We’ve also posted a DunDraCon 2013 image gallery on our Facebook page, so be sure to take a look through and comment, if so inclined. If you become a fan of OgreCave while you’re there, in order to hear about everything we’re up to, that’s even better.

Other podcastery will be afoot soon, so keep an eye on our podcasts page for more info as it materializes.

PAIZO PUBLISHING ANNOUNCES PATHFINDER ADVENTURE CARD GAME

The First Card Game for the World’s Best-Selling Fantasy Roleplaying Game to Debut at Gen Con 2013

Rich, Adventure Gaming Experience from Revolutionary New Card Game

REDMOND, WA (February 26, 2013): Paizo Publishing, LLC, leading publisher of fantasy roleplaying games, novels, game accessories and board games, announces today the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, to be released in August 2013 at Gen Con Indy and at game stores everywhere.

Designed by Mike Selinker and Lone Shark Games, the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game (PACG) translates the most popular Pathfinder Roleplaying Game (RPG) into an entirely new breed of card game, where players adventure, battle monsters and villains, and acquire new feats, items, weapons, and allies – all without a Game Master!

“The Pathfinder Adventure Card Game provides a substantive Pathfinder Roleplaying Game experience in a fun and new card game system,” says Erik Mona, Publisher. “Now you can get your Pathfinder fix when you don’t have the time or players needed for a full roleplaying game session.”

The adventure begins with Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Rise of the Runelords Base Set, featuring the characters, locations, monsters, and villains of the first chapter of the award-winning Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path. The Base Set includes dice, nearly 500 illustrated cards, and everything one to four players need to create characters and begin their adventures for an entirely new Pathfinder gaming experience. A 110-card Character Add-On Deck introduces more classes, new cards, and allows for up to six players.

The story will continue in bimonthly Adventure Decks, each containing 110 cards featuring new scenarios, villains, loot, weapons, and items, as well as additional copies of some of the game’s most useful spells, blessings, and allies, to give players everything they need to expand their adventures.

“This thing is huge,” says Selinker. “Right out of the gate, you’re going to get 600 cards on day one, and almost as many more over the rest of the Adventure Decks. And it all will fit into one box. Paizo challenged my team to get the epic Rise of the Runelords experience into a single card game experience, and we think we delivered. We hope you’ll think so too.”

The Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Rise of the Runelords Base Set will be packaged in a gorgeous 14″ x 14″ box featuring brand-new cover art from superstar artist Wayne Reynolds, and will be available through paizo.com as well as hobby game retailers nationwide, with an MSRP of $59.99 for the Base Set and $19.99 for the Character Add-On Deck and bimonthly Adventure Decks. To get 20% off the cover price, players can sign up for an ongoing Pathfinder Adventure Card Game subscription, which automatically delivers new PACG releases when they are available. This subscription can be shipped with other Paizo subscriptions for further savings.

The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game builds on more than 10 years of system development and the largest open playtest in the history of tabletop gaming to create an unparalleled fantasy roleplaying experience. Players need only the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook to play, but Paizo Publishing produces a wide range of books and accessories to enhance your Pathfinder experience, from hardcover rules compendiums to complete campaigns to packets of beautiful full-color maps. For more information, visit paizo.com.

About Lone Shark Games
Lone Shark Games is a design studio in Seattle headed by designer Mike Selinker. They are responsible for the design of the games Lords of Vegas, Unspeakable Words, Pirates of the Spanish Main, and Harrow and the Titanic Games board game line for Paizo. Their game books include The Kobold Guide to Board Game Design, Dealer’s Choice, Puzzlecraft, and the upcoming puzzle novel The Maze of Games.

About Paizo Publishing
Paizo Publishing®, LLC is a leading publisher of fantasy roleplaying games, accessories, board games, and novels. Paizo’s Pathfinder® Roleplaying Game, the result of the largest open playtest in the history of tabletop gaming, is currently the best-selling tabletop roleplaying game in hobby stores. Pathfinder Adventure Path is the most popular and best-selling monthly product in the tabletop RPG industry. Paizo.com is the leading online hobby retail store, offering tens of thousands of products from a variety of publishers to customers all over the world. In the ten years since its founding, Paizo Publishing has received more than 50 major awards and has grown to become one of the most influential companies in the hobby games industry.

