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Warcraft pen and paper RPG
Warcraft Pen-And-Paper RPG Interview
11 April 2003 01:00 - John [JCal] Callaham
Sword and Sorcery Studios (a subsidiary of White Wolf Publishing) recently announced plans to create a pen-and-paper RPG based on Blizzard's hit Warcraft game franchise. HomeLAN got a chance to chat with the game's managing editor Andrew Bates and game designer E. Deirdre Brooks to find out more about their plans for the Warcraft RPG.
HomeLAN - How did the idea come about to adapt Warcraft as an pen-and-paper RPG?
Andrew Bates - I really don't know, to be honest. Sword & Sorcery took over the license from Wizards of the Coast, so I couldn't say who first had the idea. It's a pretty obvious idea, though -- well, at least to me. The Warcraft computer games focus on mass combat strategy, but they're set in a world rich with ideas. Ever since I played the first Warcraft computer game, I thought it'd be cool to roleplay in the setting.
The folks at Blizzard have a similar interest. You can see that in their plans to launch the World of Warcraft online game -- plus, a bunch of them are huge d20 fans. They've been very enthusiastic about seeing Warcraft released in pen-and-paper form.
HomeLAN - WotC had the Warcraft license originally. How did Sword and Sorcery come to take it on?
Andrew Bates - Being in the right place at the right time, I suppose. As you may recall, Wizards of the Coast released a Starcraft pen-and-paper RPG years ago, and a Diablo sourcebook more recently. They were designing a Warcraft sourcebook a few years back, but put publication on hold. (You'd have to talk to them as to why, but I think it's all for the best. We received their manuscript as part of the license arrangement, but much of it's outdated compared to Blizzard's published material and the focus is very different from where Sword & Sorcery is headed with the Warcraft RPG.)
Anyway, Warcraft happened to come up in the course of talking about our other WotC licenses, Ravenloft and Gamma World. We're big Blizzard fans and they've liked our stuff, too. Since WotC was willing also, transferring the license benefitted everyone.
In fact, not only has Blizzard been enthusiastic about the game's development, but WotC's also given it their stamp of approval. The Warcraft core campaign setting will release under the Dungeons & Dragons banner, and will be fully compatible with the revised 3rd Edition rules. All that help combined with Sword & Sorcery's talented folks should make for an amazing game.
HomeLAN - Sword and Sorcery has also created a pen-and-paper RPG based on Everquest as well. What is the attraction to make RPGs based on PC games?
Andrew Bates - It's not so much PC games as it is strong properties. We're not concerned with where an RPG candidate comes from, as long as the concept is creative and dynamic. That being said, we are careful about not wanting to simply tread the same ground. We were ambivalent about doing Warcraft at first since we're already producing the EverQuest RPG. Warcraft has an exciting setting and it's distinct from EverQuest in focus and tone, so we decided to take the plunge.
HomeLAN - Can you reveal any future plans for adapting other PC games to the pen-and-paper RPG format?
Andrew Bates - We don't have any other plans regarding PC games at this time. EverQuest and Warcraft are plenty for us to handle!
HomeLAN - Finally is there anything else you wish to say about the Warcraft RPG?
Andrew Bates - The RPG does a fantastic job of translating the computer game world from real-time strategy to interactive tabletop roleplaying. D&D's revised 3rd Edition rules are a perfect fit for the game, so you could even plunk Warcraft elements in any d20 campaign. I'm jazzed about it, as a game designer and as a fan. Warcraft RPG is just as fun as a pen-and-paper game as it is as a computer game.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HomeLAN - Why was the decision made to use the Dungeons and Dragons rules for the Warcraft game?
E. Deirdre Brooks - As far as I understand, it's what Blizzard wanted. I don't want it to sound like it was forced on anyone, however. Dungeons & Dragons is a great system for Warcraft's kind of fantasy. Both have elves, dwarves, powerful wizards and evil necromancers. What's not to like?
HomeLAN - How hard will it be for fans of the Warcraft RTS games to get into playing the Warcraft RPG?
