master evil plan for world domination.

Oh, and stopped thinking that everyone is out to get me, so I sold my guns.

But I'm back.

Anyhoo, maybe Decipher should have made a one-book deal like Wizards did with Call of Cthulhu.

[Greg Smith]

Originally posted by Capt Daniel Hunter
Geez, what did you guys do until ICON came along?

Played FASA.

[Capt Daniel Hunter]

Originally posted by REG
Have a real life. Learn to groom (i.e., use hair gel). Go on dates and have casual sex. Watch and actually enjoy sports. Bought new eyeglasses to replace the taped-up old ones. Stop wearing flannel everyday. And postpone grand master evil plan for world domination.
[/i]

What, you can't do that and game?

Originally posted by Greg Smith
Played FASA.

My point exactly. And I bet you didn't need loads and loads of sourcebooks to do it either.

[Sea Tyger]

Originally posted by Capt Daniel Hunter
My point exactly. And I bet you didn't need loads and loads of sourcebooks to do it either.

That didn't stop me from getting all of them. All I'm missing is the fabled Ground Forces Manual (which I swear I saw on the shelves at my FLGS in Norfolk shortly before I learned FASA lost the license).

[Jason Durall]

Originally posted by Capt Daniel Hunter
Precisely. I fail to understand the mindset of those who are complaing that they need more books. More books would certainly be nice, but they're hardly a necessity.

In the case of the LotR line, additional books are required to fill the holes left by the initial license, such as the unusable mass combat system which is supposedly getting fixed in the Helms Deep sourcebook.

[Capt Daniel Hunter]

Originally posted by Sea Tyger
That didn't stop me from getting all of them. All I'm missing is the fabled Ground Forces Manual (which I swear I saw on the shelves at my FLGS in Norfolk shortly before I learned FASA lost the license).

Ah you're lucky. It took me many years (and a lot of money on eBay) to get all the books I was missing. I still love all those old FASA modules.

Originally posted by Jason Durall
In the case of the LotR line, additional books are required to fill the holes left by the initial license, such as the unusable mass combat system which is supposedly getting fixed in the Helms Deep sourcebook.

A fair point, though to be honest I was referring to the Trek gaming group. I wouldn't dare comment one the LOTR gang. I own the core book, but I've yet to find the time to use it.

That said, I'm sure that even if the book doesn't come out, most groups will come up with a useable fix by themselves.

[REG]

Originally posted by Capt Daniel Hunter

What, you can't do that and game?

Well, it would be awkward and difficult to get into the "romantic" mood with your fellow gamers in the bedroom with you and your date. Or the fact that they single you out as a "spoiled rich kid" just for getting a new eyeglass sans duct tape.




Seriously...

My point exactly. And I bet you didn't need loads and loads of sourcebooks to do it either.

True, but if that is the case, why should Decipher continue to maintain RPG designers on their payroll, if only one (or two, if you prefer a player's book and a gm's book) product have already been designed and published to meet your need?

[First of Two]

I'll tell you about the "no new books = game is bad" crowd, at least from my POV...

I run my own version of a Star Trek RPG. I have since the days of FASA. It is very NON-numbers-intensive. My players rarely roll to accomplish anything.

What this means is, I rarely need the "game mechanics" books. In fact, I'd say the only real reason I have to buy those books, is so that I can better understand and adapt the supplements to MY game.

See, for me, all the "character creation" stuff has already been done. And conversion between systems, once someone's worked that out, is not extremely difficult.

What's difficult is creating the details of the universe you're playing in. That's time consuming, and I have neither the time nor the inclination. I've created four species of my own for the (apparently defunct) online sourcebook that was being worked on, and for my own game, and it's a proccess I have no great desire to revisit.

I don't have the time or the energy to create my own Mirror Universe, Klingon, Dominion, or Borg books. That's WHY I want them. I bought the earlier books on the assumption that there would, in fact, be followup books that I'd actually find useful.* Therefore a threat to those books is upsetting.

