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Behold The Truth!

Probably was time; other than Forgotten Realms, most of the specific settings (e.g. Planescape, Dark Sun, Spelljammer) have gone away. On the other hand, it does not bode well, when taken in context with the end of Dragon and Dungeon magazines.

I remember back in the day when Tracy Hickman was working as an usher in the Academy theater and running D&D adventures at the local game store here. That guy was and probably still is a total crackup and all around nice guy.

Posted By syr8766 on 04/24/2007 9:43 AM
Behold The Truth!

Probably was time; other than Forgotten Realms, most of the specific settings (e.g. Planescape, Dark Sun, Spelljammer) have gone away. On the other hand, it does not bode well, when taken in context with the end of Dragon and Dungeon magazines.

What!?!? Call me out of the loop, but the end of Dragon and Dungeon magazines!?!? (searches google real quick, finds this article) What the hell? The power of Teh Intarwebs laying a low blow perhaps? That's what it seems at least. Damn. What next, Hasbro?

Sturm's sun shattered.

Posted By nyarlathotep667 on 04/24/2007 11:29 AM

Posted By syr8766 on 04/24/2007 9:43 AM
Behold The Truth!

Probably was time; other than Forgotten Realms, most of the specific settings (e.g. Planescape, Dark Sun, Spelljammer) have gone away. On the other hand, it does not bode well, when taken in context with the end of Dragon and Dungeon magazines.

What!?!? Call me out of the loop, but the end of Dragon and Dungeon magazines!?!? (searches google real quick, finds this article) What the hell? The power of Teh Intarwebs laying a low blow perhaps? That's what it seems at least. Damn. What next, Hasbro?

How about that Fanpro is shopping the licenses to both Mechwarrior/CBT and Shadowrun?   

Makes me wonder if Wizards is going to put out their own Dragonlance stuff if they're stopping someone else from doing it. I don't know why else they wouldn't let them other than maybe it's competing with their own core products.

I almost posted something about Dragon and Dungeon magazines last week, but I wasn't sure if people would be interested as it isn't for mini games. I'm going to miss them. It was really nice to be able to get a $8 (or whatever) gaming fix. Plus, the content has usually been pretty useful.

You've got it a little backward. WotC (Hasbro) licenses Dragonlance FROM Weis & Hickman (the creators of the setting). Hasbro is no longer interested in renewing that license, meaning the creators are free to do with it as they choose.

Posted By Janthkin on 04/24/2007 2:00 PM

Makes me wonder if Wizards is going to put out their own Dragonlance stuff if they're stopping someone else from doing it. I don't know why else they wouldn't let them other than maybe it's competing with their own core products.

You've got it a little backward. WotC (Hasbro) licenses Dragonlance FROM Weis & Hickman (the creators of the setting). Hasbro is no longer interested in renewing that license, meaning the creators are free to do with it as they choose.

Which, I would assume, would mean W&H's company will do a Dragonlance game to their stable, based on the Serenity System, yes?

I kinda hope so; I miss the heady days of yore when there were multiple P&P RPG options, all of which were viable.

(hrmn, maybe someone will pick up Earthdawn...)       

No one likes earthdawn, especially when I play a windling...

Talislanta, now there was a cool game. Especially when you combine it into Gamma World and "GheyD&D"

Posted By syr8766 on 04/24/2007 9:43 AM
Behold The Truth!

Probably was time; other than Forgotten Realms, most of the specific settings (e.g. Planescape, Dark Sun, Spelljammer) have gone away. On the other hand, it does not bode well, when taken in context with the end of Dragon and Dungeon magazines.

Krynn was a silly gameworld, poorly crafted and horribly developed.

 

I liked the books, at least the main series, although I got blasted by Tracy Hickman when I wrote my review of Dragons of a Vanished Moon ( a book where only 1hero, Tas, did ANYTHING besides whine). I think the failure and disatisfaction with the book proved me somewhat right.

Now whats really sad is the death of Greyhawk.

 

Posted By General Hobbs on 04/24/2007 3:04 PM
Now whats really sad is the death of Greyhawk.

  It's not dead; it just hiding. 

Hiding here to be precise: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=lg

Uhm you do know also that WotC has ALSO ended the licence to Piazo for the Dragon and dungeon magazines. They will be stoppoed as of September.

