Gone and almost forgotten

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Lofgeornost said:
Where now is GORE and EABA? Where is the Wheel that was Burning?
Where the Barebones of Fantasy, and Steel's Riddle's turning?
They have passed like rain on the mountain, like wind in the meadow,
Their day has gone down like Far West, behind D&D into shadow...
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Burning Wheel is mentioned regularly on reddit.
 
rumble said:
I posted a bunch of low-key games as options recently. Turns out I'll be running My Life With Master soon.
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I'm not particularly fond of story games, but the two-session game of My Life With Master I ran for two friends of mine is still among my best role-playing experiences. Obviously, the success can be attributed as much to the players as the system, but it still was a very pleasant surprise. Puppetland, on the other hand, we played under different stars and turned into comedy really fast.
 
Lofgeornost said:
Where now is GORE and EABA? Where is the Wheel that was Burning?
Where the Barebones of Fantasy, and Steel's Riddle's turning?
They have passed like rain on the mountain, like wind in the meadow,
Their day has gone down like Far West, behind D&D into shadow...
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Was GORE ever anyone's sweetheart? I never saw much done with it, and things have since moved and shook to where what it was trying to do has been done again, bigger and better and in a more solidly legitimate fashion.

Meanwhile, I still see people talking about Cairn as if it's ever been more than a scribble of a concept.
 
I was thinking a similar thought this past weekend. Not so much RPGs that aren't mentioned at all anymore, but certainly bigger name ones that seemed to have some steam behind them 4-6 years back and now seem to faded (or are fading) into the background.

What came to mind for me mas (and please understand that this is only my opinion! :smile:):

Things from the Flood. A lot of hype and mostly good press around Tales from the Loop, and it seemed like some around this as well. But it seems to have faded somewhat.

AGE System games. The Expanse pushed this system a little, but this system's popularity might have crested with that release.

Numenera. It seems like they're pushing it at the moment (according to some of the ads I've seen) but it's not as prevalent as it seemed to have once been.

Lex Arcana. I love this game, and I see ads because I look it up from time to time (thank goodness for algorithms as it alerted me to the latest Kickstarter) but even with a new Kickstarter going on, it's sheen seems to have worm off(?)
 
Lord Dynel said:
Numenera. It seems like they're pushing it at the moment (according to some of the ads I've seen) but it's not as prevalent as it seemed to have once been.
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They are super pushing the generic Cypher system more so than Numenera.

Which is funny to me as a person who likes the system specifically for how it fits Numenera, but thinks it makes a terrible generic system.

Also, holy crap so much of the recent advertising is just the most cringe-ass memes about how easy the system is or whatever.
 
EmperorNorton said:
They are super pushing the generic Cypher system more so than Numenera.

Which is funny to me as a person who likes the system specifically for how it fits Numenera, but thinks it makes a terrible generic system.

Also, holy crap so much of the recent advertising is just the most cringe-ass memes about how easy the system is or whatever.
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Yep. I got into the supers Kickstarter...Heroes of the Cypher System, I think it's called. Looking that over, my first thought was "this doesn't do supers well at all." But, like you, I really like it for the Numenera setting.
 
What about the 2021 Ennie Award-winning Alice is Missing? There was a lotta smoke around that game. From the Big Purp review, to the Alexandrian's review, to rows and rows and rows of people falling all over themselves to kiss Alice's ring. Or something. I mean games like Cyberpunk: Red, Mörk Borg and Heart: The City Beneath (holy crap that's another one people couldn't stop dancing about) were published around the same time. But AiM won the effin' Ennie Award, right? All that smoke and fire and explosions going off and then

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Alice is missing is a really cool game but it doesn't exactly have high replay value, not is the concept exactly easy to port to other things without rather a lot of work. I'm not surprised it's fallen off.
 
