Future of Magic World?

[Rich Tom]

I absolutely agree with what has been said above. Hopefully now there's a response from Chaosium pasted here and on facebook, (I couldn't find another question clearly saying "Magic World" on facebook, but accept that there might have been one), everyone will wait and not send in other repetitious questions, (otherwise I'll be part of an avalanche).

It really was a idea of mine to get a statement clearly saying the words "Magic World" publicly even if we're just being told the same as before, because although I had searched I couldn't find one and if I couldn't find one, I assumed at least some other people couldn't either, Which is the reason I used facebook and not an email.

Not being a priority isn't good but considering how things are and the fact the MW so far has been a small seller I wouldn't expect anything else.

I do hope that they can get out of this mess and of course fulfilling kickstarter obligations is the first step.

Edited October 14, 2015 by Rich Tom

[Marcus Bone]

MW is not a priority because they have all their resources committed to getting the CoC 7e KS completed. The coffers are virtually empty and until they clear the cloud of the 7e KS nothing or virtually nothing is going to happen. I don't know how many times they have to tell people that but it doesn't seem to sink in. Chaosium fans are lucky they have anything to look forward to based on the state the company was in after Sandy and Gregg took a look at it. The MD folks have said that the actual state of the company finances was even worse than G&S had thought when they originally stepped in, 10K in the bank and a 7e printing bill for 100K is a hole that isn't easy to climb out of so a lack of a concrete statement on the future of MW is small beans. Be thankful you actually have material already out there to play.

In the roleplaying sphere, no news equals a 'dead' system, and I know that is everyone's fear here. 

[smiorgan]

 The MD folks have said that the actual state of the company finances was even worse than G&S had thought when they originally stepped in, 10K in the bank and a 7e printing bill for 100K is a hole that isn't easy to climb out of so a lack of a concrete statement on the future of MW is small beans. Be thankful you actually have material already out there to play.

What a disaster! We have really to be thankful that Greg and Sandy came to the rescue and they that Moon Design was ready to take responsibility of the company, 

[smiorgan]

If Chaosium ever does a second edition of Magic World I wish it would look a bit like a d100 version of "Beyond the Wall". 

The Southern Reaches with their encroaching dangerous fairies are an ideal setting for this kind of fantasy. 

 

Edited October 15, 2015 by smiorgan

[nDervish]

But, it's not your fault. The problem is they still lack clear communication, obviously due to the fact that they don't want to spell out just how bad things are and/or piss off/lose customers. 

 

That's one possible interpretation, yes.  Another (which also explains why the information on their website is so vague) is that they don't know what's going to happen either.  I don't know the people involved, so they may not be susceptible to this, but, when I have something that I need to deal with immediately, I tend to hyperfocus on just that one thing, to the exclusion of all else.  "I'm fixing X now.  What about Y?  And Z?  Dunno.  No time to think about them now.  Come back when I'm done with X and we can talk then."

[Nakana]

 

That's one possible interpretation, yes.  Another (which also explains why the information on their website is so vague) is that they don't know what's going to happen either.  I don't know the people involved, so they may not be susceptible to this, but, when I have something that I need to deal with immediately, I tend to hyperfocus on just that one thing, to the exclusion of all else.  "I'm fixing X now.  What about Y?  And Z?  Dunno.  No time to think about them now.  Come back when I'm done with X and we can talk then."

I would agree with you completely if that was what they actually did. But it's not. What they did was this:

"We're only going to focus on the kickstarter. The kickstarter is the priority. We don't know what we're going to do with these specific product lines that already exist; until the kickstarter is completed they are not a priority. But oh wait, even though we haven't fulfilled the kickstarter yet, we're going to create and introduce these all new product lines that no one has been asking for! As far as the product lines you HAVE been asking for? Well... that is not a priority right now... "

[nclarke]

Moon Design have been focusing on their own Moon Design product range and have targeted the finalisation of the 7e Kickstarter as the way forward for Chaosium. They have to dig their way out of the huge hole that Chaosium are in before they do anything else. As some of you appear to not understand production of a supplement is a process taking a certain amount of time and if that process was started earlier this year then in order to fund things going forward they must have saleable product and minimised expenses to be able to fulfill the KS and keep Chaosium alive. Those saleable products were physical stock in Heyward and Moon Design product close to completion. They sold off what they could (what professional company keeps and pays for stock that is not selling twenty years after it was produced?) and closed the warehouse. They are moving MD stock and other product that is available for cash flow reasons. MW is not selling in any quantity and neither are their in-house BRP lines so they are just sitting until that money hole is filled. External licensed product that will drive BRP down the road are being encouraged (see Mythic Iceland for example) but anything that requires direct MD/new Chaosium management direct effort is not going to go anywhere for at least six months by my reckoning.

