The Inside Scoop on Gaming

-What follows is a review of a different sort. TSR recently announced to the general public (at GenCon last month) that it shall release a 3rd edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (sans the Advanced) in August, 2000. To both appease the curiousity and whet the appetites of fans TSR has created a special website that will slowly trickle news and preview art for 3rd edition. Without D&D and the success it had in the late '70's and early '80's it is likely that the RPG industry would not exist. With the recent acquisition of TSR/WotC by Hasbro I expect that this latest edition of the game will receive widespread public marketing and advertisement.

In the technological age this new website (which may be accessed by typing in www.3rdedition.com) may be considered the focal point for getting the news out. It certainly would be the cheapest method for TSR to reach a great deal of people. Therefore, I will attempt to periodically review the contents of the website both for its content and how that might be of interest to gamers and for its appeal to neophytes who are just cruising the web looking for the latest thing. Mind you, I get verklempt just thinking about the day ANY RPG would be considered the "latest thing".

At the moment the website is clearly devoted to exisitng RPG fans. This makes sense, as a neophyte will probably not have heard of the "new" old game until a national marketing campaign (if any)is launched. The information presently available presupposes a knowledge of not only RPG's but of the technical rules of D&D. A FAQ is on-line explaining several of the differences between old rules and proposed rules and insight on the decisions behind re-releasing the game and the direction it might take in the future. Additionally there is a section devoted to the creative team members involved, providing background information and limited quotes; a chat room area for those who want to vent right now; a small section devoted to the "big announcement" of the 3rd edition release; and a downloadable preview art section.

Everything is at a rather preliminary stage, nothing major, not too much in-depth information. Gamers tend to either love or revile D&D, so the questions in the FAQ tend towards damage control more than anything else. "Aren't you all just a bunch of suits?"; "Isn't this a scam to get more money out of me?"; "Was this even playtested?" Answers given tend to border on apologetic. There is an obvious attempt to cast the creative crew and WotC in particular as being very fan-of-the-game oriented and pro-1st edition. Are we, the internet browsing gaming public, so averse to TSR and D&D? Given the number of TSR detractors and lack of reviews of their product on rpg.net I'll have to assume so. I think it's sad that this damage control is necessary. Why are gamers so cynical? Odd that we should hate an important part of our own industry for perceived slights.

The preview artwork is by Sam Wood and Todd Lockwood, pencil and ink work I believe. Extremely professional artists, each with individualistic styles that conform to their own sense of reality. That is to say, while the styles may not be hyper-realistic in terms of body shape and proportion, they remain consistent in their own proportion and style. I am a fan of both artists, love the energy in their figures, even if all are standing still posing. Unfortunately that's all they're doing, no action sequences just yet. Hopefully, those shall be forthcoming as that's what sells the game and builds the excitement. You want to play the game to capture the feeling and emotion presented in the art. Figures standing still, seemingly posing for a camera don't evoke that passion, no matter how well they are drawn. Now I must prove myself a liar, as the half-orc paladin, standing regal with his piggish nose, battle armor and sword the size of a battle ship, is just striking. Visiting the site just to look at this piece is worth it. I recommend you stick around and look at the other pieces also, but don't miss the paladin.

I'll review the status and content of the site again in 4 months to determine if it has made any strides in terms of appealing to a greater amount of gamers (meaning potential gamers) and whether efforts have been made to expand news of the game beyond the existing RPG community. Please feel free to comment on what you think should be presented on the site and what would appeal to you as an individual. Also, if you hate D&D and are adverse to any new edition no matter the content, why? No, I don't work for them, I clerk for a Judge and this is what I do when I should be researching case law.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 3 (Average)

Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition Internet Preview Site
Author: various Category: Internet Previews Company/Publisher: TSR/WotC/Hasbro Line: D&D Page count: n/a Capsule Review by Steve Pickios on 09/15/99. Genre tags: Fantasy	-What follows is a review of a different sort. TSR recently announced to the general public (at GenCon last month) that it shall release a 3rd edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (sans the Advanced) in August, 2000. To both appease the curiousity and whet the appetites of fans TSR has created a special website that will slowly trickle news and preview art for 3rd edition. Without D&D and the success it had in the late '70's and early '80's it is likely that the RPG industry would not exist. With the recent acquisition of TSR/WotC by Hasbro I expect that this latest edition of the game will receive widespread public marketing and advertisement. In the technological age this new website (which may be accessed by typing in www.3rdedition.com) may be considered the focal point for getting the news out. It certainly would be the cheapest method for TSR to reach a great deal of people. Therefore, I will attempt to periodically review the contents of the website both for its content and how that might be of interest to gamers and for its appeal to neophytes who are just cruising the web looking for the latest thing. Mind you, I get verklempt just thinking about the day ANY RPG would be considered the "latest thing". At the moment the website is clearly devoted to exisitng RPG fans. This makes sense, as a neophyte will probably not have heard of the "new" old game until a national marketing campaign (if any)is launched. The information presently available presupposes a knowledge of not only RPG's but of the technical rules of D&D. A FAQ is on-line explaining several of the differences between old rules and proposed rules and insight on the decisions behind re-releasing the game and the direction it might take in the future. Additionally there is a section devoted to the creative team members involved, providing background information and limited quotes; a chat room area for those who want to vent right now; a small section devoted to the "big announcement" of the 3rd edition release; and a downloadable preview art section. Everything is at a rather preliminary stage, nothing major, not too much in-depth information. Gamers tend to either love or revile D&D, so the questions in the FAQ tend towards damage control more than anything else. "Aren't you all just a bunch of suits?"; "Isn't this a scam to get more money out of me?"; "Was this even playtested?" Answers given tend to border on apologetic. There is an obvious attempt to cast the creative crew and WotC in particular as being very fan-of-the-game oriented and pro-1st edition. Are we, the internet browsing gaming public, so averse to TSR and D&D? Given the number of TSR detractors and lack of reviews of their product on rpg.net I'll have to assume so. I think it's sad that this damage control is necessary. Why are gamers so cynical? Odd that we should hate an important part of our own industry for perceived slights. The preview artwork is by Sam Wood and Todd Lockwood, pencil and ink work I believe. Extremely professional artists, each with individualistic styles that conform to their own sense of reality. That is to say, while the styles may not be hyper-realistic in terms of body shape and proportion, they remain consistent in their own proportion and style. I am a fan of both artists, love the energy in their figures, even if all are standing still posing. Unfortunately that's all they're doing, no action sequences just yet. Hopefully, those shall be forthcoming as that's what sells the game and builds the excitement. You want to play the game to capture the feeling and emotion presented in the art. Figures standing still, seemingly posing for a camera don't evoke that passion, no matter how well they are drawn. Now I must prove myself a liar, as the half-orc paladin, standing regal with his piggish nose, battle armor and sword the size of a battle ship, is just striking. Visiting the site just to look at this piece is worth it. I recommend you stick around and look at the other pieces also, but don't miss the paladin. I'll review the status and content of the site again in 4 months to determine if it has made any strides in terms of appealing to a greater amount of gamers (meaning potential gamers) and whether efforts have been made to expand news of the game beyond the existing RPG community. Please feel free to comment on what you think should be presented on the site and what would appeal to you as an individual. Also, if you hate D&D and are adverse to any new edition no matter the content, why? No, I don't work for them, I clerk for a Judge and this is what I do when I should be researching case law. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 3 (Average)

Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition Internet Preview Site