Another literary creation that has already been adapted to a role-playing game is once again being adapted to another role-playing game—make that two new role-playing games by two different publishers—and I am less than thrilled. The Elric Saga by Michael Moorcock will be adapted to Dragonbane by Free League Publishing and to Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG and D&D 5E by Goodman Games. I wish both publishers success, and I understand how at least two of the three adaptations could be a reasonable fit, but Chaosium's first edition of Stormbringer is still, for me, one of the best fantasy role-playing games ever published and all I would ever need for a game set in the Young Kingdoms. I have grown weary of crowdfunding projects, product lines that disappear when the license is not renewed, and the difficulty of finding players who are also familiar with the source material. I'm not saying I couldn't be swayed if the systems are shaped to serve the source material rather than the other way around, but I would have to see proof of it first. I have grown much more cautious in my game-purchasing since my last unwise pledge to a big Kickstarter project. I'd rather just have the original Stormbringer in hardcover.
