Quote from: One Horse TownI do agree to a certain extent with JArcane in that it seems as though more products are being released that look amazing and have a high price tag. Coffee table books. That doesn't mean that they can't be used and enjoyed though...if you have the dosh to put down on them. Some people like the ready to use stuff, some don't.

Well, while I certainly understand where the skeptics are coming from here, I'll say that I think it's not fair to just cut Ptolus down to a coffee table book. It's pretty, yeah, but more than that. Its probably one of the best cross referenced and easy to use setting books out there.

That said, it's the prettiest book on my shelf right now, if you get my meaning.

Quote from: Caesar SlaadThat said, it's the prettiest book on my shelf right now, if you get my meaning.

That was my point. It does appeal to collectors as much as to people who will actually use it. As Obryn said above, that's both a good and a bad thing, depending on how you look at it. I'd love to buy the thing, but there's no way in hell i can put down that kind of money on it.

Quote from: mhensleyUmmm.... aren't the ennies supposed to be mainly for D20 products?  Where are the WOTC books?  It's beyond meaningless without them.  :confused:

Yup, it makes the whole thing a farce, doesn't it?

RPGPundit

Quote from: TonyLBWotC won't participate, for a variety of understandable reasons:  They've already won "First Place" in the marketplace ... why would they actively seek out an opportunity for some other game to say "Beat out WotC's for 1st!"?

Wizards shouldn't be "required" to participate. All WoTC products should be automatically included in the considerations.  To do otherwise is to ignore the reality of Wizards' place in the hobby.

RPGPundit

Quote from: Caesar SlaadJust to be clear, you don't have to be an ENWorld member to vote, though that is where the awareness of the awards is, of course, the highest.

The judging nominations were opened up and both the Forge and RPGnet were invited to participate. Despite this, most judges were still those with a noticeable ENwnorld presence (one actually had more posts at RPGnet than ENworld.) The forge could not swing enough votes to place their own candidates.

Hmm... here's an interesting thought. By next year we (theRPGsite) should be as big as the Forge or nearly so; I wonder if we'll be given the same invitation, or if these "invitations" are what I think they are, a plotted subversion of the process by the Swine? I guess time will tell.

RPGPundit

Quote from: mearlsI think this was a really weak year for RPGs. Ptolus was probably the biggest release. If you zipped 10 years into the future, was there anything else released this year that anyone will remember? Hollow Earth Expedition looks great, but I think it's caught in the general decline of the second tier. There simply isn't much traction available in the market.

The only thing I really noticed was Ptolus's absence from the d20 list. I'd be really, really interested in someone trying to explain to me how *any* of the products on that list are better than Ptolus. I'm not even close to seeing it.

I think Qin will be remembered in 10 years. It could be more than "remembered" if 7eme Circle weren't such utter froggie-fuckheads in how they've managed the English translation of their game. It could have been the blockbuster of the year if they'd been smarter about their schedule and support.

But I agree with you about Ptolus and the D20 list.

RPGPundit

Quote from: pigames.netDepends on how long Burning Empires and Spirit of the Century remain "indie" popular (as opposed to "mainstream" popular).

The answer to that question would be "Forever".  Neither of these games are going to be the magic bullet that pushes the Forge over the top.

Don't hold your breath for any magic bullet to come out of the Forge ever, frankly.

RPGPundit

I agree with all of the criticisms people have made about Ptolus. Its a vanity product, an example of how the current RPG market is geared (fatally so) toward "collectors" and not actual gamers, the exact opposite of what we need to be doing to keep the hobby healthy, etc etc.

But I still think that as a product, Ptolus was better than anything they put on the D20 category... I think there were other D20 products that would have been even BETTER choices than Ptolus, but if the choice was between Ptolus and, say "Dawning Star", I'd have to say Ptolus is more deserving of the ENnie.

RPGPundit

Quote from: RPGPunditHmm... here's an interesting thought. By next year we (theRPGsite) should be as big as the Forge or nearly so; I wonder if we'll be given the same invitation, or if these "invitations" are what I think they are, a plotted subversion of the process by the Swine? I guess time will tell.

Heh.

Well, as I recall, two of our own forumites made a run of it. So there's really nothing we lack here that the forge has... other than the imagination we are bigger and more influential than we are.

Just to inform all and sundry, my comments on the individual nominations are now posted on my blog entry for today (July 10th). (link to blog available on my sig)

RPGPundit

Quote from: Caesar SlaadHeh.

Well, as I recall, two of our own forumites made a run of it. So there's really nothing we lack here that the forge has... other than the imagination we are bigger and more influential than we are.

Touche!

RPGPundit

Quote from: RPGPunditHmm... here's an interesting thought. By next year we (theRPGsite) should be as big as the Forge or nearly so; I wonder if we'll be given the same invitation, or if these "invitations" are what I think they are, a plotted subversion of the process by the Swine? I guess time will tell.

RPGPundit

Despite my normal optimism, it will most likely be at least 2 years, not 1, before we're as big or bigger than the Forge. I do think we'll eventually outgrow them, however, because we're an rpg site with a wider focus. Honestly though, I think it will be a couple years before therpgsite is issued invitations in any judging process from ENWorld. This place needs more time to grow. This site is still pretty new, and needs to demonstrate a little longevity.

Quote from: RPGPunditI think Qin will be remembered in 10 years. It could be more than "remembered" if 7eme Circle weren't such utter froggie-fuckheads in how they've managed the English translation of their game. It could have been the blockbuster of the year if they'd been smarter about their schedule and support.

But I agree with you about Ptolus and the D20 list.

RPGPundit

I just picked up Qin lastnight and love it so far. I saw it at Gencon last year, but just couldn't bring myself to buy it then. I wish I had.

Quote from: mearlsHollow Earth Expedition looks great, but I think it's caught in the general decline of the second tier. There simply isn't much traction available in the market.

Time will tell, but I think we're approaching escape velocity. Even though the game has been out for a while, it still feels like we're building momentum instead of holding steady or declining like you might expect.

For example, there was a lot of love for Hollow Earth Expedition at Origins this year. We didn't win the RPG of the Year award, but we had a steady stream of people coming by to tell me they voted for us. Sales were also good and we covered our expenses for going to the show.

We released our Gamemaster Screen at Origins, which was very well received. Even people that had no interest in the game had nice things to say about it. It's one sturdy GM screen!

We're also going to be releasing our first sourcebook, Secrets of the Surface World. One thing people really like about HEX is the setting, and this book will broaden the game world to include more traditional pulp games and broaden it's appeal. We should have some advanced copies of the book at Gen Con.

Speaking of Gen Con, last year we ran eight events with a total of 48 seats. We ended up turning people away. Thanks to our volunteers, this year we have 28 events with a total of 140 seats. When registration closed, we only had 6 seats still open. As a small company, with a niche game, it seems like we're still reaching new players all the time.

And finally, I recently licensed the Ubiquity game system to Greymalkin Designs, who are using it for a post-apocalyptic fantasy game. So, I hope to be able to revise and support the game sytem as time goes by.

With all that being said, there are no guarantees and anything can happen. But I hope people support us and we stick around for a while longer. I've still got some great stories to share!

Jeff Combos
Exile Game Studio
//www.exilegames.com

That's really great news, Jeff. The sense I've had is that a lot of the distributors and game stores have pretty much given up on most RPGs. I'm glad to hear that you're having success, and hopefully that keeps building.

As I've mentioned elsewhere, I'm very impressed with HEX. It's a great game, and it deserves to build a fan base.