We are sad to announce the death of Lynn Willis, a pillar of Chaosium, Call of Cthulhu, and of the roleplaying community. Lynn had been combating aging and illness for several years, and passed while in a hospital for treatment. He is survived by his wife Marcia, and a community of friends and admirers.

Lynn began in gaming as a board game designer, and entered Chaosium with Lords of the Middle Sea. He was the third employee of Chaosium, first as an editor and then as the mastermind behind the entire Call of Cthulhu line, as well as other projects, for the decades that he was among us. He loved his work and brought all his abilities to the job. He was incredibly smart, astonishingly widely read, detail oriented, and capable. He is largely responsible for the high quality, playability, and popularity of the leading horror RPG in our field. A complete list of his gaming accomplishments can be found at http://catalog.chaosium.com/pages.php?pID=10&CDpath=1&keywords=lynn

He will be missed. We trust that he is at peace. We give his wife Marcia our thanks and blessings for her devoted love and support for Lynn, and wish her joy and success in her future endeavors and memories of the past.

Charlie Krank, President Chaosium Inc.
Greg Stafford, Founder Chaosium Inc.

I only spoke to Lynn once or twice in my time working next door to Chaosium, but it was easy to get a sense of his passion for gaming – he was always tucked away in his office, cooking up more Chaosium goodness. He will certainly be missed. The staff of OgreCave wishes the best to the Willis family, and all the folks at Chaosium.

If you missed it, our Gaming News Update podcast interview with designer Matt Leacock, from when Forbidden Island was released, is worth a listen for his insights on designing cooperative games.

Gamewright press release follows:

Gamewright Embarks on a New Forbidden Adventure in 2013
Forbidden Desert, by Matt Leacock, takes cooperative games by storm

Newton, MA – A fierce sandstorm is about to stir up the world of tabletop games with the release of Forbidden Desert, a brand new cooperative family board game by designer Matt Leacock and published by Gamewright. In Forbidden Desert, players take on the roles of brave adventurers who must throw caution to the wind and survive both blistering heat and blustering sand in order to recover a legendary flying machine buried under an ancient desert city. The game is a follow-up to the best-selling Forbidden Island and marks the first time that Gamewright has published a sequel to one of their games.

“When we launched Forbidden Island back in 2010, we had an inkling that we had hit game on our hands, but never to the point that we’d be prompted to publish a sequel,” says Jason Schneider, Gamewright’s director of product development and marketing. “I’m beyond thrilled to see this vision come to fruition.”

One of the key challenges posed to inventor Matt Leacock was to create a game that would contain familiar elements while offering up a completely different in-game experience. “In addition, we wanted it to be simultaneously approachable to new players while upping the ante for those who felt they had mastered Forbidden Island,” says Schneider. All this resulted in a fresh new game based around an innovative set of mechanics, such as an ever-shifting board, individual resource management, and unique method for locating the flying machine parts.

Forbidden Desert will make its trade debut at the New York International Toy Fair (February 10-13) and will be available for public release later in spring of 2013. The game will come in an attractive tin package and retail for a suggested $24.99.

Forbidden Desert TM

Thirst for Survival
Gear up for a thrilling adventure to recover a legendary flying machine buried deep in the ruins of an ancient desert city. You’ll need to coordinate with your teammates and use every available resource if you hope to survive the scorching heat and relentless sandstorm. Find the flying machine and escape before you all become permanent artifacts of the Forbidden Desert!

Contents
49 cards
48 sand markers
24 tiles
6 pawns
5 water level markers
4 flying machine parts
1 flying machine model
1 sand storm meter
1 stand storm meter stand
1 sand storm level marker
Rules of play

Players: 2-5
Ages: 10+
Playing time: 45 minutes
Suggested Retail: $24.99
Availability: Spring 2013

About Gamewright

Gamewright, a leading manufacturer of family games, is best known for such household hits as Slamwich®, Rat-a-Tat Cat®, In a Pickle™, and the Scrambled States of America™ Game. Gamewright prides itself on making games that foster laughter, learning, friendship and fun. Kids, parents, grandparents, and educators all agree that Gamewright makes some of the best games on the planet. For more information, please visit www.gamewright.com.

