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I’m posting this only because I keep getting mails about it:
At-Will is done.
I took a break to see if I wanted to do this anymore, and I just don’t want to come back to it. I’ve worked hard putting up content, and have had to deal with so much treachery, rudeness, apathy, entitlement, and venom that it is no longer worth it to be involved in the community. The bad for me personally has far outweighed the good. When I started to hate game design, I knew something was wrong. I have transitioned away from doing 4e design and am now working on different projects.
For those who have supported the Worldbreakers, you are so awesome and so patient! I am working on finishing this project for you (I’m no longer going to “sell” it, as there is no incentive to sell 4e 3PP products). I am really sorry to get tripped up like this, but your support has been awesome and I do intend to honor it. This will be my last 4e project.
For those few who did support the work on the site, and are interested in other games besides 4e…do you want to see what I’m working on next? If so, I’m on twitter as qh_murphy, and I’m on G+ (Quinn Murphy).
At-Will has been a great home to many of my ideas but I need a bigger house. I hope you’ve enjoyed the site, and I hope you visit the new site (when I announce it).
Thanks to my supporters and my friends.
Similar Posts:
- Calling all Gamefiends! Finding At-Will at Gencon.
- 4e x 100: At-Will’s 400th post
- Dungeons & Discourse Revised : The Power of Webchat
A Jack of All Trades ,or if you prefer, an extreme example of multi-classing, Gamefiend, a.k.a Quinn Murphy has been discussing, playing and designing games straight out of the womb. He is the owner and Editor-in-Chief of this site in addition to being an aspiring game designer. As you would assume, he is a huge fan of 4e.
By day he is a technologist.
Follow gamefiend on 
Quinn,
This is a truly sad day indeed. From the first day I met you back in June of 2007 you were PSYCHED about both playing, and creating 4e. Besides my sporadic encounters with AD&D, Shadowrun, and SWD20, the time I spent gaming with you was really my first true dive into tabletop gaming. Khalil, the Dragonborn Warlord, sheds a single tear today as at-will comes to the end of its path. I hope you continue to play 4e and enjoy it for what it is, and I can’t wait to see what other projects you come up with in other areas of gaming!
Well damn. I’ve been talking your project up to all my friends and was planning on buying it on release. I really wish the D&D community was less toxic. Any chance there’ll be a drive thru rpg release or something? That was an awesome conceptual piece and what i sawof it was great in application
Too bad to hear that
I’ve considered your content to be among the best in D&D4E 3PP. Maybe you at least compile yor works in a pdf, so they are not lost with the site?
Anyway – best of luck in your new endeavors. Hope to see you on twitter.
Sorry to hear this. I really enjoyed your contributions to the 4e table. Hoping your future endeavors are more rewarding and less cumbersome. High hopes and Good luck!!!
I definitely understand everything you’re going through and your decision right now. I made much the same choice a year ago and trust me, it feels good to be in “your own house” so to speak. I’m so glad to see you expanding and doing things 100% your way. You’re an amazing dude and I wish you the very best Quinn.
I’m sorry to hear this. I’ve followed At-Will and your contributions to podcasts like The Tome and other blogs since the beginning. I’m sorry that the bad apples spoiled the bunch for you. There are many people including myself who enjoyed reading and learning from your posts but I guess not enough to make your hard work worthwhile.
Unfortunately I’m pretty heavily invested in 4e right now and don’t have the time or money for other systems right now. But good luck in your future endeavors.
I can understand your decision but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t sad to see you go. Checking @Will became part of my daily routine at work. I’ve loved your work and the World Breakers Project. You’ve seriously impacted my own design. The 4E online community was born of edition wars and the vocal section of it is (more often than not) vicious and negative by default. I wish you all the best in your future endevors and hope to keep hearing you on the Tome Show.
Thanks for the hard work over the years!
You’ve been under attack? Where?! Lemme at’em, lemme at ‘em! (best done if you use a Wizard of Oz cowardly lion voice)
I can understand how people may not agree with your ideas, but I can’t comprehend a community that would be toxic to the point where talented designers like yourself are driven away. What’s especially sad is that you are not the first one to report this abuse.
At-Will was one of the first sites that made me think about how far away from the rules I could, and should, play. It was the start of making DDI obsolete for me because of the rich resources I had available from others, and then from myself. The skill challenges alone were worth the price of admission. Well, more than that since this is a free site.
Best of luck in your next endeavors. I’ll keep my eyes open for your future work. I’ll also add my voice to those who would enjoy a compiled version of your articles. At the very least, let us know when you intend to close the site so I can download the best of your ideas.
Good luck to you in all of your future endeavors. I know I’ve been in the background for a long time now but I’m still keeping tabs on your work. I hope to see new material from you in some form in the near future!
Oh man, I’m bummed to hear this – I came late to this blog, but I’ve loved the content I’ve found. I didn’t realize that the D&D community was that harsh – I guess I’ve somehow been lucky to avoid that part of it.
