Quote from: Rob Necronomicon on March 02, 2023, 07:51:46 PM
I don't think it's going to be the best thing since sliced bread, but what is? overall it sounds slick and elegant so far - Let's hope it's as good as everyone says it is.

Mostly what I'm hoping for is something more palatable to 5E players but with a 1980's style of play and is a good dungeon crawler. The lack of weird setting for me at this point would be a plus as well.

I thought the deluxe seemed like a good deal and appreciated that PDFs were thrown in with print levels, so that's the tier I went in for.

Quote from: Rob Necronomicon on March 02, 2023, 07:51:46 PM
I think Ben is an honest broker too and if he didn't think it was going to be good, I doubt he'd even review, especially given that they are mates, etc.

I'm sure his review is honest. I do find the idea of taking money for reviews a bit iffy, no matter how common it is. I prefer Youtube reviewers who won't take money for reviews.  I especially prefer the ones who give negative as well as positive reviews.

Still, I'm pretty satisfied Arcane Library did nothing wrong, even if I personally wouldn't pay for a review. I am not a successful businessperson, after all. 

Well, the kickstarter is over half a mil already with many days to go. I wonder if this will be in the million club?

Cheers to her success! I will root for her, but I'm still not going to back (not that it matters now anyway). It just doesn't interest me.

Quote from: Thorn Drumheller on March 03, 2023, 08:22:45 AM
Cheers to her success! I will root for her, but I'm still not going to back (not that it matters now anyway). It just doesn't interest me.

I feel the same. I wonder if Pundit's interjection has contributed at all to her success, from the "Save the Fair Damsel from the Evil Nazi (TM)" crowd.  Everything I've seen indicates Arcane Library is determinedly apolitical, this could have been just what she needed to rally support from the Wokeosphere!

Quote from: S'mon on March 01, 2023, 03:25:00 AM
Would it get the same attention if the author was a 45 year old fat white guy?  Honestly I don't know. But apart from that it seems legit AFAICT.

^This.  Thirsty dudes are gonna thirst. 

Does this new game bring anything innovative to the table?  Anything I haven't already houseruled into my own games during my 42-years of playing?

Nothing feels off to me. Her content and background as an adventure writer is well established.

She has marketed her product well. And that product she is marketing well looks like it has high production value. The writing samples are very clean. The art looks great. And as far as value for your dollar on KS, it is priced at or below the market for what you'll get.

This looks like a perfectly fine KS to me. I have never seen anything other than ad copy level videos on any campaign page for a launch/marketing of a KS. Why the hell would anyone do anything but promote it?

If she happens to have friends in the industry that are helping her promote the Kickstarter, more power to her. I think Pundit is stepping all over his dick on Twitter. No one cares that the videos that have advance copies are promoting the product that is being launched. If Pundit was aiming at the spirit of the FCC rules on labeling promotion clearly, and aiming at the YouTube creators themselves, maybe I can buy if. But at the Kickstarter? Clear miss.

This appears to be exactly what it seems - someone that has been working in the industry for a while who wanted to mix more OSR into a 5e formula or more 5e into a 5e formula. I have more of an issue of the lack of adventure content to go with a pricey new rule book than the idea that she is offering to the public and I am excited that she is getting the attention.

Quote from: Svenhelgrim on March 03, 2023, 09:23:44 AM^This.  Thirsty dudes are gonna thirst. 

I'd need to be lost in the desert with the Israelites for 40 years, to thirst over that chick. I know nerd girls get a far more forgiving ranking, but even still, yikes. 

Quote from: S'mon on March 03, 2023, 08:34:38 AM
I feel the same. I wonder if Pundit's interjection has contributed at all to her success, from the "Save the Fair Damsel from the Evil Nazi (TM)" crowd.  Everything I've seen indicates Arcane Library is determinedly apolitical, this could have been just what she needed to rally support from the Wokeosphere!

I apologize, but I do believe I missed pundit saying something. What was said and where?

Quote from: Grognard GM on March 03, 2023, 09:53:24 AM
I'd need to be lost in the desert with the Israelites for 40 years, to thirst over that chick. I know nerd girls get a far more forgiving ranking, but even still, yikes.

Heh, ain't that the gawds own truth.

Quote from: Svenhelgrim on March 03, 2023, 09:23:44 AM
Does this new game bring anything innovative to the table?  Anything I haven't already houseruled into my own games during my 42-years of playing?

I think it'd only be innovative for younger players, those without the history of a lot of us here.

Quote from: Myrdin Potter on March 03, 2023, 09:51:48 AM
If she happens to have friends in the industry that are helping her promote the Kickstarter, more power to her. I think Pundit is stepping all over his dick on Twitter. No one cares that the videos that have advance copies are promoting the product that is being launched. If Pundit was aiming at the spirit of the FCC rules on labeling promotion clearly, and aiming at the YouTube creators themselves, maybe I can buy if. But at the Kickstarter? Clear miss.

Yeah, I agree. I think Pundit is being an asshat again. Not as big an asshat as the Wokesters calling him a Nazi (well, N*zi or Notc - Twitter is censored) but it's not a good look. Like I said, I do find Ben/Questing Beast's policy of taking money for reviews to be dubious, and I'd be ok with criticising that. Attacking the nerd chick for boosting her Kickstarter does look like sexism, even if it works out to her advantage.

Quote from: Thorn Drumheller on March 03, 2023, 10:12:34 AM

Quote from: S'mon on March 03, 2023, 08:34:38 AM
I feel the same. I wonder if Pundit's interjection has contributed at all to her success, from the "Save the Fair Damsel from the Evil Nazi (TM)" crowd.  Everything I've seen indicates Arcane Library is determinedly apolitical, this could have been just what she needed to rally support from the Wokeosphere!

I apologize, but I do believe I missed pundit saying something. What was said and where?

Started yesterday at https://www.therpgsite.com/pen-paper-roleplaying-games-rpgs-discussion/list-ttrpg-guide-to-woke-companies/msg1245912/#msg1245912

Then there was a spat on Twitter, with Pundit criticising her, people calling him a Nazi, etc etc.

Quote from: Grognard GM on March 03, 2023, 09:53:24 AM

Quote from: Svenhelgrim on March 03, 2023, 09:23:44 AM^This.  Thirsty dudes are gonna thirst. 

I'd need to be lost in the desert with the Israelites for 40 years, to thirst over that chick. I know nerd girls get a far more forgiving ranking, but even still, yikes.

Nice cheekbones! She's not as hot as Ben/Questing Beast though - and I'm straight (but drunk). 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amtLUeKTbW0 Looks fine to me; definitely a nerd, she'd wear a lot more makeup & different clothes if she was trying to appeal to the thirsty demographic. I like how she says her first campaign was Wilderlands - City State of the Invincible Overlord, a VERY non-Woke campaign setting.

I guess my view is that over the past couple days I've gone from indifferent to getting tempted to check this game out. My big current non-D&D focus though is on Dragonbane, where this looks like another D&D near-clone.

Quote from: Svenhelgrim on March 03, 2023, 09:23:44 AM
^This.  Thirsty dudes are gonna thirst.

Kelsey writes good stuff, and I have purchased physical products from her Arcane Library. For any dudes thirsting, though... They may be disappointed. A few years back, she stated that she has a girlfriend.

YouTube video: https://youtu.be/xWLUJYlYymQ

You can skip to 2:55 for the quote, but the entire video is about a minimalist GM kit she assembled, and is really worth a full viewing.

I appreciate that Kelsey doesn't make her personal relationship preferences a marketing point. She's really down-to-earth, not an "activist" and just enjoys gaming old school.