Don’t forget to visit OgreCave’s Facebook page to check out our KublaCon 2012 image gallery, and while you’re there, become a fan of OgreCave to hear everything that echoes forth from the Cave. Also, we’ve been podcasting off and on for quite a while now – check out our other KublaCon interviews, or scroll back to even older episodes we barely even remember anymore.

Be sure to visit OgreCave’s Facebook page to check out our KublaCon 2012 image gallery, and while you’re there, become a fan of OgreCave to hear everything that echoes forth from the Cave. We’ll have another podcast episode up from KublaCon 2012 shortly, so stay tuned.

Be sure to visit OgreCave’s Facebook page to check out our KublaCon 2012 image gallery, and while you’re there, become a fan of OgreCave to hear everything that echoes forth from the Cave. We’ll have a couple more podcast episodes up from KublaCon 2012 shortly, so check back soon.

The 38th Annual Origins Awards Nominees and Winners

Best Roleplaying Game
Abney Park’s Airship Pirates – Cubicle 7 Entertainment – “Captain” Robert Brown, Peter Cakebread, Andrew Peregrine, Ian Sturrock, Ken Walton
Arcanis – Paradigm Concepts – Eric Wiener, Pedro Barrenechea, and Henry Lopez
Ashen Stars – Pelgrane Press – Robin D. Laws
Leverage: The RPG – Margaret Weis Productions – Cam Banks, Rob Donoghue, and Clark Valentine
The One Ring – Cubicle 7 Entertainment – Amado Angulo, Marco Maggi, Dominic McDowall-Thomas, Francesco Nepitello
WINNER: Arcanis – Paradigm Concepts

Best Roleplaying Supplement or Adventure
Bookhounds of London (Trail of Cthulhu) – Pelgrane Press – Kenneth H. Hite
Dragon Age, Set 2 (Dragon Age) – Green Ronin Publishing – Steve Kenson, T.S. Luikart, Chris Pramas, and Jeff Tidball
The Great Clans (L5R 4th Edition) – AEG – Shawn Carman, Rob Hobart, Brian Yoon
Monster Vault (D&D 4E) – Wizards of the Coast – Rodney Thompson, Logan Bonner, & Matthew Sernett
Shadows over Scotland (Call of Cthulhu) – Cubicle 7 Entertainment – Stuart Boon
WINNER: Shadows over Scotland (Call of Cthulhu) – Cubicle 7 Entertainment

Best Board Game
Conquest of Nerath – Wizards of the Coast – Richard Baker, Mons Johnson, & Peter Lee
Automobile – Mayfair Games – Martin Wallace
Hibernia – Closet Nerd – Eric Vogel
High Noon Saloon – Slugfest Games – Cliff Bohm & Geoff Bottone
Pastiche – Gryphon Games – Sean D. MacDonald
WINNER: Conquest of Nerath – Wizards of the Coast

Best Traditional Card Game
Cthulhu Gloom – Atlas Games – Keith Baker
NUTS! – Wildfire LLC – Matthew Grau
Red Dragon Inn 3 – Slugfest Games – Geoff Bottone, Jeff Morrow, and Cliff Bohm
Star Trek Deck Building Game – BANDAI – Alex Bykov
Struggle for Catan – Mayfair Games – Klaus Teuber
WINNER: NUTS! – Wildfire LLC

Best Family, Party or Children’s Game
BEARS! – Fireside Games – Anne-Marie De Witt
Faux-Cabulary – Out of the Box Publishing – Matthew Nuccio
Get Bit! – Mayday Games – Dave Chalker
Scavengers – Zombie State Games – John Werner
Space Mission – Schmidt Spiele – Matthew Worden
WINNER: Get Bit! – Mayday Games

Best Miniatures Figure or Line
Forge Father Huscarl – Mantic
Giant Sized X-Men Heroclix – Wizkids/NECA
St. Luke – Dark Age
Storm Strider – Privateer Press
Zombie Wedding Party – Studio Miniatures
WINNER: Storm Strider – Privateer Press

