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Author Topic: 'Forgey' stuff in the UK?  (Read 4711 times)

Franklin

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'Forgey' stuff in the UK?
« on: January 08, 2007, 10:43:23 AM »
I've been making an effort to read up on a lot of the theory on here and looking at some of the 'competition'. A lot of the 'Forgey' theory, sites and games come from the USA (it seems to me), but has this kind of thing spread to the UK?

Most of the games shops I know of stock a good range of RPGs, but I've almost never seen any of the 'non-traditional' games mentioned here on the shelves. I've also never met anyone who plays any of these games. or, at least, has never played more than once.

So, are there folks in the UK producing 'Forgey' games? I know Mongoose produce solid OGL stuff (not always my thing, but more power to them), there's that new Corporation RPG (which seems quite intriguing) and a|state from a few years back (but that seems to have disappeared off the map). Is it the case that the Uk is relatively free of what I'm increasingly seeing from reading a lot of threads and blogs as a bunch of pseudo-arty nonsense? Conversely, are there any good UK games that I might not have heard of?

Thanks
Frank
 

Balbinus

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'Forgey' stuff in the UK?
« Reply #1 on: January 08, 2007, 01:22:50 PM »
Contenders is a current Forge favourite and is I think UK based.  Cold City is definitely UK based, it's from the guys who made A/State which is not at all a Forge game but post that they've got more into the Forge design philosophy.

As a general rule though, a lot of the Forge guys know each other in person and the ability to physically play together seems quite important, so it tends to be a US led phenomenon.

GRIM

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'Forgey' stuff in the UK?
« Reply #2 on: January 08, 2007, 02:41:44 PM »
I think I'd characterise the difference between the UK Indy output and the Forge type output as 'Eccentric rather than pretentious'.
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J Arcane

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'Forgey' stuff in the UK?
« Reply #3 on: January 08, 2007, 03:32:02 PM »
Quote
Most of the games shops I know of stock a good range of RPGs, but I've almost never seen any of the 'non-traditional' games mentioned here on the shelves. I've also never met anyone who plays any of these games. or, at least, has never played more than once.

Thing is, that's pretty much the case in the US as well.
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jhkim

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'Forgey' stuff in the UK?
« Reply #4 on: January 08, 2007, 03:47:58 PM »
Hogshead Publishing (with its "New Style" line of games) and Pelgrane Press (publishers of the Dying Earth RPG) are sort of predecessors to the Forge in their release of quirky narrative games.  I met a number of UK-based authors who were selling at the Forge booth at GenCon Indy this past year.  Here are some UK companies represented at the Forge booth and/or Indie Press Revolution.  

Gregor Hutton's BoxNinja - http://www.boxninja.com/
Jonathan Ridd's Cold Blooded Games - http://www.coldbloodedgames.com/
Contested Ground Studios - http://www.contestedground.co.uk/
JJ Prince's Prince of Darkness Games - http://www.princeofdarknessgames.com/
Andrew Kenrick's Steampower Publishing - http://www.steampowerpublishing.co.uk/

For a more complete listing, you can see my list of UK game companies:

http://www.darkshire.net/jhkim/rpg/companies/bycountry/UK.html

arminius

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'Forgey' stuff in the UK?
« Reply #5 on: January 08, 2007, 06:03:42 PM »
If Dead of Night (from Steampower) is available in the UK, you might want to check it out. It's not Forge, but it has some similarities.

A lot of the Forge and other independent/small press games are available as PDFs, some of them at very reasonable prices (around $10). So that might be a way to check some of them out without too much risk. Come to think of it, a few of them have free samples or demos, includes Capes and Sorcerer. And others have at least their alpha/"first draft" versions over at http://www.1km1kt.net/ , while others are available for free. Also, the Shadow of Yesterday is available completely free at Clinton Nixon's site.

Franklin

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'Forgey' stuff in the UK?
« Reply #6 on: January 09, 2007, 05:59:31 AM »
Thanks for all the info guys, it really is appreciated.

My main wonder in all this was whether or not the 'Forge/Indie' philosophy had spread across the Atlantic and how much it was affecting UK games. Unfortunately, it seem slike it has. I've checked out the links in this thread and it seems to me like a lot of these games a stupidly specific (boxers, I mean, come on!) or just the kind of thing that most people just wouldn't want to pla (teenage girls with issues? Not exactly a fun evening of gaming). More disappoitingly, it seems like a company I had previously liked (even though I thought they had disappeared, turns out they haven't) seem to have gone down the road of producing wanky, ultra-specific stuff.

So, are these guys just following the lead of the Forgites/indie crowd in the USA? Have British games companies lost their independence of thought and stuff? Seems to me like they have.

