New editions, hacks of existing games, new applications of pre-existing systems, and adaptations from other media like RPGs based on movie or novel licenses can all tap into a pre-existing audience for the game, system, or setting in question. Without creating a self-sustaining community of people who like playing the game, reading its game materials, discussing the game, designing material for the game, and propagating the game, an RPG faces extinction.
Take the portfolio of Atlas Games; lines like Feng Shui or Over the Edge had their time in the Sun, got a bit of a buzz around them, had commercial success and critical acclaim, but then the scene seemed to move on.
There was enough affection for both games to sustain Kickstarters for glossy rereleased editions later on, but that was after long periods of commercial dormancy, and neither game has seen that much in the way of supplement support after delivery of the core materials not that they particularly need it.
Then take Ars Magica , a game which has supported LARP adaptations, fanzines , web forums, and other community endeavours for decades and continues to do so even after new commercial products have ceased emerging, and regularly comes up in the conversation still. Hallmarks of that can include:. So it makes me sit up and take notice when a game like Mothership comes along and hits all of those criteria. Created by Sean McCoy and put out by Tuesday Knight Games, Mothership already has a dense thicket of products out for it; as well as permitting the creation of third-party products for Mothership , Tuesday Knight Games is also happy to stock and sell products by third party publishers and individuals.
Certainly, a lot of projects have used those sweet Kickstarter bucks to give their products a presentational makeover in order to hit those standards. Sure, these booklets feel like zines — totally awesome zines which feel well-constructed enough to hold up at the table and have had their layout sweated over. The presentation of information here compares well with Old-School Essentials when it comes to combining information density with utility, making these materials an absolute dream to use at the table.
