Off the Shelf: The Strange

This game, I never expected to pull from storage, but the Tales of the Valiant universe model of the Labyrinth is eerily similar to the infinite, connected worlds concept they present here. The Strange is a strange game, where you can play someone from Earth, an alien, or someone in a fictional universe who "wakes up" and realizes their whole life has been this strange simulation, and things are not really as they seem. You can visit or be any character from any game, movie, TV show, book, or any other product of imagination.

The game is truly "out there" in terms of its scope and the odd, between-the-cracks, strange universe of aliens that inhabit these realms and the forces present in the setting.

The Labyrinth is like that in structure, minus the aliens and between parts - this is just the connected spaces and pathways. But the concept of strange, interconnected, vastly different, and sometimes worlds from fiction are the same. Sometimes these are entire game worlds from other games, such as a D&D world or Pathfinder's Golarion. They will all follow the "home system" of Tales of the Valiant (or 5E), but the concept of interconnected settings through a strange and shifting system of pathways is the same.

Even the fact that worlds can be dreamed into existence is the same, though with the Strange, there is usually a world age involved where they get larger over time (or not). In the Labyrinth, worlds can be destroyed, appear, disappear at will, or stay around forever. They can be of any size. They can just contain a favorite adventure. The inhabitants of these places typically don't know they are in some sort of interconnected world.

Where the Strange comes in is that they have a fantastic system for designing interconnected worlds, worlds from fiction, and other worlds that follow all sorts of different rules. In some worlds, magic may not work normally, or at all. Some worlds have mad science. Some worlds have psionics. Some worlds exist with strange physics, or a set of rules that do not let modern devices work at all. 

Recursions (this is what they call worlds) can have special traits, or even grant foci (special powers) to everyone inside the world, such as a world that grants superpowers. You could have a world where reality gives everyone magic spells and powers.

If you get deep into the Labyrinth and its worlds, picking up a copy of The Strange as a companion book to use for creating worlds is a great idea.

The Strange uses the Cypher System as its resolution engine, and everything is abstracted and given one number as its "power level" - like you may say a monster is Power 5 (but it defends on a 6 and attacks on a 4), and the system figures the rest out. So the system can model longswords and laser rifles just as easily as it does orcs and walking sci-fi battle walkers. In 5E, you will need to create monsters with the ToV system, and then approximate strange weapons and technological items.

The Cypher System is truly an elegant and cool system that can do anything, but with a heavy layer of abstraction. 5E is 5E, very specific and with special case rules everywhere, and you're buying books to fill those gaps. In Cypher System, you can just wing everything and have it work out fine. A heavy laser cannon is a heavy weapon that knocks 2 points of defense off its target if it does not have a "heavy armor" trait. I made all that up, but it works just fine in the game.

The Cypher System is one of those "desert island games" that can entertain you endlessly.

In the Strange, you may step into a world or reality, and it alters your powers and appearance to match what the world is. Your party could be dressed as fantasy heroes in a Medieval world in one reality, step into another, and then become gangsters, private eyes, and gun molls in the 1920s. Your wizard's magic would be converted into powers that match reality, such as those of a mad scientist (if the world supports that).

I wish this game sold better and was more well-known; it is quite the mind-altering trip to play and very fun if your game master is deeply into pop culture.

But using The Strange as an assistant to create worlds and create ideas for the Labyrinth is a great idea. It gets you thinking about what special rules and laws of physics each world has, outside of the standard ToV and 5E rules, and a world based on a science fiction epic or sitcom will have different physics and rules, where some things can and cannot happen in those worlds.

Now, the concepts of creating "world attributes, traits, and foci" in Tales of the Valiant are outside the system, as the game's "reality model" is "everyone acts like a 5E character and the 5E rules are the rules of everywhere in the Labyrinth." If you are a level 14 rogue, you will be one in any world in the Labyrinth, and nothing will touch your powers that much. The base ToV rules will be the same everywhere, unless GM Fiat takes over.