Posted By General Hobbs on 04/24/2007 3:04 PM

Posted By syr8766 on 04/24/2007 9:43 AM
Behold The Truth!

Probably was time; other than Forgotten Realms, most of the specific settings (e.g. Planescape, Dark Sun, Spelljammer) have gone away. On the other hand, it does not bode well, when taken in context with the end of Dragon and Dungeon magazines.

Krynn was a silly gameworld, poorly crafted and horribly developed.

 

I liked the books, at least the main series, although I got blasted by Tracy Hickman when I wrote my review of Dragons of a Vanished Moon ( a book where only 1hero, Tas, did ANYTHING besides whine). I think the failure and disatisfaction with the book proved me somewhat right.

Now whats really sad is the death of Greyhawk.

 

Youre story sounds eerily familiar... I am not sure if it was you that told it before, or if it is just common for hickman to hate the critics. Probably the latter I suspect.

Anways, i completly agree. Krynn was a haorrible waste of AD&D resources, despite its popularity.  No character over 5th level? No wonder they sent Lord Soth to Ravenloft.

Oerth/Greyhawk was and is still the best and most immersive setting AD&D offers. So underrated it really isnt funny. Hhow can you not like a place that has a Suloise sea of dust, or a land of black ice? Simply the most incredible environment. Probably because the fantasy on Oerth is as realistic as its going to get in AD&D.

Temple of Elemental Evil. 'Nuff said.

Between you and me, I think Jester is a Priest of Ralishaz in disguise...

In my younger days, perhaps, but now I am simply a notch in Lifecutter. I have felt the Reaper's chill breath upon my soul, and I enjoyed it.

But if I had my druthers, I would be a barbarian. Why? Because barbarians get all the chicks.

Part of me is glad that a door is closing on that foul fount of Kendery, but I wince in the knowing that the little bastards seem to always find another way in.

Fanpro giving up Shadowrun? Best news I've heard all day. I just wish I could go to sleep and when I wake up the entire Wizkids abortion would have been a night-terror.

Posted By Jester on 04/24/2007 6:46 PM

In my younger days, perhaps, but now I am simply a notch in Lifecutter. I have felt the Reaper's chill breath upon my soul, and I enjoyed it.

*points at Jester*

Youre...youre..... a NERULLITE!!!!

Meh. Thats okay. I was once a druid but fell from the grace of Celestian and became a follower of Iuz.

I never got chicks with my comlieness, so I hamstrung barbarians everychance I got.


[out of character]

I am extremely saddend by the loss of dragon magazine though. I havent roleplayed in years, but I remember collecting every issue of dragon I could aquire for 2nd edition, spending a considerable sum for those invaluable resource materials.
But then again, I can see why they discontinued them, the internet is a big resource now and Dragon cannot compete.

If I had access to great articles on the net back in the day of 1st and 2nd edition, I know I would never had collected dragon.

Posted By carmachu on 04/24/2007 5:44 PM
Uhm you do know also that WotC has ALSO ended the licence to Piazo for the Dragon and dungeon magazines. They will be stoppoed as of September.

Thought I said so. Actually, I thought they were ending it immediately, not in Sept. Huh.   

Posted By syr8766 on 04/24/2007 6:59 PM
I thought they were ending it immediately, not in Sept. Huh.   

yeah, that article that Nyarly linked to earlier had the nasty tidings.

Posted By Hellfury on 04/24/2007 7:01 PM

Posted By syr8766 on 04/24/2007 6:59 PM
I thought they were ending it immediately, not in Sept. Huh.   

yeah, that article that Nyarly linked to earlier had the nasty tidings.

Yep, last issues for both are in September. In that article WoTC says similar material will be provided "digitally" sometime after that. Ugh. Even though I haven't actively done any roleplaying in a few years, those two magazines (and White Dwarf) were what got me into this hobby in the first place and were a huge boon when I was regularly role playing in the late 80's and throughout the 90's. I'm surprised they're culling both instead of combining the two into a single periodical. :shrugs: Sucks, but it's the way of the future! Right?

Word on the street is that Hasbro is reabsorbing all of D&Ds outsourcing so that they can sell it off as one big package.  There's only two outsourced items left...The campaign world that Kenzer & Co. has; and the videogame rights that Atari/Infograms has.