E. Deirdre Brooks - I hope it won't be hard at all. The setting familiarity is already there -- anyone who's played any of the Warcraft RTS games will find something to recognize in the RPG. It's all the same world, taken to a different level of detail. Granted, the RTS is geared toward armies while the RPG focuses on individual characters, but Blizzard already moved in that direction with Warcraft III. The heroes in that RTS form the focal point of the missions, and it's that way in the RPG -- except that fans can make their own heroes from the ground up and dictate everything they do.
The only tricky part might be learning the rules. The Warcraft RPG requires the use of the Dungeons & Dragons revised 3rd Edition rules from Wizards of the Coast. Still, D&D is pretty easy to get into.
HomeLAN - How much input does Blizzard have in the creation of the Warcraft RPG?
E. Deirdre Brooks - Quite a lot. I communicate regularly with Chris Metzen (the lead writer for the computer game) and Bob Fitch (one of the programmers). They've been very good about providing information to keep the RPG current with the computer games; not just Warcraft III but also the upcoming Frozen Throne expansion and even World of Warcraft. And not just setting details. They've gone above and beyond the call of duty to give us a tremendous volume of setting detail and advice on translating Warcraft concepts to d20 rules. Also, many of Blizzard's artists have offered to do original art for the pen-and-paper game, including Samwise Didier who'll do the cover.
HomeLAN - What are some of the challenges in adapting one of the most popular RTS games into an all new format?
E. Deirdre Brooks - The major challenge is getting past the idea that the Warcraft RPG must be the Warcraft RTS-as-RPG. I mean, it'd be easy to recreate the RTS as a paper-and-pencil RPG. But it wouldn't be very satisfying as a game. The trick is to take the key elements that make the RTS world work so well and translate them into RPG terms.
The next major challenge is not departing so far from the source material that fans don't recognize it. Some things are changed by nature of the adaptation. For instance, the Warcraft computer games use a mana-based spell system, where spellcasters have energy reserves to power their spells. D&D uses a different system, in which casters prepare their spells for the day and cast those spells. We considered designing an entirely new (to D&D) mana-based spellcasting system, but it wasn't feasible in the design time frame that we had. So we went with the existing D&D spell system. The rules are standard d20, but the feel remains Warcraft.
HomeLAN - What races from the game will be available as playable characters in the RPG?
E. Deirdre Brooks - We would have loved to have put all the races -- and classes -- in the core book, but we just didn't have room. So, in the core book, you'll see the major races: humans, high elves, night elves, Ironforge dwarves, goblins, orcs and tauren. In the supplements, you'll see additional races like trolls, naga, ogres, and even pandaren. Most of the races that play a role in the game will be playable as characters. The races linked to the Alliance or the Horde get first dibs on space, though.
HomeLAN - What can players expect to see when the Warcraft RPG is released?
E. Deirdre Brooks - A book chock full of spells, classes, races, and toys for their Dungeons & Dragons campaigns, whether they want to play in Azeroth or adapt the material to their own games. The core book sets things on the continent of Kalimdor, so you'll see information on Theramore, the human city established by Jaina Proudmoore; Durotar, the new orcish homeland; Ashenvale, the night elven ancestral homeland; Mulgore, the tauren homeland; and even Ratchet, the bustling goblin trading port.
HomeLAN - Are there plans for expansions to the Warcraft RPG after its July release and if so what can you tell us about them?
E. Deirdre Brooks - Two supplements will follow in 2003 after the core book's release. The first, Warcraft: Manual of Monsters, is a hefty monster book covering everything from the creeps on the WCIII maps to the Burning Legion and the Undead Scourge.
The second, Alliance & Horde Compendium, is a companion to the core book. It will include more races, a few new prestige classes, new spells, and information on the rest of Azeroth. It will also take a peek into the Emerald Dream and the Twisting Nether, two other-planar realms from the Warcraft universe. Finally, it will introduce mass-combat rules that should capture the feel of Warcraft RTS battles without going too far into wargame territory.
We also have books planned for 2004, but those three should be plenty to get fans started.
HomeLAN - Finally, is there anything else you wish to say about the Warcraft RPG?
E. Deirdre Brooks - Above and beyond being a fun RPG, it's a great source of Warcraft history and information. I hope that fans (roleplayers or not) pick it for the sake of source material or just for the fun of reading it. Who knows, maybe they'll play it, too!