Best Miniatures Rules or Expansion
Battletech: The Wars of Reaving – Catalyst Game Labs – Ben H. Rome, Herbert A. Beas, Paul Sjardijn
Carnevale: The Miniatures Game – Vesper-on Games – David Esbri
Light Bikes – Glory Games – J. P. Trostle
Street Fighter Starter Set – Wizkids/NECA – Wizkids/NECA
Tomorrow’s War – Osprey Publishing/Ambush Alley Games – Shawn Carpenter, Robby Carpenter
Warmachine: Wrath – Privateer Press – David Carl, Bryan Cutler, Doug Seacat, Jason Soles, Matt Wilson
WINNER: Battletech: The Wars of Reaving – Catalyst Game Labs

Best Collectible Card Game or Expansion
Legend of the Five Rings: Second City – AEG
Magic the Gathering : Innistrad – Wizards of the Coast
Pokemon Black & White: Emerging Powers – Nintendo
World of Warcraft: Dungeon Decks – Cryptozoic Entertainment
World of Warcraft: The Throne of Tides – Cryptozoic Entertainment
WINNER: Magic the Gathering : Innistrad – Wizards of the Coast

Best Game Accessory
Dungeon Tiles: The Witchlight Fens – Wizards of the Coast – Peter Lee & Jason Engle
Dice Earrings – GameScience – GameScience
Dungeon Masters Keep – Gale Force Nine – Gale Force Nine
Munchkin Zombies 2: Armed & Dangerous – Steve Jackson Games – Steve Jackson
Shadowrun Runner’s Toolkit – Catalyst Game Labs – Elissa Carey, Rusty Childers, Cole Davidson, Mark Dynna, Adam Jury, Robyn King-Nitschke, Adam Large, Drew Littell, Elizabeth Nold, Brandie Tarvin, Peter Taylor, Malik Toms, Michael Wich, Russell Zimmerman
WINNER: Shadowrun Runner’s Toolkit – Catalyst Game Labs

Best Game-Related Publication
Cliffourd the Big Red God – Atlas Games – Kenneth H. Hite & Andy Hopp
The Kobold Guide to Board Game Design – Open Design LLC – Mike Selinker with Rob Daviau, James Ernest, Matt Forbeck, Richard Garfield, Dave Howell, Steve Jackson, John Kovalic, Richard C. Levy, Andrew Looney, Michelle Nephew, Paul Peterson, Lisa Steenson, Jeff Tidball, Teeuwynn Woodruff, and Dale Yu
Designers & Dragons – Mongoose Publishing – Shannon Appelcline
Untold Adventures – Wizards of the Coast – Alan Dean Foster, Mike Resnick, Kevin J. Anderson, John Shirley, Jay Lake, Sarah Zettel, and many more.
Everything I Need to Know I Learned From Dungeons & Dragons – Wizards of the Coast – Shelley Mazzanoble
WINNER: The Kobold Guide to Board Game Design – Open Design LLC

Best Historical Board Game
Strike of the Eagle – Academy Games -Brian Bennett, Uwe Eickert, Robert Zak
Test of Fire: Bull Run 1861 – Mayfair Games – Martin Wallace
Band of Brothers: Screaming Eagles – Worthington Games – Jim Krohn
Lost Battles – Fifth Column Games – Philip Sabin
No Retreat! The Russian Front – GMT – Carl Paradis
World War II Barbarossa 1941 – Zvesda – Konstantin Krivenko
WINNER: Strike of the Eagle – Academy Games

Best Historical Miniatures Rules or Expansion
SAGA – Gripping Beast – Studio Tomahawk
Waterloo – Warhammer Historical – Mark Latham
Flames of War: Cassino – Battlefront Miniatures Ltd. – Battlefront Miniatures Ltd.
Command Combat: Civil War 1861 – Bandwagon Books – Jeff McArthur
Force on Force, 2nd Edition – Osprey Publishing/Ambush Alley Games – Shawn Carpenter, Robby Carpenter
Hail Caesar! – Warlord Games – Rick Priestley
WINNER: Flames of War: Cassino – Battlefront Miniatures Ltd.

