Many years ago, I had a friend who rarely actually bought anything he wanted. We would go out shopping, and he’d just peer in the shop windows and heave sighs heavy with yearning. At one point, I asked him why he never bought anything. He said he was enjoying the wanting. He said that few things ever actually measured up once he actually had them, so he was just enjoying the wanting of them. I think of that line a lot when it comes to betas. Betas are my favorite time during any game’s lifespan. In a beta, everything is mysterious and shiny, and there’s that new game smell. I’m still fresh on the trail of anticipation, and there’s possibility. Every game can be great, right up until I’ve actually played it and it’s set in stone.
And this week there’s been a lot of beta news from several games. I keep thinking about that friend of mine every time I find myself becoming gleefully excited about the upcoming Neverwinter betas, trying to slow myself down, because I know that no game can possibly live up to the magic that decades of playing pen and paper D&D have wrought. I’m thinking about all the amazing games I’ve played in, and though the Foundry is more limited than any tabletop DM’s creations, the possibility of playing through people’s content is just giddifying.
I could keep going on that topic, but I believe I’ll stop there for now and actually write a full on article about the Foundry. So click the little button below for the week’s news!
