So now that the Conan movie has flopped...

[Lord Kruge]

Are the chances better for a Legend of Conan?

 

[MongooseMatt]

We are talking to the parties concerned now. May take a while, but the hat has been thrown in the ring.

 

[Prime_Evil]

That's good to know! We'll keep our fingers crossed.

Assuming that some sort of deal is worked out, would you release a Legend version of the Conan RPG or revive the d20 version? I personally think that Legend suits the pulp-era swords & sorcery genre better, but it is likely that a d20 version would tap into the existing market (especially if you updated it to incorporate some of the improvements from Pathfinder).

(Incidentally, a lot of the rules-related material from the Conan RPG is already OGC, so we could start building a "generic" swords & sorcery version of Legend here if people are interested. We'd just need to avoid using any material that is product identity in the OGL declaration at the beginning of the rulebooks)

 

[Da Boss]

That would be interesting - I really enjoyed the film - but then I liked the first two as well.

 

[Stainless]

I'd go for a Legend version of Conan but not a d20. Then again, I'm not a typical gamer.

However, it makes much more sense (for lots of reasons) for Mongoose to use Legend.

 

[daxos232]

I would be very surprised if Mongoose bought the license, seeing as how they let it go recently. Conan would be great for Legends but D20 is a more popular system and I can understand if Mongoose goes that way again.

I had hoped for better with the movie. At least it was more serious than "Ah-nuld's" 1980s version, that one is so bad its a comedy.

 

[Lord Kruge]

I would be very surprised if Mongoose bought the license, seeing as how they let it go recently. Conan would be great for Legends but D20 is a more popular system and I can understand if Mongoose goes that way again.

Bit of history there. Mongoose was going to move Conan over to RQII system as well as Savage Worlds, with some really awesome content planned, world books by Vincent Darlage, all new maps, etc... Look it up, it's all there in the forums.

The Conan licensors didn't want to allow such a big change so far into the license term. (In other words, they didn't want a new version of Mongoose Conan to pick up momentum, because they were banking on being able to license the property to someone else for a lot more, riding on the back of the movie's success.) So Mongoose let the D20 version pass away and the license expire, as they saw no need to invest further in a license they might not have in a couple years.

Now that the movie bombed and the licensors aren't going to be able to charge Arnie's weight in gold for it, it makes perfect sense for Mongoose to jump back on, and get the terms for what they want to do with the license. As I understand it, Vincent was almost done with the THIRD book in the Hyborian world series, so there's a whole lot of Conan goodness waiting to be published.

Good luck with the bidding Matt!

 

[Prime_Evil]

That information is very interesting. I get the feeling that the d20 version of Conan needed a bit of a refresh anyway, so the hiatus might not be a bad thing. A version of Conan for MRQ II / Legend or Savage Worlds would rock, but would emphasize different styles of play as Savage Worlds is a bit more cinematic than Legend.

I suspect that from a purely commercial perspective, a revised D20 variant or a Savage Worlds edition would generate stronger sales because they will tap into an existing audience. However, I am hoping that we will see a Legend version as this would help the system gain some additional traction as Conan is probably one of the most important licenses in the fantasy genre.

As I indicated before, I also believe that Legend is a better fit for the Hyborian Age than just about any other system that I know.

 

[Lord Kruge]

As I indicated before, I also believe that Legend is a better fit for the Hyborian Age than just about any other system that I know.

I wasn't really into Runequest, MRQII sold me on the system, and I agree, parts of it (Sorcery based on knowledge of specific tomes, Priest abilities based on Pacts and sacrifice of magic points, Combat Maneuvers) just scream Conan to me.

 

[Fabian]

d20 is no longer the massive thing it once was; I think Legend/MRQ2 would be a great fit.

 

[torus]

Perhaps this has been discussed before, but I don't really understand this: surely the Conan stories are public domain now? In fact it seems they are considered such in several countries, e.g. Australia.

 

[Lord Kruge]

Perhaps this has been discussed before, but I don't really understand this: surely the Conan stories are public domain now? In fact it seems they are considered such in several countries, e.g. Australia.

There are a huge number of stories of Howard's set in Hyboria featuring Conan that are freely in the public domain due to not being re-registered, however, the US has extended the "all-in" time limit from death plus 70 to death plus 95 if I'm not mistaken. Also the Howard Estate licensed the rights to make other Conan books to DeCamp, the Marvel Comics, etc... So while Conan might be free in 2031, "Conan the Barbarian" is going to be a lot later then that.

