Princes of the Apocalypse Basic Rules Supplement

I like that they're doing this, I like it a lot!

 

[Kramodlog]

I suspect they still want to sell folks the core books, but are just being realistic about the fact that not everyone who is interested in getting into the hobby is going to jump at the opportunity of paying $150 for the core books. Basic is a great alternative, "the first taste is always free" and all that.

Post initial launch sells of core book just drop. They won't get those numbers unless a new edition comes out. Just selling those ain't viable. Maybe with all sort of other products it is (e.g. board games, video games), but how they make the APs playable even without the core books is telling.

The PRD makes everything available.

The PRD contains just the core stuff (AKA hardcovers that aren't about Golarion). For the rest of the crunch you need to go to d20PFSRD or a similar site. When making APs they make sure that if they do not include the rules, they can be found exclusively in the PRD.

Basic provides everything you need to jump into a friend's AP campaign, but at some point you're going to want to play a Paladin, or a Bard, or a Ranger.

That is an interesting argument. It is similar to what me and others say about lack of up coming content for the edition. At some point you want something else than just core.

APs are probably going to only every be bought by DMs, but if each DM can recruit just one new player over the course of their time running the game, that's and extra $50 per group spent on PHBs.

It is also true with Paizo, exept players have more stuff they can buy. Not just the core. More importantly, they want to sell subscriptions. It is why WotC's plan is weird. Post PHB, a player doesn't have any other buying options.

Basic is a great on-ramp IMO, and while they're definitely focused on the APs, I think they're hoping for a vicious cycle type of effect with them, where APs + Basic lead to more Core Book sales, which in turn leans to more APs sold, which helps recruit more players to buy the Core Books...

Getting new players is a good business model. Not cattering to the ones you have isn't. Seems what you discribe means they get a new player and expect the old one to quit. It is true that most people play D&D for a short period of time and then move on. There are others who keep playing. From the Nathan Stewart interview, it seems people who have been player for more than five years represent 75% or 80% of players.

Time will tell if that strategy brings in the sort of numbers they're hoping to see, but personally I can see it working well enough, especially if they're able to leverage outside interest in the hobby through novels, movies, video games, television series, etc.

It is the big question. Can varied sources of revenue compensate for the for those players who have been playing a long time and at some point what more content and just leave because they don't have it?

 

[Sword of Spirit]

The free pdf model is going to make them money, IMO.

You're invited to a game. The DM tells you about the free pdf. You look it over and start playing. You're enjoying yourself. And so are the other people at the table playing bards and warlocks and druids. Most likely someone is happy to let you borrow their book to make a non-basic character. But you're going to want your own book pretty quickly (either because you actually enjoy having the book, or just because you don't like imposing).

And if you can't afford your own PHB, having that copy of the basic rules is going to make it more likely you will keep on playing until you can afford it, and invite friends to play, etc.

So it's really a great move on their part--everyone wins.

 

[Iosue]

They did that with the Tyranny of Dragons modules. Not sure why they didn't do it with Princes.

The model is that you can use the Core Books if you have them or use the PDF if you don't. But when HotDQ came out there was no MM or DMG, and RoT came out before the DMG, so the PDFs were a priority, since without them no one could use them.

With PotA, the Core Books are out, so even when jury duty messed up everyone's schedule, they could afford to give it lower priority. It's still only a week and a half after wide release.

 

[pukunui]

[MENTION=6680772]Iosue[/MENTION]: I think you've taken my comment out of context. I was replying to someone who was suggesting that WotC include a note in all future adventures that you can go online and download a supplemental pdf. I was saying that they did do that with the Tyranny of Dragons modules, but that I wasn't sure why they didn't also include such a note in the PotA book.

 

[The Myopic Sniper]

I hope they would offer a retail print version of Basic Rules down the road in a couple of years. $50, 320ish pages with full art and some explanatory sidebars to make it a tad less spartan. That would make a nicer entry point for players seeing the game randomly at Walmart or other non-gaming oriented retail than the core 3. Then again, that might just be my '91 D&D Rules Cyclopedia nostalgia talking.

 

[Iosue]

[MENTION=6680772]Iosue[/MENTION]: I think you've taken my comment out of context. I was replying to someone who was suggesting that WotC include a note in all future adventures that you can go online and download a supplemental pdf. I was saying that they did do that with the Tyranny of Dragons modules, but that I wasn't sure why they didn't also include such a note in the PotA book.

Not so much out of context, but in different context! You quoted Leatherhead saying they should release the pdf with the book, and have a paragraph in the book. You responded only to the paragraph part, but that wasn't clear in your response, which I took as replying to the whole thing, i.e., pdf at same time as book.

 

[Leatherhead]

OK, so let me see if I've got it right. By "They didn't do it because all the rules needed weren't available for free, at the time. However, they did tell you which of the other books to look in for the additional stats", you meant that there is no mention of a free supplement in the PotA book because it wasn't available straight away, so instead the book tells you to look in the core rulebooks instead?

Yes.
Something about today is causing me to be confusing, I guess.

 

[CapnZapp]

I hope they would offer a retail print version of Basic Rules down the road in a couple of years. $50, 320ish pages with full art and some explanatory sidebars to make it a tad less spartan. That would make a nicer entry point for players seeing the game randomly at Walmart or other non-gaming oriented retail than the core 3. Then again, that might just be my '91 D&D Rules Cyclopedia nostalgia talking.

Yes, *some* sort of insanity must be involved if you're suggesting a copy of the PHB (same price and page count) but stripped of everything non-basic... :-o ;-)

 

[pukunui]

Yes.
Something about today is causing me to be confusing, I guess.

It's OK. I think that based on what [MENTION=6680772]Iosue[/MENTION] said above, I wasn't entirely clear myself.

 

[Ranes]

Firstly, I think this strategy is commendable. Well done, WotC. Please keep it up.

The download link on the website's Elemental Evil page is for the printer friendly version of this supplement. If you remove "_PrinterFriendly" from the URL you get the printer unfriendly version. The only difference is a texture applied behind the text but I thought I'd mention it for printer unfriendly completists.