What Textbooks Teach us about RPG books

The latest edition of D&D seems to be doing well in terms of sales.  Yet, I am sure there are many people still playing AD&D that never felt the need to purchase and play a new edition.  If you have rules that work and you already have the books, then why bother with a new edition?  That same question can be asked of college textbooks.  Is a new edition of a college algebra textbook really needed?  Chances are, in many disciplines, there is no need for a new edition of a textbook is the purpose is to educate students.  However, the purpose of the textbook is to make the publisher money.  The same holds true with RPG books as well. 

This may be obvious to those who think about it, but in case it isn’t, let me walk you through why the market forces textbook publishers to put out a new edition and why those same forces make publishers put out new editions of RPGs.  Textbooks are high quality, in terms of production value.  Those hardbacks can last decades.  The publisher only makes money by selling new books.  Further, most of the money publisher makes come from selling to bookstores.  Hence, they do not make the full MSRP.  The production cost is high.  Finally, the longer the book is out, the fewer books you will sell. 

The reason why new textbooks sell poorly after the first year or two is that the high quality guarantees that most of the books will end up in the used book market.  Students will purchase the used books, so the publishers does not make any money.  The solution for textbooks is a huge increase in price followed by new editions every 2-3 years. 

Used books are only part of the issue for RPGs.  Unlike college, market forces help to keep the price of RPGs down.  However, given the high production value, players do not need to replace their books.  Moreover, in many game groups, PDFs and sharing a copy of one or two rulebooks is enough.  Thus, RPG publishers have to put out new books to get new sales. 

Publishers can put out adventures, setting supplements, and rule (splat) books.  Unlike in the Gygax era, adventures sell poorly.  Only the GM’s will purchase it and only a few of them will bother buying it.  Unless you are WotC or Pathfinder, your market share is so small you might not even sell enough adventures to break even.  Setting supplements might appeal to more than just the GM, but it is still going to be a small percentage of the fan base.  Hence, you have to have a large market share for it to be profitable. 

Thus, the main seller besides the core rulebook is going to be splat books.  These books add new rules, options, equipment, spells, etc. to the game.  This way, all of the players of your system will purchase these books.  This does not work for every game system.  Further, there might be a splat limit.  Finally, not all players will purchase these splat books. 

Eventually, if a publisher is going to make money from an existing game line, they need to put out a new edition.  A new edition is a massive benefit to the publisher.  First, a large portion of your current player base will purchase the new edition.  Second, game stores will stock the new edition leading to growing your fan base.  Third, you get to recycle old material and new product.  Victoriana is a great example of this.  The 2^nd edition used adventures for the first edition.  They had to convert the rules, so that justified the 2^nd edition.  The 3^rd edition repackages many of the older adventures and released them as new.  Sometimes with some new content. 

My point is that frequent new editions and now a financial necessity for RPG publishers.  Sometimes there are significant rule changes and sometimes there are not.  Yet, it is simply the best way to make profit as an RPG publisher.  Without a fast growing RPG industry or a dramatic drop in competition, the best way forward is to make as much money from your existing customers as possible.  The best way to do that is new edition.  It is the same with textbooks.  While textbook publishers can force you to buy a new edition, RPG publishers cannot.  Hence, there is an incentive to make the new edition advantageous to get, and sometimes the best way to do that is to alter the rules to make backwards compatibility difficult. 

Getting Back Into the Groove

I had big plans for filling this blog with a wide variety of posts this year.  Obviously, that has yet to happen so far.  Real life reared its' ugly head and I got sidetracked.  First, we moved and the unlimited high-speed internet that we've had for the last 3 years and were assured would be available in our new location WAS NOT available after all.  We have Internet and it's plenty fast but it's restricted.  Second, I'm on the executive board of the local UAW 5010 and things have gotten pretty time-consuming in the last 6 months; it's required a lot of extra work but things are looking up in our plant now.  Third, my wife had a cancer scare that I'm glad to say she made it out in the clear.  I picked up a bunch of the slack around here with the kids, chores, and other duties while she was going through tests and getting everything in control.  She'll be going to a hematologist and will be on some supplements for a while but she doesn't have cancer.  