Pulling Chaosium out of the hole it's in will require huge effort and loads of bucks and the truck loads of cash required don't come from BRP but Glorantha oriented products and Chaosium material that is ready to go to POD or pdf with no further expenses. Note how they have ramped up the sources for obtaining product without costing them money in terms of labour or stock control. I've heard that they talked to European stockists at Essen and are providing means to get product into stores more easily than before. The deal for board games is a big thing for Europe where board game sales are huge and Glorantha was/is very popular. They are probably leveraging Sandy's experience with CW or going with an experienced board game producer as a partner on that front.

[Nakana]

Logistics-wise: I get it. They are doing the right thing.

Business-wise: I'll admit that I see the logic in what they're doing and acknowledge as a company strategy they are probably making the right move (even though it isn't what I had wished.)

I was simply whining about the lack of communication skills. Why not spend 30 minutes to an hour laying out a "roadmap" that actually answers the questions they have answers for and be honest about the questions they don't have answers for? Then post said "roadmap" on their website. I (and this is only my opinion) think that what has been executed on the communications front is largely responsible for a lot of the (unnecessary) confusion and frustration that many people have expressed (about what little info they have to go on) regarding the decisions that have been made (even if for the right reasons.)

[Jason D]

I would agree with you completely if that was what they actually did. But it's not. What they did was this:

"We're only going to focus on the kickstarter. The kickstarter is the priority. We don't know what we're going to do with these specific product lines that already exist; until the kickstarter is completed they are not a priority. But oh wait, even though we haven't fulfilled the kickstarter yet, we're going to create and introduce these all new product lines that no one has been asking for! As far as the product lines you HAVE been asking for? Well... that is not a priority right now... "

I might be missing something here, but what new product lines? 

RQ/Glorantha, Call of Cthulhu, BRP Essentials, and what? 

 

[Guest Vile Traveller]

I would guess the boardgame and fiction lines, which are probably more important financially than the RPG side.

[Trifletraxor]

Mythic Iceland is coming with a revamped magic system and lots of extras!

[tgmoore]

I just bought a hard copy of MagicWorld. I really like the rules. I am coming from primarily a D&D background, all editions. But I fear I have hitched my gaming cart to a dinosaur. 

[tooley1chris]

13 minutes ago, tgmoore said:

I just bought a hard copy of MagicWorld. I really like the rules. I am coming from primarily a D&D background, all editions. But I fear I have hitched my gaming cart to a dinosaur. 

Welcome! Youve broken the shackles of gaming  restrictions and given them one less lemming. Breath the free air!

Magic World was my first experience escaping from Wizards of the Coast as well. May your experience be as rewarding as mine!

It can be a little confusing at first (because its so easy) so feel free to ask any questions you might have and check errata.

Edited November 13, 2015 by tooley1chris

[bturner]

18 hours ago, tgmoore said:

I just bought a hard copy of MagicWorld. I really like the rules. I am coming from primarily a D&D background, all editions. But I fear I have hitched my gaming cart to a dinosaur. 

It's fortunate for all of us that RPG rules don't expire like fresh fruit. :-)

If you've found something good, something that you can use to create excellent worlds and adventures, then in the final analysis it doesn't matter if the publisher ever prints another word about it. Granted, I know that my own hopes for the new Chaosium are, "Publish more of everything!" but I also know that the reality is that the is a lot of work to be done, that the Moon Design folks are going through it as best they can. They have a good track record, but they've taken on a very big challenge.

[Baulderstone]

21 hours ago, tgmoore said:

I just bought a hard copy of MagicWorld. I really like the rules. I am coming from primarily a D&D background, all editions. But I fear I have hitched my gaming cart to a dinosaur. 

Keep in mind that Magic World is a fine distillation of Stormbringer, a game that already went through 5 editions. It's time-tested and very complete. You can also find some good deals on used Stormbringer supplements if you really feel the need. 

Playing a game that is being supported can be as much a hindrance and help at times. Look at D&D 3.x. I tried playing that at the time and it was an ever-growing morass of new feats, classes, and spells contributing power creep and broken combos. My players often felt discontent with their characters because new options would come out that trumped what was available when they made their characters. As a GM, I'd have to keep rethinking how all these new things fit into my setting. 

Having static ruleset to use means you can actually focus on just playing the game you own. The game becomes about the story and player actions, not what cool stuff is in this month's splat book. 

If you are new to BRP, you will also find that it's pretty easy to convert between BRP games. If you find a monster you like in Call of Cthulhu  or Runequest (any edition), it isn't going to take you more than a few minutes to make it work in Magic World. It's not too hard to transplant rule sub-systems from on BRP game to another either. 

BRP is also easy to make things up on the fly for. Assigning percentile skills to an NPC on the spot is a lot more intuitive than assigning things like AC and attack bonus, at least for me. 