Anyway, good luck with your future projects. I’m sure they’re going to be awesome considering what I’ve seen here, and I’ll be following you on twitter.
I wish you well in your endeavors. @will will be missed.
I will keep an eye out for your other projects.
Hey Quinn, that’s unfortunate, your site was one of my early favorites for all things D&D 4e. Truly a resource of detailed, well-developed ideas and discussion. “The Speed of Choice…” was and is an instant classic and inspiration to me.
However, I’m excited to see your next website and future projects – I’m sure they’ll be awesome, looking forward to them!
Well /$&$)! Best of luck. As one of the silent masses who found your blog late in its incarnation, let me just say I will miss your ideas and insight. Is the site coming down? From the wording above I believe that is the case. If so it is a said loss but would serve the louts right for behaving in the way they do. Another fringe designer is lost to our community due to negativity and toxic criticism. Tragic.
Thank you for your investment in time and resources. As chancellor Palpatine once said in a horrible sequel, “We will watch your career with great interest.”
Cheers!
This is a hobby. You do it for enjoyment. If this is becoming too stressful and you aren’t liking it. Move on and don’t worry about it. There is a line between being having a passionate opinion that can cross over to a rabid opinion. I think a lot of people stumble over that line in the gaming community. Don’t let that irk you. Do what you enjoy.
I’ve said my piece elsewhere, and will echo the sentiments expressed above, with one other question in Ryven’s post.
I completely sympathize with getting burned out on 4e. It’s just one of those topics that seems to put a lot of gamers on edge.
I look forward to seeing what’s next. This may be the last we see of At-Will, but it’s certainly not the last we’ll see of Gamefiend.
Wow. Sorry to see you go. At least continue to play games and have fun. That’s what this is all ultimately about. If not D&D, if not fourth edition, then play and design something fun. It sounds like most game sites need to turn off comments and put a set of thumbs up/down buttons at them end of articles.
I’d like to give a hearty thank you to you and others for all the content and for making the podcasts you were on more interesting. For those that like to spew acid on forums, they can go themselves.
Night. Maybe talk to Ryven about some of the short one-shots he is putting together.
I have followed this blog for a long time and have always enjoyed the material here. I have never been very vocal in my support but I have always enjoyed the site. I wish you well in your future endeavors and your creativity will be sorely missed.
R.I.P.
Darn. No Lawbreakers then? Sad.
Never posted before, but I feel a need to now.
This site, has made me a far better DM, and I reference parts of it on a daily basis, this is a sad day, I hope you at least leave the site up, because even if nothing more comes, whats already here is amazing.
Sad to see you go but I understand completely. The current state of the online D&D community has driven me away too. I don’t even usually read the comments on blogs because they can be so toxic. Half the blogs I used to read, I now avoid. The WotC forums are like poison in your soul. Tons of great people but tons of yuck. It’s very hard to separate. I’ll eagerly anticipate your next project. Good luck with it good sir. You have lots of talent and whatever the motivation that drives it will benefit greatly I’m sure.
This is sad news indeed. My ventures into house-ruling 4th edition to my liking was entirely inspired by you, sir. I wish you luck and God’s blessings on whatever you decide to do next. It’s been real good reading your stuff on At-Will.
I was wondering what happened to stall out the steady stream of great content. I thought it was the rigors of a new baby, so I’m surprised that wasn’t the issue. I am, however, not surprised at your actual reasoning. I was recently engaged in a debate over your Singularity concepts (I’m a huge fan of that) in the WotC forums and honestly I wish I could have that part of my life back. Some people just can’t stray from power cards and if you should suggest otherwise, you’re worse than Hitler. For what it’s worth, I held my ground and defended the ideas to the last. Since I was the last post, I declare us the victors. Hold your head high!
I certainly hope we’ll be able to access all your 4e content as an archive somewhere. Please let us know if that’s the case. I will certainly be following your new content as well and supporting your endeavors when and where I can.
Best of luck to you and yours.
A loss for the rest of us.
But your reasoning is understandable. Best of luck!
Sad, but I can understand it. I, too thought it was because of family issues, but I’m sorry that it’s other disappointments.
Hopefully you can find a way to continue doing game design away from the knifeblades that 4e has arrayed in it.
I especially liked the Penniless series, and the deconstruction of what wealth in an RPG can be. I’d love to see expansions of that in an RPG neutral system, but if you are done then I might have to make do with the starting point you have layed out for us.
Wish you well.
Please take care of yourself.
Sorry to see this happen to a good guy.
Thank you for all your contributions and all your future endeavors.
This is a truly sad day. I’ve been a reader of your site for a little over a year, and I wanted you to know that you’ll be missed. If you don’t mind, I’d really like to know where the negativity and criticism was coming from: other 4E players, fans of other editions or … where? I think it’s important to note, because you’re definitely not the first person I’ve heard say this. I’d really like to see where it’s coming from so that it could be addressed.
For what it’s worth, I think you put some amazing content out, and looked forward to reading what you were working on, whether I thought I could use it or not.
Good luck in the future, no matter what!