I will ease back into posting sometime soon but it will probably just be once or twice a week from this point on.  If Jamie Hardy would like to contribute more posts in the future then I would definitely be up for that.  I asked him for some guest posts and then all of this real life stuff accumulated and I took an unscheduled break on the blog.  I appreciate him keeping some new content going here and hope he wants to contribute in the future.  Thanks, Jamie!

A few posts to watch for in the future include:

1.  More resources and ideas for SteamCraft.

2.  Familiar rules for Swords & Wizardry.

3.  Incorporating Arneson's old D&D house rules into a retroclone.

4.  More on my campaign world.

5.  Updating some old ideas.

More later...

[Guest Post]Can Logic and Fairness get in the way of Good Game Design?

So how should games be designed to allow logically possible actions of PCs?  In many games, things default to something else like an attribute.  The problem here is that many GMs are bad GM’s that ignore that aspect or are not aware of the rule because it is two sentences long in one section of the book.  Thus, when people play games, many times PCs cannot perform actions because they lack the skill even though common sense says they should be able to.  Consider a game set in contemporary times.  Almost everyone above the age of 18 in a modern society can drive.  Yet, there are dramatic differences in a person’s talent for driving.  Some can barely make it a few blocks without hitting parked cars.  Other people can pull off driving that you see in action films.  This means that if you have a driving skill you will want the ability to measure the differences in ability.  Now, what happens if someone does not have the skill?  Does that mean they cannot drive a car?  Certainly, anyone who has been a passenger in a car will know how to turn it on, turn the steering wheel, and know to press the pedals to move and stop.  Now, could such a person drive to the store without hitting something or getting into a ticket?  Maybe.  However, they certainly could get the pickup truck to move in a field to get away from the zombies. 

In designing SteamCraft I made the decision to make it obvious to players and the GM that PCs at least have a chance to perform logically possible actions.  I had considered just putting in a rule to default to 10% of an attribute’s value.  That raised concerns for me.  It is basically saying that each PC already has some skill in everything.  If that is the case, then isn’t it unfair to make players spend extra points?  Let me explain.  Suppose you have 60 in Agility.  That means the PC has 6 by default in Ranged Weapons even if the PC does not select that skill.  Now suppose the player selects Ranged Weapons at 40.  That would cost 40 points.  However, if he already has a default at 6, isn’t it unfair to make the player spend those 6 points?   Shouldn’t the player spend 34 points instead? 

I also had a concern that in many games I have played, both the players and GM assumes that if you had nothing in a skill, you could not do those actions.  But that is just illogical.  I mean if you live in a time where everyone rides horses, then the PCs will be able to ride a horse.  I needed a way to make it obvious to both the player and the GM they could try almost anything.  I also wanted to make sure that the players are being treated fairly and not having to spend extra points.  Because of that, I had the players record 10% of an attributes value for each associated skill.  Once that was done, then they player could spend more points.  This made it clear to everyone that players had a chance and it resolved the fairness issue I was having. 

However, there were two unintended consequences.  First, some people viewed it as unnecessarily complicated.  The second issue had to do with many people felt having a 5% chance to do something was worthless.  However, the 5% chance is misleading.  The ratings just conveyed general knowledge and basic ability.  It is to enable the person in a runaway train to have the knowledge to pull the brake lever.  It isn’t to allow them to build a train.  The ability also is meant to be used in stressful situations.  Mundane situations gain bonuses.

In retrospect, I wonder if it would have been better for me to be less fair.  I could just put in a default box that players put in 10% of the attribute’s value.  So, under Agility it would say default 6 if the attribute was 60.  However, players would not have 6 in every skill meaning they would need to spend that 6 points.  It is less fair, less logical, but it would speed up character creation and address a perception issue some people have about character creation when they read through it. 

