The Challenge: How to get new players into Planescape - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

The Challenge: How to get new players into Planescape

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
zombiegleemax
Feb 04, 2004 10:54:07 If Planescape is to survive the test of time, new blood(new players and DMs running Planescape) are needed.

So how does one make Planescape more popular?

Well, I have four ideas regarding this

1. Have Planeswalker.com listed inside a core D&D product, and have all the good Planescape websites have links at Planeswalker, for the curious to look up information on(Mimir.Com, Unless Infinity etc.).

2. Convince people who had Planescape websites in the past not to give up producing new material for the setting, just because Planescape is no longer a published setting(Mimir.com 3rd edition)

3. Have great Planescape novels produced(Novelizations of Great Modron March and Dead Gods would be epics)

4. Convince Biowhere to base up in coming computer games off of Planescape, like they did with the award-winning game, Torment(WHICH I STILL HAVEN'T PLAYED! DARNIT)
#2
zombiegleemax
Feb 04, 2004 15:56:39 More ideas.

Pimp it mercilessly! If you see someone who seems like they might be interested, mention it and give them a link to planewalker.

Also, Pimp it mercilessly! There's dozens of different angles for people to come into planescape from. Some people like it for the unlimited potential for power, some people like it for the war of philosophy, some people like it for the fact that anything, any style of adventure, any type of setting, has a place. No one need give up their favorite campaign setting to include planescape.

Write Good Fiction. If I were any good at writing medievil-style fiction, I'd have a go at this. As it is, I'll still probably have a go at it sometime.

Play Planescape. Print the entirety of the Planewalker.com stuff, make a few copies, have Kinko's put a binding on one. Bring it down to your local game store, the one they let people have whole sessions at, and try to start up a game. If the other players don't know planescape, which is likely, start them all as primes, on their little prime world (how quaint!) and promise them a wild ride through hell and creation. Deliver, if you can.

A strong and dedicated fan base can keep *anything* alive and strong.
#3
zombiegleemax
Feb 04, 2004 20:28:35 Try to get a write-up or ten in the D&D Mags; Dragon and maybe Dungeon if possible. Shemeska mentioned in an earlier thread that she had submitted some potential articles to Dragon Mag but got no reply. I remember WizODabus saying that this may have been because they have had many staff changes of lat. Dragon mag is the key. Because of the amount of readers that it gets, especially the new readers, publishing in it would let a lot of people know that Planescape is alive and well. Include the website link for people how would like to look into the setting further.

Have you resubmitted the articles yet Shemeska?
#4
factol_rhys_dup
Feb 04, 2004 20:38:07 Another one that mrgoat may have missed- pimp it mercilessly. Anytime people are even close to a related subject on another thread, talk about how "Planescape's got that, and they handle it in the coolest way."

Mimir's pretty much officially retired, and there's not much of a chance of anyone making a Planescape computer game, since it's not an active setting. Even if they thought it was a good idea, I don't know if Wizards would give them the liscence.

Get City of Doors Initiative to keep more active. They had a great thing going, but it's been painfully quiet there recently. We need to take advantage of the Neverwinter Nights crowd and get them hooked.
#5
Shemeska_the_Marauder
Feb 04, 2004 22:13:28 I resubmitted, and the ideas didn't fit their ideas of stuff in the next while (at least since the editor changed they're no longer interested, the old one when I originally submitted it was indeed curious).

Essentially my ideas were deemed to be too useful for DM's and not useful enough for players. *shrug*

However I was given a list of things they might be interested in for the next while, and I may try my hand at a few of them, and then submit ideas for them.

My original ideas for the dragon mag submission will very likely find their way onto Planewalker or the web in general since about half of each was written and I'll likely finish them in my spare time.
#6
zombiegleemax
Feb 04, 2004 22:52:53 *blinks*

You mean it's hard to get people? Hmm. Maybe I'm just weird, but I first saw it in passing on the manual of the planes board, and I was hooked within two days. The rest of "the guys" were tougher, I'll admit, but they were finally swayed by the descriptions of the factions (The fated, mostly). I don't see how people can not like planescape. What they have on planewalker.com is awesome.

