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| Look. It even gets a shiny new logo! |
Well it wasn't all clever mobile device army building apps and ginormous hulking robots of doom from Privateer Press last week. Not that huge walking weapons of destruction aren't cool and all that, or indeed that the announcement of the War Room app weren't impressive, they were. Nope. Privateer Press also announced they are finally rebooting their Iron Kingdoms RPG:
Now I'm not so heavily involved in the whole RPG thing. I have given a fair few RPGs a go in my time, but I'd be lying if I tried to claim any sort of expertise in the area. I never got more than 12x months into any campaigns I did try, and I certainly never tried the MKI Iron Kingdoms RPG for a number of reasons:
- It didn't feel or look like an RPG to me, and yeah I know, defining what an RPG is can be tricky. So perhaps it's better to say, it's not the sort of RPG that I was tempted to play.
- My group of friends / gamers aren't really an RPG crowd. So even though the setting of the Iron Kingdoms was a familiar one to them there just wasn't the interest.
So has any of that changed with this announcement video? Short answer, no! This piece of news really didn't get my heart thumping and my pulse racing. However, it is good to see that Privateer Press have taken the time to update their RPG system and are still willing to support the game. Giving a third option for gamers who want to engage with their Iron Kingdom setting. Just because I'm not an RPG fan or gamer doesn't mean I can't appreciate the product or the effort they've put into it. Given the nature of RPG books there are always some interesting bits of back ground information. Other types of source material, richer in detail than your normal war game rulebooks. Things that got deeper and help you to understand the world behind the headlines if you will. They also include rules that I can take something from and maybe even use myself in my war gaming someway.
And this Iron Kingdoms RPG is certainly no different in that regard. In fact it might actually be far more useful. The mechanic's of the Iron Kingdoms RPG is actually very similar to the mechanics found within Warmachine and Hordes. So actually lifting some of the rules contained within and maybe even adapting them to a HoMachine campaign could be a distinct possibility. I think that's as close to RPG gaming as I'm likely to get with my group of gamers, campaigns. In the past RPG source books and rulebooks have been an invaluable aid in helping set up and run such campaigns. Perhaps we can create our own Warcasters and Warlocks and have them progress? Who knows. No doubt I'll buy the Iron Kingdoms rulebooks just to get a bit more in-depth background on the Iron Kingdoms and to help immerse myself even more into my games of HoMachine. I would like to hear from any of you though who have played the original Iron Kingdoms RPG. Was it any good? What's it like? And most importantly, are you excited about the reboot of the Iron Kingdoms RPG? I'll leave you with the one bit of the announcement that I actually found really, really interesting. It's a Privateer Press Insider article on the design process behind producing a new logo for the Iron Kingdoms RPG. The one at the top of my article actually. I always find those things interesting to read. Peace out!
Hmm, might be one to try at the club... thanks for putting me on to this, I'll keep it in mind!
ReplyDeleteIf you do get a group playing it somewhere you'll have to give me a shout. I'd be interested to see it being played.
DeleteI wonder if the license finally expired and that's why they are revisiting...
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't have a bloody clue I'm afraid. When it comes to RPGs I really don't keep up to date I'm afraid. Might be worth checking out though.
DeleteFrom what I remember, there's no license involved. PP made the old IKRPG under the OGL and stopped creating content long before that started to die.
DeleteI think they halted work on the RPG while they got the tabletop games going strong. Now that they've got a good head of steam (har har) they can come back and get that going too.
Also, having the two games based on the same system is a great idea. One of the great things about the old Mutant Chronicles RPG was that you could convert your models and use them in the Warzone TTG.
I'll bow to Von's, Lo's and your superior knowledge on this one ndrew. I just don't know enough about the original to comment. What I will say though is that I agree about having multiple different games in the same settings. Especially if that synergy goes beyond just the cosmetics of setting. I wrote a Sunday Sermon about whose game it is, and this sort of approach certainly helps those who view the rules as a toolkit as opposed to doctrine.
DeleteI definitely remember this being a D&D property and Hasbro is pretty good about keeping franchises that will "make money" alive. I wonder if they didn't think this one wasn't worth the trouble....
DeleteI know this is gonna sound odd, but whatevs...
ReplyDeleteDid you ever get the feeling some hobby companies had a series of boxes they feel the need to check off?
-Cool models? check.
-Big, stompy models? check.
-Extensively detailed background to cultivate? check.
-Multiple games using the same, carefully cultivated background check.
-Release RPG based on said background after the mini games have taken hold? check.
I like PP, but after Wrath last year, and now the introduction of Titans (or whatever they're called) and a return to the Iron Kingdoms RPG, this is starting to feel eerily familiar...
Just sayin.'
Eerily familiar in what way? There are some parallels between PP and GW. But I also think there are some significant differences too. My major concern is the potential growth in scale of HoMachine as a game, and by scale I mean in terms of the size of the game on the board and some of the individual models too. It'll be interesting to watch them over the next few years to see what they grow into.
DeleteThe original IKRPG? An excellent, if overdetailed setting for D&D3, that didn't quite mesh with the D&D3 rules in some important areas, and was creatively malformed in order to fit with those rules. D&D didn't really do what the PP folk wanted it to do, I think, but it's a hell of a lot easier to launch a D&D setting than it is a whole new game (see also: why Wizards of the Coast still own something worth owning with the name 'Dungeons and Dragons').
ReplyDeleteA few years ago I'd have been thrilled. I'm not sure now. Privateer Press as it currently exists, though... there are some good, talented, creative people there who will do an excellent job of whatever it is they're doing, but I'm not sure that what they're doing is what I really want to see.
Cheers Von, I was kind of hoping you'd comment actually! RPG expert that you are. So if you're not too sure what they're doing is what you'd want to see, that begs two questions for me:
Delete1) Why isn't what you want to see?
and
2) How would you approach it and what would you do with it?
To address some of the comments above. After listening to a interview with Matt Wilson (Founder of PP) talk about the history - it went something like this:
ReplyDeleteMatt and a couple of mates discovered D&D, thought it was pretty cool, founded and company to make RPG's. The IKRPG was born. It was moderately successful but certainly not making wads of cash, just enough to keep them afloat.
They decided through an industry friend to make a couple of figures to fit with their RPG line. The figured that some combat rules to go with the models, and perhaps they should release that on the side. The game, WM, went beserk. Totally unexpectedly, it went mental. So the four guys involved, had to make a decision to follow through on the figures side which was doing so well, or continue to push the RPG barrow which was not making such an impact. Being such a small group, they didnt have the time or resources to do both. They went with the models.
PP was an RPG company first. They were always going to come back to IKRPG. It was also always self owned, they just had purchased the licence to use the D&D system, like so many others at the time.
Thanks for the history lesson. :)
DeleteI guess that puts some context on a few things I've heard then I guess. It'll be interesting to see where they head with this product in the future I guess. Again thanks for taking the time to comment and pass on your knowledge. It is appreciated.
Hopefully they'll link the settings, time-wise. It would be nice to have an RPG that advances in plot on a regular basis. (Individual GMs would be free to ignore this, of course.)
DeleteAlso, more of a focus on RPGs might allow them to slow down the Warmahordes releases a little (especially with the expected cross-compatibility between the systems).
Lets keep our fingers crossed hey Andrew? I hope it also takes off for them. Because as I say RPG source books are always an interesting read and often provide useful information and ideas for long campaign games.
DeleteI'm still waiting for the Cult of Cyriss to appear in Warmachine.
Delete*sigh*