I know how frustrating it can be to wait for particular releases and I really can sympathize. Anytime I'm waiting for my favorite game to come out and the developer follows each passed release date up with "we needed more time to tweak this or that" I get a bit aggravated. Although admittedly I am far more understanding of the development cycle now that I'm on the other side of the fence.

This phase at WorldWorks is a bit awkward as there is so much activity going on behind the scenes but on the face of it things look quiet and static. I realize that everyone who frequents here only has a limited amount of patience to share and I just hope that it holds out while we prepare for the WorldWorks rEvolution

We have some really talented people working on some extremely exciting projects right now. The painful truth of it however is that this kind of committed development takes time. Not much longer now though until we start to get over this hump and into the next stage of the game.

TheAuldGrump got me thinking. So I just did a study of release dates of WWG's products for what it's worth. I used the release dates on RPGNow, and put any dates in parentheses when the date I obtained those files contradicts RPGNow's date (VillageWorks) or products have been discontinued (CastleWorks Classic and DungeonWorks). Rezolution is not on the list because it's not available as a WWG product on RPGNow. I know this is not the correct order of release but all the information I would need to create a perfect list I don't have. Anyway I hate to say it but (knowing that lots is going on behind the scenes) we are overdue for a release of any kind actually. (Sorry Denny.)

Release Date Schedule (as chronicled on RPGNow):

June 3, 2005 - FirstLight: Retrofit
March 25, 2005 - Urban Mayhem: Streets of Mayhem
January 12, 2005 - SpaceWorks: FirstLight
December 6, 2004 - Eye of Cappellasis
October 19, 2004 - CastleWorks Ultimate
August 6, 2004 - SeigeWorks
June 27, 2004 - SeaWorks: Maiden of the High Seas
April 21, 2004 - SeaWorks: Skull Cove
March 7, 2004 - Chunky Dungeons Volume 1
November 29, 2003 - ArenaWorks
October 26, 2003 - DungeonWorks: Gothic Realms
(October 21, 2003) - DungeonWorks DISCONTINUED
July 30, 2003 - InteriorWorks: Castles & Keeps
(July 6, 2003) July 16, 2004 - VillageWorks
(July 6, 2003) - CastleWorks Classic DISCONTINUED
June 17, 2003 - InteriorWorks: Pubs & Inns
April 27, 2003 - CaveWorks

I don't have time right now to perfect this list, but I just checked the "Read Me" file in CastleWorks Classic and it is dated in November 2002, so looking at those might give a better chronology for the earlier releases. I'll work on this again later when I get home from work maybe. LOL I guess we are all cramped for time. (BTW if anyone has better release dates, please feel free to copy and edit the list above to make the appropriate corrections.)

So overall that adds up to an average of a release every 2-3 months.

I know people are impatient, Heck I have my own Himmeltwitch story, but given WWG's past quality I'm willing to wait.

Sometimes the complaining gets old... Or should it be Auld.

I will point out however that there was a request for comments, but no releases to comment on. It draws the attention toward the lack of releases... You can't get new comments without new releases, as most of us have already commented on RPGNow on the existing products. You need eggs to make omlettes. This, plus the irony of 'smaller releases, more often', is what dives my plaintive cry. It also means that the WW line recieves less attention over at RPGNow, since their front page only shows the newest releases.

I suspect that the biggest part of the delay is simply that Denny has not been doing much designing himself - most of the fantasy releases from World Works have been his creations. But being management is taking a majority of his attentions. Rezolution was a commissioned job (Denny's I think) but I think should qualify as a S. F. release, Paul is focussed on S. F., but the only person working on fantasy, aside from the adventure line, has other things that occupy most of his time. Or in other words, S.F., and with the addition of CapnG - Modern, are getting attention, but fantasy is only getting part time attention, which is frustrating for those who's first love is fantasy.

The end result is that the most productive artist is no longer primarilly focussed on art. Mind you, fantasy has some great material available, while SoM is the only Modern release (which I was worried about at the time) Having someone bring the UM line into fruition is very much needed.

Paul was sent to work on some fantasy for a while, but that seems to have slipped by the wayside. And to be honest he should focus on the projects where his interests lie, which I believe is science fiction (much as I might wish it was steampunk).

I had not been counting the months, until I woke up with that realization.

The Auld Grump

This is going to sound mean but,
good.

Fantasy over the years has gotten the bulk of attention from many compainies and now here in one place, at one time Fantasy supporters are feeling a little of the wait and fantasy stuff is getting "skimped on prodcut,".

So what?

Sci-fi has gotten this treatment for years, i say it's high time that fantasy got put on the "back burner", and allowed Something Else to get the spot light and get done, be it Sci fi, modern or even something else, like a generic hedge row set.

With WWG Fantasy has been getting support for YEARS from 2003 on, and still is getting support With Himmel, There is one new Sci-fi in the works, and now we get two releases for Strict Sci-Fi and one that works pretty well is modern and is not fantasy. But more on the support side Modern, Fantasy and Sci-fi are all getting something worked on right now. Before 2005 it was only fantasy.

I think it's a good thing, everyone one gets support and WWG gets a broad base.

My dear Grump, oh how I wish I could tell you how wrong you are. How much Denny has been working on behind the curtain, the triumphs, the setbacks, the agonizing delays. Rest assured, the man is VERY busy and doing his damnedest to make your fantasy needs a reality.

Bear in mind also that as captain of the good ship World Works, his hands are doubly full, not just managing his own projects but trying to co-ordinate all the rest of us as well. The development is very feedback oriented and since there's only one of him and about a half dozen of us, it tends to slow him down.

Lastly (and I know you're not going to like this) if you look at the WWG catalogue, fantasy occupies the bulk of the available titles. Fantasy is pretty much covered at this point. Future releases will of course expand and improve the line but from the perspective of someone who is new to WWG, the essentials are well taken care of. Castle? Check. Dungeon? Check (twice!). Village? Check. Mystic Island? Mighty Galleon? Forboding cave? Check, check, CHECK! Assuming you were new and just bought them all, it'd probably take you ten months just to build them!

So have patience. I very much doubt there will be any complaints when the floodgates at last open and new sets seem to be popping up like mushrooms after a rainy night...

Games Workshop has reported a loss for the second quarter in a row, and is facing its first real competion, from several companies. Privateer Press, WotC, Wiz Kids, Rakham, Aberrant, and even Mongoose are stealing chunks of GW's market. (Locally WARMACHINE is kicking ass. I just got done talking to my Mordheim group about setting up a WARMACHINE league, more than half are interested.)

RPG wise it is no contest, fantasy wins out. I do not know if fantasy miniatures games beat out SF miniatures games - though locally WH40K beats out Warhammer. (And both still outsell any other miniatures games, though WARMACHINE is close to Warhammer's sales.)

Back to RPGs - WotC sells a lot more than White Wolf, White Wolf sells a lot more than anyone else - but also acts as a distributor for other companies, which may skew the data slightly, and Steve Jackson is a distant third.

The Auld Grump - local information dates to before the local game store shut its door, other information is from and the Games Workshop stockholder's report.

A Steamage set would be pretty cool and you could have a lot of fun with it. Along the same lines, I would love a Victorian era set. You could combine the two into one, but make the pieces varied enough that it could work for a historical backdrop or a steampunk backdrop.

I'd be all over a release like that, even though I have no idea what game could run well on it.

Arabin