Hmm. Not quite sure this post warrants posting, but meh, it's my two cents.

Incidentally, does anyone have a link to a glossary of planescape slang? Off topic, but meh.
#7
Ornum
Feb 04, 2004 23:20:53 Here's a list of planar cant that should do.

Planar Cant
#8
Shemeska_the_Marauder
Feb 05, 2004 0:43:58 Woohoo! Another convert!

*cackles and rubs hands together*
#9
zombiegleemax
Feb 05, 2004 6:33:22
Essentially my ideas were deemed to be too useful for DM's and not useful enough for players.

This was also the case with my second-to-the-last batch of proposals. Matthew Sernett wants to shift the focus of the magazine to players instead of DMs; it makes sense because the number of players in a gaming group greatly outstrips the number of DMS. Logically, if the magazine catered more to players, circulation should increase. (This is not something he said, just something I surmised.) We'll have to wait and see.
#10
zombiegleemax
Feb 05, 2004 11:03:22 The ideal solution then Shemi, would be to have the articles cater to both DMs and Players. In some of my older issues(I subscibed from issues 226 to 262), had great articles, like Rakasta of Mystara(A new PC race, retooled for use in any campaign) or the old articles interducing new forms of magic, or new types of Wizards(Like Ice Paraelementalists, my favorite). Also, articles detailing new Gods(like the new Elven god articles in two of the issues I own), are catering to both DM's and Players. Its a hard balance, but its diffenitely not impossible.

