SRD update?

[mwsasser]

Will there be changes to the SRD based on Runequest 2? If so, when might we see those updates?

 

[Rurik]

There will be no MRQ2 SRD.

Mongoose stated that the amount of third party support for MRQ did not justify the overhead of maintaining the SRD.

Did I mention ?

 

[mwsasser]

Thats a real bummer.

 

[Halfbat]

Yes, it is disappointing. There is the MRQ-derived OpenQuest SRD, which is a slightly simplified version of MRQ. It works fairly well with other RQ bits and pieces and allows for fairly easy and rapid on-the-fly conversion.

 

[iamtim]

I dunno... SRDs were originally intended to be a publisher's resource, not a way to get the rules for free. If third-party publishers aren't really publishing for MRQ, why should Mongoose continue to make the SRD available?

 

[mwsasser]

I dunno... SRDs were originally intended to be a publisher's resource, not a way to get the rules for free. If third-party publishers aren't really publishing for MRQ, why should Mongoose continue to make the SRD available?

I had in mind writing a basic character block generator for mrq2 in php. Lets assume that would be considered a free publication or something like it. I will still use the mrq2 book when mine arrives (sometime around the end of the month sadly) but I was hoping to get started early with an srd update.

Now before anyone gets excited, I am not a programmer by profession and pretty well suck at it. So get your hopes up that I'll succeed with some fantastic new mrq2 tool. I am not even sure I'd release the source unless its not too embarrassing. :wink:

I just hope that I don't get any nasty grams or legal notices from this email.

 

[The King]

There will be no MRQ2 SRD.

Mongoose stated that the amount of third party support for MRQ did not justify the overhead of maintaining the SRD.

May be this will change if the new rules are a success.

 

[Vile]

I dunno... SRDs were originally intended to be a publisher's resource, not a way to get the rules for free. If third-party publishers aren't really publishing for MRQ, why should Mongoose continue to make the SRD available?

I suspect (although I don't know except from personal experience) that the reason the MRQ1 SRD wasn't popular was because the rules themselves were not that great. With what seem to be great improvements on the cards for MRQ2, that could well change - I was certainly planning several products with what I thought would be the new SRD. It looks like Mongoose is using Traveller exclusively for SF, and I had plans to do something in that vein for the D100 crowd.

I never thought there would not be a new SRD, and I still hope that Mongoose will change its mind if MRQ2 really takes off.

 

[Mikko Leho]

I never thought there would not be a new SRD, and I still hope that Mongoose will change its mind if MRQ2 really takes off.

You don't necessary need a SRD to write supplements for games. For instance Pinnacle Entertainment has build a thriving 3rd party support around Savage Worlds without one.

 

[Nickbergquist]

I believe Pinnacle relies on lisencing. Most small press publishers really don't make enough money to warrant some sort of lisence agreement, let alone be able to afford art, professional editing, and so forth; if you can't do it all in-house you probably aren't going to make any money.

Mongoose may offer something like what Pinnacle does...maybe. It might be easier to submit things for possible publication directly to Mongoose, though.

 

[Mikko Leho]

I believe Pinnacle relies on lisencing. Most small press publishers really don't make enough money to warrant some sort of lisence agreement, let alone be able to afford art, professional editing, and so forth; if you can't do it all in-house you probably aren't going to make any money.

This is a much smarter way of handling third party support IMHO. With a completely open model it is possible that the market is saturated with poor quality products just like what happened with D20. You may lose some innovation but the quality is (hopefully) much more consistent.