D&D 4E Open Design / Wolfgang Baur to do a 4E Open Design Adventure

[Admiral Caine]

Well, you all talked me into it. This looks like a lot of fun.

Welcome aboard!

Wrath is suddenly catching fire and catching up to almost the same level of support that the 3.5 project has.

(Since they're 'different product lines' this will hopefully be no problem

EDIT: Of course, Wolfgang has to see the GSL first)

 

[Graf]

actually WB has indicated that the projects will be done one at a time and the project that's funded first will be done first.
So if River King is funded first he'll start soon.

 

[FunkBGR]

I posted this on the LJ, but figured I'd post it here too.

I'm not decided on the new edition yet, but one of the reasons I went with Wrath of the River King was because I pretty much want to see a tried and true designer go through it.

I'm hoping there'll be some comparison of experiences of designing for 3.0/3.5 vs. 4e, and also hoping that that'll help me make a more informed decision on which I like better.

I'm still going to get the books, no matter what - but seeing as how this is a fresh system, with fresh new rules, I think it's a good idea.

 

[Admiral Caine]

Here's a link to how the commission status is going...

Status here

I suspect the reason the 3.5 Patrons have their project a little better funded with only a few more patrons is that they have different levels of patronage (which allows them to give more money, for different levels of content), whereas the 4th Edition Project has more of a flat rate of $30.00 for all the content.

Nevertheless, Wrath of the River King did a proverbial Zero to Sixty in only a few days time, and is still climbing..

 

[vagabundo]

I just signed up. I am very interested in the design articles as I am going to try my hand at a little PDF publishing, good to see how a professional would design a product.

And I get a 4e adventure at the end of it.

 

[Monkey King]

I suspect the reason the 3.5 Patrons have their project a little better funded with only a few more patrons is that they have different levels of patronage (which allows them to give more money, for different levels of content), whereas the 4th Edition Project has more of a flat rate of $30.00 for all the content.

Not true! The Wrath patrons can donate at the $75 to $150 senior patron levels if they like. And Donations of $100 or more gain access to a playtest game I will run at GenCon plus a print copy of the adventure, signed by me.

I suspect, though, that people who haven't been involved with Open Design before are a little hesitant to go all-out like that right away, and that's why the 3E project is still ahead in the funding.

 

[Admiral Caine]

Not true! The Wrath patrons can donate at the $75 to $150 senior patron levels if they like. And Donations of $100 or more gain access to a playtest game I will run at GenCon plus a print copy of the adventure, signed by me.

I suspect, though, that people who haven't been involved with Open Design before are a little hesitant to go all-out like that right away, and that's why the 3E project is still ahead in the funding.

You know.. I knew that, because it's one of my previous posts! ::smacks forehead::

But there you have it folks, from the man himself!

And consider this people.. even if you are skittish concerning a unique program like Open Design and it's patronage system, here's a few selling points.

• This is not the first time he's done this. Open Design has a proven track record.
• The $30 donation level favors comparably to the retail store price of a 4E module right now. True, you get a PDF copy at the end (with the option to print for an additional fee), but you're also getting months of discussion, entertainment, and feedback.
• This is a professional product with art and maps
• At $30.00 you're going to talk and pick the brain of Wolfgang Baur a whole lot more than you will if you went to Gencon and bought him a drink.

Not that you should do this instead of going to Gencon, I'm just saying.. We have some real conversations about gaming.

 

[Darkthorne]

Wolfgang,
Thanks for the tracker. I'm planning on upping my donation for Wrath when I get the chance.

 

[Graf]

Not true! The Wrath patrons can donate at the $75 to $150 senior patron levels if they like. And Donations of $100 or more gain access to a playtest game I will run at GenCon plus a print copy of the adventure, signed by me.

I suspect, though, that people who haven't been involved with Open Design before are a little hesitant to go all-out like that right away, and that's why the 3E project is still ahead in the funding.

I think, also, that 4e is going to be light on adventures. Even if Shadowkeep is awesome there won't be much available for a while after that (obviously Dungeon should come online in force, but I think there is anxiety over whether DDI is going to arrive on time/be decent/etc).

People who love DnD and normally want to do it by themselves may thing that 30 bucks, (which includes a premium adventure) may not be a lot to get a good look at how to build a 4e adventure from the ground up.

 

[Admiral Caine]

I think, also, that 4e is going to be light on adventures. Even if Shadowkeep is awesome there won't be much available for a while after that (obviously Dungeon should come online in force, but I think there is anxiety over whether DDI is going to arrive on time/be decent/etc).

People who love DnD and normally want to do it by themselves may thing that 30 bucks, (which includes a premium adventure) may not be a lot to get a good look at how to build a 4e adventure from the ground up.

This is an excellent point Graf. It should also be noted that 30,000 words is around 50~60 pages... and Wolfgang is infamous for running over if he doesn't think the project has been well served by the minumum word count.


Alas, support for Wrath has slowed down.. I think people are starting to wait for the core books. There still room for people to get in on the ground floor of this exciting project.