Eric Noah's Info

[Kanegrundar]

Since it is their product, they do own the OOP stuff the last time I checked, that is a non-arguement.

UHm...how do you figure? If WotC released old edition material, it would indeed be competing with their flagship line (and likely cause confusion with players that have only played 3.x). I'm all for supporting your favorite game, but this is getting silly.

 

[Llaurenela]

UHm...how do you figure? If WotC released old edition material, it would indeed be competing with their flagship line (and likely cause confusion with players that have only played 3.x). I'm all for supporting your favorite game, but this is getting silly.

What is silly is you thinking that any reasonably intelligent person would be confused. DM or player of 3.x goes to online store of WOTC and sees a statement that says, "If you interested in replacing a worn out copy of our gaming materials from the 1970's or 1980's or if you would just like to take a look at what was going on in the early days of gaming, you can check out this link ___________. We have licensed reprinting rights for these materials to the ______ . Please note that these materials are not directly compatible with our current 3.x games. Many of the adventures do have current counterparts and others may follow." IMO anyone who would be confused by that is probably not capable of playing 3.x in the first place.

 

[dcas]

Since it is their product, they do own the OOP stuff the last time I checked, that is a non-arguement.

No, because whatever they might possibly gain in market share may not make up for the added cost of supporting two wholly different product lines.

 

[Kanegrundar]

What is silly is you thinking that any reasonably intelligent person would be confused. DM or player of 3.x goes to online store of WOTC and sees a statement that says, "If you interested in replacing a worn out copy of our gaming materials from the 1970's or 1980's or if you would just like to take a look at what was going on in the early days of gaming, you can check out this link ___________. We have licensed reprinting rights for these materials to the ______ . Please note that these materials are not directly compatible with our current 3.x games. Many of the adventures do have current counterparts and others may follow." IMO anyone who would be confused by that is probably not capable of playing 3.x in the first place.

Wow. There's really no getting through on this issue is there? Keep on dreaming about being able to buy old material again (beyond the pdf's scans that are already available). I hope you don't get to worked up about it, because all this fervor is not going to get them to re-release material for older editions. Might I suggest OSRIC for you needs?

 

[Grazzt]

No, because whatever they might possibly gain in market share may not make up for the added cost of supporting two wholly different product lines.

Exactly. Which, is similar (not quite the same thing though) to what happened to TSR in the mid to late 90s. They had so many campaign worlds out there they were trying to support (Dark Sun, Ravenloft, Planescape, etc) that they fractured their own market...and many of those said campaign worlds did not do all that well (from a profit-margin POV I mean).

Like I said...not quite the same...but yeah, WotC would be foolish to reprint material for older editions (Id love to see it and be the first to buy it..well actually probably not since I have everything WotC/TSR has done since the Chainmail days ) Like DCAS said above, they would be supporting two totally different product lines...just isnt gonna happen.

 

[dcas]

WOTC is in the business of making money. If they seriously believed that the additional investment required to support both "new" D&D as well as "classic" D&D could be recouped in the market, and their profits increased proportionally, they would be doing it.

This is business, not personal.

 

[Kanegrundar]

This is business, not personal.

It always comes back to The Godfather.

 

[Kaodi]

Hmmm...

Umbran, your bringing up the gamer population has given me a somewhat radical idea. We should drop this pretense of fitting in with the normal population, and build our own city, the City of Gamers!
Oh, a city of social misfits, predominated by males, you say? Maybe at the outset, but as new generations of gamers are raised in a society where they are the norm, then they will grow up more confident and better in social environments! Then, to keep our population growing, we will send our young men out into the surrounding cities of non-gamers, and they will spend time living and working there, meeting new people, and finding mates. There will be a full service for online gaming, so they won't be cut off, and when they come home to visit and relax, we will have gaming marathons to reinvigorate them!
Muahahaha! Now, remember what Bill Gates said? " Be nice to geeks. You'll probably end up working for one. " So, we take the helm of major corporations, buy up their ownership, and fund our existence full of gaming goodness!
4e isn't really about changing the rules, it's about changing a way of life. Or maybe 5e. Whatever. Gamers will inherit the Earth! Muahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

 

[Llaurenela]

Wow. There's really no getting through on this issue is there? Keep on dreaming about being able to buy old material again (beyond the pdf's scans that are already available). I hope you don't get to worked up about it, because all this fervor is not going to get them to re-release material for older editions. Might I suggest OSRIC for you needs?

I am not worked up, I am just pointing out that all of the straw man arguements that people want to put forward for why Hasbro/WOTC doesn't release all of the old stuff on pdf or give someone else the reprint rights for a fee are ridiculous. There are no valid arguements that are legitimate for why they don't do it. Those of you who are defending them are doing so with no valid arguements. I know they are not going to make the materials legally available, but please do not try to claim that they have any legitimate reason for not making them available. They do not have any legitimate reason. Releasing those old materials could only make them more money without costing them a dime. Anyone who claims otherwise it out of touch with reality or has some personal axe to grind, because no one can truthfully claim that there is any legitimate reason to without those OOP products from the marketplace.

Now as for dcas, his disagreement is solely due to his presonal hatred of me. He will automatically disagree with anything I say, as will a few others at DF. His points are not valid.

 

[Llaurenela]

No, because whatever they might possibly gain in market share may not make up for the added cost of supporting two wholly different product lines.

There is no added cost for what I suggest that they do. Your point is without any merit whatsoever.