Source links:
Homelan
Sword and Sorcery Studios
Article Source: www.warcry.com
11 April 2003 01:00 - John [JCal] Callaham
Sword and Sorcery Studios (a subsidiary of White Wolf Publishing) recently announced plans to create a pen-and-paper RPG based on Blizzard's hit Warcraft game franchise. HomeLAN got a chance to chat with the game's managing editor Andrew Bates and game designer E. Deirdre Brooks to find out more about their plans for the Warcraft RPG.
HomeLAN - How did the idea come about to adapt Warcraft as an pen-and-paper RPG?
Andrew Bates - I really don't know, to be honest. Sword & Sorcery took over the license from Wizards of the Coast, so I couldn't say who first had the idea. It's a pretty obvious idea, though -- well, at least to me. The Warcraft computer games focus on mass combat strategy, but they're set in a world rich with ideas. Ever since I played the first Warcraft computer game, I thought it'd be cool to roleplay in the setting.
The folks at Blizzard have a similar interest. You can see that in their plans to launch the World of Warcraft online game -- plus, a bunch of them are huge d20 fans. They've been very enthusiastic about seeing Warcraft released in pen-and-paper form.
HomeLAN - WotC had the Warcraft license originally. How did Sword and Sorcery come to take it on?
Andrew Bates - Being in the right place at the right time, I suppose. As you may recall, Wizards of the Coast released a Starcraft pen-and-paper RPG years ago, and a Diablo sourcebook more recently. They were designing a Warcraft sourcebook a few years back, but put publication on hold. (You'd have to talk to them as to why, but I think it's all for the best. We received their manuscript as part of the license arrangement, but much of it's outdated compared to Blizzard's published material and the focus is very different from where Sword & Sorcery is headed with the Warcraft RPG.)
Anyway, Warcraft happened to come up in the course of talking about our other WotC licenses, Ravenloft and Gamma World. We're big Blizzard fans and they've liked our stuff, too. Since WotC was willing also, transferring the license benefitted everyone.
In fact, not only has Blizzard been enthusiastic about the game's development, but WotC's also given it their stamp of approval. The Warcraft core campaign setting will release under the Dungeons & Dragons banner, and will be fully compatible with the revised 3rd Edition rules. All that help combined with Sword & Sorcery's talented folks should make for an amazing game.
HomeLAN - Sword and Sorcery has also created a pen-and-paper RPG based on Everquest as well. What is the attraction to make RPGs based on PC games?
Andrew Bates - It's not so much PC games as it is strong properties. We're not concerned with where an RPG candidate comes from, as long as the concept is creative and dynamic. That being said, we are careful about not wanting to simply tread the same ground. We were ambivalent about doing Warcraft at first since we're already producing the EverQuest RPG. Warcraft has an exciting setting and it's distinct from EverQuest in focus and tone, so we decided to take the plunge.
HomeLAN - Can you reveal any future plans for adapting other PC games to the pen-and-paper RPG format?
Andrew Bates - We don't have any other plans regarding PC games at this time. EverQuest and Warcraft are plenty for us to handle!
HomeLAN - Finally is there anything else you wish to say about the Warcraft RPG?
Andrew Bates - The RPG does a fantastic job of translating the computer game world from real-time strategy to interactive tabletop roleplaying. D&D's revised 3rd Edition rules are a perfect fit for the game, so you could even plunk Warcraft elements in any d20 campaign. I'm jazzed about it, as a game designer and as a fan. Warcraft RPG is just as fun as a pen-and-paper game as it is as a computer game.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HomeLAN - Why was the decision made to use the Dungeons and Dragons rules for the Warcraft game?
E. Deirdre Brooks - As far as I understand, it's what Blizzard wanted. I don't want it to sound like it was forced on anyone, however. Dungeons & Dragons is a great system for Warcraft's kind of fantasy. Both have elves, dwarves, powerful wizards and evil necromancers. What's not to like?
HomeLAN - How hard will it be for fans of the Warcraft RTS games to get into playing the Warcraft RPG?
E. Deirdre Brooks - I hope it won't be hard at all. The setting familiarity is already there -- anyone who's played any of the Warcraft RTS games will find something to recognize in the RPG. It's all the same world, taken to a different level of detail. Granted, the RTS is geared toward armies while the RPG focuses on individual characters, but Blizzard already moved in that direction with Warcraft III. The heroes in that RTS form the focal point of the missions, and it's that way in the RPG -- except that fans can make their own heroes from the ground up and dictate everything they do.