In The Strange, these worlds can change you, introduce special rules, limit magic, give you powers, alter your powers into new forms, or mess with physics. Mitch Buchanan can meet Michael Knight. You can stumble into Alice in Wonderland, and things work in strange ways there. You can visit a world filled with robot life only on a dying world, and everyone in the party becomes robots that are seen to live in that world. You can stumble into GTA 5. You could be playing heroes in the Forgotten Realms. You could find yourself in Conan, Tarzan, or John Carter's Mars. You can care about the interconnected places and plots, or not.

These are cool concepts, worth exploring.

Again, we can do so much more when we abandon the "Wizards' IP" and not limit ourselves to their ideas being superior to yours. Gothic horror is a vast world, encompassing multiple places and being much more diverse, not just Ravenloft.

Break your mind free of the D&D dungeon, and there is so much more out there to do, and games that let you express your imagination much more vividly.

Licenses?

Over the next few days, expect to hear a lot about licensing regarding both Wizards of the Coast and Darrington Press, specifically regarding Daggerheart. People have read the terms, and some have some valid concerns. Wizards have a "Terms of Service" that is located on another site, which is very similar.

Daggerheart is hot right now, and there will be a lot of discussion on this as YouTube creators farm content. But there may be something here, in both cases. Keep an open mind, and while Daggerheart may be a fantastic game, it may not be so great for content creators.

We don't know much more until we get some analysis on this, so take things with a grain of salt and use your head. A lot of this will be clickbait. Some nuggets will be the truth. People will jump in to defend. Others will go on the attack for their own reasons, using this as proof the entire game sucks.

Use your head. Let your morals and sense of right guide you. You can thoroughly enjoy the game, but also ask them to improve and point out some parts that aren't right.

But be fair and try not to get swept up into "side-isms."

This is why I chose Black Flag Roleplaying and Tales of the Valiant. They don't claim any creation of yours or the community is theirs. They created a framework and a license that allow them, as well as third-party creators, to keep their business open and free from entanglements with Wall Street companies. No one can threaten them again, or those who publish under that license. In five to ten years, who will own some of these games? What will the next CEO be like? I'm not going to bet on that, given the track record of the last few years, which we've experienced (and are still experiencing, in some cases).

I support Open 5E, and I can safely ignore every clickbait and outrage video that appears in my recommended list. I am immunized. But I feel for those in the community who are still in that trap.

I supported the OGL creators in the community.

I watched the community, one by one, drop the OGL and walk away. Some still can't walk away. I feel for them, having to stick to the OGL and live in fear.

I support Black Flag and the Open 5E effort. This is our best opportunity to keep 5E free for future generations and those who still enjoy the game today. This also puts food on the table for so many small and indie creators. If a publisher supports their creative community and invites them to the table, then they have my support.

While Pathfinder is not for me, I support Paizo, too, since they were in the same boat and walked away. They made their own license. They deserve support and respect.

If you want a better hobby, start by making informed choices. Informed is the key word here, because there is not always the best information out there.

Daggerheart: Sold Out on Amazon and Barnes & Noble

As I predicted, Daggerheart is now sold out most everywhere, and the eBay market is the last place you can pick up a copy. Amazon and Barnes & Noble are both sold out. I am happy for them, the hobby needed a huge hit this year, on the level of a Shadowdark.

You can still obtain this via PDF on DriveThruRPG, but you won't receive the physical cards. Still, if you really need it, this is a way to go:

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/508832/daggerheart-corebook

There aren't many alternatives to this game if you are looking for a more story-oriented game with cards, trinkets, and other tangible assets. One of the closest alternatives I can think of is Savage Worlds. This fantastic game offers an excellent experience for players seeking a pulp-action game with a more narrative-focused approach. This is a solid suggestion for the genre, and many would be happy with this game as an alternative.

Another, even more narrative-focused game, is Cypher System. This one takes more effort to wrap your head around. Still, it does a fantastic job of abstracting everything, making every ability score, the XP system, and the trade between the referee and players a pool of resources that drives the narrative forward. Like Savage Worlds, this is a generic game, and it can handle any genre.

If you want to get away from D&D but want to stay with 5E? Tales of the Valiant is your best bet, mainly due to the high level of support from the publisher, which enables this game to be in the store and on crowdfunding. This isn't a narrative game any more than D&D is. Still, it comes from a solid, ethical company that has the resources to support the game at a higher level than even Wizards, in terms of frequency of core book and adventure releases. Oh, and they let you own your PDFs, too.

