Quote from: GameDaddy;1102855Matt Colville. Has anyone heard how his million dollar RPG Kickstarter is doing? Did he deliver the goods on time, and finish with grace. or is this one of them semi-fraudulent take the money and run kind of gamer deals?

It was a little late, but not bad for a 1st kickstarter.  I think the streaming, the physical move and the minis probably contributed most of the delay.  Matt was good at communicating during the kickstarter so that was in his favor.  I like the book and use it for extensively in my Primeval Thule campaign.

As for the 'woke' garbage, he strikes me as someone who would prefer to leave all the garbage at the door and just play games.  Since he has a higher profile he probably regurgitates just enough to keep from being blacklisted.  Maybe trying to find a middle ground so he doesn't lose customers?  Kinda sad, but I'll still accept that versus the level of garbage coming from WOTC, etc.

I finally finished watching the video as Matt's elitism was insufferable. It's not surprising that I disagreed with just about everything he said considering he thinks of RPGs as an "exercise in storytelling" and his constant references to "movies do this", "novels do that", etc.  RPGs do a terrible job being novels and movies.

When DMs say, "how do I get my players to role-play", this is, more often than not, them saying, "how do I get my players invested in my game world and metaplot" rather than "how do I get my characters to have complex motivations." At least IME.

Quote from: GameDaddy;1102855Matt Colville. Has anyone heard how his million dollar RPG Kickstarter is doing? Did he deliver the goods on time, and finish with grace. or is this one of them semi-fraudulent take the money and run kind of gamer deals?

He delivered the book, the minis and his studio is a streaming dream, so I would say he delivered.

It is a great book! I find it highly useful. I did not back for the minis (having more minis that I know what do do with).

Not OSR. Nobody buy his book thinking it is some 5E OSR homage. But it does play into the old-school "let's get a keep."

Quote from: cranebump;1102864Sorta like what happens to righties when The Squad is mentioned?

What Democrat players know what The Squad even is?

Quote from: cranebump;1102869Heh. Probably an apt representation of how Trump voter views society at large (around here, anyway).

Cranebump came unhinged.

Quote from: hedgehobbit;1102925I finally finished watching the video as Matt's elitism was insufferable.

Whatever else he is, Colville is not elitist. Time and again he goes out of his way to say if you're having fun, you're doing it right.

Quote from: hedgehobbit;1102925It's not surprising that I disagreed with just about everything he said considering he thinks of RPGs as an "exercise in storytelling" and his constant references to "movies do this", "novels do that", etc.  RPGs do a terrible job being novels and movies.

I agree RPGs do a terrible job being novels and movies. But for better or worse, that's what 90+ per cent of the people who play D&D today expect and want out of the game.

Quote from: hedgehobbit;1102925When DMs say, "how do I get my players to role-play", this is, more often than not, them saying, "how do I get my players invested in my game world and metaplot" rather than "how do I get my characters to have complex motivations." At least IME.

You're probably right. And while I enjoy Colville's insights and advice, and think he's been a benefit to the culture of contemporary D&D, he has a really bad case of DM as world-building novelist. His actual play streams and after-game analysis of his campaign are unbearable. The whole thing is an exercise in Colville having a bunch of co-workers act out his ridiculously elaborate plots in his ridiculously over-stuffed game setting.

Still, Colville is by far the most old-school of the RPG influencers with widespread popularity out there. If it wasn't for him, modern D&D players would be utterly ignorant of D&D modes of play and norms from pre-WotC D&D.

Quote from: Shawn Driscoll;1102998Cranebump came unhinged.

Well, Shawn, you would obviously know unhinged wouldn't you? I assume it's a prime requisite for your vote.:-)

If I may clarify. “Around here” meant where I currently live, not this site. Not that paranoia isn’t part and parcel of some folks’s online persona...

Quote from: Shawn Driscoll;1102997What Democrat players know what The Squad even is?

Um...which squad?

Quote from: Haffrung;1103028And while I enjoy Colville's insights and advice, and think he's been a benefit to the culture of contemporary D&D, he has a really bad case of DM as world-building novelist. His actual play streams and after-game analysis of his campaign are unbearable. The whole thing is an exercise in Colville having a bunch of co-workers act out his ridiculously elaborate plots in his ridiculously over-stuffed game setting.

