Goodman Games

So... who makes the best 3rd party materials?

We don't have too many (or enough) yet, but all of them seems to be interesting.

Agreed. We should probably have some actual products in hand before we spend too much time in speculation. I've seen ads for so many cool modules and settings that the next few months will probably be both awesome and expensive at the same time.

If I had to recommend one company sight-unseen, it would probably be Brave Halfling. John's stuff is always pretty solid.

The fact that everything published goes through Goodman Games for approval means that there is serious quality control across the board, AFAICT.

Good heavens no.

I think the DCC RPG community is evolving into something special. The vibe on these forums is respectful, and I think it's because most of us share a passion for everything that makes gaming fun and worthwhile. Of course, it seems almost everyone I've interacted with has been a tinkerer and a creator at their core, so no one is going to agree on everything, or share precicely the same vision. But I think there's a refreshing willingness here to listen and to share. We can always hack someone else's stuff after we get it anyway!

In terms of the 3PP, every single one that I've had any contact with have been friendly and supportive. From what I've seen of their work, they're all talented and committed. I look forward to checking out all their stuff, and supporting them where I think they can help me put together a better game experience. And really, that goes for everyone I've worked with from Goodman Games. There are quality people here, and I feel no compulsion whatsoever to place anyone in a pecking order.

No, because they are not rivals, but cool dudes who would rather sit down, drink a beer and tell each other good stories about their adventures, than boast about how better they are than the others. Plus, we're going to buy their stuff anyhow.

This, a thousand times this. Considering how active the forum is, it's a remarkably relaxed, friendly, and relatively snark-free environment. To be honest, most rpg creators I've ever interacted with, both in terms of freelancing on over 50 books now, and in terms of establishing RAD, are far less contentious and bitter than many fans can sometimes seem to be. Few rivalries exist, and there's not an inconsiderable amount of support for each other too, even within the same niche. There's a lot of recognition that this is something we all do primarily for the love of it and a lot of rpg creators will happily sing the praises of other folks' work too.

Colin

Quoted for truth.

Colin