Another strong alternative is Dragonbane. If you are into trying new fantasy games, this is a great one. It uses a card system for initiative and treasure, and it has some of the best fantasy art in the hobby. This one is the high-fantasy style of action-combat you are used to, but with a roll-under d20 system, and plenty of iconic character types. This is an easier game than 5E, and is also a great choice for solo players.

Still, there is no replacing Daggerheart for the true fans of Critical Role. For others, we have some great alternatives if you want to take a break from D&D and play a more story-oriented game.

Mail Room: Labyrinth Worldbook PDF

The Labyrinth Worldbook PDF from the Kickstarter dropped today, and wow, there is a lot in this book. We get even more lineages, backgrounds, and heritages. We get a complete "connected worlds" campaign setting. This isn't a "Great Wheel" or planar setting; it provides guidelines on how to achieve all that without needing the game-breaking outer planes scaffolding.

We finally get the Dragonborn as a lineage!

They have suggestions for a few worlds you can visit, but if you want to use this as glue to stick together Greyhawk, the Forgotten Realms, Dark Sun, and Mystara - go right ahead! This is all 5E compatible, too, so you get all sorts of stuff if you are playing D&D 2014 or 2024. Or you can play using Tales of the Valiant, which is what I do, since it is the better-designed set of rules.

And get in on the Kickstarter projects early! You receive the PDFs early, before they are released to the store. There's one for Player's Guide 2 happening now, check the sidebar!

This is an entertaining and imaginative way to "stick together" diverse settings and worlds without needing a planar structure, Spelljammer starships, and all sorts of planar interference, and all these gods running around. If you don't want a world accessible, simply cut it off and say the pathways are broken.

If you have a special campaign world that you'd like to enjoy, such as Arcanis, go right ahead! Create a pathway and an exit point somewhere interesting, and let the party loose. Any third-party world is free to visit using this model, making it a fantastic way to utilize indie campaign settings without committing to a complete game. Arcanis works with either 5E or ToV, driving the action, so play with whatever you choose.

The focus here is on worlds, not planes. I like this better since planes imply there are infinite parallel universes, each with billions of stars, trillions of worlds, and...

Let's just focus on individual worlds, please. I don't care what sort of universe model is out there, sticking them all together, I just want to focus on a cool world, and that is all. They may be all in the same universe, or they may not. Maybe they are all in one time, or spread across all of history. They may be in strange, fragmented realities. Who knows? The structure is the least of what we want to focus on, as it is placed here on a wheel and there on a prime material map.

No, let's just focus on interconnected worlds and adventure.

How they are hung up and placed on imaginary models does not matter.

How we get to them does.

And what we do there is the most important thing.

Into the Labyrinth

Normally, I don't like multiverse settings and planar mash-ups, as they reduce the importance of the campaign world. This was huge in D&D 4, where the game has a built-in assumption that you became plane-walkers at level 10 (out of 30 total). As a result, we had this feeling that full-blown campaign worlds such as Nerrath, the Forgotten Realms, Eberron, and Athas were "MMO starting zones" and rarely had challenges beyond level 10 living in them.

D&D 4's reimagining of the cosmology was a horrible design, and it started the whole "planar thing" we see in D&D 5E today, where the planes seem more important than the campaign worlds. It is dialed back a little, but the feeling Wizards wants Sigil, Spelljammer, and Planescape as a part of everyone's home campaign worlds puts the Hasbro "foot in the door" to each and every creation of its players, along with all the "product identity" of the game mixes into its monsters and spells, which pollute homebrew worlds and makes them partially owned by Hasbro.

Tales of the Valiant and its mostly IP-free monsters are a better starting point for homebrew.

The MMO-ification of D&D is one of the fatal flaws of D&D 4 and 5E. Arguably, 5E is worse with its MMO resting mechanics codifying the "full resources per encounter" MMO model into resource management. When you can't design adventures and encounters to model the full allocation of party resources, you take the easy route in game design and do a "soft reset" every encounter.

The 3.5E "15-minute adventuring day" has been codified into the rules with 5E; they just got rid of travelling back to town and the inn, and gave that to the party in the mechanics.