It's not a question of if you could publish a game featuring a lot of the same names, you could. However, how deep are your pockets? With copyright law, it doesn't matter if you're right if you don't have the money to prove it in court. Also, do you want to publish a game that people will consider not the "real" Conan?

 

[torus]

There are a huge number of stories of Howard's set in Hyboria featuring Conan that are freely in the public domain due to not being re-registered, however, the US has extended the "all-in" time limit from death plus 70 to death plus 95 if I'm not mistaken. Also the Howard Estate licensed the rights to make other Conan books to DeCamp, the Marvel Comics, etc... So while Conan might be free in 2031, "Conan the Barbarian" is going to be a lot later then that.

Hmm.. just went and looked it up. Apparently it's 95 years from publication, not death, in the US. So I guess one couldn't sell a Conan game in the US, which would be a problem.. Arrggh. Immoral copyright laws make me angry. Seriously, there are many great things about the US, but they need to be told to get stuffed with that.

Also I couldn't care less about whether my Conan game was 'real'; in fact I'd prefer if none of my money went to pay a 'license' to some undeserving gobshites.

 

[Prime_Evil]

This is slightly off-topic, but the way that intellectual property laws have developed in the US over the past two decades is downright crazy. The Copyright Term Extension Act (CTEA) of 1998 was put forward by the late congressman Sonny Bono (of Sonny & Cher fame). This legislation is also known as the Mickey Mouse protection Act because it was pushed after intense lobbying from the Disney Corporation - who were concerned that Mickey Mouse was about to fall into the public domain. This act means that many works from the 1920s and 1930s - including a number of the Conan stories - will not fall into the public domain in the US until the 2020s at the earliest. And there is already lobbying afoot by the recording industry to extend the copyright term further. Interestingly, the US Constitution does seem to prohibit the creation of an infinite copyright term - much to the chagrin of certain corporations.

This has led to the crazy situation where most of the works of Robert E. Howard, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Abraham Merritt, H.P. Lovecraft et al are in the public domain down here in Australia - and are freely available online through Project Gutenberg - but if you download them from America you are infringing on the copyright of the companies that own the rights to those works. Don't worry though - it looks inevitable that Australia will fully 'harmonize' it's intellectual property laws with those of the US to ensure that Mickey Mouse never falls into the public domain here either...

 

[Vile]

Basically, you can forget about anything that was created after Mickey Mouse ever becoming public domain. The term will be stretched a little every time it comes close to being up. That's not infinite. :wink:

 

[Dan True]

Basically, you can forget about anything that was created after Mickey Mouse ever becoming public domain. The term will be stretched a little every time it comes close to being up. That's not infinite. :wink:

Until the American civil system breaks down, copyright becomes obsolete or they actually manage to remove lobbyism...

So, until the American civil system breaks down yes. That's not infinite at all

- Dan

 

[Jujitsudave]

So, in about 50 years then? I think I can stand that provided I can survive the hordes of Mexican drug cartels that will conquer most of the south, the rise of fascist dictatorships in Washington controlled by big corporations and special interests and the general collapse of our economy by socialist policies. Yep, about 50 years.
Come to think of it, that might might make a great campaign setting!

 

[Prime_Evil]

Basically, you can forget about anything that was created after Mickey Mouse ever becoming public domain. The term will be stretched a little every time it comes close to being up. That's not infinite. :wink:

Have you heard the famous quote from Sonny Bono's widow, the congresswoman Mary Bono?

Actually, Sonny wanted the term of copyright protection to last forever. I am informed by staff that such a change would violate the Constitution. ... As you know, there is also [then-MPAA president] Jack Valenti's proposal for term to last forever less one day. Perhaps the Committee may look at that next Congress.

With people pushing this viewpoint, it probably means that works from the period between the two world wars (such as the Conan Stories) may never enter the public domain in the US.

 

[Piperdog]

First of all, I just wanted to throw out there that I actually loved the movie, shortcomings and all.

Second, I think the Legend rules are a fantastic fit for Conan. Combat is gritty and brutal, and as others have said, the magic system very closely emulates the feel of the books. Maybe it's not such a coincidence after all that I fired up a sword and sorcery style campaign in my homebrew world using this rules system. It just seems to fit.

It would be just incredible to see quality Conan supplements come out for Legend.

 

[Prime_Evil]

Maybe it's not such a coincidence after all that I fired up a sword and sorcery style campaign in my homebrew world using this rules system. It just seems to fit.

How did you find the experience of running a swords & sorcery game using Legend? Would you care to elaborate on your experiences? What worked well and what didn't? What would you change to make Legend handle the tropes of that genre better?