TheoryofGame said:
What about the 2021 Ennie Award-winning Alice is Missing? There was a lotta smoke around that game. From the Big Purp review, to the Alexandrian's review, to rows and rows and rows of people falling all over themselves to kiss Alice's ring. Or something. I mean games like Cyberpunk: Red, Mörk Borg and Heart: The City Beneath (holy crap that's another one people couldn't stop dancing about) were published around the same time. But AiM won the effin' Ennie Award, right? All that smoke and fire and explosions going off and then

4885b0e3-ff33-4453-89e5-76dd5b8ca3db_text.gif
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I think in the case of some games... Alice is Missing, is a good example... what kind of lingering presence should be expected? It's a complete game in and of itself. They may have made a couple of alternate playsets or what have you, but it's not like a game line like D&D or GURPS where they're going to just keep cranking out material for years.

As for Heart, it also won several Ennies, and appears to be going strong. They just had a successful Kickstarter for a campaign by Gareth Ryder Hanrahan. They've also continued to produce other games beside Heart (DIE, Eat the Reich, and the forthcoming Hollows).

Sometimes it can be a good thing when a game is made and then that's it... nothing more is needed. Sure, we may not hear about them as much after that, but that's fine. For those kinds of games, I hope that their creators are working on something new and interesting rather than just going back to the well.
 
hawkeyefan said:
I think in the case of some games... Alice is Missing, is a good example... what kind of lingering presence should be expected? It's a complete game in and of itself. They may have made a couple of alternate playsets or what have you, but it's not like a game line like D&D or GURPS where they're going to just keep cranking out material for years.

As for Heart, it also won several Ennies, and appears to be going strong. They just had a successful Kickstarter for a campaign by Gareth Ryder Hanrahan. They've also continued to produce other games beside Heart (DIE, Eat the Reich, and the forthcoming Hollows).

Sometimes it can be a good thing when a game is made and then that's it... nothing more is needed. Sure, we may not hear about them as much after that, but that's fine. For those kinds of games, I hope that their creators are working on something new and interesting rather than just going back to the well.
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Yeah to me the premise seems to be that if a game isn't being jawed to death online that means no one is playing it, a flawed assumption imo, and that every game is intended for extended play, which I also think is a flawed assumption.
 
Honestly, if something has been published since the Pan-pan, and then disappeared, it's too early yet to know if it will mysteriously resurrect.
 
pawsplay said:
Honestly, if something has been published since the Pan-pan, and then disappeared, it's too early yet to know if it will mysteriously resurrect.
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And let's not forget that the current OSR darling, B/X, was near impossible to convince others to play in the early 90s. I know that from RL experience. The rpg audience can often be fickle.

Imo, something like Beyond the Wall is kinda the Velvet Underground of the OSR: brilliant but overlooked at first, likely to become very influential and a classic eventually.
 
Lord Dynel said:
Things from the Flood. A lot of hype and mostly good press around Tales from the Loop, and it seemed like some around this as well. But it seems to have faded somewhat.
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This was weirdly a damp squid compared to Tales. And it is weird because I like the concept but it kinda falls flat. I think the techno-organic fungus stuff just isn't that good. It didn't need that grimdarkness. Add to that...it was out of print for ages. Maybe still is.

Fenris-77 said:
Alice is missing is a really cool game but it doesn't exactly have high replay value, not is the concept exactly easy to port to other things without rather a lot of work. I'm not surprised it's fallen off.
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There's a Referee here who's run it at least twice and is planning on a third showing. Absolutely an outlier (particularly that we found it weirdly doesn't work that well for a remote group). for me it's just the right combination of subject matter and plot drift for me to be uninterested in it. My wife played it and thought it was great.

The 'joy' of the internet is that there are two populated Twilight 2000 Discords I know about. One is filled with Milsimmers and the other with folks who are more interested in the story. There's a community out there for everyone, yes...even you+
 
Mankcam said:
The book content and artwork is pretty much the same, but backers choose which version to have the stat blocks for - either TOR 2E or LOTR D&D 5E, depending upon what game they have. Both TOR 2E and LOTR 5E rpgs are published by Free League.
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is that just the main rulebook or can you specify stats for which system for each new supplement?
 