What does this have to do with the Labyrinth? Tales of the Valiant and Midgard do not have that "MMO starting zone" feeling, and the worlds are complete "level one to twenty" places. Midgard is a whole world, not just a starting zone, and those high-level CR 30 monsters are running around the sandbox somewhere. Watch out for them.

This is how we initially viewed Nerrath back in the day, the default D&D 4E campaign setting we fell in love with, and yes, it was just one map. We expanded this out with surrounding lands, but it eventually fell to the constant assault of Wizards' D&D releases, and all the planar books buried our imaginations with planar trash that felt "more important" than the world we built.

Our campaign turned from "gritty fantasy survival" into "Star Trek the D&D Generation," where the parties we ran were world-hopping troubleshooters, and the game got stupidly huge in scope and overly political and gate-happy. All of a sudden, Nerrath went from a dangerous, compelling, interesting place  (of our own design) to a bedroom community for plane-hopping adventures.

At first glance, the Labyrinth shares similarities with a planar or multiverse campaign. The worlds connected by the Labyrinth are all distinct and different, but they aren’t arranged in a pattern like the Great Wheel of D&D cosmology, or the World Tree Yggdrasil of the Norse mythos. Their pattern, if one can be imposed, resembles a set of marbles scattered in the Void, connected by gossamer strings and of roughly equal import. There are no “outer planes” or “inner planes.” - Guide to the Labyrinth, page 10, Kobold Press.

And on page 11:

In addition to that structural difference, the places connected by the Labyrinth are worlds, not infinite planes. They are the homes of mortal creatures and celestial beings, transfused by more or less magic, and each different in a thousand ways from all others. The Labyrinth connects mortal worlds, not mystical realms of the afterlife. - Guide to the Labyrinth, page 11, Kobold Press.

There is no "Great Wheel" or "symmetrical universe structure" that is the hallmark of D&D. If I go to this place on the Wheel, it will be 100% neutral good, and we will be generally safe here. They tried to break D&D's mental symmetry in D&D 4, and they went right back to their beloved symmetry in D&D 5 because it is product identity (and Planescape relies on it).

The gods, these faiths claim, have no material home—they are entirely spiritual or immaterial, or they dwell in worlds so distant from mortal comprehension as to be effectively unreachable until a soul crosses the boundary of death into the afterlife. - Guide to the Labyrinth, page 11, Kobold Press.

And you can't "walk in on the gods" like you can in D&D. Finally. The Great Wheel that pegs every god to a position based on some imaginary structure in some arbitrary universe model that puts structure on something that effectively cannot be described or quantified is dead and gone.

I love the Labyrinth redesign. This is cool. This addresses D&D's chronic cosmology issues.

No more going into the Greek Mythos and killing gods like this was an early 1980s roleplaying session out of Deities and Demigods. Demons can cross over and make their homes here, but the gods and the supreme demons' "true forms" are untouchable. Projections and manifestations can happen, but these are forces and things that exist in a place far beyond comprehension.

No more killing the gods and demon lords?

They have to use proxies to do their bidding?

Priceless, thank you.

Gods and elder beings showing up is campaign-ruining, and too many of my games suffered from this horrendous trope and D&D shtick. It sucks, it takes the air out of the campaign, and it promotes power-gaming to try and "kill the gods."

Kobold Press' universe model is similar to Monte Cook Games' setting, The Strange. An interconnected place where worlds are born, live, destroyed, and spring into existence overnight out of thought. There is no structure, only the vast sea of imagination, ideas, and dreams out there in a collective consciousness of some mental plane where everyone's psyche is collectively shared. Ideas can spring forth seemingly at random. In The Strange, you can have a small demi-plane with the 1950s show The Honeymooners and its seasons infinitely repeating in its own little reality, and you can visit it, characters can come into consciousness and escape, and this "is as they are" there.

In the Labyrinth, every 5E world sort of exists, not because it is a part of some company's IP, but because the Great Wheel is there, and you need to "buy into" a corporate brand and frame your imagination of fantasy adventuring to their model. Worlds exist in the Labyrinth because they were imagined somewhere and spring to life there. The book even provides a list of worlds envisioned by the original backers of the ToV Kickstarter, each shared as a paragraph description.