Best Historical Miniatures Figure or Line
Bolt Action WW2 – Warlord Games
Italian Wars – Wargames Foundry
Sudan 1881-1885 – Perry Miniatures
Napoleon at War – Man at War
Tropic Lightning Vietnam War – Battlefront Miniatures Ltd.
Anglo Zulu War – Empress Miniatures
WINNER: Bolt Action WW2 – Warlord Games

Best Play by Mail or Correspondance Game
Continental Rails – Production R Danard – John Van De Graaf
Hyborian War – Reality Simulations Inc -Edward Schoonover
Phoenix: Beyond the Stellar Empire – KJC Games
Cruenti Dei – Sardarthion Press – Thom Ryng
Heroic Fantasy – Flying Buffalo Inc – Rick Loomis and Steve MacGregor
WINNER: Heroic Fantasy – Flying Buffalo Inc

• Metamorphosis Alpha Roleplaying Game by Signal Fire Studios. Though we originally heard MA would return as a D&D4E setting, the new plan is to release a standalone 160-page RPG to relaunch the classic property. With 17 days left, this project is almost 50% of the way toward its $10k goal, so if you’re interested, check it out.
• Got It! by Tom Jolly: a fun, sometimes frantic math game he’s trying to get back in print. We reviewed it here a while back. Got It! is nearly 30% funded with 24 days left, and with a modest goal of $3k, we’re hoping it succeeds.
• Zpocalypse: An Epic Zombie Survival Board Game by Greenbrier Games. This detailed board game will have plastic figures, an interchangeable board, and is already nearly 400% funded! Jump in if you want to lend a hand (or get some backer rewards).
• Dwimmermount: An Old School Fantasy RPG Megadungeon by James Maliszewski. Already 350% funded, backers of this epic dungeon crawl are continuing to unlock designer notes, an additional level to explore, and more. The challenging dungeon, long hinted at on Grognardia, will be available in versions compatible with Labyrinth Lord or the Adventurer Conqueror King System, both descended from the original fantasy RPG. This drive ends this weekend, so if you want in, climb aboard now.

The 38th Annual Origins Awards Nominees

Best Roleplaying Game
Abney Park’s Airship Pirates – Cubicle 7 Entertainment – “Captain” Robert Brown, Peter Cakebread, Andrew Peregrine, Ian Sturrock, Ken Walton
Arcanis – Paradigm Concepts – Eric Wiener, Pedro Barrenechea, and Henry Lopez
Ashen Stars – Pelgrane Press – Robin D. Laws
Leverage: The RPG – Margaret Weis Productions – Cam Banks, Rob Donoghue, and Clark Valentine
The One Ring – Cubicle 7 Entertainment – Amado Angulo, Marco Maggi, Dominic McDowall-Thomas, Francesco Nepitello

Best Roleplaying Supplement or Adventure
Bookhounds of London (Trail of Cthulhu) – Pelgrane Press – Kenneth H. Hite
Dragon Age, Set 2 (Dragon Age) – Green Ronin Publishing – Steve Kenson, T.S. Luikart, Chris Pramas, and Jeff Tidball
The Great Clans (L5R 4th Edition) – AEG – Shawn Carman, Rob Hobart, Brian Yoon
Monster Vault (D&D 4E) – Wizards of the Coast – Rodney Thompson, Logan Bonner, & Matthew Sernett
Shadows over Scotland (Call of Cthulhu) – Cubicle 7 Entertainment – Stuart Boon

Best Board Game
Conquest of Nerath – Wizards of the Coast – Richard Baker, Mons Johnson, & Peter Lee
Automobile – Mayfair Games – Martin Wallace
Hibernia – Closet Nerd – Eric Vogel
High Noon Saloon – Slugfest Games – Cliff Bohm & Geoff Bottone
Pastiche – Gryphon Games – Sean D. MacDonald

Best Traditional Card Game
Cthulhu Gloom – Atlas Games – Keith Baker
NUTS! – Wildfire LLC – Matthew Grau
Red Dragon Inn 3 – Slugfest Games – Geoff Bottone, Jeff Morrow, and Cliff Bohm
Star Trek Deck Building Game – BANDAI – Alex Bykov
Struggle for Catan – Mayfair Games – Klaus Teuber

Best Family, Party or Children’s Game
BEARS! – Fireside Games – Anne-Marie De Witt
Faux-Cabulary – Out of the Box Publishing – Matthew Nuccio
Get Bit! – Mayday Games – Dave Chalker
Scavengers – Zombie State Games – John Werner
Space Mission – Schmidt Spiele – Matthew Worden

Best Miniatures Figure or Line
Forge Father Huscarl – Mantic
Giant Sized X-Men Heroclix – Wizkids/NECA
St. Luke – Dark Age
Storm Strider – Privateer Press
Zombie Wedding Party – Studio Miniatures

