Well....If I were running the show, I'd actually implement a story called Friendship is Magic: The Beautiful World, which in my mind is something of a next step from the original show-if you're learning the lessons from the original, then TBW is about why those are important in the real world. That story is centered around a group of ponies who got ported during the Second Chaos of Discord to another place in the world and spend the season trying to get back to Equestria, all the while learning of the world beyond those countries borders and finding it's not such perfect world. Despite that, the lessons and ideals from their lives do help to make some things better. Something though. Not all. For example ,friendship helps and is an amazing balm for the condition, but you can't solve depression. Even in the best of conditions, there are times you can't avoid war(I'm a firm proponent of the idea that you need to have some wars if you want real peace). You can't fix lack of resources, or death, or even the innate drifting of people. The ideals of the original show should make a difference, I believe that in real life as much as fiction, and I want to show that shining forward in even dark situations. But the point of the show is just as much about what can't be resolved as much as what can. But that's MY idea. The simple fact is there might be better writers, planners, hell, people for the job, and if I push for this, particularly since I'm thinking "Try and get the best", one thing I'd maintain is that if someone come along who's better for the job, I'll step down. I may be the one who gets the engine going, but that's it. I know I can be a good writer, but I haven't written enough that's been put to the trial to say "Yes, I'm in". Now, other Comment...A MLP:FiM Tabletop game. Warning: Long Nerd In The Know Rant, Skip to the bottom if you want a summary. Here's the problems as I see it. The tabletop industry is, quite frankly, changing. Wizards of the Coast has the power and steam to keep doing fine-sort of, barring their new Essentials Rape(3.5 all over again)-but even their main competitor, White Wolf, is having to change their business model from a traditional print style to a PDF/Print on Demand approach. I'm a big fan of that style personally, but they're doing it as a sort of 'abandon ship' for gaming shops-speaking of, stay strong, but know the odds are against you. In short, what was already a niche market is shrinking. The same problem sort of exists with MLP:FiM-as SabreBrony or whatever his name is pointed out, we are a deviant subculture(Not a bad thing, but still). We are an outlier, an unexpected product. That already says niche to me, and what's more is that this fandom is based around a show. Barring the possibility we end up like Browncoats(those guys are awesomely dedicated), it falls into a trend I've noticed with anime fans-give it enough years and it'll fall on the wayside. Cowboy Bebop is still regularly considered one of the greatest animes of all time(Hell, in my opinion it's the number one anime series) but you go into an anime convention dressed as Spike Spiegal and you'd be even surprised at how many people don't immeadiately peg you as such. MLP has a great likelihood of ending up as the same sort of thing, and even if bronies become the new Browncoats, that's still a very narrow market. Now, putting that into my Venn Diagram here, that indicates the number of people into both niche markets is narrow. Particularly since online RP is in its own way more liberating and more appropo for the slice of life style of the show. Coincidentally, I am a fan of slice of life RP, but from my observations I'm in a narrow category. So, the big problem is demand. The second biggest problem is something you mentioned-Hasbro owns Wizards of the Coast, and like what they've been doing with DnD and others or not, they are the powerhouse of the RPG industry. Entertaining as it might be to to make it, I don't like my odds against that. On top of that, if I make something and pitch it to Hasbro, the odds are they're going to want to restrict me to their model of games. Uh, yeah. I like White Wolf's style over that, thanks much. Even more importantly though, I wouldn't want to be restrained period in terms of mechanics. Maybe I'm being too harsh on them, but I find it problematic. The final problem is a sort of 'just me' thing, cause I'm aware of games like Toon and BESM and other such things that lead me to believe that something like MLP:FIM could be a tabletop RPG....except I don't buy it. Say what you will, but despite my experience with a wide array of games(and I've only swam in a small part of the ocean), I'm not sure something like My Little Pony translates well into a tabletop roleplaying game experience. On top of that, I'm aware of other "capitalize on popularity RPG's"(Serenity ironically being the worst offender)and...It leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I mean, sure, there's the Star Wars RPG, I've heard nothing but good things about that, but on the whole....Skeptical cat is skeptical. Also hungry for apples, but that's irrelevant. SUMMARY: While there is fun to be had, I just don't see the two niche markets coming together to create a big enough new niche market for people, particularly when Hasbro might come in and have their guys do it on what they'd probably look at as a cheap short for quick bucks. I suppose I could be persuaded into that, but you'd need some pretty damn good arguments.
It is true that table-top RPG's are partially dieing off. Less than 5% of my sales are table-top RPGs. The flipside is that people are more interested in playing different ones rather than just Dungeons and Dragons now. Still that may be right that a table-top RPG wouldn't go over well, but a non-RPG table top game would still be great. I don't mean a My Little Pony version of Monopoly, there are already way too many versions of that poorly designed game. There needs to be some kind of game though.
Oh god, the things I've seen Monopoly of give me nightmares. And the occasional daymare. Still, it'll be interesting to see what comes out for FiM. I'm just not the guy to design it, I don't think I could do better than a Settlers of Catan rip off.(I will defeat any and all ore *squee!*s!)
I'm swimming in sheep. Got any bricks? It's surprising how often that happens. Back on topic, so I think that once it was clarified, there's a "Hey, we can do this" sort of deal. So, now I need to make a pitch video and spam it accross every youtube FiM upload next week...or soon, at any rate. Now I just need ot learn enough video makingskils to get on by-cause I hate people just talking on their webcam. Anyways.... So, for those still following, I may start another thread for the concept of The Beautful World soon-ish. If what little I've said intrigues you, I'll speed up the process there.
