Fudge RPG - Ian's GenCon UK report

Important! This is an archived mailing list. Subscription information included in any messages is no longer current. Over the years, addresses and websites have changed. Follow offsite links at your own risk.


From: DrIanMcDonald

Date: Mon, 03 Sep 2001 21:55:36 GMT

Subject: Ian's GenCon UK report


DEMO GAMES

On Friday, I ran a fully subscribed Fudge Bunnies and Burrows game,
which went really well. I used Steffan's sample characters, and
converted the rescue adventure from G:B&B, also by Steffan. We met near
the queue for RPGA events, and there was some good-natured jeering from
the RPGA organisers about "We're not having any Bunnies and Burrows
here!". I threatened them with the Owsla.

Predictably, Fudge and the genre were explained in 5 minutes. (For
comparison, I timed fifty minutes to do the same in the Exalted demo.)
The most enthusiastic player already had Fudge, but had never played it.
There were four players who I guessed were older than thirty, and four
who knew each other and seemed around 20. Interestingly, I think the
oldest half got more out of it. I got a round of applause at the end,
which still gives me a warm feeling - I've never had one for GMing
before. A good chunk of the applause belongs to Steffan, for the setting
material, the adventure, the rules, *and* the PCs.

On Saturday (day 3), I decided after a bad experience with RPGA to run
Another Fine Mess on the final day, Sunday. Come Sunday, I got two
players, both of them repeats, so I didn't run it. (But I did get to
play Once Upon a Time with one of them, which was a personal goal for
the convention.)

There are a handful for possible explanations for the difference:
* Rabbits are a more popular genre than Wizards' familiars
* The second day, even if a Friday, is bigger than the last
* The poster for the first was neatly printed, with the proper Fudge
logo, whereas the second was in my *awful* handwriting.

TRADERS

I didn't see any Fudge products on sale. I asked around, and there was a
chance that Leisure Games had brought some Fudge dice with them but not
enough ... but no-one was selling any.

NEW VICTORIANA GAME

A company called New Breed are bringing out a game called "Dark
Continent". It's a historically accurate, well illustrated RPG of the
early age of African exploration - the 1860s and 1870s, before the dash
for Africa began and armies made the difference instead of PC-sized
groups. Their small stall was gorgeously decorated with fake fur, masks,
flywhisks and painted Victoriana figures. I had a chat with one of the
writers. Although I didn't take a close look, he claimed it was written
to be easily convertible. (Perhaps they all do, but somehow I believed
him.) 

I suggested including Fudge stats in future materials, but he doesn't
want to treat on the toes of Terra Incognita. I'll pass on his email
address to Ann, and perhaps she'll reassure him on that point. When I
*find* the email address :). And if, of course, she *wants* him to
include Fudge stats. Personally, I don't think that should be a problem
- if Fudge is successful, Fudge products are bound to compete with each
other sooner or later. 

Apparently, they sold 100 copies at the convention, more than breaking
even.

Their future plans include scenarios with setting material, rather than
vice versa. Whether that works financially is yet to be seen.

Obviously, this competes with the TI Africa book.

LISTMEMBERS

I met one or two.

-- 
Ian McDonald

http://www.tardis.ed.ac.uk/~type40/alternative.html
http://travel.to/startrekcolony - Star Trek: Colony site & .mov
http://www.tardis.ed.ac.uk/~type40/who-rpg.html - Dr. Who RPGs
-- -----------------------------------------------
The Fudge List FAQ is at http://fudge.phoenyx.net/
** Don't start deliberately off-topic threads. ** 

SequenceFirst LineUsernameDate
0 other one? TimHall 2001-09-03 22:14:09
1 DEMO GAMES On Friday, I ran a fully subscribed Fudge Bunnies and Burrows game, which went really well. DrIanMcDonald 2001-09-03 21:55:36
2 Bunnies and Burrows game, > which went really well. GhostGames 2001-09-04 13:05:16