Lone Wolf RPG

[Kheti sa-menik]

So what's the deal? Has Mongoose given up on the Lone Wolf RPG? What happened to all the followup titles, the support we were promised?

Two follow-on books and that's it?

Is this how Mongoose makes games? Just drops the line with no explanation?

I bought the original book and wasn't impressed...go back and read my old threads, but stayed with it in hopes that we'd get better treatment, that they would publish setting books, detailing the Magnamund we love so much.

Nothing.

What's going on? Why did Mongoose stab all us LW fans in the back?

 

[BlackCat]

If you would had kept in touch with what that has been said on these forums, a new LWRPG (with new rules) is in the making. It has been first scheduled for a December 2007 release, but now we don't know when to expect it. Alberto Dal Lago, the artist who makes the covers of the new LW novels and gamebooks, said in a very recent interview at the Italian site Librogame's Land that the cover of that new RPG was done and that he was surprised that it wasn't already in Mongoose's upcoming releases section.

And I don't think that Mongoose stabbed the LW fans in the back with the re-release of the LW gamebooks during the last year...

 

[Kheti sa-menik]

Why a new game with new rules? So they can soak us for more money?

As for the LW rereleased books, that's nice and all, but Mongoose is an RPG company. What does rereleasing the gamebooks have to do with the RPG?

Why not put that energy into supporting the LW RPG as promised?

 

[BlackCat]

Why a new game with new rules? So they can soak us for more money?

As for the LW rereleased books, that's nice and all, but Mongoose is an RPG company. What does rereleasing the gamebooks have to do with the RPG?

Why not put that energy into supporting the LW RPG as promised?

A new RPG with rules closer to the ones of the gamebooks. And without the original gamebooks, the RPG wouldn't exist. And a company has to develop other branches if it want to survive. And that's what we all call marketing. And I'll let other people express their view on this. And that's it. :wink:

 

[Kheti sa-menik]

Maybe someone from Mongoose can answer.
Why did they give up on the LW RPG? After just three books?

Why the "need" for a new edition of the RPG when only three books were published?

 

[beowuuf]

You might find your dis-satisfacion with the original possibly prompted them. Was it just the lack of depth of the world stating, or the d20 bias?

Obviously both will be addressed - the idea of the expanded RPG is that it will allow you to take the gamebook mechanics and apply them to an RPG ruleset.

Anyway, hopefully someone mongoose-y can get some time to answer!

 

[Xex]

I thought you said you were unhappy with the d20 rpg. So why do you care if they drop the line??

Anyhow, the new rpg will consist ofa ruleset similar to the one in the gamebooks (with tweaks for multiplayer ofcourse). This will make the game simpler and, hopefully, more fun. Plus it will alow porting of material from the gamebooks (such as monsters and items) much more easier. (we are led to believe it will be simple copy/paste easy!)

As to its release, mum has been the word. I would guess somewhere around may or so, but don't hold me to it. Mongoose would be better off keeping its release far, far away from the release date of dndn 4E.

 

[Kheti sa-menik]

I was unhappy with the RPG. They could have easily made it a campaign world fully compatible with D&D. But it was still somewhat D20 so it could be mined for monsters, ideas, etc. With hevy tweaking it could useful in play.

I also expected that given the lackluster treatment of Magnamund in the core book, that we'd see further world books/regional books come out. Instead, Mongoose cancels the line. Without a reason, without a thought to those of us, even those who didn't like what they did exactly, who supported the line by buying their books.

 

[madpoet]

Speaking about what can be done to keep alive a campaign I believe Mongoose should continue to publish new material (first of all adventures) on Sign and Portents and to continue the 'epic' saga 'Corruption of Ikaya'.

Does anybody know if they plan to continue the above mentioned adventure path?

thank

 

[Sabbak]

I also expected that given the lackluster treatment of Magnamund in the core book, that we'd see further world books/regional books come out. Instead, Mongoose cancels the line. Without a reason, without a thought to those of us, even those who didn't like what they did exactly, who supported the line by buying their books.

I understand perfectly well your point of view as... it's very close to mine!

Personnally I have read the (french translation of the) gamebooks in my teens and have recollected them since that old era. I see no reason for guys like ME to purchase "new version of old products" and so I'm eagerly waiting for "REAL" RpG material.

BUT

1) As far as I know Mongoose has choosen to "modify" the LWRpG line and to transform it into a platform for new players to enter the RpG world (via the "new" gamebooks). I obviously suppose that this editorial choice has been made AFTER the release of the D20 LW rulebook... Sorry babe...

2) I'm not sure that the first D20 LWRpG has been a real editorial success (of course I can -and hope to- be wrong), in addition to have been an esthetic failure (speaking of the interior artwork).
As you and me are leaving in the real world where the words "economical survival" and "marketing strategies" have an obvious meaning, you should understand that you can't make an omelet (changing the RpG line's aim) without breaking eggs (leaving the poor initial customers with their tears to cry...). Sorry babe...

