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Am I the only one that thinks it might be in poor taste to still advertise Essentials as the what to buy if you're new to D&D when a new version is coming in a year?
__________________ ~No one wins in the Edition Wars. The whole hobby loses.~ KT
Am I the only one that thinks it might be in poor taste to still advertise Essentials as the what to buy if you're new to D&D when a new version is coming in a year?
It's not in poor taste. It's still the proper recommendation for what to buy if you're new to D&D. I don't think telling someone who is interested in the hobby that they shouldn't bother enjoying the hobby because something might be out in the next year or two is the right thing to do at all.
I'll never understand the idea that D&D materials somehow obsolesce in the mere anticipation of something that doesn't yet exist.
WotC knows what happened when they changed from v3.0 to v3.5. There was a small uproar. People thought it was an attempt to get more money, rather than address game issues (it was probably a bit of both).
A similar thing happened with the v3.5 to 4e change. That fractured the base and led to Pathfinder.
We saw similar rumblings again when Essentials came out.
If they want this to be the edition to unite players, they might want to at least make it clear that you are buying a soon to be legacy edition. I got no problem with trying to sell the last books, but be honest. It's just good PR.
__________________ ~No one wins in the Edition Wars. The whole hobby loses.~ KT
If they want this to be the edition to unite players, they might want to at least make it clear that you are buying a soon to be legacy edition. I got no problem with trying to sell the last books, but be honest. It's just good PR.
How more clear do they need to be about the upcoming new edition? They're hardly keeping it a secret. Are you saying they've managed to somehow keep you unaware of it?
Last edited by Morrus; 18th February 2012 at 12:20 AM..
How more clear do they need to be about the upcoming new edition? They're hardly keeping it a secret. Are you saying they've managed to somehow keep you unaware of it?
We are aware because we are all gamers here. We follow this stuff. People that are not gamers but have just heard of this game might not catch that Essentials is a year away from being obsolete at that website. If you follow the 'Learn to Play' link because you just took an interest, you might not realize that a new edition is around the corner.
Think of it this way. If we could call for a theoretical show of hands here about the recent changes to the rules for NCAA sports, I'm guessing less than 1/2 (or even less than 1/4) would know about that. I only know it happened because I am a student, but I don't know WHAT happened.
The potential new gamers are in that state. They are aware that D&D (basketball) exists, and that it has rules (regulations), but they might not know about the current rules (NCAA guidelines) or that the edition is about to change (recently changed).
I'm just saying that a 'Hey, were are in the middle of making a new exciting edition for you to play next year. Buy what interests you, but save some for the new hotness!' might not be a bad marketing and PR move, in light of the stuff that happened AMONG GAMERS with each edition change. People don't like to feel like they wasted their money on old stuff.
__________________ ~No one wins in the Edition Wars. The whole hobby loses.~ KT
We are aware because we are all gamers here. We follow this stuff. People that are not gamers but have just heard of this game might not catch that Essentials is a year away from being obsolete at that website. If you follow the 'Learn to Play' link because you just took an interest, you might not realize that a new edition is around the corner.
Think of it this way. If we could call for a theoretical show of hands here about the recent changes to the rules for NCAA sports, I'm guessing less than 1/2 (or even less than 1/4) would know about that. I only know it happened because I am a student, but I don't know WHAT .
Fair enough. I admit I don't know what an NCAA might or might not be.
I do see your point. I just went to the main page and clicked on the big "what to buy" button, pretending I was new to D&D. You're right in that it tells you to buy the current 4E stuff and doesn't mention 5E. So, yeah, a new gamer might end up buying those books with no idea hat 5E is round the corner.
I'm not sure that matters though. While I agree that a certain percentage of the audience requires that they have the latest stuff, I'd be interested to see how that translates to general consumer habits. In no other area of my life - my PC, my car, my phone, computer games, comics, my TV, my clothes, etc. - does that pattern remotely resemble my buying habits. It would be interesting to see if RPGs are notably different in at regard on a large scale (there will always be people, of course).
For me, at least personally, that wouldn't be an issue. YMMV of course.
@Morrus , the NCAA is the governing body that regulates college athletics in the US. College sports, particularly American football (not that other kind of football most of us Americans have little interest in ) is HUGE, commanding TV broadcast money that rivals or dwarfs some professional sports leagues.
The NCAA controls everything from how the game is played on the field, to how some tournaments are set up, to what student athletes are and are not allowed to do. They aren't allowed to make money off endorsements, for example. They punish schools and athletes that break the rules.
I am a big college football fan, so I tend to keep an eye on the NCAA and its recent rulings. But the casual fan probably doesn't really know what all the recent changes and such are.
Morrus, the NCAA is the governing body that regulates college athletics in the US. College sports, particularly American football (not that other kind of football most of us Americans have little interest in ) is HUGE, commanding TV broadcast money that rivals or dwarfs some professional sports leagues.
The NCAA controls everything from how the game is played on the field, to how some tournaments are set up, to what student athletes are and are not allowed to do. They aren't allowed to make money off endorsements, for example. They punish schools and athletes that break the rules.
I am a big college football fan, so I tend to keep an eye on the NCAA and its recent rulings. But the casual fan probably doesn't really know what all the recent changes and such are.
And since we are on the topic, Go Oregon Ducks!
I have a hard enough time keeping up with the names of sports organisations in my own country.
Last edited by Morrus; 18th February 2012 at 03:28 AM..
Am I the only one that thinks it might be in poor taste to still advertise Essentials as the what to buy if you're new to D&D when a new version is coming in a year?
Yes.
You are the only one.
__________________ I don't support feat taxes: http://goo.gl/oGiFS
Am I the only one that thinks it might be in poor taste to still advertise Essentials as the what to buy if you're new to D&D when a new version is coming in a year?
Not really... My intro to D&D was with some random really late 2E boxed set called the "Adventure Set" (a rather decent intro to the game, THAC0 aside) that nobody ever seems to have heard of. A few months after I bought it, I got the newly released first print run 3E PHB. I think both products were even printed the same year (with that 25th anniversary logo). The edition whiplash didn't bug me at all. Actually, in my ignorance I just thought that the 'real' rules were vastly superior to the 'fake' rules from the box set.
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) is HUGE, commanding TV broadcast money that rivals or dwarfs some professional sports leagues.
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