Ronin Round Table: Joseph Carriker on Licensed Games

[Carriker]

Hey, all.

Just thought I'd share my recent thoughts on working on a game set in someone else's setting.

http://greenronin.com/2012/03/ronin_round_table_joseph_on_li.php

[Ser Iggy]

Interesting read! Thanks for the heads up.

[Pytorb]

Interesting stuff. The one question I had afterwards about "dancing with canon" was, will it become easier once A Dream of Spring is finished? Lets hope we don't have to wait too many years to find out.

[Carriker]

Heh. Who knows? I would hope so, yeah. But who knows what the future holds.

[Rabbit]

So, does the whole "Dancing with Canon" mean a book on Braavos is out of the picture? Seeing as it's the next most described setting, and closest to Westeros, but still is being described in the books?
I'm assuming the Wall supplement is going to be a matter of falling into the cracks of canon?
(That being said, how scrutinized is each book going to be? Do Mr Martin employ White Wolf's spare Canon Ninjas?
Or is each product subject to approval by the man himself?)

Then again, the whole licensed game thinggamaboab is 500-pound gorilla in the room with an otherwise great setting and game. And you sure seem to understand the pitfalls of the topic. All in all, looking good.

[Carriker]

Thanks for the kind words, folks.

As for a book on Braavos? I truthfully don't know. With several books that include a pretty significant chunk of narrative set on the Wall, there was a goodly amount to go on in describing not just the Wall, but the wildlings beyond it. As a developer, I'm honestly not sure if we have enough narrative describing what Braavos is like.

The Night's Watch book is, indeed, a good example of our philosophy of dealing with the dilemma of describing a setting that we don't have creative control over. It's a balancing act, but one that I think we did a pretty solid job of.

All of the books of our line go to Mr. Martin's folks for review and approvals. If he sees things that need changing, then we make those changes before they see print.

[aprewett]

The bit below is my take in rather spotty knowledge of the setting, but for my game I wanted some Ironmen reavers to have a nasty calling card, in the form of a captured Giant from the North.
Not sure what canon rules I may have broken, but I wanted a little monster magic in the game.
Will the new book include some more such creatures or is that getting to much into D&D's domain. I mean the creatures have to live an all in a working ecology.

Allan

[Lord Ben]

I like more information as long as a lot of the mystery is maintained. Rob Stark's mother in law was a rumored potion master making love potions right? Possibly leading him astray from his Frey vows and allowing the Lannisters the chance to break that alliance?

A lot of plots like that lose mystery when there is a potion master prestige class that makes potions of -10 intrigue defense to seduce attempts. A book on the Wall would be cool as long as everything beyond it isn't fully detailed without mystery, etc.

[Kival]

Rob Stark's mother in law was a rumored potion master making love potions right?

Really? As one of my players is a member of the House Westerling I'm quite curious about that... any idea which chapter/book/internet-page you got that from?

[Lord Ben]

Maybe it was my guess from reading the books. Her mother was http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Sybell_Spicer who is the daughter of Maggy the Frog (a witch) and was giving her "fertility potions" to have an heir but were really just birth control. Perhaps the thought was my own or perhaps on a forum somewhere someone guessed but the daughter of a witch who's family is close to the lannisters being a potion master (fertility, contraceptives, etc) having a daughter who fell in love with a Stark and ruined an alliance and then got pardoned when the Lannisters used it to destroy him and his army seems awfully suspicious.

[Lord Ben]

Did some more looking.

http://towerofthehand.com/blog/2010/08/ ... index.html

Scroll down for the juicy bits about her mothers love potions and how Tyrion Lannister was surprisingly not all that upset about the Westerlings siding with the north temporarily.