WotC Vecna: Nest of the Evil Eye--Deets On The Prequel Adventure

[mamba]

Bit of a misunderstanding here: this module is being offered as an option to explain why the PCs are connected to Vecna and chosen by the Wish Spell at the start of the big campaign. Nit as part of the end.

I read it as part of the end as well, a ‘final confrontation’ does not last for 10 levels to me.

At that point the final confrontation with Sauron is all of LotR. I guess you can use it that way, it’s just not how I interpreted it. I expected it to flesh out the last chapter some more - of course once I learned it is for level 4, that became impossible…

 

[bedir than]

One last thing: Makenzie says in the video that one of the reasons they went with levels 3-4 was to make it more accessible to DMs who just want to pop in a Vecna-themed one-shot. If that's the case, why the heck is WotC making it an exclusive pre-order only thing? If they want to make it more widely accessible, they should be making it buyable on DDB. Ugh.

When and how she wrote it may be different than what happened in the months since she turned in her work

 

[pukunui]

When and how she wrote it may be different than what happened in the months since she turned in her work

Well, I assume the video was recorded more recently ... and I also assume it wasn't her decision to make it preorder only (although she does state in the video that she likes that it's preorder only because it seems fitting for an adventure about the god of secrets, so ...).

 

[Distracted DM]

It's pre-order bonus exclusive content. It's essentially the same thing you get for pre-ordering many AAA video games.

I believe folk object to pre-ordering video games because you're paying money for a product before knowing if it's going to be good. Video game companies add these incentives to get people to pre-order, hoping Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) will do its work. I think they do this because pre-orders are viewed as one of the most important indicator of a game's success to the money-people.
Do you object to video game pre-orders and their exclusive bonuses? Then you might object to this.

This is an exclusive pre-order bonus which is only on DDB.
Do you object to content being exclusive to DDB and unavailable elsewhere physically or digitally (FLGS, Amazon, DMsGuild, etc.)? Then you might object to this.

I believe this sums up the situation and why folk might feel whichever way they do.

 

[mamba]

It's pre-order bonus exclusive content. It's essentially the same thing you get for pre-ordering many AAA video games

the difference being that bonus usually is available for a few bucks afterwards as well…

 

[Distracted DM]

the difference being that bonus usually is available for a few bucks afterwards as well…

It's far more common for folk to be able to upgrade to the "collectors edition" etc. for more $ after buying the base game- but the preorder bonuses are typically not available for purchase right after release. Sometimes they'll be added a long while afterwards.
If companies make the pre-order bonuses available right after release, then that kills the FOMO- so they don't usually do that.

 

[Parmandur]

One last thing: Makenzie says in the video that one of the reasons they went with levels 3-4 was to make it more accessible to DMs who just want to pop in a Vecna-themed one-shot. If that's the case, why the heck is WotC making it an exclusive pre-order only thing? If they want to make it more widely accessible, they should be making it buyable on DDB. Ugh.

I'm there with you in not being terribly enthused about this module, I'm just naming the narrow pedantic point (I'm a pedant, I apologize, it's my thing) that it is being presented as an early seed to tie into the campaign in the long run

 

[Weiley31]

Since I buy my books physically, there's no way I'm getting it if that's how they are gonna run it.

 

[Distracted DM]

This is an exclusive pre-order bonus which is only on DDB.
Do you object to content being exclusive to DDB and unavailable elsewhere physically or digitally (FLGS, Amazon, DMsGuild, etc.)? Then you might object to this.

And to be clear, there have been other digital-only releases. More recently there have been other DDB-only releases. So if you only buy physical stuff, this isn't the first time you can't get something.

I believe that this is the first pre-order exclusive that's of any consequence, as opposed to digital DDB stuff like character sheet background art.

 

[Pagansexy]

So I can have Vecna: Nest of the Eldrich Eye, OR the #flgs Alternative cover to #Vecna: Eve of Ruin? That is not fair. It should be available with the digital purchase or as a code with the physical book purchased at my local game store. Please stop cutting out brick-and-mortar stores.