If Hasbro is not releasing Mystara then what can we expect from them? Is it possible that Hasbro is considering Mystara as a campaign world for 4th edition, or is it possible they are just willing to let it wither and die like other campaign worlds. It is a shame that the original campaign world that started it all has been so blatantly forgotten over the years. It is understandable that other campaign worlds may have priority over our beloved Mystara but as the original it should be the basis on which all new editions should be based.
Mystara was the start, then GrayHawk & Blackmoor. I feel all editions of D&D should follow this guideline, the reason should be obvious. OS RPG Gamers, the ones who started playing when I was still in diapers don't play any more. That is not to say all of them don't play but the majority simply don't play any more. The reason I say this is many gamers I've talked to would play if it wasn't for the new edition coming out. I've been DMimg a mix 1st+2nd+2.5 campaign of that group only 2 maybe 3 would play 3.5 and none would play 3rd. We grew up on THAC0 and -AC but slowly they have been changing and I have been trying to convince them that the change to 3.5 would be ok. But with the announcement of 4th edition coming out that has been put to a stop. If Mystara were to be a campaign world in the new edition it may be a way for me to convince them to play 4th.
SO THE SHORT OF IT IS WILL MYSTARA BE RELEASED AS A 4TH EDITION GAME WORLD?
Anyway, the short answer is: it is extremely unlikely.
The longer answer is:
1) Mystara hasn't been published in 3e, and didn't get much coverage in later 2e stages as well, so why should it be republished in 4e, when most people who knew of the setting are not playing anymore?
2) 4e seems to be taking a Known World-like approach to the game setting (a vague meta-setting mostly defined by adventure modules and background material in the rule books); thus, it is unlikely that there will be coverage for many settings.
G.
Mind you, I'm not particularly confident that any newly published material would be satisfying given how long most of us have been working on our own brands of Mystara....
In short...nothing to see here...just be sure to share your ideas with other Mystara fans with an open mind and an edition neutral stance. This way all fans, whether they play classic, 2e, or 35e+ will be able to use the ideas presented.
--Ray.
P.S. If I'm wrong and it is released for 4e, then I'll just be a slap happy Mofo!
Alongside those core books, they are going to be releasing campaign books, starting with FR this year, then Eberron in '09, and quite likely other worlds after that (I'd be very surprised if Ravenloft and Dragonlance didn't get treatment at some point).
Will Mystara be one of these campaign worlds that eventually gets covered? I guess it depends on how well things go. If 4E is a rousing success, and the core/campaign model works out, I wouldn't be surprised to see it eventually get its own campaign worldbook, but that wouldn't be for several years at least, I'm sure.
Basically, though, I doubt we'll be seeing anything more substantial than we've seen in 3E- ie, some limited Dragon/Dungeon support for the setting, but not much else.
Personally, that doesn't really bother me all that much. From what I've seen (and continue to see) of 4E, I don't much care for the look of the new rules (and definitely not the fluff), and I'm not sure that there is anyone working for WotC at this point who really seems like they would know what to do with Mystara anyway. Unless they brought in some freelancers with history and/or interest in the setting, I doubt whatever came out would resemble the Mystara that I enjoy.
What motivates them to keep holding the copyright? Why not find another publisher to produce updated and new material for the setting? Heck, some of the original authors might be convinced to write more....
Retaining copyright doesn't cost anything, and isn't something that one generally would want to give up, particularly if there is any kind of money that could be made off of it at some point. Even if it's not generating money for them now, at some point it might, or they may want to revisit it in some fashion.
Licensing the property, on the other hand, I could see. I just don't know that it's all that feasible for someone to license the property from Wizards when it is kidn of an unproven market at this stage of the game. I mean, the likelihood of the Mystara community ponying up for it is fairly high, but we're a relatively small one, all things considered (in terms of members of the online communities, that is).
Alongside those core books, they are going to be releasing campaign books, starting with FR this year, then Eberron in '09, and quite likely other worlds after that (I'd be very surprised if Ravenloft and Dragonlance didn't get treatment at some point).
Indeed. Ravenloft is the only gothic horror setting WotC has, fits fairly well with the 4e campaign model (isolated locations, smaller human settlements, etc.) and its material is easily reusable in other campaigns (by inserting one domain is a specific locale -- e.g., Barovia could easily be set somewhere in Boldavia in Mystara, and the same for Lamordia or other domains).
Thus, it is a good bet.
Dragonlance enjoys some support from its book series, though the original books are fairly old, and I can't say how they appeal to the younger public -- on one hand, nowadays you find excerpts of Dragonlance in mid-school literature anthologies (!!!), on the other, its "old school" feel may not fit the modern tastes.
I think these are the two likely choices -- these are also the settings that got coverage in 3e. All other "dead" settings are very likely to stay dead. Birthright and Mystara may possibly be plundered for Companion-stlye material, while Greyhawk will provide background elements for the new meta-setting. Planescape and Spelljammer are even more dead -- we've seen many elements of the former being reused with no relation to their origin.
On Dark Sun I'm less certain -- on one hand, it fits well with the 4e campaign model, and could be used to lauch the new version of psionics; also, several of the current WotC designers were involved in the design of this setting. On the other hand, the official campaign destroyed many Sorcerer-Kings, and another timeline advance would be difficult.
