Thoughts on Retro Cloning Games - where next?

[apness]

It seems with every week there is another variation on 'the fantasy game that started it all' with some tweak or house rule put in here or there to differentiate between the other free or pay for versions.

At what point do variations on 'that game' become shovelware? In other words, 'noted more for the quantity of what is included than for the quality or usefulness'. You can buy the original game in PDF as of a couple of weeks ago, and the recent announcement of the 1974 game reprint in a fancy box (for $150 - what's the likelihood it will cost more over here?) plus the inevitability of the other editions in PDF/limited print run means all of a sudden the reasons for retro cloning a game seem to be shrinking, as:

The originals are back, in electronic format.
No need to tweak or convert modules/adventures to your 'nearly 100% compatible' clone.

Putting out your own personal house ruled version for 6 people across the world to download might be fun, and you can say 'I did that! Me!' with the proud warm feeling it brings. I don't want to be some kind of killjoy, or stifle creativity with any kind of moaning, just want to ask:

If the original reason (out of print game) is back, and inevitably house ruled by whoever GMs/Plays it, where next for Retro Clones? Will we see less than the usual several a week? Maybe other out of print systems will get the same free to play treatment? (my love for DC heroes/MEGs has me thinking I'll tackle a retro clone one day and release it anonymously so as to avoid the legal quagmire its in... But don't tell anyone.)

The other main problem I see is too many rules systems, not enough to do with them. Perhaps there is an opening for this forum to turn its hand to adventures, guidebooks and gazetteers as well as rules? 24 Hour adventure anyone?

[Onix]

The advantage of those retro clones is often (but probably not always) in the writing. Although I'm no d&d affectionado (never even played) I have played games written in that era and I've heard it from other players. It was incoherent at best.

There are a lot of simplified rulesets that make picking up a game simpler than the original and improved GM advice.

There are a lot of people looking into the hobby and many of them look at the current state of d&d and immediately look for something a bit simpler.

To a lot of the uninitiated, Fantasy RPGs are Role Playing.

[Evil Scientist]

White Wolf has a "", they are basically compiling all the stuff into one book... It shows the same tendency, reviving the "retro edition".

Of course, V:tM is much different to D&D. To my knowledge, there are no V:tM retro clones, and they cannot really be written - you can copy the system, but the point the franchise is the game-world (retro-cloning that would be just ripping it off... especially with the next gen. WoD still alive). The D&D retro clones reconsider the system, mostly.