[Chaot]

On November 13, 2015 at 3:19:14 PM, tgmoore said:

I just bought a hard copy of MagicWorld. I really like the rules. I am coming from primarily a D&D background, all editions. But I fear I have hitched my gaming cart to a dinosaur. 

Yup.  If it's any consolation the Magic World rules are nearly identical to the Elric! rules, which I've been using since the late 90's (and others have been using longer than me).  It's a pretty hearty dinosaur.

[Mankcam]

Dinosaurs still draw crowds at the museums and the cinemas, they are like an eternal favourite; so it's actually not a bad analogy for Magic World and Stormbringer!

Edited November 15, 2015 by Mankcam

[Mankcam]

On 10/15/2015, 4:39:09, smiorgan said:

If Chaosium ever does a second edition of Magic World I wish it would look a bit like a d100 version of "Beyond the Wall". The Southern Reaches with their encroaching dangerous fairies are an ideal setting for this kind of fantasy. 

 

Love that cover art for Beyond The Wall. That's exactly the kind of thing I would like to see for BRP Essentials or Magic World. In many ways it would be a perfect fit if Magic World lives on in a fashion akin to the D&D OSR resources with indie products turning up here and there, and lots of little sandbox adventure scenarios. 

Edited November 15, 2015 by Mankcam

[Sunwolfe]

5 hours ago, Mankcam said:

In many ways it would be a perfect fit if Magic World lives on in a fashion akin to the D&D OSR resources with indie products turning up here and there, and lots of little sandbox adventure scenarios. 

I agree, and further, with official publications no longer in the mix, it is fantastic to see MW's fan base step up and produce interesting material. Chris, Skoll, Marcus, thanks for your efforts. I hope I can contribute something wroth a d/l or two someday too :-) I've posted elsewhere how impressed I am with the SW D6 fan community's activities on Google+. It could be argued that D6 is as alive now as when WEG was publishing it. It warms the cockles of my heart to see any attention of this nature turned toward MW.

Cheers!

[Falconer]

On 10/10/2015, 3:22:30, Trifletraxor said:

Also, with Chaosium's new policy of self-contained settings with the rules included, we'll probably not see more support for Magic World as a system unless they reverse this.

If that’s the case, one has to wonder if licensing the Young Kingdoms is their Plan A.

[rsanford]

On October 15, 2015 at 1:39 AM, smiorgan said:

If Chaosium ever does a second edition of Magic World I wish it would look a bit like a d100 version of "Beyond the Wall". 

The Southern Reaches with their encroaching dangerous fairies are an ideal setting for this kind of fantasy. 

 

Perhaps tha POD version could take a similar direction as it really does align with the Southern Reaches. Failing that maybe Chaoisum will let its loyal fans produce a Southern Reaches setting book that leverages similar graphical concepts for publishing when they get some of the ongoing BRP and Runequest projects out the door.

[Marcus Bone]

21 hours ago, rsanford said:

Perhaps tha POD version could take a similar direction as it really does align with the Southern Reaches. Failing that maybe Chaoisum will let its loyal fans produce a Southern Reaches setting book that leverages similar graphical concepts for publishing when they get some of the ongoing BRP and Runequest projects out the door.

I'm wondering if anyone has ever asked Chaosium if they could 'gain a licence' for MW and the Southern Reaches?

I know it won't be a priority (given the 7e KS and the most recent Runequest one), but it couldn't hurt to ask...

Marcus

 

[rsanford]

Seems to me Chaosium would license the setting assuming they don't think Magic World weakens the RuneQuest brand. I hope they do.

[Sean_RDP]

I would think licensing would be a very difficult and troublesome process for all involved. The easiest way might be to hand it totally of to someone else, to do the printing and publishing all on their own. Problem is, what is the level of expected success? Is it a free product(s)? The same rules or new ones? What happens when someone else has a setting they want the license to print or publish?

How successful was Magic World? Is it a viable product? If it is, giving someone else the license could hurt the product if they don't handle it well. On the other hand if it makes loads of money and wins awards, won't Chaosium look dumb for licensing it out and missing out on the success?

Also right now, Chaosium needs to get its house in order. That is not a show at the company, but there is a slight image problem and certainly they have business issues to take care of. Oh AND design a new version of RQ and BRP. People only have so many spoons AND they have their own visions of what to do with products. Trying to make Art (and game design IS art) run on a paying business can be a tough task for even experienced designers and marketers etc.. 

Now having said all that, if a person or people came to them with a solid plan, a fair licensing deal, and a determined solid core of potential customers, that might make a difference.  Just my .02 lunars

[Simlasa]

What if it's just free, fan-made content aimed at Magic World? Not kosher? Is Chaosium the new Palladium? Seeking out any reference to its system and squashing it?