Best Miniatures Rules or Expansion
Battletech: The Wars of Reaving – Catalyst Game Labs – Ben H. Rome, Herbert A. Beas, Paul Sjardijn
Carnevale: The Miniatures Game – Vesper-on Games – David Esbri
Light Bikes – Glory Games – J. P. Trostle
Street Fighter Starter Set – Wizkids/NECA – Wizkids/NECA
Tomorrow’s War – Osprey Publishing/Ambush Alley Games – Shawn Carpenter, Robby Carpenter
Warmachine: Wrath – Privateer Press – David Carl, Bryan Cutler, Doug Seacat, Jason Soles, Matt Wilson

Best Collectible Card Game or Expansion
Legend of the Five Rings: Second City – AEG
Magic the Gathering : Innistrad – Wizards of the Coast
Pokemon Black & White: Emerging Powers – Nintendo
World of Warcraft: Dungeon Decks – Cryptozoic Entertainment
World of Warcraft: The Throne of Tides – Cryptozoic Entertainment

Best Game Accessory
Dungeon Tiles: The Witchlight Fens – Wizards of the Coast – Peter Lee & Jason Engle
Dice Earrings – GameScience – GameScience
Dungeon Masters Keep – Gale Force Nine – Gale Force Nine
Munchkin Zombies 2: Armed & Dangerous – Steve Jackson Games – Steve Jackson
Shadowrun Runner’s Toolkit – Catalyst Game Labs – Elissa Carey, Rusty Childers, Cole Davidson, Mark Dynna, Adam Jury, Robyn King-Nitschke, Adam Large, Drew Littell, Elizabeth Nold, Brandie Tarvin, Peter Taylor, Malik Toms, Michael Wich, Russell Zimmerman

Best Game-Related Publication
Cliffourd the Big Red God – Atlas Games – Kenneth H. Hite & Andy Hopp
The Kobold Guide to Board Game Design – Open Design LLC – Mike Selinker with Rob Daviau, James Ernest, Matt Forbeck, Richard Garfield, Dave Howell, Steve Jackson, John Kovalic, Richard C. Levy, Andrew Looney, Michelle Nephew, Paul Peterson, Lisa Steenson, Jeff Tidball, Teeuwynn Woodruff, and Dale Yu
Designers & Dragons – Mongoose Publishing – Shannon Appelcline
Untold Adventures – Wizards of the Coast – Alan Dean Foster, Mike Resnick, Kevin J. Anderson, John Shirley, Jay Lake, Sarah Zettel, and many more.
Everything I Need to Know I Learned From Dungeons & Dragons – Wizards of the Coast – Shelley Mazzanoble

Best Historical Board Game
Strike of the Eagle – Academy Games -Brian Bennett, Uwe Eickert, Robert Zak
Test of Fire: Bull Run 1861 – Mayfair Games – Martin Wallace
Band of Brothers: Screaming Eagles – Worthington Games – Jim Krohn
Lost Battles – Fifth Column Games – Philip Sabin
No Retreat! The Russian Front – GMT – Carl Paradis
World War II Barbarossa 1941 – Zvesda – Konstantin Krivenko

Best Historical Miniatures Rules or Expansion
SAGA – Gripping Beast – Studio Tomahawk
Waterloo – Warhammer Historical – Mark Latham
Flames of War: Cassino – Battlefront Miniatures Ltd. – Battlefront Miniatures Ltd.
Command Combat: Civil War 1861 – Bandwagon Books – Jeff McArthur
Force on Force, 2nd Edition – Osprey Publishing/Ambush Alley Games – Shawn Carpenter, Robby Carpenter
Hail Caesar! – Warlord Games – Rick Priestley

Best Historical Miniatures Figure or Line
Bolt Action WW2 – Warlord Games
Italian Wars – Wargames Foundry
Sudan 1881-1885 – Perry Miniatures
Napoleon at War – Man at War
Tropic Lightning Vietnam War – Battlefront Miniatures Ltd.
Anglo Zulu War – Empress Miniatures

Best Play by Mail or Correspondance Game
Continental Rails – Production R Danard – John Van De Graaf
Hyborian War – Reality Simulations Inc -Edward Schoonover
Phoenix: Beyond the Stellar Empire – KJC Games
Cruenti Dei – Sardarthion Press – Thom Ryng
Heroic Fantasy – Flying Buffalo Inc – Rick Loomis and Steve MacGregor

(As an aside, when I ask my 12-year-old daughter what she knows about Cthulhu, she tells me he’s “like an octopus guy, who’s really big, and lives underwater, and eats people, and there’s only one of him.” H.P. Lovecraft? Never heard of him. Yes, I know – I’ve failed to teach her. I know. You’re missing the point.)

