Well, I've lived through the official ending of Greyhawk and 1st
edition.... I still play them just as happily as when they were selling.
And please, nothing about the "re-launch" of Greyhawk. Have you seen the
ads? Time to hack and slash I guess. The ONLY good thing I've seen in the
new combined conglomerate's add push is that they're finally brave enough
to publish the word Demon. Maybe the fault-finding sin-crazy religious
community just decided they couldn't get any more publicity on us. Right
now I'm playing the Temple of Elemental Evil. You know, I think I'm
looking forward to strangling a Demon Prince. sometime.

I've also seen the end of Al-Qadim, of course due to "profitability" and
"lack of interest". You know, the campaign was dead a year and a half, and
my local shop was still getting leftovers from the supplier to sell, not
like hotcakes (who //really// wants to buy into a dead setting?) but still
selling. And guess what, I still play AQ. We use 2nd edition, but that's
what it was written for. The official release on AQ was that (between the
lines) we gamers should be grateful that the company graciously extended
the campaign line a full year past its original expiration date.

So, with Rich reassigned and Ed being posted to the core rules, and with
the major focus shift of the company back to "proven" campaign lines and
genres (which the company has choked on before - anyone remember Star
Frontiers?) Birthright may officially be dead.

So What?

I guess that means we get to keep it alive until the corporate copyright
wears out and start releasing stuff on public domain ourselves, right?
Either that, or some dedicated fans will get together and try to buy the
system from WotC/TSR. Never happened to TSR that I was aware of, but who
knows?

Finally, I'll still keep playing Birthright.

I'm sorry that the company didn't make the revenues it was looking for, but
I think that was more due to poor marketing support for an awesome setting.
The product was great! The staff who wrote it and drew it (with the
exception of a very few late products) did an awesome job, but....

It's too bad the game got pushed as "a tactical war game with role-playing"
- - @!%!$@!% - sigh. Whoever wrote that should have taken a half a minute to
look at the other tactical war games out there and realize that their war
cards couldn't even hope to match.

Really what attracted me was the two magazine shots with "it's good to be
the king" and the "they say it's lonely at the top" adds. I WANTED to play
kings in a campaign world from the start. I didn't want to wait for a year
of gaming so I could reach name-level and acquire a patch of land smaller
than a single province to call my own after I cleared it of monsters.
(sorry 1st edition holdover)

Even if the powers that be speak the end of Cerilia, the Land will live on
in the hearts and minds of her fans and lovers. The pure of heart will
still ride forth from their mighty castles to smite down the enemies of the
land, and the armies of might Vs right will still march forth until an
emperor sits once more on the Iron Throne. Though I am not a contributor
to Online City, I salute those who are and who are building what others
deemed unprofitable. Thanks to Rich Baker and Colin McComb, who inspired
dreams and campaigns worldwide, and to Ed Stark, who supported (and still
supports) this fantastic world through hard times. I am sorry your
company does not support you.

Oh, and Rich, when this is all done, I want to read "Kingslayer"

Later all, and if you made it this far, thanks!
Tim