D&D 5E Light release schedule: More harm than good?

[carmachu]

I like books, there's almost always something, an idea, creature, trap or locale, to use somewhere, somehow. The only time you can be sure you wont find something you might want to use... is when the book isn't....

Thats what the old Dragon magazine was for. The magazines of old had all that types of ideas, information, creature or trap info....

 

[DongMaster]

Do you believe the way that Asian parents bring their children up in a very restrictive harsh environment beneficial to the children as they grow older or is it really doing more harm than it is good? Discuss Below -

Yes, Asian Dungeon Masters don't need rule lawyers...

 

[MoonSong]

Do you believe the way that Asian parents bring their children up in a very restrictive harsh environment beneficial to the children as they grow older or is it really doing more harm than it is good? Discuss Below -

With Japan's high youth suicide rates? I doubt it.

 

[wiseguy]

yes Sailor Moon are teeling correctly...

 

[wiseguy]

but why are u no need rule....

 

[DM_Jeff]

As someone who managed to maneuver my hobby budget for years to keep up with all new official products since, say 1995, there is great relief at this new release schedule. Without having to struggle, my gaming budget allotment is growing instead of shrinking, and I’m appreciating the books that ARE out more, and can give them appropriate time and attention. What’s the extra budget going towards? Beloved minis and battle mats, and extras at GenCon!

I wonder too if folks aren’t discounting DNDClassics.com? Since that place for older edition material came out, I’ve hit it up here and there, and seen posts from some who are spending hundreds there a month to “PDF their collection”. For adventures, just this past week I finally got “Knights Dark Terror” there after hearing folks go on and on about it over the years. DNDCLassic.com is sitting there making money daily for WotC, I don’t doubt.

 

[Wicht]

Around the time they had two editions in a row turn out to be disasters, forcing them to abandon one edition partway through and put out no new content for months while scrambling to plan out a new edition....


Technically, neither one was a success; remember, they abandoned 3E for 3.5 partway through its development cycle, just like they would later abandon 4E.

Wow.

Are you really arguing that Third Edition was in some way a failure? The only failure was WotC ability to keep cashing in on their great success with the edition. imho.

 

[Sailor Moon]

Wow.

Are you really arguing that Third Edition was in some way a failure? The only failure was WotC ability to keep cashing in on their great success with the edition. imho.

Not to mention a company using that edition to create their version if the game and take the number 1 spot.

Yeah, real failure there.

 

[Nergal Pendragon]

Wow.

Are you really arguing that Third Edition was in some way a failure? The only failure was WotC ability to keep cashing in on their great success with the edition. imho.

I'm not arguing that it was in some way a failure; that is a matter of public record. 3.0 was the failure, given its design was screwed-up enough that the only way they could fix it was to release a half-edition.

Most of the ongoing success since then isn't a credit to WotC. WotC was actually a primary source of a lot of 3E's problems; they had poor quality control measures, were constantly fighting with 3PP companies (even going as far as to revise the OGL to try to stop some 3PPs from putting out products), had power creep that still makes people cringe, stopped caring about even producing quality errata and at least twice had to errata their errata before that, and had a lot of other problems.

Pretty much, Paizo had to work with a broken 3E fanbase that was fighting itself and try to forge a product out of an epic mess that was left behind when WotC decided to move on to 4E. At that point, it was no longer in WotC's hands and WotC could not claim any credit for what Paizo did.

So, for WotC, what I said is true; it was one of their editions with a pretty massive failure in it. For Paizo, what I said doesn't apply, since they got it right on their first try.

 

[Wicht]

I'm not arguing that it was in some way a failure; that is a matter of public record. 3.0 was the failure, given its design was screwed-up enough that the only way they could fix it was to release a half-edition.

Most of the ongoing success since then isn't a credit to WotC. WotC was actually a primary source of a lot of 3E's problems; they had poor quality control measures, were constantly fighting with 3PP companies (even going as far as to revise the OGL to try to stop some 3PPs from putting out products), had power creep that still makes people cringe, stopped caring about even producing quality errata and at least twice had to errata their errata before that, and had a lot of other problems.

Pretty much, Paizo had to work with a broken 3E fanbase that was fighting itself and try to forge a product out of an epic mess that was left behind when WotC decided to move on to 4E. At that point, it was no longer in WotC's hands and WotC could not claim any credit for what Paizo did.

So, for WotC, what I said is true; it was one of their editions with a pretty massive failure in it. For Paizo, what I said doesn't apply, since they got it right on their first try.

Your interpretation of the public record seems rather sketchy to me. Let us start with your premise that the OGL was revised. That never happened. I think you are confusing the OGL with the D20 license, which is a common error, but does show that your grasp of the specifics is questionable. Secondly, while it is true that WotC failed to properly manage 3e, a thing I think I said above, this does not itself show the edition was in any way a failure, just as the release of 3.5 does not demonstrate that the core design was flawed.

My recollection of 3e and the OGL was that it gave new life to the hobby, brought in more players, created whole companies out of almost nothing, and that the core d20 design has shown itself to be versatile and strong. 3e was a golden goose, but the killing of said goose by the owner does not show the goose itself to have been a failure.