Whoa, is 2010 the Year of the Boxed Set?
LotFP Weird Fantasy Role-Playing
Doctor Who: Adventures and Time in Space
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 3rd ed
2d6 Feet in a Random Direction
The Essential Dungeons & Dragons Starter
I’m confused, but in a good way.
I think treating Bioware’s computer role-playing game Dragon Age as “a fantastic opportunity to bring new gamers into the hobby” ¹ is a great move, and I hope it succeeds! Many people have complained about a missing boxed set to present to friends and relatives – specially since most people seem to have started gaming somewhere between ten and fourteen – as have I! At that age, I would have never started playing a game requiring me to read four hundred pages of rules or more.
I’ve been playing Dragon Age on my Xbox 360 these days, and I like it. I’d love to see people pick up the pen & paper game and join our hobby. I’m not a big fan of licensing deals like these, but if the original game is good, and the pen & paper rules are well written, short, and they come in a boxed set with dice, then I’m intrigued. I feel like buying the Dragon Age RPG. 😄
I don’t really understand why James Edward Raggi IV of LotFP has to make a boxed set. He mentioned that “it will be made with complete beginners in mind” ² which I support. He also mentioned that it was supposed to help his adventures get into distribution since otherwise they’d depend on Swords & Wizardry or Labyrinth Lord being in distribution. ³ I don’t really have an opinion about that. I don’t know whether it’s a valid concern, and I’m perfectly happy with old school gaming being a not for profit hobby. I guess I’m biased because my Free Software endeavors are also not for profit.
Also, I could go on talking about how I feel that my hobbies and making money don’t go together well. Money seems to corrupt the things I love doing, transforming “fun” into “work”. :cry:
Anyway, I’m intrigued because I’d like to hear what James has to say to new referees. But then again, perhaps Michael Shorten’s Swords & Wizardry Quickstart Rules already cover that?
Swords & Wizardry Quickstart Rules
I also understand the old school renaissance making a move and applaud John Adams of Brave Halfling Publishing. But I already own Labyrinth Lord, a German translation, Swords & Wizardry, Swords & Wizardry Whitebox, Ruins & Ronin, the two volumes of B/X D&D, and the Rules Cyclopedia. If all he does is republish the rules, then I cannot convince myself to buy it. I’d love to see it, and I’d love to see it succeed! After all, I loved the purple Labyrinth Lord box.
I guess I want to have it because it’s cool, but I have too many very similar rules already!
I need to figure out if I want to buy any of these boxed sets. My wife plays in my D&D 3.5 Alder King game, and I’ve played a handful of Labyrinth Lord solo sessions with her. I don’t really need a new boxed sets.
Instead of buying more and more stuff, I should just play more! Since I’m already playing on [MyCampaigns at least eleven days every month], finding the time might turn out to be difficult. ;) Also, I promised myself that my next campaign would be all weird. The boxed sets are not weird enough.
I think I’d like somebody else in the area to buy the Dragon Age RPG boxed set and run a campaign! :D
#RPG
(Please contact me if you want to remove your comment.)
⁂
Don’t forget the Doctor Who: Adventures and Time in Space box set from Cubicle 7! It got delayed… a little bit more than just a bit, and they’re only doing a limited run until the new Doctor takes over, but still - Doctor Who!
I’m very excited about it, in case you can’t tell.
– Aaron 2010-01-03 00:05 UTC
---
I’ll buy dragon age because it’s a box. I might run it.
– Harald Wagener 2010-01-03 09:23 UTC
---
Hurray, Harald! 😄
If you preorder now, you get the PDF for free, I think. I’m sure Green Roning will stop doing this once Dragon Age RPG is out.
Also, you need to find the time to run a biweekly campaign on a regular basis!
As for Dr. Who I must confess having never watched a single episode. Dr. Who? Licenses based on TV series have a much harder time appealing to me.
But since it’s a boxed set, I’ll add it to the list. 😄
– Alex Schroeder 2010-01-03 11:19 UTC
---
Apparently JB of B/X Blackrazor wants to release his companion as a boxed set, too? ¹
– Alex Schroeder 2010-01-06 01:03 UTC
---
Dragonage RPG is a big step in the correct direction. If you look at the terrible movie/video game ventures, this Dragonage endevour could go so wrong! I hope it’s good. The video game was excellent.
You seem to like wierd, therefore you cannot miss Dr Who. It’s the best thing to be made in Britain since the Spitfire aeroplane.
– misterecho 2010-01-06 19:00 UTC
---
Swords & Wizardry Whitebox Boxed Set is apparently sold out. ²
I’m surprised. 😄
– Alex Schroeder 2010-01-07 09:33 UTC
---
75 more boxes available! ³
– Alex Schroeder 2010-01-11 16:31 UTC
---
Review of Dragon Age by Mike Hensley.
– Alex Schroeder 2010-01-14 23:11 UTC
---
Boxed sets with “stuff” such as special dice or cards are great because they deter piracy. At least I think that’s what the big players are thinking to themselves.
– Alex Schroeder 2010-01-30 17:23 UTC
---
James writes about the economics of his boxed set…
the economics of his boxed set
– Alex Schroeder 2010-02-01 11:40 UTC
---
Hm, Rob Donoghue wrote some stuff over on Some Space to Think that I missed. Thanks @stargazersworld for bringing them up on the #rpmn channel.
Wow, Luke Crane’s FreeMarket will also be a boxed set – and it’ll cost USD 60. With T-shirt, USD 80. – Alex Schroeder 2010-05-14 17:30 UTC