KhorasForum

So, here's just a short little video with an interview with Mike Mearls: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGFHTAe-wnc

There are a number of interesting points, but one in particular amused me, and I thought I'd point it out: 4th Edition was, in fact, absolutely intended to make D&D more like World of Warcraft.

Anyway, just thought it was worth a watch, and I'd love to hear any thoughts anyone else has.

I watched the video and, yeah, pretty much matched my expectations. They absolutely were trying to make 4e feel and function like a video game. And that's precisely why I dislike 4th Edition.

I don't really have anything good to say about Mike Mearls or the last two editions of D&D so I'm just going to keep my mouth shut and go back to work on my own game.

Yes, I have been building my own table top RPG for the last 3 1/2 years. I probably have another year or two to go. We did a lot of playtesting in 2023 and 2024. I'm pretty proud of everything I've built so far. It is very different from D&D. It shares a couple of similar rules, but departs from D&D dramatically in several key areas. I can't wait to unveil it to the world.

I don't expect it sell like hotcakes. I'm going to publish it on this website and on DrivethruRPG and maybe some other sites. If I manage to sell a few copies, I'll be happy. The point is that I'm building the game I've always wanted to play. And when all is said and done, that's all that matters.

To be honest, I don't play D&D anymore. I haven't played in several years. I am playing my new game exclusively. Really excited to finish it up and put it out into the world and see what people think. As I get closer to release, I will probably post more about it on the site here.

Also, that's why there has been so little development on the Khoras website the last couple years. Most of my focus has been on this new RPG. But the website is benefiting from some of the medieval research I've done for the game. I want the two to be fairly in-sync.

Anyway, thanks for posting the video link. It was interesting.

Certainly! 

I haven't been doing much work on my own game for a few years due to increased school commitments—I should finally finish my undergrad next spring, and am spending this summer reading something like 3,000–4,000 pages of self-assigned texts for my Departmental Honors—but I understand completely your frustrations with D&D and excitement about your own game. I look forward to seeing what you've come up with once it's where you're happy with it!

I will say that, personally, I was somewhat concerned that any chance for my game to sell even slightly would dry up once the next edition/ruleset of D&D dropped, but honestly, with the way that Hasbro and Wizards have fumbled their IP, I'm much less concerned. But I do like to keep an eye on some of what's going on in the wider industry, both in terms of the major publishers and the indies. I figure it can't hurt to know the landscape in which players will be encountering my game. Glad you found some interest, if not amusement, in the video. 

I would encourage you to finish your game when you find time. I, for one, would love to see it.

As for the wider industry, let things unfold as they will. I'm not really even concerning myself with where the industry is going. I've looked at a lot of games and explored what I like and don't like. I agree the industry seems to be changing every year. And maybe my game will be seen as outdated and old-fashioned and won't connect with younger gamers today. And that's fine with me. I think the audience for my RPG will be quite small, but hopefully fervent.