I guess it depends on how well things go. If 4E is a rousing success, and the core/campaign model works out, I wouldn't be surprised to see it eventually get its own campaign worldbook, but that wouldn't be for several years at least, I'm sure.
Indeed, it's likely there will be a campaign worldbook, if sufficient material will be produced through adventure modules and the like.
Personally, that doesn't really bother me all that much. From what I've seen (and continue to see) of 4E, I don't much care for the look of the new rules
Still, it does sound better than 3e (but that's easy).
I'm not sure that there is anyone working for WotC at this point who really seems like they would know what to do with Mystara anyway.
Indeed. None of the current WotC R&D staff dates back to the 80ies, with the exception of Steve Winter (who was the editor for the Minrothad GAZ).
Finally, the elements of Mystara that are of greater interest to WotC are the modules rather than the setting -- the Isle of Dread, the Lost City, the Keep on the Borderlands and maybe some others (Silver Princess, Castle Amber) might (and are likely to) get some coverage, but will be at best re-set into the new "core world" (I'm saying at best, because it's still better than seeing them mis-used in FR or Eberron).
G.
What motivates them to keep holding the copyright?
Copyright over something, even if it currently does not generate revenue (which is not entirely true, since some of us are still buying OD&D/Mystara ESDs), still has a value (greater or equal to zero, you might say).
Thus, ceasing to hold it might be a loss, which is enough for a company to keep holding it.
Why not find another publisher to produce updated and new material for the setting?
Because settings are, past core rules, the one thing that WotC doesn't want other publishers to produce -- basically, WotC's interest lies in leaving third party publishers produce items that sale on a lower scale without detracting from its own sales (e.g., adventure modules).
Settings are not part of this set -- since WotC will put out FR and Eberron at least.
Heck, some of the original authors might be convinced to write more....
Few of them, actually. Mystara was mostly written by freelancers, most of whom are not anymore in the industry. Bruce Heard, and possibly Aaron Allston, are about the only ones among the original authors who have/had a wider idea of the setting.
GP
Still, it does sound better than 3e (but that's easy).
Gonna have to agree to disagree on this point, I guess. 4E doesn't sound much like D&D at all to me, from what I read; it sounds like an MMO. (And as much as people carp about how people keep saying that, well, if there weren't some truth to it, I don't imagine people would keep making the comparison.)
Increasingly it sounds like 4E is not much of an RPG anymore... or at least, not freeform in the way D&D traditionally has been, but cookie cutter.
In any event, if these are the sort of changes 4E has in store for the Realms I shudder to think what they might do to a 4E Mystara. Wrath of the Immortals writ large.
Dragonlance enjoys some support from its book series, though the original books are fairly old, and I can't say how they appeal to the younger public -- on one hand, nowadays you find excerpts of Dragonlance in mid-school literature anthologies (!!!), on the other, its "old school" feel may not fit the modern tastes.
Don't forget the movie due to release in less than 24 hours... http://www.dragonlance-movie.com If the kids on the forums there are any indication, DL still is something the youngsters read.
Now that I think about it, one of the things I like about the community's works over say that of WotC, is that we don't concern ourselves so much with creating something that is 'cool' but rather on things that are 'good'. Of course, it helps that we don't have to worry about marketing or sales or anything like that. ;)
I still hold to the opinion that we the fans have produced quality works that are on par with officially published material; as far as content is concerned anyway even if it is only in the form of concepts or ideas.
I second that. Anything 'official' would likely just contradict fan-based, or even older canon material, anyway. This would make it distinctly unsatisfying.
I'm not trying to wine to much, but I'm willing to buy say a 40$ book just so i have more time to say spend it with my son or work more OT for bills. My players in general don't role play so much as Roll Play
but the group is a mixed group 4 OS players, 4 XP players, & 6 Noobs. So i have noobs and XP power gamers out # me and my OS players. Needless to say it ends up being a BAD KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE GAME every session. We do have fun but no real substance to the game. To make matters worse if I decide to DM a Realms or GH campaign the OS players want to ether wish to hijack my campaign or convert there OD&D & 1st ed characters. Which I truly understand the POWER & NOOB players do tend to screw every thing up for them.Just Ranting Sorry.
But to leave you on a lighter note have you ever seen a party of 4th - 6th Lvs try to take on a fort full of brigands with ogars and a hill giant with two count them two dragons which has kicked there butts before and say "We can take them!" and when they charged the fort and did proceed to get once again to Get there butts handed to them. Knowing what was in store for them the still did it, and then complained as the worst I did was imprison each of there characters
and strip them of every item they had magical and mundane. Aren't they just pitiful.But to leave you on a lighter note have you ever seen a party of 4th - 6th Lvs try to take on a fort full of brigands with ogars and a hill giant with two count them two dragons which has kicked there butts before and say "We can take them!" and when they charged the fort and did proceed to get once again to Get there butts handed to them. Knowing what was in store for them the still did it, and then complained as the worst I did was imprison each of there characters
Been there, seen equivalent stuff. Occasionally seen the PCs GET AWAY WITH IT. (Think second level chars and a few Brownies vs. Young Adult Black Dragon. Half them died adn the brownies were eaten, but they won!)