Call me an iconoclast, but I've never really gotten into the "excessive supplement" thing.  I find that the basics keep me rather happy, and for the games I run I'll only use the three core 3.5 rulebooks and perhaps a setting supplement (to keep my geography and politics straight).  I've gotten sick of adventures that insist on throwing in new spells and monsters while ignoring the ones that are supposed to pervade the world.  My players enjoy the fact that they see most of the monsters from the Monster Manual (as opposed to the other books), and see them in interesting ways.  I don't need 25 types of devils to choose from.

I'm not slamming all additional content; the Book of Exalted Deeds is fantastic, in my opinion (after an episode with three hags, my players won't let me near the Book of Vile Darkness; they said I was evil enough).  I just think that monthly content can be a bit overwhelming to what I see as an already richly propogated playground.

Posted By General Hobbs on 04/24/2007 3:04 PM
Krynn was a silly gameworld, poorly crafted and horribly developed.

 I liked the books, at least the main series, although I got blasted by Tracy Hickman when I wrote my review of Dragons of a Vanished Moon ( a book where only 1hero, Tas, did ANYTHING besides whine). I think the failure and disatisfaction with the book proved me somewhat right.

Now whats really sad is the death of Greyhawk.

I loved the world. I even spent years developing more.. the books on the otherhand, were only good until they started into the elf world or whatever that was. 

with gods no longer allowing their clerics to do anything until they had proven themselves, and wild magics and uncontrolled side effects from attempting such unless you were a sanctioned wizard..  those were very unique and ultra cool in my opinion..

Tas was awesome.. no matter what he did and his interactions with Flint and many others was incredibly endearing in my opinion.

 

Here, put it in a different light.. no one who writes likes to hear their works critiqued.. and after so many books that were good, to have one slammed was probably a slap in their face.. hehe.. oh well, we made them rich, they have nothing to complain about.

Interesting that they are giving up on the licensing when there is going to be a Dragonlance movie:

http://www.dragonlance-movie.com/

Keifer Sutherland as Raistlen.... priceless.

From how I am seeing all of this:

I don't know if anyone has noticed this or not, but WotC has pulled back almost all of their outsourced materials.  It would seem they are gearing up for something big.  I wouldn't be suprised if they make an announcement this summer that would explain what is going on with them.

 

Hmm. It's not the end of all things but Dragon and Dungeon going by the wayside is sad.
Even bad issues seemed to have something you could use.

Posted By Hellfury on 04/24/2007 6:14 PM
Oerth/Greyhawk was and is still the best and most immersive setting AD&D offers. So underrated it really isnt funny. Hhow can you not like a place that has a Suloise sea of dust, or a land of black ice? Simply the most incredible environment. Probably because the fantasy on Oerth is as realistic as its going to get in AD&D.

Temple of Elemental Evil. 'Nuff said.

  Amen.  I've been running that campaign for my wife and kids for months now.  Non-stop fun. 

So who would pick up the D&D license? Peter Adkison? Or round up all the old TSR'ers and bring back the heyday!  Unfortunately (or not) whoever picks it up is going to put out a 4.0 or bring back the AD&D name and the game will change again.  Hopefully the flavor and not the mechanics; although I would like to see the stats in SIWDCC form for old times sake.

Dungeons & Dragons is not being canned by WotC.  Indeed, a 4^th Edition is likely not too far off.  WotC is simply pulling in all of its licenses.  This means that all things they have licensed to other parties to produce like Dragonlance, Ravenloft, Dragon and Dungeon magazines, and anything else like that is having the license terminated.  WotC will support these products themselves, sell off the rights to them, or just put them on the back burner for now in favor of supporting a few things really well rather than many things badly.  It remains to be seen what WotC will do under the new business model that we have only hints of at this point.

Since I’ve noted a few Greyhawk posts, here is a link that those folks should find interesting.

http://www.canonfire.com/

It will take literally months to wade through the treasure hoard of material contained in this site.  The Greyhawk and other campaign world content in Dragon and Dungeon magazines and from 2^nd parties will be gone shortly, but they will always live on in the games of the fans.

 

No shabbo, no matter how nicely you put it, dragon and dungeon are GONE.

Sad, because they had come back to a nice golden age un piazo.