Dungeons and Dragons: Who will inherit the legacy?

I got an Email from Amazon asking if I wanted to sell any Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 material. I think it highlights the popularity of the d20 system and the failure of the fourth edition. Usually, about now, everyone is dumping their previous version to purchase the new one. The market for 3.5 materials should be flooded with players wanting to upgrade and prices should be depressed. Instead, now that the previous version is out of print, demand is higher than ever. A player’s handbook fetches about $90 new and $60 used. This while the free and remarketed Dungeons and Dragons Online is becoming wildly popular (to the point of server overload) and the entire online system is built on the 3.5 rule set.

Meanwhile, Green Ronin Publishing is pushing hard to replace the D20 system with their True20 system that is built on the 3.5 System Reference Documents that were released by Wizards and published under the Open Gaming License. I have seen their true20 on the shelves of two game stores I have visited in the last month. Clearly they are poised to strike at Wizards weakness and are looking to push True20 in as the real heir to the Dungeons and Dragons gaming legacy. They like to say, “True20 is the latest in generations of adventure roleplaying games that have been around since the 1970s.”

I have two 3.5 player handbooks at my disposal that are shared between two campaign groups. I want players to consider purchasing the books themselves. Should I place a $60-$90 burden on them? I think I could ask them to purchase the True20 players handbook at $30, or at least the PDF version for $9.99.

Hasbro’s downsizing last year saw Wizards of the Coast dump Jonathan Tweet (the main author of the 3.5 handbook). With this behavior you have to wonder what of interest will be coming out of Wizards in the future. Meanwhile a small upstart is attempting to co-opt a legacy.

Play Testing is Complete for this Year

There will be no Battle Game play testing on October 24th, 2009 in Fort Collins. It has been cancelled because of conflicting activities. This pretty much finishes up this seasons play testing. I do not expect to host any more battle game activities until March 2010.

More Battle Play Testing October 17th

Battle Day and Weapons Construction Workshop, October 17th, Fort Collins, CO

There will be another play test activity for the book "Battle Gaming: The New American Sport" on October 17th at Lee Martinez Park in Downtown Fort Collins. Directions are below.

The schedule is as follows:

• 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM Weapons construction in the basement of the River Rock Cohousing Community House located adjacent to Lee Martinez Park. (Directions below)
• 12:30PM - 1:00 PM Lunch and Feedback, I will provide sandwich bar
• 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Battling. We play test specific scenarios
• 3:00 PM - free fighting time

I hope that you will come and participate. You can help shape the book that is likely to shape the future of this sport.

What to bring:

Any and all Amtgard/Belegarth/Dagorhir weapons. The system in the book is inclusive to all these weapon technologies. You may also wish to bring armor as we will be doing some play testing with armor.

If you are attending the weapons construction workshop, please consider bringing some supplies. I have many supplies which I will happily donate, but my supply chest is not bottomless. Typical stuff such as foam camping pads, pool noodles, tape, cores (PVC pipe/kite spar/fiberglass rods) and cloth are always useful.

More Information:
Additional information can be found at www.OpenBattleGaming.org, or by calling Dave Graham at 970-484-4577.

Directions:
Google Maps: Lee Martinez Park in Downtown Fort Collins

Fort Collins is located about 60 miles from Denver.

• Take I25 to Exit 269B which is CO-14 also known as Mulberry Street.
• Follow Mulberry Street approximate 3.5 miles and turn right onto Riverside Ave. This will be the intersection just after you pass the rail road tracks.
• Riverside Ave will become Jefferson St.
• Go across where it intersects with College Ave. You will now be on Maple St.
• Go four blocks and turn right on to N. Sherwood St.
• Follow N. Sherwood to the end (it ends in the park) and then turn right and go down the hill and park by the ball fields.
• Walk directly south to a fire lane (gravel) and follow it up hill to the east and you will be at the back of the River Rock Community House. Look for signs.
• Look forward to seeing you there.

Please note there will be no play testing on October 10th, instead more effort is being put into getting a larger crowd out for October 17th.

Book Play Testing on Sep. 5th in Fort Collins

Battle Day and Weapons Construction Workshop, September 5th, Fort Collins, CO

The book is comming along nicely. It is still currently titled "Battle Gaming: The New American Sport." Crynolyn is working on photos for the book.

A certain amount of play testing and player feedback needed to complete this project. Therefore I am organizing a series of play test and weapons construction activities that you are invited to attend.

Each of these activities will take place at Lee Martinez Park in Downtown Fort Collins. Directions are below.

