Casting Shadows

Today’s prompt is the word edition, and the associated question asks what we might like a new edition of. It’s interesting to me that what counts for some companies as a new edition is just considered a new printing or a new printing with errata fixes. For some, a new edition is rare, unplanned, and the result of such factors as a change of ownership, selling through all the stock and being at a point where a new version which takes advantage of new publishing options and can incorporate large shifts in gaming culture is as cost-effective as a reprint, or glaring writing, print, or layout errors which need correction. For others, a new edition is a regular event, and textual, art, or other changes are not guaranteed, but can sometimes make all the difference between a game gaining awareness or fading into obscurity.

#RPGaDAY2023 Day 27 What is a game for which you would like a new edition?

Various impulses come to mind when this question gets raised among gamers of my acquaintance. For instance, there are several games which have system and setting elements spread across several books due to limitations of page count, funding, or fashion during the development of the game. I tend to find myself hoping for some form of revised and expanded edition which draws all of the essential elements together under one set of covers to make referencing easier for experienced players and newcomers to the game alike. Additionally, I find proofing and production errors tend to be sufficient for me to wish for a new edition that corrects them.

Ten years ago, my answer for this question was Hollow Earth Expedition which I would have been very happy to see go from being spread across three core books to being condensed into one. This year, I find my eyes looking toward the amazing Star Trek Adventures and wishing its text could be reorganized and its layout redone to accommodate game readers and game players without sacrificing its visual character. Modiphius wrestled valiantly with 2d20 and with layout of their books until reaching the pivot point of John Carter of Mars. From that point on, the legibility and organization of the books, not to mention the clarity of explanation, took a significant turn for the better. Sadly for Star Trek, Conan, and a few others which predate that shift, what players who persevere will learn are really enjoyable games, have books which get in the way of that learning process. It would be fantastic if that issue of layout could be addressed in a new edition. Those games (still in Modiphius’ hands) deserve it~