TheoryofGame said:
What about the 2021 Ennie Award-winning Alice is Missing? There was a lotta smoke around that game. From the Big Purp review, to the Alexandrian's review, to rows and rows and rows of people falling all over themselves to kiss Alice's ring. Or something. I mean games like Cyberpunk: Red, Mörk Borg and Heart: The City Beneath (holy crap that's another one people couldn't stop dancing about) were published around the same time. But AiM won the effin' Ennie Award, right? All that smoke and fire and explosions going off and then
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The first supplement had decent numbers last year. About 3/4ths of the core product in terms of backers 3 years later.

But it is a very specific experience, so it generates bursts of discussion but not ongoing ones like a more traditional RPG.

 
TheoryofGame said:
What about the 2021 Ennie Award-winning Alice is Missing?
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I like it, it's a fun Murder Mystery party game/RPG hybrid with a compelling premise. But there's no campaign there, no ongoing play (I mean, there could be, but it would require the GM doing a lot of prep while at the same time being willing to improvise based on the implications of how events are covered by the original game. But that aside, there isn't really further di9scussion to be had. I think everyone raved about it when it came out, deservedly, but it's the sort of game most people will play once in their lives.
 
I learned something from this thread.

I guess as an old fart I am not used to paying a lot of money for a game that does one thing very well but has low to no replay potential, especially not the hardcover premium kickstarter-only edition plus postage.

I do see the value for a paid GM or a GM who does conventions who can run it for people who might otherwise not have a chance to experience it. I do know that AiM is an oft requested game in a gaming chat group I am in.
 
arjunstc said:
I think GR has fingers in too many IPs and they don't generate the volume required to keep the buzz alive in all of them. The wait for FAGE2 was agonising.
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Yep, that's a big part of their problem right there. Too slow, too little, too late. Or basically heartbreaker rpgs. Really too bad, I am fond of them.
 
arjunstc said:
I guess as an old fart I am not used to paying a lot of money for a game that does one thing very well but has low to no replay potential, especially not the hardcover premium kickstarter-only edition plus postage.
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I can see that. I also would have issues with a rpg that is literally a single experience. But I think if we are realistic about the amount of entertainment even in a 1-shot, place once rpg it compares very favourably with other media _if you play it_.
"Normal" rpgs are of course just amazing value for money.
The problem is when you buy 100s of them and play infrequently <hmmmm>. :-)
 
TristramEvans said:
is that just the main rulebook or can you specify stats for which system for each new supplement?
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Free League seems to be bringing out pretty much the same supplement books for both TOR 2E and LOTR D&D 5E lines - despite having different titles, the supplements all have similar content with shared art direction, with stat blocks appropriate to each system.

Here's a list of the current titles for Free League Middle Earth:
  • The One Ring 2E Core Rules book - corresponds to The Lord Of The Rings D&D 5E Core Rules book
  • TOR 2E Starter Set has quickstart rules, odds & ends, and includes a detailed setting book for The Shire - corresponds to LOTR 5E Shire Adventures (although no quickstart)
  • TOR 2E Ruins Of The Lost Realm - corresponds to LOTR D&D 5E Ruins Of Eriador
  • TOR 2E Tales Of The Lone Lands - corresponds to LOTR D&D 5E Tales of Eriador
  • In current production is The Moria book, which will likewise be published in TOR 2E and LOTR D&D 5E versions
The lines are pretty identical. LOTR is one of the best versions I have seen of D&D, and it is one of the few times I prefer the D&D version (but it's a difficult choice). Both lines truly capture the Middle Earth vibe very well, and most of the content is practically the same.

Here's a sample TOR 2E character sheet:
1713347127532.png
Here's the LOTR D&D 5E character sheet:
1713347245646.png

Free League The One Ring 2E products
Free League The Lord Of The Rings D&D 5E products
 
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Mankcam said:
Free League seems to be bringing out pretty much the same supplement books for both TOR 2E and LOTR D&D 5E lines - despite having different titles, the supplements all have similar content with shared art direction, with stat blocks appropriate to each system.

