Escapist Interview

[Pramas]

I did a big interview with the Escapist about the Dragon Age RPG and tabletop RPGs in general. You can check it out at http://tiny.cc/obZeI.

[wycca]

The tinyurl doesn't work, try - http://www.escapistmagazine.com/article ... bletop-RPG

Nice interview btw. I told you in person at GenCon, but the direction you're taking RPG's, away from D&D's issues, has saved tabletop gaming for me. The rules system's for your recent games have been conceptually good, and the production quality high of the products. I just hope you avoid the errata and flavor text issues of Song of Fire and Ice, I don't have any problems buying early to experience it, then buying the updated version, since I like to support good companies, but I'm probably not the norm there.

So far Dragon Age the game has been pretty darn good, it will be interesting to see how well it all meshes. Doubly interesting to see if your adventure story lineup, ends up as a computer product, or at least in game mods.

PS - Leather-bound, gilded-page, limited editions are always nice, but those definitely should be errata-free. I'd drop a Benjamin without thinking there.

PSS - Ever thought of doing the adventure anthology in the form of weekly or bi-weekly publishing? Ie episodic? I'd want a hard copy of the collected stuff eventually, but that would be pretty neat imo.

[Iltsuger]

This interview was where I first heard about the game. I wish I could say it was what caused me to sign up on the forums, but that dubious honor goes to the miniatures thread.

This interview was great, and well-researched given some of the questions. Good to know the Escapist folks were willing to ask bigger questions than what everyone else seems to be asking.

You thought about talking to Ogre Cave?

[Pramas]

Episodic adventures: Do you mean one adventure broken up into parts that are serialized or a series of stand alone adventures?

Ogre Cave: I was on their podcast a few years ago. Always happy to talk to those guys.

[Ryngard]

I suggest an Adventure Path style...

You start at level 1 with the 1st box set, then you guys release a few, continuous, adventures that while are self contained, they build upon the info/lore/gameplay of the volume before.

I'll take anything though!!! I just want more DA!

[wycca]

Episodic adventures: Do you mean one adventure broken up into parts that are serialized or a series of stand alone adventures?

Ogre Cave: I was on their podcast a few years ago. Always happy to talk to those guys.

I was more thinking serialized, but even if every one wasn't able to stand-alone, a couple of them together could with only minor additions (pdfs of Episode 1 - $4, 2 months later after 5 episodes published you do - Episode 1-5 as Adventure 1 - $18, then after a year of episodes, Episode 1-30 as Campaign 1 - $50 or such, also available as a book). I was thinking fondly back on the old Dragonlance War of the Lance stuff, ie all 3 books turned into manageable adventures (I have the old AD&D 2nd edition and the 5th Age versions both!). I've been reading the new Wheel of Time book, and I was thinking how fun it would be to have a really epic campaign like that available in digestible (and $$ friendly) online chunks, rather than waiting 2 years (sorry, but your guys design time is forever) for a large campaign book that may never see the light of day. Both Dragon Age and A Song of Fire and Ice are friendly for this IMO, but I was really thinking (I just finished one of the printed Dragon Age books) how Dragon Age really could be developed into a permanent campaign setting and a persistent world, much like TSR did. It needs more books from TOR, and some good, epic campaigns, plus the rules to go along with them, from Green Ronin. A Song of Fire and Ice - how fun would it be to do a campaign based on the Blackfire Rebellion, the Ninepenny Kings, Greyjoy's Rebellion, or the main books themselves? You've got a decent start in Peril at King's Landing, why not run with it and make a good epic campaign of multiple adventures?

[Iltsuger]

In the light of the positive impression I got from the Escapist interview, Bioware seems to be pretty flexible about Green Ronin creating licensed adventures for the Dragon Age setting. The question would be if these would be considered as part of the actual world they're making, or if they could be offshoots which could later be considered to be alternate universes, or if they all have to be integrated somehow to create a coherent setting across pen and paper and video game platforms.

I'd hope that they wouldn't care so much, that just creating a worthwhile product would be their only concern. Old School, to me at least, suggests malleability and universality, which will extend the life of the product.

[mhensley]

The gold standard of licensed rpg settings has to be LotR by WEG. They were able to develop and extend Middle Earth to an amazing degree. I hope that GR is given as much freedom with this.

[Zapp]

I particularly hope you will have extensive adventure support for this one.

It was a while ago GR made a fantasy game that they stayed with for multiple years, with multiple large adventure scenarios. That is, a complete and full game line rather than just picking the cherry (the main rulebooks are often the biggest sellers) and then moving on.

[SnowDog]

The gold standard of licensed rpg settings has to be LotR by WEG. They were able to develop and extend Middle Earth to an amazing degree. I hope that GR is given as much freedom with this.

I think the company was ICE and not the WEG in this case. WEG did the old Star Wars

[mhensley]

The gold standard of licensed rpg settings has to be LotR by WEG. They were able to develop and extend Middle Earth to an amazing degree. I hope that GR is given as much freedom with this.

I think the company was ICE and not the WEG in this case. WEG did the old Star Wars

Doh... you're right. I was getting my almost dead companies mixed up.