Beamdog working on a new D&D CRPG (cancelled)

[Elex]

Is there anything new happening with them? Are they working on something or what?

bg1, sod, bg2, pst, id for console.

 

[imweasel]

The console ports of the IE games are probably the only thing they are working on ATM. If I had to guess they probably decided to fire everybody except for the programmers after they landed that deal.

The moral of the story: If you're woke and put trannies in your game, then additional publishing deals for original content shall go up in flame.

 

[Infinitron]

The console ports of the IE games are probably the only thing they are working on ATM.

Boy was this post badly timed.

https://rpgcodex.net/forums/index.php?threads/axis-allies-online-by-beamdog.126125/

 

[Blaine]

the work Beamdog does.

Ripping off preexisting widescreen mods?

Creating "updated" UIs that are far shittier than the originals?

Introducing bugs not present in the originals?

Adding original content so cringeworthy it makes Pillars of Eternity's backer-submitted town NPC dialogues look like poetry?

Putting eyesore black outlines around all of the sprites? Oh right, someone told me you can turn those off. Well, sign me up.

 

[imweasel]

Interesting. Will it have Nazi trannies?

 

[Infinitron]

New details about Beamdog cancelled games: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/1070959/#Comment_1070959

The thread will stay as there is always the next project.

I'd like to give a small update, considering it was I who wrote the OP here.

PST:EE indeed turned to be the next game if we go back to April 2016.

The second idea in the OP was about a new D&D game (the third idea was about IWD2, but that is known to be ruled out because the source code of the game couldn't be found). Seeing questions about that, and also taking into account it was I who started this thread, I'd like to link the following updates which have become public knowledge over the years.

At one moment in 2016, Dave said: "For the sake of argument, let's pretend we were making a D&D game of some kind." I guess this is the source of comments like the one by @kanisatha "You guys promised us a NEW D&D cRPG several years ago."

https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/60003/david-gaider-needs-a-list/p1

However, in November 2017 we said a new Planescape game was not in the works at Beamdog.

http://blog.beamdog.com/2017/11/a-note-about-that-planescape-concept-art.html

In February 2018 we said farewell to Dave.

http://blog.beamdog.com/2018/02/farewell-to-dave.html

This month we replied to a question about whatever Dave worked on in Beamdog.

"That’s a very good question, and not one I’m able to answer at this time, I’m afraid." https://www.beamdog.com/news/beamdog-q-may-2019/

Yesterday Phil shared on Twitter that the mind flayer in paladin armor from Thea's art was from a game that "got cancelled".



Dave said the wound was still fresh.

Phil confirmed they were talking about a Planescape game.



I understand that there are people who want to measure us by a benchmark of a D&D game. But in gaming not all the projects see the light of a day.

 

[Blaine]

Consider the sheer creative talent required to brainstorm something like an illithid paladin, and despair.

If the luminaries at Beamdog aren't developing a new fantasy RPG after all, then we're not likely to see unique and fresh concepts such as transsexual vampiric sun priests or gay water elemental pyromancers.

Why even live? I'll be on social media commiserating and grieving with other nerds just like me.

 

[Fairfax]

Mind flayers have four-fingered hands and two-toed feet, so that piece shows how much research Beamdog did. They're also supposed to be physically weak, which makes the paladin armour gimmick rather stupid, though 5E may have retconned that stuff.

I'm glad they didn't get a chance to shit all over Planescape.

 

[Russia is over. The end.]

 

[deuxhero]

Blaine
You could make an interesting story out of an Mind Flayer hit with a Helm of Opposite Alignment (or that one trap in Tomb of Horrors). The guy is now a shining good guy, but he still needs to eat brains for substance. He's forced to go out and slaughter bad guys without mercy to live (or just slap on a Ring of Substance, but where's the fun in that?). Problem is you can't make them a Paladin since that produces Chaotic Good squidmen.

