Second Dungeons & Dragons Product for Fall 2018: Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage

Olaf the Stout · Jun 4, 2018

MechaPilot said:
Nothing?

As in no entry barriers?

Really?

I didn't know I could get anything I wanted published for free.

Do you really want me to point out that you need a computer and have an internet connection in order to publish your own material? I mean, how pedantic do you want to be about this?

You'd probably also want some design software to lay out your product, but technically you could make a product without that. Yes, it would look like trash, but you could still do it.

Then it's a case of turning it into a PDF and selling it. There are online tools that let you convert files to PDF for free. The product could be sold on DTRPG to sell or sell via your own website (or you could get a free website).

What else do you need in order to publish a product?

Superchunk77 · Jun 4, 2018

Hard pass on MToF, this and the other FR one.

MonsterEnvy · Jun 4, 2018

Superchunk77 said:
Hard pass on MToF, this and the other FR one.

Why are Mordenkainen's?

Aldarc · Jun 4, 2018

Jester David said:
Option 1) DMs Guild. There are endless numbers of PDFs and several Print on Demand campaign settings. The lore is edition neutral. Just update a few races (which are often done by fans on the Guild) and you’re golden.

Option 2) Midgard by Kobold Press. This has a huge splatbooks of PC options and is fantastic. And the campaign setting is massive. Plus, they have numerous adventures for Pathfinder and 5e already out.

1) Most DMs, and potential DMs, I have talked with have never heard of either thing. Or 2) They distrust the quality of the entirety of the products based upon highly well-rated or popular stuff that is also highly unbalanced that they have found there.

Option 3) Speaking or Pathfinder... go Golarion. Use that setting. You can even upgrade their Adveture Paths fairly easily. And there are often conversions online.

This again falls under the "pssst... not everyone can" from before.

Option 4) Tal’Dorei. The campaign setting from Critical Role and published by Green Ronin. No adventures, but a decent sized world and a product full of adventure hooks.

This option is more likely given the mainstream success of Critical Role.

Option 7) Find a different 3rd Party setting: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showth...the-Third-Party-5th-Edition-Campaign-Settings

Many of which never see light at a games shop where many DMs I know buy their materials and nowhere else.They do not have the time to sift through 3pp settings, but they are also unhappy with the Realms.

Aldarc · Jun 4, 2018

Remathilis said:
Its tiring to see yet another "OMG Realmz Suxx!!!" every time we get a new book. Especially since D&D, unlike a video game or other media, is easily adaptable to whatever you actually want it to be. Change the names, adapt the setting to your preferred world, and don't sit here whining about how WotC won't do the work for you. It was a tired argument three APs ago.

It's tiring when WotC releases products that I am not interested in buying. It's tiring when they repeatedly tease their support of other campaign settings with little to show for it. It's tiring when I voice my dissatisfaction with what the adventures are publishing only to have a chorus of yes men shout down any alternative viewpoints. It's tiring to have people living in a bubble who are repeatedly dismissive of other people about the troubles of finding alternative adventures worth running and assume that converting adventures is easy for everyone. And it's tiring having to deal with your strawmen about "OMG Realmz Suxx!!!" If adventures are so easy to convert, then please let's have a Greyhawk, Eberron, Dark Sun, Dragonlance, or Planescape adventure book for converting to the Realms.

Paul Farquhar · Jun 4, 2018

Waterdeep can easily be adapted to any generic pseudo-medieval fantasy setting.

The problem is some of us are bored with generic pseudo-medieval in general, not Forgotten Realms in particular.

DQDesign · Jun 4, 2018

Olaf the Stout said:
Exactly. Why should WotC open up all of their settings for people to profit off?

Yes, WotC are currently leaving several setting sit dormant, but considering that all those settings contributed heavily to the demise of TSR, I'm not surprised they are trying to avoid repeating that mistake.

They don't give IP for free at all. They get 50% of every penny I make with my writing on DMsGuild based on IP they manage because they received as 'contractual heritage' afyer buying TSR. SO, technically they are renting buyed IP.

And I'm fine with that.

What I don't understand is why I cannot do this with other TSR created IP for which the current owner has no interest in.

