Wizards of the Coast Community to be Shut Down

WIZARDS OF THE COAST COMMUNITY FORUMS TO BE SHUT DOWN 

Posted in News on September 16, 2015 By Wizards of the Coast Archive 

Choosing to retire a former foundation of our community was not an easy decision, but we feel that we must adjust our communications structure to reflect where conversations about Wizards of the Coast games are taking place.

Social media has changed significantly over the last ten years, and discussions about games aren't exclusive to company-hosted forums. The majority of community conversation takes place on third-party websites (such as Reddit, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and many other fantastic community-run websites), and it is up to us to evolve alongside our players.

We encourage past and current users to retrieve any information you want to retain from the Community Forums for both Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering. The shutdown will occur on October 29, 2015, at 10:00 a.m. PT.

We want to provide enough time for our forum members to move their content, and we recognize that given our forum's vibrant user base and extensive history, this may take time. Any information still on the forums on the cut-off date will be deleted. Thank you to all of our past and current forum users. You helped build our community into what it is now, and we look forward to continuing to interact with you on our many active social platforms.

The above was taken from: http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/wizards-coast-community-forums-be-shut-down-2015-09-16

-Havard

Braunstein Inspired RPG Gets Name Change.

Back in May, I reported an RPG called "Braunstein!" that initially got gamers excited, but then disappointed when they learned that the game had little to do with David Wesely or the original Braunstein Games, which in many was were the predecessors of Blackmoor and D&D. David Wesely was generous enough not to want to shut this game down right away, but instead made a deal with the designers.

After meeting in person with Wesely, the designers have now come to an agreement that their RPG will operate under a lisence from Wesely and be renamed Barons of Braunstein. I think this is a great name and it also removes some of the misleading notions that this game is the same game that Wesely created, which is one of the things that got some fans upset in the first place. Apparently the revised version, whenever it comes out will also feature material by Wesely himself!

It is nice when stories like this get a satisfactory conclusion. I am sure that the Olde House Rules folks were unaware of the problems surrounding their original game. With self-publishing becoming so easy these days, many would be game designers with little knowledge of IP laws can easily step into dangerous or unethical territory. I think that fans play an important role in reporting these issues so that other similar, or even more serious cases can be remedied in the future as well! 

-Havard

Happy Birthday Gary Gygax :)

What are you guys doing in gaming today? :)


Photo lifted from Jon Peterson's Blog.

-Havard

Clerics of Blackmoor

My good friend and fellow Blackmoor aficionado DH Boggs just wrote an excellent article on the Clerics of Blackmoor over at his blog. Well worth a read. Clerics were the one class that originated in the Blackmoor Campaign. You can also read some more comments by myself and others on this topic over here.

Back in 2011 I wrote a piece on Mike Carr's character in Dave Arneson's Blackmoor campaign, Bishop Carr, who might well have been the first Cleric in the history of D&D.


Would you be interested in playing a Cleric in a Blackmoor Campaign?



Image source: http://thesignmaker.deviantart.com/art/Sean-Connery-179541605



-Havard

Flying Buffalo's Rick Loomis Retires from Origins Game Fair

Photo by Tim Riley

Rick Loomis, founder of Flying Buffalo Games (Tunnels & Trolls, Grimtooth Traps etc) just annouced that he is retiring from his positition as President of GAMA, the organization that runs the Origins Game Fair.

Earlier today he posted the following on Facebook:

"Well, Origins is over and I'm on my way home. FYI after many years as President of GAMA (the organization that runs Origins and does other fine things for the industry), I have retired and let someone else start leading/doing the work. Justin Ziran from Wiz Kids is the new President. I will remain on the board as Board Member Emeritus, offering advice whenever I can."

Loomis was friends with Dave Arneson who also for a time owned shares in Flying Buffalo. Dave ended up letting Loomis take over the remaining stock of Arneson's company, Adventure Games  (Adventures in Fantasy, when that company was terminated.

Dave mentioned this episode in his interview with Ciro Alessandro Sacco at the Kyngdoms:

I am a part owner in Flying Buffalo, and I have been so for several years before I founded Adventure Games. When I decided to terminate Adventure Games, Rick Loomis (president and founder of Flying Buffalo) agreed to take over my remaining stock. It is a reputable company with a wonderfull President and he is also a good friend: the choice was natural. 

It was also through Rick Loomis and Flying Buffalo that Dave met Michael Stackpole.



This blog author thanks Rick for his work for GAMA and wishes him luck on future endeavours!




-Havard



PS: I normally do not pull quotes from people's facebook walls. However, since this post had already been shared by several people I am making an exception. Hope you won't mind Mr Loomis!

The Blackmoor Dungeoneer Society (Download Available)

Few are the heroes who have braved venturing into the Dungeons of Castle Blackmoor, and fewer still are the ones who have lived to tell the tale. Fortunately for you, if you are one of those individuals, you have also qualified for membership in the Blackmoor Dungeoneering Society!

My friend David, started asking question about this Blackmoor organization in this discussion over at The Piazza. That made me realize that the documents describing the Dungeoneer Society had never been made available to the public.

I have now obtained the documents and they are available here. (Login required) Check it out and learn all about the most exclusive of Adventurer Societies!  How would you use this type of group in your campaigns?



-Havard

Braunstein! Issue Resolved out of Court

Yesterday, I wrote about the debacle concerning a minor RPG publisher's decicision to make use of the name Braunstein! for their game without consulting with Braunstein creator David Wesely first. Today I have good news regarding this question. David Wesely writes the following:

"I have received a very nice apology from the publishers of the "Braunstein" offered by Drive Thru. They have offered to change the title and delete some of the text; we are in discussions about settling this amicably."

 I think it is great that such an issue can be resolved amicably and without involving lawyers and courts. Misunderstandings can happen and admitting it when you have made a mistake is a great sign of character. I wish the publisher all the best in future endeavours.




-Havard