Week 1 of the Midgard campaign setting is now complete, and it has been full of surprises!
One non-surprise is that the Pathfinder RPG is the most popular set of rules patrons want for the setting. The bigger surprise of the week is that the Dragon Age RPG is the second most-popular.
The shocker is that 4th Edition D&D is not even in the top three. It fell behind 3.5 Edition Dungeons & Dragons, an edition unsupported by new releases. I know 4th Edition projects often see fairly shallow support, but I have to say it seems to have dropped to a whole new level. As a result, 4th Edition D&D may be out of the running as a supported rules set for Midgard—unless some strange late rush occurs. New results after the jump.
For one, the Midgard world was designed and run with 4E compatibility in mind. The D&D releases from Wizards of the Coast have all been releases from the 1E, 2E, and 3E era: Forgotten Realms, Dark Sun, and Eberron. There’s been no 4E-from-the-start setting.
The other reasons it’s odd is that—much as I love the AGE system, it is fairly closely linked to a single setting, Thedas. But like True20, it may be that Green Ronin has some mechanics that transcend setting, and are just great, fast fun.
So, patrons have surprised me again.
New Results as of Sunday Night: Dragon Age is still in second place, but 3.5E D&D has been left in the dust by an influx of votes for 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons. It’s a legit battle for that second rules slot, and it ain’t over till it’s over.
Maps and Funds
Discussion is early but busy. The patrons have downloaded the Midgard setting map and considered some tweaks to the Seven Cities region, perhaps turning a peninsula into an island. There’s further discussions coming, but overall, we’re off to a good start.
That good start also applies to project funding. We’re over the 60% mark, which is remarkable in just 7 days! My sincere thanks to everyone who has stepped up so far.
Next week’s plan: Discussing the first 3 or 4 regions, and I expect will close the gap to fund the second half of the project. Join the project today!
What do you think of the AGE System leap into the limelight? If you voted for it, is it your primary system or more of a light-rules change of pace?
My theory is that the people that like 4e also like Dragon Age, but didn’t have the opportunity to select it as a system before.
That is my situation, at least.
I have to admit that I am suprised that 4E didn’t make it among the first three.
But I am not sure if D&D 3.5 support is even necessary. Isn’t D&D 3.5 almost identical to Pathfinder?
As a strong supporter of rules-light systems I am glad that my fellow patrons voted for AEG. The system was created with the Dragon Age setting in mind but IMHO it shows a lot of promise for other settings as well. As far as I know Chris Pramas is already thinking about adding a fourth class and release AEG as a generic fantasy game. Midgard could then be very well the first setting for that system!
That’s a reasonable theory, sure.
But it’s also possible that the 4E fans prefer the “official” settings and don’t look much beyond what WotC creates. Or that they are already spoiled for choice.
I haven’t voted yet as I’m waiting for payday to join in, but I’m going AGE all the way. The system is so light yet robust that it’s achieved a place in my heart. A project like Midgard would be proof positive that it needs to go beyond just Dragon Age and stand on its own.
WoW! Very suprised that this 4e isn’t looking popular. I was thinking about joining in on this when there was a chance that 4e might be supported, but I don’t really play Pathfinder, so there might not be a need for me to get in on this one.
Perhaps if WOC didn’t continue to ruin the franchise by constantly dumbing it down, D&D 4.5 would be more popular rather than the most visible. And yes, by constantly reissuing the “Core” rule books in new formats (Reissuing the box? The compendiums?) not only is WOC watering down D&D, but turning people away from the product.
There’s always the chance to push for this, though. If folks want to make it happen, you can upgrade or stump on the appropriate sites– word of mouth is a powerful currency.
-Ben.
Well, at a certain point I fear it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. A patron who doesn’t get the system he or she wants can always take the refund, so there’s no risk.
But if no one signs up because a system is behind, then it certainly doesn’t win either. Guess we’ll see; the system poll is far from over.
I will be joining on Payday. I will be voting 4E. I also play pathfinder which I finder to be a much better system than 3.5. 4e is much more like the AD&D I played 30 years ago than pathfinder or 3.5. “Purists” always forget than Gygax and Arneson were looking for a way to do small group/individual miniatures. If they had access to 40K there would be no D&D.
Based on everything I have seen so far Midgard is the best setting on the Market.
Midgard looks like a good time, and payday is coming. Rules light, role play heavy…
Oh, and beer. Lots and lots of beer.
I’ll also be chiming in on Payday. This setting sounds amazing, and I definitely want to get involved :)
Crap, I wanted 4e! :)
I had planned to jump in on patronage for a while. I’m a big PFRPG fan so I just joined patronage after reading 4E is creeping up. Sure don’t want PFRPG to get displaced! See you on the boards…
Do we get two choices? I’ll go Pathfinder, but I’d support Dragon Age as second choice.
You get your choice of one, two, or many.
The second choice does seem to be boiling down to 4E or Dragon Age, as the 3E votes have faded away and other systems never quite caught on.