3) Mongoose should have communicate better on this subject. Right. But they have many many more projects and cannot be everywhere to answer ALL questions.

My conclusion is:
Well, I love Magnamund sooo much that I'll forgive you Mongoose guys for all these bad news BUT I thank you very much to have MADE the LWRpG (hey, they are the first in 20 years!) AND hope that the new line will be soon on the shelves with strong support.

I know I'm a dreamer...

 

[Balgin Stondraeg]

2) I'm not sure that the first D20 LWRpG has been a real editorial success (of course I can -and hope to- be wrong), in addition to have been an esthetic failure (speaking of the interior artwork).

Unfortunately the re released gamebooks have a very similar art style .

I think the main problem has been one of timing. Whenever a new Lone Wolf book is getting launched there always seems to be some Elric/Stormbringer or Conan thing coming out that gets announced and Lone Wolf doesn't get any advertising other than a few pages in S&P.

I think that's a shame as it could've really done with some more advertising and it's been constantly pushed to the back by other stuff that would be more popular (with the surprisingly huge legion of Michael Moorcock fans out there, which is surprising given the lack of descriptive writing or anything other than exposition in his Elric stories "and they went to the other side of the world where they met this person who..." and that was it, no journey, no sense of something actualy happening, just bump, as if he couldn't be bothered to write a few chapters to make things interesting).

So I think it's an unfoprtunately combination of timing and advertising priorities that's seen the series suffer so far (on the publicity front). Then again, I suspect that most of the people buying the books are former Lone Wolf fans who knew about it anyway and so didn't need adverts targetted at them but a little more visibility wouldn't go amiss .

 

[Hunting Moon]

I am with my dwarven brother here, lets get the paperbacks out into Barns and Nobles and Waldenbook stores here. Choose your own adventures are comming back, the Fighting Fantasy line is coming back, if Mongoose does some out of the box marketing and gets the Lone Wolf books into stores they could really stage a coup.

 

[Lokhuzor]

Hello Mongoose,

Is there any news for the release of the new Lone Wolf roleplaying version ?

And for other supplements, like "Sommerlund" ?

Eric

 

[TalienAilinBarakeesh]

Here's a thought. I was very pleased with the D20 version as I had an excellent story teller. She managed to run the game using the main book and without deviating much with it. I don't view the D20 version as a failure in the least. What puts people off are the built in "feats" in the form of class features. Which I believe was a nice change of pace...and the lack of other races around. Who needs elves anyway....I found plying in vassagonia to be both refreshing and a nice change from your typical D20.

 

[MongooseMatt]

Is there any news for the release of the new Lone Wolf roleplaying version ?

Expect to see it later this year with the softback versions of the gamebooks.

 

[Rikki-Tikki-Tavi]

Maybe someone from Mongoose can answer.
Why did they give up on the LW RPG? After just three books?

Why the "need" for a new edition of the RPG when only three books were published?

I talked with Matt briefly at my friends Halloween party in 07 and the tough answer is it didn't sell very well. It's not easy to hear, especially because I thought it was cool, but if you can't sell a product.....

Edit: Heck, I'm still waiting on Dr. Blottenberger's Grand Bestiary of Extraordinary Beasts. It's supoose to have an artists rendering of my picture in it all because I won a contest way back when.

 

[frankwanderer]

I talked with Matt briefly at my friends Halloween party in 07 and the tough answer is it didn't sell very well. It's not easy to hear, especially because I thought it was cool, but if you can't sell a product.....

Debatably, that could be, and has, viewed as something of a self-fulfilling prophecy when one considers how well the gaming community saw it marketed...at least in the U.S. (or, should I say, how poorly).

That said, I am glad to see a new RPG, particularly one not married to the d20 game system (even on the OGL level). As good as the game was (and I will not say it was bad; I ran several successful sessions using it), it was not a great game nor a great addition to the setting. Mongoose has demonstrated much better in recent years, and I hope to see those improvements well-represented in this new RPG.

And that said, I come back to my first point. If Mongoose does a good job of actively marketing it as a great fantasy setting to the present RPG audience, and not just rest on the laurels of the existing setting fans in the idle hope that it will "sell itself", then it will likely sell better than if they do not. A great gaming product that no one knows about does not do anyone any good.

Frank the Wanderer

 

[Balgin Stondraeg]

In fact I didn't see it advertised at all here in the UK. I only found out about it over on the (now nonexistent) Myriador forums when I commented that it would be nice if someone would do a Lone Wolf roleplaying game to go with the Fighting Fantasy d20 stuff and someone told me Mongoose did a Lone Wolf d20 sourcebook (which I then bought and have grabbed everything else Mongoose LWRPG related too).

 

[beowuuf]

I saw t through an amazon search for lone wolf itself, but given it didn't seem to directly have JD's name attached, I didn't pursue looking at it

 

[Lokhuzor]

Hello,

Is there a precise date for the RPG to be published ?

Eric