The big RPG news of the week!

With news of the new D&D release schedule dropping yesterday you might have missed the fact that Purple Duck Games released FT 1: Creeping Beauties of the Woods, the follow up to FT0: Prince Charming, Reanimator for the DCC RPG.

I really liked FT 0 (and it’s free, you should go get it) so I can’t wait to dig into FT 1! Daniel Bishop twists classic fairy tales back into the dark and disturbing stories they once were, and brings them to the table in a fantastic way. Seriously, go get Prince Charming, Reanimator, and then try to stop yourself from getting Creeping Beauties of the Woods.

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As for that other news... I’m especially interested in the new intro box, especially since it’s supposed to cover levels 1-5. My one big hope is that it covers character creation. Given that it’s $16 on Amazon, it’s probably worth checking out if you’re at all interested.

As for the $50/book buy in for the PHB/MM/DMG? I get it. Printing full color books with lots of art is expensive. Am I interested?

Honestly, I don’t know yet. I certainly don’t need another RPG to play. And I think this really comes down to: is this edition of D&D one that I’m going to play? Like I said on my post about Castles and Crusades, I’m not looking for another edition of D&D to play…

The bigger issue I think is whether there is going to be an OGL for it. The 3.x OGL is really what brought so many companies into the d20 realm, and also allowed the OSR to flourish like it has. I think, with a similar program this new edition could find way more acceptance than 4e, and also take back the RPG crown from Pathfinder.

Obligatory 5e post

There’s some big news in the gaming world. Big enough to hit The New York Times and Forbes. Honestly, if anyone was talking about anything else on G+ today, I didn’t see it.

So, 5th edition. Considering the vast numbers who were unhappy with 4e and switched to Pathfinder, earlier editions, or different games all together, this is probably a good choice for WotC. If they do it right (and it seems at this stage, with the open playtest, they are on the right track) then it could be more than 5th edition - it could be a unifying edition. Maybe even Dungeons and Dragons Ultimate Edition?

Is that a pie in the sky hope? Maybe. Probably. Yet I remember when White Wolf's Vampire was the game that everyone was talking about, when AD&D 2e was a bloated system that was rapidly becoming an irrelevant dinosaur, and the end of TSR meant the end of D&D.

I remember when that changed. I remember all the promise that 3e held.

It's been a long time since then, and things are different now. Things are more fractured, and WotC isn't battling an entirely different game, they're battling their own progeny. Between Pathfinder and the OSR getting everyone to agree, making everyone happy will be impossible.

But maybe... just maybe... Type V may be able to bridge the divide.

I think if they follow the idea Jason of the Wasted Lands (and others) expressed, with a Core D&D system, and Advanced options that can be easily grafted on then WotC will be on the right track