Yes, the Forgotten Realms can exist in the Labyrinth, but not because it is a part of the Great Wheel and Hasbro's IP. It exists because millions of people over the past 50 years have played there, read the novels, loved the characters, and experienced the place as if they lived there. We here on Earth don't even know we created the place out in the great Sea of Dreams, but we have, and it exists.

I love that feeling where a shared consciousness can create a world.

Now, this is pulling in heavily from concepts presented in The Strange, but how else can you explain the near-hundred shared campaign worlds in this book? Those come from people's imaginations, and now they are codified, written into a book, shared, and are real places for millions to enjoy. But there is support for this idea in the book:

Worlds Can be Created and Destroyed. The people of the Labyrinth know that entire worlds can be born and die in days or can last timeless ages beyond mortal understanding. But worlds are not eternal: they can be grown, built, or dreamed into existence, or they can arise spontaneously out of the Astral Sea. - Guide to the Labyrinth, pages 8-9, Kobold Press.

The key words here are "dreamed into existence." By who? Not just the people living there, but by a universal consciousness that includes us here on Earth, from our current year going all the way back to the beginning of life on this world. I can have He-Man following Tales of the Valiant rules on a world out there if I want. There is also support for this:

Stories. Because the Labyrinth is the space between worlds, where hidden cities and strongholds are home to strange creatures and bold heroes, your stories are unlimited, and you can hop genres from horror to cottage-core to sword and sorcery as you please—each change of worlds can be a change of genre and tone. Your adventures can hop through rifts and portals into 10,000 worlds—or just to your three or four favorites, with a short stopover for a published adventure you especially like. - Guide to the Labyrinth, page 6, Kobold Press.

Genre can change, so the world's rules on everything can change and be modeled how you want them to be. I am getting a distinct GURPS vibe here, with some worlds acting differently than others. You can have a horror world or a world from a cartoon. You can have Bronze-Age fantasy. You can do a Conan world. You can do science fiction or a mix of fantasy and ancient technology. You can do Heavy Metal or the Dragon's Lair video game. You can do a fantasy Dracula. You can do a Western fantasy mix. You can do Thundarr. You can do Greyhawk. You can do a swashbuckler pirate world. Whatever you can imagine, you can have.

So even a single adventure module, such as the original Isle of Dread, can exist in a demiplane on its own, and the place "just is." Traditional D&D thinking would have you going, "What campaign world is this in, and where do I put it?" It does not have to be anywhere; it can "just be what it is" somewhere, without anything else. You can have "edges of the map" where ships just sail into and fade away, and ships sail out of and appear, like some video game map with an edge of the world no player can ever cross, but the rest of the world just does, and does not question if it is even there.

Again, those ideas are also from The Strange, a great game about imagination that is worth reading. Nobody questions the demiplane, but you can break free and awaken. Then, the pathways open to you, and you can escape the Matrix.

I can have a world comprised of just two modules, Keep on the Borderlands, and the Isle of Dread. Get on a ship in one, and appear in the other. The players could know they are trapped in these two demiplanes, but no one else does. They could discover a new adventure zone through another pathway, such as the Tomb of Horrors, and exist within a strange realm of worlds that are real to those who inhabit them, but strangely trapped inside the spaces of dreams.

What Kobold Press is trying to do here is break the D&D model of imagining fantasy. D&D began just like this, as an "anything and anywhere" system that could be applied to any setting. Over the years, the IP piled up, and now if we want Dracula, we must play Ravenloft. If we wish to play Conan, we need to play Dark Sun. The copyrighted IP excludes imagination.

And the Great Wheel is the corporate framework in which all this IP and controls hang.

So Tales of the Valiant comes along, eliminates all the Wizards' IP, takes a sledgehammer to the Great Wheel, and puts your imagination in the forefront, instead of copyrighted IP. You are outside the cave. You have a universe model that puts your ideas at the forefront. You don't need Sigil, the City of Doors, hanging out there, or Spelljammer starships flying in like the Millennium Falcon. You are free to make the realms and Greyhawk your own places, or not use them at all. You can demiplane it with just a few locations, or build an entire unique world of your own.