The schedule is as follows:

• 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM Weapons construction in the basement of the River Rock Cohousing Community House located adjacent to Lee Martinez Park. (Directions below)
• 12:30PM - 1:00 PM Lunch and Feedback, I will provide sandwich bar
• 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Battling. We play test specific scenarios
• 3:00 PM - free fighting time

I hope that you will come and participate. You can help shape the book that is likely to shape the future of this sport.

In addition to September 5th, additional play testing and weapon workshops with be held on September 12, October 10, 17, and 24. These events will occur rain or shine. In the event of rain, we will primarily focus on making weapons and armor.

What to bring:

Any and all Amtgard/Belegarth/Dagorhir weapons. The system in the book is inclusive to all these weapon technologies. You may also wish to bring armor as we will be doing some play testing with armor.

If you are attending the weapons construction workshop, please consider bringing some supplies. I have many supplies which I will happily donate, but my supply chest is not bottomless. Typical stuff such as foam camping pads, pool noodles, tape, cores (PVC pipe/kite spar/fiberglass rods) and cloth are always useful.

More Information:
Additional information can be found at www.OpenBattleGaming.org, or by calling Dave Graham at 970-484-4577.

Directions:
Google Maps: Lee Martinez Park in Downtown Fort Collins

Fort Collins is located about 60 miles from Denver.

• Take I25 to Exit 269B which is CO-14 also known as Mulberry Street.
• Follow Mulberry Street approximate 3.5 miles and turn right onto Riverside Ave. This will be the intersection just after you pass the rail road tracks.
• Riverside Ave will become Jefferson St.
• Go across where it intersects with College Ave. You will now be on Maple St.
• Go four blocks and turn right on to N. Sherwood St.
• Follow N. Sherwood to the end (it ends in the park) and then turn right and go down the hill and park by the ball fields.
• Walk directly south to a fire lane (gravel) and follow it up hill to the east and you will be at the back of the River Rock Community House. Look for signs.
• Look forward to seeing you there.
  

He's Barack Obama

I thought this was pretty fun.

This I Believe

Our friend Jenny asked my wife Margaret "What keeps you in your marriage?" And of course Margaret put the question to me. At the time I gave a short answer:

My relationship with Margaret not only allows for growth, it demands it.

Now I have had time to think and it really has to do with my outlook on life.

Comfort - I believe this value is far over rated. Comfort is the place of mediocrity and is a place where things are not so bad that you wish to change them, but not so good that you are enjoying anything.

Victimhood - This is just out. I believe here are no adult victims in life, absolutely none, we are all simply experiencing the consequences of our own choices.

Service - I believe the purpose of life is to live a life of service. I view serving others as a privilege and a joy. I seek meaning in serving the world. I never forget to server myself, so I will continue to have the energy to give to others.

Balance - I believe that life is a balance between "doing" activities and "being" present. Every "doing" should be balanced with a consciousness of "being" to give it meaning.

Choice - I believe I am always in choice. I may not be able to choose the "doing", but I can always choose the "being". So even when I am faced with an event that is force upon me, I can choose my emotional reaction to that event.

Happiness - I believe in authentic happiness that comes from optimism, human interaction, appreciation, working hard, learning new things, taking risks, and having new experiences. I am not much of a fan for short term pleasure and I rarely watch TV or read fiction.

Leadership - I believe although the purpose of life is service, to lead others in service is to help them find purpose. Waiting for someone else to take the lead is always a waste of time. This is true at home as well as at work.

Attention - I believe those things I wish to flourish must be given attention. Attending the family, health, work, and personal finances are my highest priorities. I am aware that attention is a limited resource and I must choose where I apply it. Some things, such as a clean house, often fall off the end of the list.

These are the things I believe. My relationship with Margaret is not one of idyllic easy-going pleasure, instead it is filled with challenge, growth, and meaning. This is what keeps me in my marriage.

Reorganizing my Web Presence

I am in the process of reorganizing my web presence to create more of a flow of information leading up to the publication of the my new book Battle Gaming: The New American Sport which will happen some time this fall.

Yesterday I launched www.OpenBattleGaming.org as a blog where I will be posting updates about the Open Battle Gaming™ system and eventually this site will see the publication of the of this battle game rule system. I am in the process of attaching a Google group for discussion of this system.

Changes that are coming soon include the retirement of www.AdventuresForYouth.com and www.CreativeSwordPlay.com as that business has been over for more than a year. Also I am going to move www.ExtremeStandardization.org into an archive blog. I hope to get back to this project in a few years.

As we draw closer to the book publication I will be kicking off a number of new web sites. Check back later for more about that.