I’m currently running two campaigns using the Against the Darkmaster ("VsD") fantasy role-playing game, one set in my homebrew setting of Ukrasia, the other in Middle-earth (for both, I am making use of some of my old ICE Middle-earth Roleplaying material, which is easy to do, given that VsD draws heavily upon MERP). So, I’m obviously a big fan of the game!
Hence, I was interested to watch the "Question-and-Answer" episode for 2024 with Open Ended Games (the folks behind VsD). It can be found on YouTube here.
A few interesting announcements were made by OEG:
- The most significant is that a space-based version of VsD will be coming out at some point, called Against the Star Master. (The mention of “star blades” makes me think that it will resemble Star Wars in some ways.) It looks like the playtest “quick start” rules should be available sometime in 2025, although the full game likely will not be finalized for a while.
- A companion to cover higher-level (“mythic”) characters is going to be produced at some point (although almost certainly not in 2025).
- A couple of new adventures will be coming out for VsD (probably available in 2025).
- A new “deluxe edition” version of the core rules – with a new (hopefully sturdier) GM screen – will be coming out soon-ish.
Man, they aren't even being subtle about doing their own version of StarMaster, are they? I'll get enthusiastic when they branch out into mini/board games and do a "Quiet Mortality" starfighter game. Not like Metal Express is ever going to get their own new edition of SD done.
ReplyDeleteLOL!
DeleteAlthough there was never a "MERP" (i.e., simplified/streamlined) version of SpaceMaster. (VsD is far more MERP-ish than RM-ish.)
I don't know about that. It wasn't officially a separate game the way MERP was, but that Spacemaster: Privateer book and its supplements that came out late in ICE's active lifespan felt like very much the same thing. Wholly different setting, arguably slimmed-down rules, aimed at getting people to jump in on a game without a ton of pre-existing books for it. If Privateer was a MERP per se, it sure felt like it was trying to do some of the same things.
DeleteOf course, not having connection to an IP as huge as Middle Earth didn't do it any favors.
I had forgotten about the Privateers line (I never owned any of those books). Perhaps that was indeed MERP-ish.
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