'standard reference first' hypothesis is weak, IMO, there are dozens of ranger versions on dmsguild, also if the standard ranger is in the PHB for example.
'dmsguild sells poorly' is a stronger hypothesis, but solving the issue passes for opening new settings for development, so I don't understand, again.

Olaf the Stout · Jun 4, 2018

DQDesign said:
They don't give IP for free at all. They get 50% of every penny I make with my writing on DMsGuild based on IP they manage because they received as 'contractual heritage' afyer buying TSR. SO, technically they are renting buyed IP.

And I'm fine with that.

What I don't understand is why I cannot do this with other TSR created IP for which the current owner has no interest in.

'standard reference first' hypothesis is weak, IMO, there are dozens of ranger versions on dmsguild, also if the standard ranger is in the PHB for example.
'dmsguild sells poorly' is a stronger hypothesis, but solving the issue passes for opening new settings for development, so I don't understand, again.

Opening up the market creates other competitors for themselves. Yes, they get 50% if he proceeds from DMs Guild sales, but it creates a number of risks.

What if opening up another setting’s IP causes their print sales to drop. That could cause them to lower their print runs, dropping their overall profit and their profit per unit.

What setting do they open up? No matter which setting they choose to open up, there will be some people complaining and potentially boycotting buying WotC products because their favourite setting wasn’t opened up.

Basically, what they are doing at the moment is working really well for them, so they aren’t willing to take a risk and open up more settings when the potential risk to their current business model is higher than any potential profits they might get from DM’s Guild sales.

DQDesign · Jun 4, 2018

Olaf the Stout said:
Opening up the market creates other competitors for themselves. Yes, they get 50% if he proceeds from DMs Guild sales, but it creates a number of risks.

What if opening up another setting’s IP causes their print sales to drop. That could cause them to lower their print runs, dropping their overall profit and their profit per unit.

What setting do they open up? No matter which setting they choose to open up, there will be some people complaining and potentially boycotting buying WotC products because their favourite setting wasn’t opened up.

Basically, what they are doing at the moment is working really well for them, so they aren’t willing to take a risk and open up more settings when the potential risk to their current business model is higher than any potential profits they might get from DM’s Guild sales.

good analysis, but:

- they have complete control on what goes POD on the dmsguild and what not, so I can't understand how non-wotc products can affect print run of wotc products;

- complains about setting selection can be easily avoided opening all of them, or at least the oldest ones. I think no one can seriously think about a very near wotc product about Mystara or Birthright at the moment;

- they are right about worrying about dmsguild sales, but this is due, basically, to a lot of potential factors not completely profited. They wrote about buying dmsguild's author IP and putting into canon, for example, but this never happened (dmsguild adept program is far from this, IMO).

Aldarc · Jun 4, 2018

Olaf the Stout said:
Opening up the market creates other competitors for themselves. Yes, they get 50% if he proceeds from DMs Guild sales, but it creates a number of risks.

What if opening up another setting’s IP causes their print sales to drop. That could cause them to lower their print runs, dropping their overall profit and their profit per unit.

What setting do they open up? No matter which setting they choose to open up, there will be some people complaining and potentially boycotting buying WotC products because their favourite setting wasn’t opened up.

Basically, what they are doing at the moment is working really well for them, so they aren’t willing to take a risk and open up more settings when the potential risk to their current business model is higher than any potential profits they might get from DM’s Guild sales.

Jein. What you are describing seems to already exist, in one form or another, on DMs Guild within the realm, no pun intended, of Forgotten Realms. People are producing, for example, Kara-Tur content on DMs Guild. But in doing so, this would presumably also apply to the idea that this would cut into any potential IP sales. And there is likewise Ravenloft content that would potentially cut into future sales of WotC-produced content.

Second Dungeons & Dragons Product for Fall 2018: Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage

Darryl Mott

Olaf the Stout

Hero

Superchunk77

Adventurer

MonsterEnvy

Legend

Aldarc

Legend

Aldarc

Legend

Paul Farquhar

Legend

DQDesign

Guest

Olaf the Stout

Hero

DQDesign

Guest

Aldarc

Legend

Similar Threads

Related Articles