To be perfectly honest, if, originally, Dec. had come out and said "we're doing a PG, and NG, and a couple of sourcebooks, and that's it" It's likely I'd have avoided the series entirely, just like some of the ICON players who never switched to CODA.


*This is not to say that I haven't found the existing books useful. I have, and I'm glad I bought them. It was nice to finally have some background for my Deltan player, even if the detail wasn't extremely high.

[Capt Daniel Hunter]

Originally posted by REG
Well, it would be awkward and difficult to get into the "romantic" mood with your fellow gamers in the bedroom with you and your date. Or the fact that they single you out as a "spoiled rich kid" just for getting a new eyeglass sans duct tape.

Fortunately, my girlfriend games with me. Plenty of time to get romantic afterwards

[D.S.McBride]

Originally posted by First of Two
What's difficult is creating the details of the universe you're playing in. That's time consuming, and I have neither the time nor the inclination. I've created four species of my own for the (apparently defunct) online sourcebook that was being worked on, and for my own game, and it's a proccess I have no great desire to revisit.

Precisely the reason that my group and I - even though we still use the Icon system (albeit with a few Coda alterations) - have been hoping that at least something would come out to fill in the blanks that we have neither the time, resources or raw desire to draw on our own. I'm quite sure that, were we given the opportunity and finances to do so, we certainly could create our own system/supplements that would suit our needs perfectly, but this is precisely the reason why I've laid out the long green for this stuff in the first place. I don't have the time: I have work, family, good friends and a social life that make the question of hammering out the big picture issues of a game-universe a non-starter.

If Blood and Honor and Glass Darkly - not to mention the other books - ever do come out, they'll be rapidly purchased, gratefully accepted, and then experience a reverse-engineering run through Don's conversion PDF and adopted very quickly into our games...but after the Narrator's Screen debacle, and especially last August's no-shows, we're not holding our breath. Last week, one of our guys stated, "Don't pull a Decipher," when another gamer was debating about pulling out of a promise he'd made to help with a dangerous ambush. The meaning was instantly clear, and much raucous laughter followed. It looks like that's going to become Decipher's RPG legacy: An industry joke about broken promises and abandoned potential.

[T'lara]

Originally posted by REG
Beware the Ides of March. IOW, pray for good news but prepare for the the bad news.

Ahhh so accurate it is not funny.

Originally posted by REG
And how is the WW community taking the forthcoming END of WoD?

WoD is evolving is what WW is saying into something new. They said that they explored a WoD enough and it is time to evolve it into something new after 13 years <yes I think they choose 13 intentional>. Actually inticipation has been the norm talking to other WoD fans and other players on WW's New Bremen DigiChat.
Gehanna and Apacalypse have sold out their first runs and second run for Gehanna as well. Indications from WW's site and rumors the WoD is over and the world knows they exist.
First new Vampire Book is the new Core Book: Vampire: Requim. So we will see what our Kindred have become. I know the game is not over and it is changing this is exciting....Star Trek... with rumors of Enterprise's cancelation... with the RPG shutting down possibaly... has not been a good sign for Star Trek.

[Phantom]

Originally posted by REG

But if you're referring to the then-announced d20 book, I don't think they got that far in the project since the license was expired and Herbert Estate asked for a higher royalty payment than with LUG, for which WotC said, "uh, nah" and walked away from the negotiation.

No, actually I was referring to "The Federated Houses of the Landsraad" Source book. It, from what I gathered, was also ready for release, but was cancelled last minute.

[REG]

At least the Dune core rulebook was released, albeit in limited copies. We already knew beforehand that Wizards have decided to go with just one in-house rules engine.

[T'lara]

Originally posted by REG
At least the Dune core rulebook was released, albeit in limited copies. We already knew beforehand that Wizards have decided to go with just one in-house rules engine.

Heh I own one of the few Dune copies released. Heh.

[REG]

Consider yourself lucky. Who knows when another RPG publisher is going to get the license from the Herbert Estate.