Here's a list of the current titles for Free League Middle Earth:
  • The One Ring 2E Core Rules book - corresponds to The Lord Of The Rings D&D 5E Core Rules book
  • TOR 2E Starter Set has quickstart rules, odds & ends, and includes a detailed setting book for The Shire - corresponds to LOTR 5E Shire Adventures (although no quickstart)
  • TOR 2E Ruins Of The Lost Realm - corresponds to LOTR D&D 5E Ruins Of Eriador
  • TOR 2E Tales Of The Lone Lands - corresponds to LOTR D&D 5E Tales of Eriador
  • In current production is The Moria book, which will likewise be published in TOR 2E and LOTR D&D 5E versions
The lines are pretty identical. LOTR is one of the best versions I have seen of D&D, and it is one of the few times I prefer the D&D version (but it's a difficult choice). Both lines truly capture the Middle Earth vibe very well, and most of the content is practically the same.

Here's a sample TOR 2E character sheet:
View attachment 80943
Here's the LOTR D&D 5E character sheet:
View attachment 80944

Free League The One Ring 2E products
Free League The Lord Of The Rings D&D 5E products
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To a large degree TOR is one of those one trick pony games designed to emulate the feel of The Fellowship of the Ring or The Hobbit up to the Battle of the Five Armies. It isn’t well suited to do things like the first two ages or even The War of the Ring once that kicks off.
 
sharps54 said:
To a large degree TOR is one of those one trick pony games designed to emulate the feel of The Fellowship of the Ring or The Hobbit up to the Battle of the Five Armies. It isn’t well suited to do things like the first two ages or even The War of the Ring once that kicks off.
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Yeah both editions are set about mid way between The Battle of the Five Armies and The War Of The Ring.
I think it captures the vibe perfectly, and it's definately not aiming to capture the grim epics of the previous Ages
 
Mankcam said:
Yeah both editions are set about mid way between The Battle of the Five Armies and The War Of The Ring.
I think it captures the vibe perfectly, and it's definately not aiming to capture the grim epics of the previous Ages
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And that isn’t necessarily a bad thing but because it includes so many mechanisms to enhance genre emulation the game ends up being less versatile than MERP (especially once you add RoleMaster) or even Against the Dark Master.
 
sharps54 said:
And that isn’t necessarily a bad thing but because it includes so many mechanisms to enhance genre emulation the game ends up being less versatile than MERP (especially once you add RoleMaster) or even Against the Dark Master.
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Yeah in hindsight MERP was pretty good for Second Age Middle Earth
Ideal for running old MERP modules with Against The Darkmaster
 
Kardinal Tabbe said:
Godbound. So forgotten that it doesn't even get mentioned in the discussion about the forgotten Sine Nomine products.
...
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I tend to use ...without Number to mean more or less everything put out by Sine Nomine / Kevin Crawford. At a minimum I would include Godbound.

Eron the Relentless said:
Other Dust would do well with a system closer to Cities Without Number. Silent Legions would too IMHO.
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Agreed. Silent Legions is one I use the most with other games, but I'd love to see a Revised version (v2 by any other standard). Having an option to CC0 it too would be wonderful (which seems to be the future direction if kickstarters do well enough)

Fenris-77 said:
It wasn't great compared to his other efforts (IMO anyway). I have better tools for running games in Saxon England.
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I've never had any desire to run a game in Saxon England so wasn't even really interested in any tools. And yet I bought it.

Jetstream said:
Godbound is never forgotten so long as my signature is here!
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It I ever get my WWN game going and it works out, Godbound or Cities will likely be my next choices depending on what the players want. I lean towards Cities but I think they would lean towards Godbound.
 
Riddle of Steel is the only relatively recent "hot" game that I followed that has passed on, but it is pushing 20 years now since it had much presence.

I'm just not that hip being stuck pretty heavily in the 80s. :crossed:
 
I used to hear a bit about a game that seemed up my alley called Straight to VHS, but never do anymore. Probably partly because the game was never finished.
 
E-Rocker said:
I used to hear a bit about a game that seemed up my alley called Straight to VHS, but never do anymore. Probably partly because the game was never finished.
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Not familiar with the game, but it seems somewhat fitting that a game called Straight to VHS should vanish without a trace, like the last few copies might be in an abandoned Blockbusters.
 
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