The only tricky part might be learning the rules. The Warcraft RPG requires the use of the Dungeons & Dragons revised 3rd Edition rules from Wizards of the Coast. Still, D&D is pretty easy to get into.
HomeLAN - How much input does Blizzard have in the creation of the Warcraft RPG?
E. Deirdre Brooks - Quite a lot. I communicate regularly with Chris Metzen (the lead writer for the computer game) and Bob Fitch (one of the programmers). They've been very good about providing information to keep the RPG current with the computer games; not just Warcraft III but also the upcoming Frozen Throne expansion and even World of Warcraft. And not just setting details. They've gone above and beyond the call of duty to give us a tremendous volume of setting detail and advice on translating Warcraft concepts to d20 rules. Also, many of Blizzard's artists have offered to do original art for the pen-and-paper game, including Samwise Didier who'll do the cover.
HomeLAN - What are some of the challenges in adapting one of the most popular RTS games into an all new format?
E. Deirdre Brooks - The major challenge is getting past the idea that the Warcraft RPG must be the Warcraft RTS-as-RPG. I mean, it'd be easy to recreate the RTS as a paper-and-pencil RPG. But it wouldn't be very satisfying as a game. The trick is to take the key elements that make the RTS world work so well and translate them into RPG terms.
The next major challenge is not departing so far from the source material that fans don't recognize it. Some things are changed by nature of the adaptation. For instance, the Warcraft computer games use a mana-based spell system, where spellcasters have energy reserves to power their spells. D&D uses a different system, in which casters prepare their spells for the day and cast those spells. We considered designing an entirely new (to D&D) mana-based spellcasting system, but it wasn't feasible in the design time frame that we had. So we went with the existing D&D spell system. The rules are standard d20, but the feel remains Warcraft.
HomeLAN - What races from the game will be available as playable characters in the RPG?
E. Deirdre Brooks - We would have loved to have put all the races -- and classes -- in the core book, but we just didn't have room. So, in the core book, you'll see the major races: humans, high elves, night elves, Ironforge dwarves, goblins, orcs and tauren. In the supplements, you'll see additional races like trolls, naga, ogres, and even pandaren. Most of the races that play a role in the game will be playable as characters. The races linked to the Alliance or the Horde get first dibs on space, though.
HomeLAN - What can players expect to see when the Warcraft RPG is released?
E. Deirdre Brooks - A book chock full of spells, classes, races, and toys for their Dungeons & Dragons campaigns, whether they want to play in Azeroth or adapt the material to their own games. The core book sets things on the continent of Kalimdor, so you'll see information on Theramore, the human city established by Jaina Proudmoore; Durotar, the new orcish homeland; Ashenvale, the night elven ancestral homeland; Mulgore, the tauren homeland; and even Ratchet, the bustling goblin trading port.
HomeLAN - Are there plans for expansions to the Warcraft RPG after its July release and if so what can you tell us about them?
E. Deirdre Brooks - Two supplements will follow in 2003 after the core book's release. The first, Warcraft: Manual of Monsters, is a hefty monster book covering everything from the creeps on the WCIII maps to the Burning Legion and the Undead Scourge.
The second, Alliance & Horde Compendium, is a companion to the core book. It will include more races, a few new prestige classes, new spells, and information on the rest of Azeroth. It will also take a peek into the Emerald Dream and the Twisting Nether, two other-planar realms from the Warcraft universe. Finally, it will introduce mass-combat rules that should capture the feel of Warcraft RTS battles without going too far into wargame territory.
We also have books planned for 2004, but those three should be plenty to get fans started.
HomeLAN - Finally, is there anything else you wish to say about the Warcraft RPG?
E. Deirdre Brooks - Above and beyond being a fun RPG, it's a great source of Warcraft history and information. I hope that fans (roleplayers or not) pick it for the sake of source material or just for the fun of reading it. Who knows, maybe they'll play it, too!
Source links:
Homelan
Sword and Sorcery Studios
Article Source: www.warcry.com