 

[Dorateen]

The Book of Exalted Deeds already had, as an example of a Redeemed Villain, an illithid monk. Whether or not that is an interesting concept, the idea of a subversive Mind flayer is hardly original. The 3rd edition Underdark campaign setting also played with the idea of illithids with at least a neutral outlook, as well as martial orientated squid people (Body Tamers).

 

[deuxhero]

So what company would every most prefer be the one to make a new D&D CRPG?

 

[Ninjerk]

Blaine
You could make an interesting story out of an Mind Flayer hit with a Helm of Opposite Alignment (or that one trap in Tomb of Horrors). The guy is now a shining good guy, but he still needs to eat brains for substance. He's forced to go out and slaughter bad guys without mercy to live (or just slap on a Ring of Substance, but where's the fun in that?). Problem is you can't make them a Paladin since that produces Chaotic Good squidmen.

What if he sets up a perfectly legal arrangement with the families of the recently deceased to lawfully eat the brains of their late relatives?

 

[DeepOcean]

And the world is a better place.

 

[InD_ImaginE]

So what company would every most prefer be the one to make a new D&D CRPG?

WoTC will license it to the next unknown soon to be bankrupt studios aiming to become AAA

 

[Blaine]

This all reminds me of an interesting tidbit of tabletop history:

The character's influence also extended into recreational literature: games company TSR included an entire chapter on the Cthulhu mythos (including statistics for the character) in the first printing of Dungeons & Dragons sourcebook Deities & Demigods (1980). TSR, however, were unaware that Arkham House, which asserted copyright on almost all Lovecraft literature, had already licensed the Cthulhu property to the game company Chaosium. Although Chaosium stipulated that TSR could continue to use the material if each future edition featured a published credit to Chaosium, TSR refused and the material was removed from all subsequent editions.

Illithids first appeared in 1975, before this petty feud over credit and licensing. In my opinion, allowing TSR free use of Lovecraft mythos creatures in exchange for a mere credit was extremely generous of Chaosium, but then again the competition for this niche hobby was probably fierce back then.

 

[Immortal]

ZANEY IDEAS LIKE ILLITHID PALADIN ~(@_ @) ~


jfc..

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

Illithids first appeared in 1975, before this petty feud over credit and licensing. In my opinion, allowing TSR free use of Lovecraft mythos creatures in exchange for a mere credit was extremely generous of Chaosium, but then again the competition for this niche hobby was probably fierce back then.

If TSR had accepted the offer, it would have provided Chaosium with free advertising to anyone perusing the AD&D Deities & Demigods (later revised to Legends & Lore) book. Given the dominant position of D&D/AD&D in the RPG market, refusing the offer was a sound business decision on TSR's part, although this required TSR to remove not only the Lovecraft/Cthulhu section from Deities & Demigods but also the Moorcock/Elric section, since Chaosium had acquired the rights to convert the Elric stories into a game as well (both Call of Cthulhu and Stormbringer were subsequently published by Chaosium in 1981). However, TSR was able to continue using the Lankhmar/Nehwon section based on the classic Fritz Leiber stories starring Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser.

Spoiler

At least one printing of the AD&D Deities & Demigods includes the credit: "Special thanks are also given to Chaosium, Inc. for permission to use the material found in the Cthulhu Mythos and the Melnibonean Mythos.", but TSR's management soon thought better of this arrangement.

 

[Background Character]

Best news I'm gonna have this week

 

[Thonius]

Thank God! License is in good hands!
https://venturebeat.com/2019/05/29/...d-mobile-rpg-launches-on-ios-and-android/amp/
:^)

 

[Darth Canoli]

Please, somebody, put this dog down once and for all before they strike again.

 

[*-*/\--/\~]

Hah, Shitdog finally crashed into the wall of actually having to do some original work instead of parasiting on someone else's game. Good riddance.

 

[Cael]

Please, somebody, put this dog down once and for all before they strike again.

It just won't die!!!!

 

[Roguey]

They failed at weird west, they failed at Planescape, how/why are they even still around?

 

[Harry Easter]

They failed at weird west, they failed at Planescape, how/why are they even still around?

Maybe they work as lower codemonkeys for other developers? Heard that happens often enough?