Tower of Zenopus

 

ENWorld's Most-Anticipated RPGs list is out and is a little more interesting to me than last year at least. Let me give them some individual comments:

10 - The Monty Python RPG - this seems incredibly pointless. If it came out in the 80's maybe it would be something but I get MP quotes in damn near every session I run. It permeates players ... at least players of a certain age. I just don't see the point of a medieval fantasy RPG dedicated to it. Maybe one about trying to run a show business troupe, heck even a medieval performing troupe, might be interesting but as-presented this just seems like stuff someone gets because it's a cool book, not because it's a game you're going to play.

9 - Old Gods of Appalachia - What is with Appalachian RPGs lately?" With this and that Savage Worlds take on it that is two more games on it than I can recall seeing before. I lived in Upper East Tennessee for a while and I don't get the attraction as an RPG setting really. I suppose this particular one from Monte Cook is sort of a hillbilly Cthulhu and if you're looking for that, well, here you go. 

8 - Warhammer 40K Imperium Maledictum - I mean they already have Wrath and Glory but this apparently is a game where you do not play Space Marines or Inquisitors but you play normal people in the 40K universe. OK. This should have a PC casualty level somewhere between Call of Cthulhu and a Dungeon Crawl Classics 0-level funnel but honestly I'd rather be playing a character with a gun ... or a chainsword. Apparently this is to W&G as WFRP is to Soulbound - the "gritty normal" game vs. the Big Heroic Action game. That's fine but "most anticipated"? I guess we will see. 

7 - The Walking Dead Universe RPG - Um, sure, OK. A licensed zombie apocalypse game after the show has dropped way off of the pop culture radar and I'm not sure if the comics are still going either. What's the draw here? There are many zombie apoc games out there already and  this one will likely die when the license inevitably expires. What's the attraction here? I watched the show for a few seasons and I don't think there's anything unique about it compared to pretty much any other zombie setting that would make for a more compelling game.  People do seem to like Free league's system so maybe that's the draw here. 

6 - Shadow of the Weird Wizard - this is an adaptation to a new, more family-friendly setting of Shadow of the Demon Lord. It's probably fine. The system is decent but we don't know much about the setting yet beyond some basic fantasy stuff. I suppose this is a new entry in the "if you want to play a D&D type game without actually playing D&D" family of RPGs. 

5 - Mothership - this has been around a while and won new game awards in 2019 but they ran a Kickstarter for a new version so I guess that makes it a new game again? I like the idea of "Aliens" for an adventure but I'm not sure how excited I would be for it as a campaign. Look at the body count for those movies ... are we rolling up a new character for each new adventure? Again the DCC 0-level character funnel comes to mind. What's the pitch: "well you managed to survive that horrific and violent encounter - how about another one?" What does character advancement look like? Getting a better artificial limb to replace the on the aliens gnawed off in the last adventure?  I'm sure there are people who will eat it up but it seems really limited in scope to me. Interesting, but limited. 

4 - Household - Yeah this one is pretty niche. It sounds like an interesting concept at first but then I think of how my players probably do not care about playing tiny faeries in an old house with an 1800s political structure and I'm out. That said I know there are people who will eat this up.

3 - 13th Age 2nd Edition - Ah, the next entry in the "if you want to play a D&D type game without actually playing D&D" family of RPGs. I thought the original had some interesting ideas but we've played exactly zero sessions of it in my GMing time. Ten years is certainly enough time between new editions so no issues there. I get this one being at #3.

2 - Dragonbane - another Free League entry and yet another entry in the "if you want to play a D&D type game without actually playing D&D" family of RPGs. I'm sure it's fine too as it has a pretty extensive history but I'm just not that big a fan of Free League's system and have no lack of D&D type RPGs so I'll be passing on this one. 

1 - Pendragon 6th Edition - yeah ... yeah, this one is completely worthy. It's an amazing game and while fantasy it is definitely not like D&D. I do question how much they would change from prior versions of Pendragon, but getting a new version in print is good. 

So there is this year's list. No must-haves on there for me but its more interesting than last year. Things I might pick up: Mothership, 13th Age 2E, Pendragon. The others I could be talked into playing by an enthusiastic GM - like most games, really - but right now are not jumping out at me.