Why Do I Design For Older, Less-Popular Games?

For folks who are just joining us this week, my name is Neal, and I write RPGs for a living... or, at least, as part of my living. While a lot of my older supplements are game-neutral resources like 100 Cults to Encounter or 100 Fantasy Foods, recently I've been working on a lot of releases that are very game and edition-specific. For example, my supplements 100 Mourning Cant Dialects, Phrases, and Meanings and 100 (Mostly) Harmless Goblin Fruits and Oddments to Find in The Hedge are written specifically for the Chronicles of Darkness game Changeling: The Lost, and they're meant to be used in both editions of the game. Additionally I've been releasing supplements for my fantasy RPG setting Sundara: Dawn of a New Age all year, and while they're available in versions that are compatible with Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition, they're primarily conceived of (and written for) Pathfinder's first edition.

The most recent example, in case you want to get your copy today!

While there have been a lot of folks who are excited to see more content come off my desk for these and other projects, there have also been a lot of folks who are wondering why I'm keeping one foot in older editions at all. After all, the door has closed on those games. Nobody's playing them anymore, so why cater to them?

This week I'd like to provide answers to those questions, and to shed a little insight onto my goals and my process as a designer. As always, subscribe to my weekly newsletter if you want to stay on top of all my latest nonsense, and if you can afford to support my work consider buying a copy of anything I've got linked in this Monday's update, or becoming a Patreon patron if you want to tip me more directly!

Firstly, Because I Know I'm Not Alone

It's true that once a publisher stops creating new content for a certain system (or creates a great deal less content while focusing on other games), a lot of the player base moves on. Some folks will keep playing the older games and editions they like, though, working their way through all the content that's available for them.

And those folks are going to want fresh material.

This one's for all the necromancers out there! Get your copy!

Because while it's true that the audience for older editions isn't as big, there's often a lot less competition for eyeballs. And if bigger companies have moved on to greener pastures, the people who stayed behind are probably folks who want to see what else you can do with a game system even after it's been around for so many years. Which is why I hope to give them something unique and interesting to play with. Whether it's a Pathfinder Classic setting with no alignment, weird magic, and bizarre cultures, or just expanding on the sheer wildness of the stuff you might find wandering the Hedge in Changeling, I want to provide the remaining audience with something that fires their imaginations and gets them excited about having more adventures in these older games and editions.

Secondly, I Hope To Bring New Converts Back In

There is a truth about the publishing industry I learned as a novelist that applies equally well to tabletop gaming. In short, as long as there is interest in your niche, you're never going to run out of potential readers. And given how many people play tabletop RPGs (it's hard to get solid numbers, but I think it's safe to assume the audience is millions of people) that means there's a huge potential audience for me to reach. Not only that, but younger generations grow up, and people who weren't into tabletop games are going to keep trying out the hobby and exploring their options.

Functionally, this means I'm going to have an ever-refreshing pool of people that I can try to persuade to give my supplements and settings a try. And while I may not be able to get a commanding slice of the gaming populous (especially given that I'm a relatively small fish even within this niche industry), there's still going to be people for whom my content is intriguing and interesting.

Come in and have a look why don't you?

On the one hand, ensuring there are versions of my projects available for more popular systems is just smart business. After all, the more potential eyeballs you can draw your way, the larger the possible audience you have overall. But my hope is that there are going to be players out there who are growing tired of DND 5E, and who are looking for a stepping stone to a different game. And if someone is already fond of Sundara, and wants to explore a more nuanced take on the places I've already presented, it's just a jump to the left to walk these familiar streets in Pathfinder Classic.

This is, in a very real way, an example of what I talked about way back in 5 Things You Can Do To Be a Better Ambassador For Your Hobby. Because rather than complain about how my preferred editions have been left behind, or how there just isn't as much attention on games I like, my goal is to make interesting, intriguing content for my preferred games and edition that draws people in. Not to yell at people for, "playing the worse games," but instead to make something unique that might tempt folks to step into a different tent for a while. Maybe just for this one show, or maybe a little longer if they're enjoying what I'm laying down.

And if folks choose to stick with the other games they like better? Well, that's fine too, because whichever version they grab, at end of the day I still get paid.

Speaking of Pathfinder and My Sundara Setting...

If this is the first you're hearing of my Sundara: Dawn of a New Age setting, the idea is that it's a fantasy RPG that utterly removes alignment, and whose goal is to focus on moving forward rather than constantly looking back into some mythical, half-remembered past. A place of strange magics, unique discoveries, and constantly shifting alliances and borders, it's a realm filled with adventure as surely as any other!

And if you've already gotten your copy of Gods of Sundara (available for Pathfinder and DND 5E), consider checking out some of the Cities of Sundara splats that started this world off!

- Ironfire: The City of Steel (Pathfinder and 5E): Built around the Dragon Forge, Ironfire is where the secret to dragon steel was first cracked. The center of the mercenary trade in the region, as well as boasting some of the finest schools for teaching practical sciences, Ironfire is a place where discovery and danger walk hand in hand!

- Moüd: The City of Bones (Pathfinder and 5E): An ancient center of trade and magic, Moüd was lost to a cataclysm, and then buried in myth. Reclaimed by the necromantic arts of the Silver Wraiths guild, this city has once again become a place teeming with life. Despite the burgeoning population, though, it is the continued presence of the undead that helps keep the city running, ensuring that Moüd is not swallowed up once more.

- Silkgift: The City of Sails (Pathfinder and 5E): Built on the cottage industry of Archer cloth (an extremely durable material used for sails, windmills, etc.), Silkgift is a place that prizes invention and discovery. From gravity batteries that store the potential of the wind, to unique irrigation systems, to aether weapons, the city positively churns out discoveries... and then there's the canal they cut through the mountains that makes them a major center of trade across the region.

- Hoardreach: The City of Wyrms (Pathfinder and 5E): A center of power across an entire region, Hoardreach is ruled over by a Cooperation of five different dragons. A place for refugees and outcasts of all sorts, Hoardreach boasts some of the most unusual citizens and creations from across Sundara. Infamous for their sky ships, which require the cast-off scales and unique arcane sciences of the Dragon Works to take to the air, one never knows just what they'll find in this city built atop a mountain.

- Archbliss: The City of The Sorcerers (Pathfinder and 5E): A floating city in the sky, Archbliss has been a refuge for sorcerers for thousands of years. It's only in relatively recent years that the city has allowed those from the ground below who lack the power of a bloodline to join them in the clouds. However, while there are certainly amazing wonders to behold, there is a darkness in Archbliss. Something rotting away at its heart that could, if not healed, bring the city crashing to the ground once more.

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That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my cat noir thriller Marked Territory, its sequel Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

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