On thinking through this issue it does seem clear that sometimes having better game design means making illogical or unfair decisions in the rules for the sake of better game play.  There seems to be a balancing act that must be done and sometimes you are never exactly sure what way to go, especially if it is a minor issue like a few extra points being able to be spent on skill during character creation.  Is being fair and spending a couple more minutes or character creation better?  Or, would it be better to be less fair, speed things up, and be better received by the players when they read through the rules?

[Guest Post]Differences between Victoriana and SteamCraft

In my previous post, I indicated that Victoriana and SteamCraft come the closest to matching what you think a steampunk rpg would be.  That is both games tend to have dystopian instead of pulp elements and both have elements of the steam aesthetic/technology level.  In this post, I will cover the differences in the Victoriana editions and how SteamCraft compares to them.  Before I begin, I will point out that all of these games are skill-based games instead of class/level games. 

Victoriana 1^st Edition released in 2003 (Proto-Steampunk)

The first edition is based on the FUZION system.  The first edition of Victoriana laid the groundwork for what is now popularly labeled as steampunk.  However, much of what we think of as steampunk items or attire do not exist.  It is perhaps, proto-steampunk.  Magic is a key component of generating what we would think of as steampunk items.  There are also non-human races.  It is set in 1867 but is very anachronistic with its history. The basic setting, however, is the same between the 1st and 2nd editions.  As you will see, there are going to be some major differences to the game and game world between these two editions.  

Victoriana 2^nd Edition released in 2009 (Victorian Fantasy)

The second edition changes the game system to the heresy game engine.  The game tries to be more historically accurate.  Additionally, Victoriana became a Victorian RPG not a steampunk RPG.  What I mean by that is that the game emphasizes the fact that it is a Victorian setting.  At the begining of the setting section, it refers to the time period as the Victorian era and society.  It refers to people as Victorians.  Part of this is certainly that we refer to this time period as Victorian, but it really appears that the Core Rules want to make the case that it is a Victorian RPG.  For example, most of the artwork is clip art reminiscent of the 19th century.  It also uses old photographs.  The setting rules, for example, emphasize that women don’t wear pants.  It stresses class warfare and it stresses conflicts between women and men.  Social etiquette is of paramount importance in the second edition.  The major themes are from the Victorian period.  You are not going to see anything like airship pirates or a fashion trend of wearing goggles in the 2nd edition.

The second edition of Victoriana, at least in the core rules, lacks much of what we would consider steampunk.  For example, there aren’t fantastic weapons nor are there really airships available.  Instead primary method of air travel wyverns.  The airships are available all are reserved for the very rich.  Items such as clockwork lambs are only available through the guild the guild is an organization that controls all magic on the planet.  It’s the guild the provides us with mostly items that we be consider steampunk.  This is done either through direct magic or the use of magic to enhance technological items.  It should be of note, that with the rise of the use of steampunk and other RPGs calling themselves steampunk, Victoriana 2nd edition has put out supplements making the case that it is a steampunk rpg. 

Victoriana 3^rd Edition released in 2013 (Steampunk)

The third edition of the Victoriana uses the same game system as a second edition.  One major change is to character creation.  It is designed to make it easier and faster to build characters.  Especially ones that will fit with the new setting and themes of the third edition. 

The third edition drastically alters the game world.  First, the game year changes from 1867 to 1856.  In doing so it returns to the roots the first edition by adding additional anachronisms and playing fast and loose with historical events.  Next, it abandons the sexism of the Victorian age.  This is done to bring in line with the other steampunk RPG’s that came about after the second edition of Victoriana.  Third, this latest edition of Victoriana, has abandoned being a Victorian era RPG and instead argues that it is in fact a steampunk RPG.  The beginning of the book refers to the world as a world of sorcery and steam.  On page 262 it says that steampunk was left to supplements, but now they are in the core rules.  But, if you want more fantasy you can leave the steampunk out.  Additionally, the artwork is no longer clipart but instead has gears and goggles that are prominent in other steampunk RPG’s.  C7 commissioned new art and removed the clipart.  The new art dresses up the characters in quintessential steampunk attire. It also embraced a different method of explaining the game world.  For example, it now tells at history using in person writings from historical figures or prominent NPCs of the day.  Additionally it has added newspaper clippings. These elements are in other steampunk games that came out after Victoriana 2nd edition. 