Yes.  I've watched Colville's videos from the start, and his early vids about running the game and becoming a confident DM are really good viewing.  So I was looking forward to his actual play sessions that he's been teasing for quite some time.  But then the actual play streams turned out to be mind-numbingly boring and unwatchable for me.  As many play streams are, but I suppose I was hoping that Colville's would at least be somewhat entertaining.  And they're not at all.  Such a disappointment.

Quote from: cranebump;1102864Sorta like what happens to righties when The Squad is mentioned?

I cheer when The Squad is mentioned. That's Trump's re-election team in action!

Quote from: Haffrung;1103028I agree RPGs do a terrible job being novels and movies. But for better or worse, that's what 90+ per cent of the people who play D&D today expect and want out of the game.

That expectation isn't new.

It's natural for RPGers to want their PCs to be like movie and book heroes.

What has changed is how RPGers have lost the concept of "RPGs as a game" where losing and failure are normal aspects of play. Whereas board game and minis players have no expectation that their games will cater to their wish fulfillment fantasies.

Quote from: Crusader X;1103064Yes.  I've watched Colville's videos from the start, and his early vids about running the game and becoming a confident DM are really good viewing.  So I was looking forward to his actual play sessions that he's been teasing for quite some time.  But then the actual play streams turned out to be mind-numbingly boring and unwatchable for me.  As many play streams are, but I suppose I was hoping that Colville's would at least be somewhat entertaining.  And they're not at all.  Such a disappointment.

Real D&D doesn't make for good viewing.

Quote from: mAcular Chaotic;1103095Real D&D doesn't make for good viewing.

That's why I prefer fake D&D which doesn't have out-of-character talking in it.

Quote from: Spinachcat;1103093That expectation isn't new.

It's natural for RPGers to want their PCs to be like movie and book heroes.

What has changed is how RPGers have lost the concept of "RPGs as a game" where losing and failure are normal aspects of play.

Whereas board game and minis players have no expectation that their games will cater to their wish fulfillment fantasies.

1: Its been around quite a while. See the Giants in the Earth series in Dragon for example. Or the fact OD&D drew from ALOT of sources and is not just the Hobbit.

2: From experience Id have to disagree. It is actually not normal for players to want their characters t be like those in movies and books. What they do want fairly common is to adventure in the worlds OF those movies and books. And for whatever reason a fair chunk of those seem to gravitate to the places that success is not a guarantee and defeat or death are real threats to the characters.

3a: I'd say it is more the reverse sometimes. RPGers wanting it to MORE game and less, or no, RPG. And others who want less, or no, game at all. In between that are a broad spectrum of playstyles.

3b: Usually. But there is a small faction who do not like co-ops where you lose often, or in a few rare cases, can lose at all. Most though are not that far off the edge.

Quote from: mAcular Chaotic;1103095Real D&D doesn't make for good viewing.

So much this. I'm baffled by the amount of actual play podcasts and YouTube vids out there and the amount of people who spend hours watching those, as they're extremely boring for me.

It's weird huh? I mean, most sports/activities I engage with feels entertaining to watch too, but not so with RPGs. Why is that?

Quote from: mAcular Chaotic;1103095Real D&D doesn't make for good viewing.

Generally I agree, though I've found some livestreams to be entertaining.  The Tomb of Annihilation one with Matt Mercer, Joe Manganiello, and Deborah Ann Woll was good.  Of course, these are three very charismatic people, so they are a big factor in its watchability.

Though Critical Role has charismatic players, but I find the show boring and I can't sit through a full episode.

There's a "D&D With Highschoolers" series which is ok.  But I like it mainly for the teaching aspect of it.  

Likewise the following series was decent, mainly to watch an experienced DM teaching a game to mostly likeable noobs:

[video=youtube;-oIIZJeVGpc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oIIZJeVGpc&t=11s[/youtube]

And the tattooed blonde is smoking hot, which admittedly contributed greatly to my interest in the show.