When Dragon Magazine was published by TSR, the entire focus of the Magazine was both DM's and Players, hopefully, when I start subscibing to Dragon again(its good reading), it will follow their example.
#11
zombiegleemax
Feb 05, 2004 15:43:02 a good place try is www.community3e.com , there are a buch of people there, and by the look of the submissions you could at least rake in a few people. start a topic on the forum and they are bound to find it.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 zombiegleemax Feb 04, 2004 10:54:07	If Planescape is to survive the test of time, new blood(new players and DMs running Planescape) are needed. So how does one make Planescape more popular? Well, I have four ideas regarding this 1. Have Planeswalker.com listed inside a core D&D product, and have all the good Planescape websites have links at Planeswalker, for the curious to look up information on(Mimir.Com, Unless Infinity etc.). 2. Convince people who had Planescape websites in the past not to give up producing new material for the setting, just because Planescape is no longer a published setting(Mimir.com 3rd edition) 3. Have great Planescape novels produced(Novelizations of Great Modron March and Dead Gods would be epics) 4. Convince Biowhere to base up in coming computer games off of Planescape, like they did with the award-winning game, Torment(WHICH I STILL HAVEN'T PLAYED! DARNIT)
#2 zombiegleemax Feb 04, 2004 15:56:39	More ideas. Pimp it mercilessly! If you see someone who seems like they might be interested, mention it and give them a link to planewalker. Also, Pimp it mercilessly! There's dozens of different angles for people to come into planescape from. Some people like it for the unlimited potential for power, some people like it for the war of philosophy, some people like it for the fact that anything, any style of adventure, any type of setting, has a place. No one need give up their favorite campaign setting to include planescape. Write Good Fiction. If I were any good at writing medievil-style fiction, I'd have a go at this. As it is, I'll still probably have a go at it sometime. Play Planescape. Print the entirety of the Planewalker.com stuff, make a few copies, have Kinko's put a binding on one. Bring it down to your local game store, the one they let people have whole sessions at, and try to start up a game. If the other players don't know planescape, which is likely, start them all as primes, on their little prime world (how quaint!) and promise them a wild ride through hell and creation. Deliver, if you can. A strong and dedicated fan base can keep anything alive and strong.
#3 zombiegleemax Feb 04, 2004 20:28:35	Try to get a write-up or ten in the D&D Mags; Dragon and maybe Dungeon if possible. Shemeska mentioned in an earlier thread that she had submitted some potential articles to Dragon Mag but got no reply. I remember WizODabus saying that this may have been because they have had many staff changes of lat. Dragon mag is the key. Because of the amount of readers that it gets, especially the new readers, publishing in it would let a lot of people know that Planescape is alive and well. Include the website link for people how would like to look into the setting further. Have you resubmitted the articles yet Shemeska?
#4 factol_rhys_dup Feb 04, 2004 20:38:07	Another one that mrgoat may have missed- pimp it mercilessly. Anytime people are even close to a related subject on another thread, talk about how "Planescape's got that, and they handle it in the coolest way." Mimir's pretty much officially retired, and there's not much of a chance of anyone making a Planescape computer game, since it's not an active setting. Even if they thought it was a good idea, I don't know if Wizards would give them the liscence. Get City of Doors Initiative to keep more active. They had a great thing going, but it's been painfully quiet there recently. We need to take advantage of the Neverwinter Nights crowd and get them hooked.
#5 Shemeska_the_Marauder Feb 04, 2004 22:13:28	I resubmitted, and the ideas didn't fit their ideas of stuff in the next while (at least since the editor changed they're no longer interested, the old one when I originally submitted it was indeed curious). Essentially my ideas were deemed to be too useful for DM's and not useful enough for players. shrug However I was given a list of things they might be interested in for the next while, and I may try my hand at a few of them, and then submit ideas for them. My original ideas for the dragon mag submission will very likely find their way onto Planewalker or the web in general since about half of each was written and I'll likely finish them in my spare time.
#6 zombiegleemax Feb 04, 2004 22:52:53	blinks You mean it's hard to get people? Hmm. Maybe I'm just weird, but I first saw it in passing on the manual of the planes board, and I was hooked within two days. The rest of "the guys" were tougher, I'll admit, but they were finally swayed by the descriptions of the factions (The fated, mostly). I don't see how people can not like planescape. What they have on planewalker.com is awesome. Hmm. Not quite sure this post warrants posting, but meh, it's my two cents. Incidentally, does anyone have a link to a glossary of planescape slang? Off topic, but meh.
#7 Ornum Feb 04, 2004 23:20:53	Here's a list of planar cant that should do. Planar Cant
#8 Shemeska_the_Marauder Feb 05, 2004 0:43:58	Woohoo! Another convert! cackles and rubs hands together
#9 zombiegleemax Feb 05, 2004 6:33:22	Essentially my ideas were deemed to be too useful for DM's and not useful enough for players. This was also the case with my second-to-the-last batch of proposals. Matthew Sernett wants to shift the focus of the magazine to players instead of DMs; it makes sense because the number of players in a gaming group greatly outstrips the number of DMS. Logically, if the magazine catered more to players, circulation should increase. (This is not something he said, just something I surmised.) We'll have to wait and see.
#10 zombiegleemax Feb 05, 2004 11:03:22	The ideal solution then Shemi, would be to have the articles cater to both DMs and Players. In some of my older issues(I subscibed from issues 226 to 262), had great articles, like Rakasta of Mystara(A new PC race, retooled for use in any campaign) or the old articles interducing new forms of magic, or new types of Wizards(Like Ice Paraelementalists, my favorite). Also, articles detailing new Gods(like the new Elven god articles in two of the issues I own), are catering to both DM's and Players. Its a hard balance, but its diffenitely not impossible. When Dragon Magazine was published by TSR, the entire focus of the Magazine was both DM's and Players, hopefully, when I start subscibing to Dragon again(its good reading), it will follow their example.
#11 zombiegleemax Feb 05, 2004 15:43:02	a good place try is www.community3e.com , there are a buch of people there, and by the look of the submissions you could at least rake in a few people. start a topic on the forum and they are bound to find it.