The third edition of Victoriana has made changes to the magic system both in terms of rules and the setting.  The magic system is tweaked from the second edition to supposedly make things easier.  Additionally the guild is no longer a global organization but instead adheres to either national boundaries or religious boundaries.  Because of this, the use of magic and machine has become more common enabling more powerful items than with the use of either magic or technology alone.  In other words, magic has made its way to mass-produced items.  Because of this, airships are more common and electric guns are available.  There are automatas (robots) that work plantations.  However, such a creation would not have been available in the 2nd edition core rules. 

While the third edition does mention class distinction, it does so in a different manner than the second edition.  The second edition used class distinction, social strife, economic exploitation, and sexism as major themes in the core rules.  All of this is either removed or downplayed.  In fact, it seems it is only a nod to the past editions that communism is mentioned. 

Instead, the 3rd edition focuses on themes more in common with steampunk rpgs. Thus, it focuses in on technology, horror, and investigation.  This replaces the societal conflicts that are in the 2nd edition core rules. 

In all, I would say that third edition Victorian is to second edition Victorian what NWoD is to OWoD. Similar rules, but a completely reworked setting.

SteamCraft RPG released in 2012 (Steampunk)

Shadowrun is to cyberpunk as SteamCraft is to steampunk.  SteamCraft creates a world based on what you think steampunk would mean.  It has steampunk attire, airships, goggles, and fanciful steam and gear based technology.  To this, it introduces non-human races and magic.  However, magic is returning to the world after an absence and magic and machine do not mix.  The result is usually disastrous and is banned in the civilized world.  Those who do manage to mix magic and technology are called technomages.  Their creations tend to result in malign creations such as clockwork beholders and zombies with mechanical limbs.

Unlike most other games, SteamCraft is not set on Earth.  It is on a different world influenced by Earth, but with many differences.  The main setting of the book is a new world situation.  That is, it is centered on countries founded on a new continent instead of existing ones.  Instead of having an entire world sketched out with such minimal detail it is useless, SteamCraft provides you a small detailed area to set your adventures.  There is history and significant setting material provided, but without being bound to Earth or a well developed area, this frees the hands of the GM and players to make the game world their own.  The setting is also less Euro-centric.  While the settlers of this new continent are influenced by what we would think of as Europe, Middle-Eastern and East Asian influences are represented.  The dominate nations of the world are not England and France, but are what we would think of as East Asian. 

While racism does exist, it is not a cultural norm or legally established.  The biggest issue of racism is between playable races and non-playable humanoid races that are deemed more like animals than people.  Sexism does exist, but it more akin to the mid-1960’s than the 1860’s.  Women can be educated, they can hold jobs, they can be adventurers, and they can wear pants. 

Some of the major dystopian themes are: the weakening of the nation-state by foreign corporations, corporations exploiting the population, a push back against technology, religious conflicts, potential communist rebellion, potential civil war, and conflicts between the security forces of various companies.  Additionally, the game can go more in the pulp direction through the exploration of uncharted lands, ancient tombs, and being airship pirates. 

SteamCraft uses a percentile system.  It contains rules for item creation that allow players to attempt to build almost anything they can think of.  It contains rules to making alchemy items.  It has rules for airship creation and airship combat. 

Victoriana 3rd	SteamCraft
Anachronistic Earth	Non-Earth
Heresy System (d6 dice pool)	Percentile
Magic is key to making steampunk items	Magic and machine are at odds
Euro-centric primary setting	Multi-cultural setting
Larger sketched setting	Smaller detailed setting
National conflicts	Corporation conflicts
Just beginning mechanical computer age	Mechanical computer closer to 1960’s ability
	Proto-Internet
	Clacking (hacking analytical engines)
Steamships/trains primary method of travel	Airships/trains primary method of tavel