Menzoberranzan is Editionless... Good move?

[JeffB]

Not interested in a Menzo for any edition.

But count me in among those who think edtion neutral setting books are the shiz! I would certainly like to see this become a habit.

 

[was]

I think it's a good idea to have the material edition free.

 

[khantroll]

I am interested to see how this goes. I play 3.5, but I regularly use 2e settings as well as 4e modules which I have converted to my system of choice. If there were enough new things in this book to warrant it, I'd buy it with or without 4e mechanics (as with I did with the dungeon guide and other books).

I just want to see WotC's take on edition neutral products.

 

[Agamon]

This is good, yes, but anyone else wonder if this is just because of we're in the era of "4e is winding down/5e is coming"? It would be nice if the trend continues past the release of 5e, but I'm somewhat doubtful.

 

[Ahnehnois]

I think "Menzoberranzan" has something to do with Drow/Underdark, right?

Other than that, I don't know what it is, but I don't play published settings, I don't buy books for fluff, and I don't buy anything from WotC anymore. So I would be uninterested regardless.

 

[Virel]

Since the book is edition free, it will actually be worth my while to look at it. I wouldn't even consider looking at the book if it was 4e material, never mind actually purchasing it.


We still play 1e/2e hybrid and that's not going to change. WotC can either get with the program and print stuff my group wants that we can use in our game or they will be ignored as they have been for the last ten years.

 

[wingsandsword]

We still play 1e/2e hybrid and that's not going to change. WotC can either get with the program and print stuff my group wants that we can use in our game or they will be ignored as they have been for the last ten years.

I like the idea of "editionless" books. I haven't bought any WotC D&D books in the 4e era. The last books I recall buying are the 3.5e Rules Compendium and 3.5e Spell Compendium.

However, I think this could be supplimented with some edition-specific materials in either an appendix, or web enhancements (preferably in actual printed appendices though, as making something a web enhancement puts it in a ghetto of being just some "online" source instead of in the actual published sourcebook. IME, DM's are less likely to accept something from any website, even WotC's, over material from an actual published book).

For example, the actual body of the book could be edition-neutral, but have an Appendix which has some AD&D 1e stats (since WotC is republishing the AD&D core books and still has a notable player base), an appendix with D&D 3.5e stats (as probably the most widely played out-of-print edition), and 4e stats (as the current edition, make it 5e when that comes out). It would also be an interesting way for WotC to show how to depict game setting material with different systems/mechanical toolkits.

The books would be crunch-light since it would only be several pages of appendices with stats, probably just some stats for key characters, maybe a few new spells or magic items, a couple of new feats or Nonweapon proficiencies, but enough that fans of that edition have a little something to localize the text to their specific edition, but it's small enough and isolated that fans of other editions don't feel that the book is filled with unusable material.

 

[Alzrius]

This is good, yes, but anyone else wonder if this is just because of we're in the era of "4e is winding down/5e is coming"? It would be nice if the trend continues past the release of 5e, but I'm somewhat doubtful.

I think this is the case. I seem to recall some Eberron books released around the end of 3.5 that were (largely, if not totally) "edition neutral," along with The Grand History of the Realms, etc.

We've seen this sort of stat-less book before, and I don't think it's the new normal for anything except what to do when transitioning between editions.

 

[Harlock]

I think this is the case. I seem to recall some Eberron books released around the end of 3.5 that were (largely, if not totally) "edition neutral," along with The Grand History of the Realms, etc.

We've seen this sort of stat-less book before, and I don't think it's the new normal for anything except what to do when transitioning between editions.

I fear you are correct, but hope for an edition-neutral future anyway.

 

[Philotomy Jurament]

I don't play 4e and I'm not interested, but I'm not interested because it's Menzoberranzan. If it were some other crunch free product, I might be more interested.