Official Mongoose position regarding Conan & D&D 4E

[LucaCherstich]

What is it?
I know it is probably too early to ask you, so if you do not answer I will understand.
We do not even know whether the new D&D will also works as an open D20 system or not.
I was planning to buy Conan RPG montsh ago but when I knew that Conan 2e was caoming out I wait unitil now...
..waiting for 20th Aug....just to know that D&D 4E is coming!!!
I would really like to buy Conan 2E but I have doubt about what Mongoose will do with 4E.
I know that it is Mongoose`s interest that I buy Conan 2E, therefore I will understand if you do not answer me.

 

[Strom]

I have no idea the impact - if any - 4e will have on the new Conan edition and can not guess how Mongoose feels about it. Couple of thoughts though - I guessing Mongoose is really happy with the timing of the release of Conan 2e. It's better to release it now then in '08. I'm sure Mongoose is very happy with the more than expected distributor orders that push back the release date. Also, Conan is a niche game regardless of what edition D&D is coming out with. If the style of Conan is what you are looking for I wouldn't wait for 4e and would pickup Conan 2e, since it is a standalone game and will be available soon.

As far as further support for the game, Mongoose has said that Conan 2e is compatible with already released Conan 1e supplements and adventures. And there are quite a few of those - although not enough. :lol:

 

[MongooseMatt]

There are no plans to make Conan 4e.

 

[Sarov the Swift]

I fail to see the relationship.

 

[Clovenhoof]

I fail to see the relationship.

Me, too.
Even if D&D 4E should constitute a complete break and be based on, say, 10d4 rather than 1d20, why should that have any impact on Conan D20? The D&D splats are not even meant to be used with Conan. The Conan OGL is _based_ on the (current) SRD but has more than enough changes of its own.

 

[warzen]

Except that after the release of 4E, Mongoose will have hard time to sell a 3E product to new customers. They'll naturally look for 4E "compatible" products.

W.

 

[thulsa]

Except that after the release of 4E, Mongoose will have hard time to sell a 3E product to new customers. They'll naturally look for 4E "compatible" products.

Oh yeah, I can hardly wait for 4th Edition D&D so that I can incorporate the latest incarnations of tieflings, gnomes, Detect Magic, Helms of Opposite Alignment and Rods of Wonder into my Conan game... :wink:

On the other hand, a few of the things (mainly from Star Wars Saga Edition) that make the system easier and faster (getting rid of skill points, reducing the number of skills, etc) are interesting, but they are easily house-ruled into the current edition. In fact, I was hoping that Mongoose had incorporated a few of those things into Conan 2nd Edition, but I don't think they have.

- thulsa

 

[warzen]

Thulsa,
I was not saying we won't be able to house rule our semi 4E of Conan. I'm just saying that new customers will be reluctant to buy 3E products once 4E is available. Because this will hurt the sales, Mongoose will probably have to produce a 4E version of Conan, may be as a free pdf, may be as a small book you'll have to buy...

W.

 

[Darkstorm]

The impression I got from Gen-Con is that AD&D 4th is NOT going to be an open source system.

 

[danbuter]

WotC has said multiple times that 4e will be OGL.

 

[Sarov the Swift]

Responding to the last three posts, 4e could only have impact on the market IF:

1) 4e rules are significantly different that 3e, (thus making hopping to another system difficult).

2) It sells gangbusters, and forces others in the industry to convert.

3) WOtC actually does issue 4e as OGL so that everyone can convert legally. Im long past believing much of what this company says.

4) Conan 2e doesn't sell well, and Mongoose has to bow to OGL market pressure.

That's alot of IFs, to which I have the following response:

1) 4e rules are not expected to be significantly different, just streamlined and simplified.

2) WOtC is issues 4e because D&D sales have slumped, and they are hoping to pick up new entry-level gamers. In truth, D&D has always been a game for entry-level gamers, and let's face it, people are tired of it. It also has alot of competition that it didn't used to, i.e. Conan.

3) I haven't heard that WOtC will release 4e as OGL, and I doubt they will without testing the waters. We'll see in a couple of years.

4) Im sure Conan 2e will do quite well, just as first ed. did; Mongoose has thrived in a time when the star of table-top gaming is somewhat fallen. I, for one, bought Conan because I like Conan, not because it was compatible with 3e D&D. Hell, I really don't even like the d20 system, but the source material won me over.

 

[crazy_cat]

....
2) It sells gangbusters, and forces others in the industry to convert.