Then again, I might try to get a couple of these games (the cheap ones!) on PDF so I can see what they are like and speak from a position of knowledge. Know thine enemy and all that!

Thanks
Frank
 

jhkim

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'Forgey' stuff in the UK?
« Reply #7 on: January 09, 2007, 01:03:55 PM »
Quote from: Franklin
So, are these guys just following the lead of the Forgites/indie crowd in the USA? Have British games companies lost their independence of thought and stuff? Seems to me like they have.

Then again, I might try to get a couple of these games (the cheap ones!) on PDF so I can see what they are like and speak from a position of knowledge. Know thine enemy and all that!

As I mentioned, the Hogshead "New Style" line predates the Forge.  The line includes Puppetland (1999), where you play puppets and every word you say while sitting at the table is in-character -- so rather than "I attack him" you say "I hit you, you nasty brute!  Take that!"  They also have The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1998), which is a GMless game about swapping outlandish stories.  There was also Pantheon and Other Games (2000) -- a GMless system with five scenarios including a soap opera setup and gods creating a world out of nothing.  

If anything, the Forge has taken a fair bit of influence from these games.  It's also true, though, that games like Best Friends have been influenced by the Forge.  So it goes both ways.  

Then again, the American scene has always had influences back and forth with England on all levels.  Mongoose Publishing (based out of Wiltshire) certainly sells well in the U.S. and has a fair bit of influence, for example.

blakkie

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'Forgey' stuff in the UK?
« Reply #8 on: January 09, 2007, 01:13:16 PM »
Quote from: J Arcane
Thing is, that's pretty much the case in the US as well.

That was certainly the case for me up to about a dozen years after D&D was first released. I'd never met anyone that had played it...that I know of. It is also the case for the majority of the games mentioned here. I don't even know anyone in the flesh that I know has played Traveller.

The numbers are relatively small. Maybe the internet is good for something other than pRon? Nah, couldn't be. :)
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J Arcane

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'Forgey' stuff in the UK?
« Reply #9 on: January 09, 2007, 02:01:16 PM »
Quote from: blakkie
That was certainly the case for me up to about a dozen years after D&D was first released. I'd never met anyone that had played it...that I know of. It is also the case for the majority of the games mentioned here. I don't even know anyone in the flesh that I know has played Traveller.

The numbers are relatively small. Maybe the internet is good for something other than pRon? Nah, couldn't be. :)

Can you do me a real favor, blakkie?  

Next time you wish to make yet another pathetic attempt at baiting the local audience, could you at least do so without quoting myself and others out of context?

That'd be great.  Ta!
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blakkie

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'Forgey' stuff in the UK?
« Reply #10 on: January 09, 2007, 02:06:57 PM »
Quote from: J Arcane
Can you do me a real favor, blakkie?  

Next time you wish to make yet another pathetic attempt at baiting the local audience, could you at least do so without quoting myself and others out of context?

That'd be great.  Ta!

If you'll do me a favour. Don't [incorrectly] assume I'm baiting by trying help put something into perspective.  Really, I didn't realize this was the "don't post any thought out decenting opinion that'll rock the boat" forum? Was that the point of these forums? If so I'd really like to hear about it?
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J Arcane

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'Forgey' stuff in the UK?
« Reply #11 on: January 09, 2007, 02:17:00 PM »
Quote from: blakkie
If you'll do me a favour. Don't [incorrectly] assume I'm baiting by trying help put something into perspective.  Really, I didn't realize this was the "don't post any thought out decenting opinion that'll rock the boat" forum? Was that the point of these forums? If so I'd really like to hear about it?
Yeah, cause post after post trashing on traditional games, or just baiting the Pundit, is so very "helpful".

Get over yourself, kid.  The act got old months ago.
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blakkie

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'Forgey' stuff in the UK?
« Reply #12 on: January 09, 2007, 02:19:11 PM »
Quote from: J Arcane
Yeah, cause post after post trashing on traditional games, or just baiting the Pundit, is so very "helpful".

WTF did I "trash" anything in that post???? Huh? Where?

Talk about getting over shit.
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J Arcane

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'Forgey' stuff in the UK?
« Reply #13 on: January 09, 2007, 02:20:18 PM »
Quote from: blakkie
WTF did I "trash" anything in that post???? Huh? Where?

Talk about getting over shit.
Here's another request, fuckstick.

NEVER treat me like I'm a fucking idiot.
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blakkie

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'Forgey' stuff in the UK?
« Reply #14 on: January 09, 2007, 02:25:39 PM »
Quote from: J Arcane
Here's another request, fuckstick.

NEVER treat me like I'm a fucking idiot.

How about not avoiding the question? Where?
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