Is the “cute-ifying” of all-powerful Cthulhu the makings of controversy, or just clever marketing? These days, there’s cute/plush/Bratz/LEGO/Hot Wheels versions of nearly every popular theme, including zombies, vampires, and demons. An untapped market is hard to resist, especially when the burden of screening and/or explaining the eldritch content is so easily passed to the parents. A Mini Plush Cthulhu (from Toy Vault) was the hot item to send to new gamer parents for a time (Matt Forbeck received four at once a while back), and that (innocent?) trend has broadened considerably since those days. Now Lovecraft fans can select everything from children’s book parodies and dice games to fuzzy Cthulhu slippers and My Little Cthulhu (complete with victims).

Ultimately, selling cute Cthulhu isn’t a bad thing at all. If companies can support Lovecraft fans with products they (or their children) enjoy, more power to them. Just because my daugther grew up around a large plush Cthulhu (which she pronounced “Toolu” until she was 5 or so), it doesn’t automatically mean she’ll be playing through Mansions of Madness anytime soon, if ever. That’s okay. She’s aware of Cthulhu (a startling notion, if you think about it…), and has a vague notion of a larger storyline that she can investigate at her leisure.

If she ever does, though, I’d better teach her more about Lovecraft, or the guys at Chaosium will sic the gugs on me again.

And yet another different D&D freelancer friend said:

“This is why D&D 4E is called an indie game. It tells you how to play. Many of us know that the rules are better than they have ever been design wise but that’s not the point. Look at Iron Heroes designed by Mike Mearls. The same people who loved that game, a game which was similar to 4E in many ways, hated 4E. Why? They actually like the rules in many cases. But they don’t want to be told this is the way to play. These games are about people. They are about friends. And you don’t know my friends better than I do.”

Now, that’s just the opinion of one alleged freelancer, and even if we took it as truth, it doesn’t pose a large problem… unless you’re interested in the accessibility of D&D. The trouble with not telling people how to play is it limits the game’s growth to the oral tradition. A new group, as in people who don’t know (or don’t know they know) anyone else who plays, must fill in that deliberately larger gap between the rules and the table all on their own, which A) has a lot of known bad side effects, and B) simply fails more often – often enough that I’d guess it doesn’t replace players faster than they drop out.

By returning to not (fully) telling you how to play, Wizards is accepting that D&D is inaccessible from the outside and that the best it can do is reclaim some old players. As we’ve discussed, with D&D Next they’re likely really just aiming to win back recent converts to Pathfinder. That’ll do, corporately speaking; that’ll hold the line. It disappoints those of us who’d rather that D&D were closer to a living part of gaming culture than an archival piece, but it does suit Hasbro’s general M.O. and stated reason for investing in D&D at all: getting value out of a brand through an array of ancillary products. Hell, I kind of don’t know why they don’t just distribute the core RPG books for free. (They haven’t said they won’t, of course; in my view it’d be a smart way to return to the PDF market.)

There are ways, though, that Wizards could make the oral tradition more effective. They’ve announced that they are revamping the D&D website, which is good, but my confidence is a little low that they’ll be able to do what’s really required: utterly changing their online corporate voice. If they did manage it, they could be the oral tradition, the place people go to see and hear what this hobby is and what it looks like when people live it. The right selection of official YouTube videos alone would be a great step towards clearing away the annoyingly persistent confusion about just exactly what it is you do when you play D&D.

That would possibly reopen the door to the world at large. But from what we know right now, that isn’t a goal.

EDIT Mike is a jerk: it makes a certain amount of sense that this is a reprint of the last major edition of D&D that Gary Gygax was personally invested in, since the books are a benefit for the Gygax Memorial Fund. Okay then.