3) WOtC actually does issue 4e as OGL so that everyone can convert legally. Im long past believing much of what this company says.
....
That's alot of IFs, to which I have the following response:
.....
2) WOtC is issues 4e because D&D sales have slumped, and they are hoping to pick up new entry-level gamers. In truth, D&D has always been a game for entry-level gamers, and let's face it, people are tired of it. It also has alot of competition that it didn't used to, i.e. Conan.

3) I haven't heard that WOtC will release 4e as OGL, and I doubt they will without testing the waters. We'll see in a couple of years.
...

2) Sales of 3.5 may be declining (I don't know) but it is still by a huge margin the most popular and best selling RPG on the market.

3) WOTC have repeatedly stated 4e will be OGL and that a new SRD will be issued on release.

 

[kintire]

Thulsa,
I was not saying we won't be able to house rule our semi 4E of Conan. I'm just saying that new customers will be reluctant to buy 3E products once 4E is available. Because this will hurt the sales, Mongoose will probably have to produce a 4E version of Conan, may be as a free pdf, may be as a small book you'll have to buy...

Catch being, Conan is not a 3E product. Its based on the d20 rules, but it is already significantly different, probably as different or more so than 4E will be. Compatibility won't be any harder with 4E than it was with 3E.

 

[Baduin]

That's not a matter of compatibility. If D&D 4E should include important innovations and play significantly better, people will want to see Conan similarly improved.

But - it depends whether it will be significantly better in practice, or not. In short, it is too early to speak about it now.

 

[Ralph]

That's not a matter of compatibility. If D&D 4E should include important innovations and play significantly better, people will want to see Conan similarly improved.

Exactly. I don't have D&D 3.5, but I believe that one of the ways Conan 2e has changed is to include the types of action that were in neither 3.0 nor Conan 1e (immediate actions?).

But - it depends whether it will be significantly better in practice, or not. In short, it is too early to speak about it now.

I agree, if enough people take up D&D 4e, many of those who also play Conan will want them synchronised.

I won't be one of them as I will be sticking to Conan now.

Ralph

 

[emirikol]

4E will have a lot of good contribution to adventure gaming..but when they said they were going to include MORE MAGIC, I kind of felt that lump in my stomach.

I enjoyed book of 9 swords. I think it allows a DM to dump trivial magic users and allow fighters to really shine with maneuvers. SW saga is likewise a much improved system over 3.5 (which THIS game is based on...)

Other than the supposed "increased" magic, it will be interesting to see where this all goes.

jh

 

[warzen]

4E will have a lot of good contribution to adventure gaming..but when they said they were going to include MORE MAGIC, I kind of felt that lump in my stomach.
(...)

What do you mean by "MORE MAGIC" ?
I understood that magic users will be able to use their spells more often (more magic) but that the guys at WotC are trying to reduce the X-Mas tree effect (so less magic).
Puting in another way: more usage of class abilities (a fighter is never out of swing) and less reliability to equipment. It's what we have in Conan.

W.

 

[Tim]

I only bought 2, 3.5 books and all of the conan books, so the new edition means little to me. The risk is new players not wanting to buy Conan since its the "old" system. Those of us who play know that the D&D edition means little but that won't change new player preceptions. For the game to continue it needs new customers. If the new customer base slumps due to edition issues publication ceases and the game goes the way of so many before it.

Lets hope it survives on its own merrit, I feel its the best game mongoose publishes.

 

[Achilean]

I play Conan, because its Conan. Not because its d20. As a matter of fact, I am not a huge fan of d20. The 5% d20 is far too heavy on the random variable for my liking. That aside, Mongoose has done a fabulous job of representing one of the most vivid and enticing fantasy settings of all time. With a system variation that puts the hero in the forefront, not his magical equipment. I for one will not purchase dnd v.4. Don't care.

 

[Sutek]

I've said for a long time now that further editions wouldn't ever impact Conan RPG. The SRD and OGL gave Mongoose a great starting point, but if D&D goes off in an utterly different direction with subsequent editions, Conan can still stick to modified D&D3.0 and stay on it's own "evolutionary course" rules wise.

The only thing I've ever worried about was Wizards putting some kind of legal lock down on SRD/OGL third party publications, but that seems unlikely. I could see howI just they'd want to, so that D&D 4th had more potential to succeed and surpass the 3.5 legacy and sales, but I just think they'd be on thin ice to try and enforce a retroactive freeze on companies who bit and swallowed OGL for thier own needs.

Conan can stay d20 far into the future regardless of what D&D or Wizards does.