Another game that tries to get you creating worlds and breaking free of Wizards' IP? Daggerheart. They have you making an entirely unique world every time you start a campaign. Every company creating alternative games out here knows it has to break the juggernaut of Wizards' IP. If you simply create "new rules to play by," you are doomed to be a second choice and ceding the fight to D&D. But, if you put my ideas first? Does your game celebrate my creativity? I will play your game.

And the D&D IP grows tired and overused, just like a lot of the nostalgia entertainment companies foist on us as a lie. Star Wars and Star Trek are the only science fiction series. D&D is the only fantasy. Marvel and DC are the only superheroes. None of it is true. What you create should be celebrated and held up first, before all these other ideas.

Tales of the Valiant is more than just "Xeroxed D&D."

It is more of a key used to free yourself from the chains of copyrighted IP, and a door that opens to your imagination. There is a larger concept at play here, a freedom and realm of imagination and possibility that many will never experience because they don't understand why it is being done in this way. This is why ToV has a robust monster design system. If I want a sewer world with garbage elementals, I can have it. If I want a world with killer robots that shoot lasers, I design the monsters and I have them.

D&D 2024 dropped monster design. Ask yourself why? This is supposed to be a game about imagination. Then why is it just about copyrighted IP? Why are they doubling down on the cartoon? Why so much nostalgia, and so few of the players' ideas?

This is not about system choice.

This is about the freedom to use your imagination to dream and create infinite worlds.

Midgard is What?

What is Midgard?

I have been reading this for a while, and the best way to describe it is that the setting is a mix between the Forgotten Realms and Pathfinder's Golarion.

It is similar to Golarion in that it features theme park areas that share a similar flavor and style. The world has published adventures, but few adventure path-style experiences.

Like the Forgotten Realms, it is an organic, living, and breathing place with a rich history and a set of current conflicts and situations. Unlike the Realms, the world is designed as a whole with history, and wasn't "expanded out" with a series of novels in the 1990s. The Realms have this "tacked-on" feeling, where if an author needed a kingdom similar to one that was already there, it would just get created in a new spot. Now we have two similar places in the world, and the setting gets a splotched and muddled feeling to it, where things are all over the place and shoved together like food on a plate at a buffet.

The Realms wasn't designed; it was written out as it expanded.

Midgard was designed.

Golarion was designed, in the same way Mystara was intended, as a theme park first, and we will make it make sense later. The old Golarion (above cover) was a fun, if somewhat insane and evil, place, akin to a Conan meets D&D setting, where crumbling empires and lost civilizations were the norm. I loved this place, and every land was a call to adventure.

The setting also embraced the 3.5E edginess and the 2010s' extreme culture, and it screamed fun at the top of its lungs to grab attention. And it worked. Evil was downright nasty, and it taunted you with its power. And this isn't "5E evil," where it sits in a room, and the encounter is designed for you to win. This evil could TPK you, spit on your corpses, and raise you as undead to replace the monsters you killed. Yeah, they were vile and depraved, and being a hero was good.

The new Golarion feels uninspired and dull. The writers let guilt and fear take over their creativity, retconned any mention of enslaved peoples (which is a huge heroic call to justice), and turned the setting into a modern-day cosplay metaphor with guns, travel guides, and steampunk. It is overly safe, with all the heroic Frazetta-style art painted over, as if church prudes were put in charge of the art department, and it has lost all its charm. They would put Conan in a tourist shirt and cargo-pants khakis and give him a side-shaved Supercuts hairdo. The art is still great, but it's just too safe and modern, falling flat for me.

Where does Midgard fall flat for me? It does not feel like a "points of light" setting. While the world isn't a "safe feeling" setting, I want that constant assault by evil and chaos that calls adventurers to action. The Forgotten Realms has an even more "peaceful Western European" feeling, where they will toss out a map of a town with no walls around it, and I am sitting there thinking the regular wandering wilderness encounter tables will have a fun time sacking this unprotected place. Midgard has walls around towns, so it is a step better.

