Hobby Observations and Predictions
At the end of the year it seems appropriate to give some thought to the year behind us and to that before us. (With all the sufferings and hurt going on in the world it may seem unimportant to speak of a hobby, but that hobby is the sole focus of this blog.) The past year necessitated drastic changes in the way I engage with this hobby. As a gamer who much prefers face-to-face play, I have had to make adjustments - as have others. I have learned to enjoy playing remotely via Discord and have experimented some with virtual tabletop software - although "theater of the mind" remains my preference over the use of a tactical display, virtual or physical.
In years past I have considered myself fortunate to reside in a location between the host cities of two of the largest gaming conventions in America, Origins in Columbus, Ohio and Gencon in Indianapolis, Indiana. For many years I have looked forward to attending these conventions as a way to reconnect with fellow gamers, learn about new products and to play a few of the games that I enjoy, but don't get to share with my regular group. Obviously, this past year saw the cancellation of both conventions along with virtually all other large gatherings.
Browsing and networking at the local game store has also fallen victim to the world-wide pandemic. Fortunately, there is the internet and I have noticed a marked increase in the number of online streamers and video channel producers posting quite interesting RPG content for those of us stuck at home without a group game. Solo RPG has experienced a renaissance of sorts based on what I have seen covered on the web channels as well.
It appears that FRP remains a quite popular hobby despite the logistical difficulties everyone is experiencing with face-to-face group play. D&D 5e seems to continue to lead the FRP pack with Pathfinder 2e (with its strong incentive for team combat) remaining a strong alternative. With the release of Paizo's new Pf 2e Beginner Box, I expect 2e to gain ground in the new year. The release this past fall of Tasha's Cauldron..., with its "bigger and better" character options has me wondering if D&D isn't about due for a new revision or edition. Perhaps 5.5 or 6e will be announced soon? It occurs to me that the Wizards are going to need to do something soon to bring their Players Handbook into line with all the supplemental material which has been released.
The premise of the game is that the Mortal Realms are a battleground where a benevolent god, Sigmar, attempts to hold back the destructive forces of chaos. The players control larger than life characters whose life forces (their souls) have been intertwined or bound together. The Mortal Realms contain a number of kindreds who specialize in unique abilities, but who also compete with each other. These kindred factions and the constant threat of the chaos gods and their followers is the backdrop for the Age of Sigmar tabletop minatures battle game as well as the Soulbound FRP game.
In Soulbound the characters may gain benefit by accessing Soulfire, effectively borrowing from the life essence of the companions with whom they share a binding. This can be approved use if the other players agree, or the player may use Soulfire without group consent and thereby increase "Doom" - a negative energy which adversely effects both the characters and the world's other inhabitants.
Soulbound heroes start gameplay feeling like "superheroes" and leveling up is less of a thing in Soulbound than in many games. This "flattening" of abilities helps avoid the high level woes often encountered in other systems. The Soulbound setting is epic in scale with active god-lead factions (good and evil), nine worlds connected to each other through Realmgates and with PCs that feel a lot like comic book superheroes tasked with saving the day. Downtime in Soulbound has real meaning, again thanks to some innovative mechanics curtesy of the design geniuses at Cubicle 7.
I have often noted the increasing tendency in our hobby for games to focus on providing players with lots of character options and I would add that many such choices involve playing character types that have little reason to cooperate with each other. As a result of players building characters independently of each other, and then being thrown together and trying to operate as a group, I have witnessed friction and frustration among many groups, including my own. The "session zero" discussion is offered by some as a potential way to address what I see as a growing problem in the hobby, but that seems a band-aid approach when the popular game systems seem to encourage a "do your own thing" approach to building each character. Party harmony is essential to group enjoyment (at least in my experience) and many a game campaign has come to a pre-mature end because of inter-character strife. Friendships among the players can even be strained under such circumstances.
The appeal of Soulbound makes it a game that I personally look forward to bringing to a table - actual or virtual - during the coming year. The Mortal Realms as a world setting is dark and magic in Soulbound is dangerous - two things that personally speak to my preferences. So I welcome AoS: Soulbound and offer a warm "thank you" to the folks at Cubicle 7 who seem to have recognized the issue of our "disconnected" PCs for what it is and have provided what I think may become a model solution. The Warhammer miniatures battle game which established the setting of Age of Sigmar is itself a revolutionary product in table-top wargaming (introducing mechanics that focus on making "story" a contextual part of the battle game), so it seems appropriate to me that its role-playing cousin should also forever alter the way a FRP game is played.
Happy gaming!
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