The world is mine to do as I want with, so I can throw in all the threats and dangers myself. Old Golarion did this for you, and there were lands you did not go to. So Midgard is "some work required" to lay down the evil lands, threats, and threats to civilization. To make this world shine, you will pick a starting location and begin scribbling all over the map, adding a dragon kingdom here, a huge badlands filled with Orcs there, a vile demon-worshipping bandit kingdom here, the Realm of the Drow down there, and the lands of the undead over there.

Midgard does not shine out of the book; you need to make it yours first before you play. It is a blank whiteboard with the map and kingdoms set up, but adding all the danger and evil is YOUR job. Do not play Midgard as-is, like the Imperium in Traveller; playing there is pretty dull without investing a lot of work into firing up current conflicts and laying down the bad guys in your subsector. There are suggestions in the book, but they seem more like subtle hints and story hooks than they do full-blown threats to civilization.

This is also a strength of Midgard. Where other settings give you everything, there is a considerable amount of DIY in Midgard, at least to turn it into a points-of-light setting. If someone else has the book, they will know about the map, people, and places - but since it is your job to fill in the threats to this civilization, then they won't see that part. Take a city and make it conquered by a demon-lord's cultists. Point to a valley and say this is the realm of an elemental dragon and their humanoid followers.

If you want that 2010s style wickedness and evil, you will need to add it yourself. For me, this is a weakness of the Midgard setting, but for some, it allows their creativity to fill in the blanks. To be fair, this is a problem in most published settings today; the creators fear their customers, and they write down as if everyone were children. It sucks, and it is not fantasy gaming. The settings that leave lots of blank space take work to build up, but at least they are not talking down to you.

Oh, and at least Tales of the Valiant includes a nod to this era of play on page 17 of the Player's Guide. Thank you for keeping the edgy and classic 2010s style of fantasy alive, which is more than many games these days will do. One piece of art can change the game, and for me, this piece, so early and in the Player's Guide, is a statement.

Pathfinder 1e's edge and grit have not died. They just switched games. It is still DIY to add this in, but the door is open for you, and the company is not afraid to engage with its audience.

You must change the map to Midgard. Do not play straight from the book. You will spend more time trying to get unimportant and inconsequential details right, and you will miss the opportunity to create the fun that the setting gives you room to add.

Kickstarter: Arkand & Book of Magic for Free League's Dragonbane RPG

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1192053011/arkand-and-the-book-of-magic-for-the-acclaimed-dragonbane-rpg

Where have all the high-earning Kickstarter projects gone? Why aren't there any 5E Kickstarters that have broken a million lately?

The answer is, people have moved on. The 2024 D&D release has effectively killed most third-party 5E Kickstarter campaigns, as people fear compatibility issues and are hesitant to buy into one side or the other, leaving the market stagnant. Perhaps for now, and likely gone for good. Even DM's Guild is seriously hurting.

As the third parties go, the main game will surely follow.

Many have moved on to other games, like Dragonbane, which is doing exceptionally well with its expansion Kickstarter. A half-million with 20 days to go is impressive, not Shadowdark levels, but still, this is impressive. Shadowdark's Kickstarter projects continue to impress, and even first-time and new creators are breaking 10 or 20K in support. That is not 5E levels, but for books few have heard about, people are grabbing them for their groups.

Shadowdark is here to stay.

Even ToV, with its expansion Player's Guide currently moving towards 200K, is a good showing for something that is a game that most already have. ToV's problem is that people need a reason to switch, and for me, the PDF ownership, solid 2014 compatibility, support, and the Not Wizards factor are good enough reasons to go Open 5E. ToV also offers far better support and future-proofing than A5E, a game I still like but have grown less fond of. ToV is the solid, forward-looking choice here, and we can always add in rules to replace what other 5E versions offered.

But Dragonbane is more than worthy, and with its solo-play rules, it is a very compelling game for people like me. The half-million mark means you are a serious contender in the hobby. For an expansion? These are good numbers.

Dragonbane is still on my living room shelves as one of my "guests see this" games, and one I am proud to display. Visually, this is stunning and grabs me; it's an instant point of interest and discussion: "What is that?" The monster rules are amazing. The design is solid. Everything about this game sings to me.

Dragonbane is worthy and growing in the post-D&D age.