Fair enough. I don’t want it, and I think it would be a mistake in terms of attracting new players and a new audience to the game if it is seen to have rules bloat. In my view, the game cannot afford to keep appealing to an ever ageing, existing fan base anymore - so even if these fans tend to prefer to buy crunchy books, the game developers still need to look at the bigger, long term picture.
A fair point. I just don't think there is a long-term picture. Selling to aging fans will keep you in business for a few more decades, and it's pointless to try to plan out anywhere beyond that. If the long-term outlook isn't good for TTRPGs, that's a cultural change, not something developers can market their way out of.
My view is that there is a market out there for D&D - but it’s currently seen as an antiquated game from the past compared to online gaming and the like.
That I agree with. I just think it's important to sell what the game IS, and not market to what the developers think emerging consumers WILL want. It is antiquated compared to online games, and that's a main part of its charm.
Total agreement.
I think there was some research done for 3rd edition or possibly 3.5 that having too many rulebooks was indeed a turn off for casual players. The pre-existing market of fans always clamour for more and more rulebooks, but each rulebook that is added reduces the overall potential market down because casual gamers find it more of a barrier to entree. Sure, there is a clear entree point with the Starter Set - but if a casual gamer sees, say 10 chunky rulebooks on the shelf then that gamer may say I don’t fancy buying into all of that - too many rules to learn! Therein lies the issue - it’s the law of diminishing returns.
Oh, I agree. The personal preferences of players aren't going to be in agreement with the market preferences of players, simply because complex, crunchy games support a different kind of buyer. So you end up with 1000s of lightly supported simple games, and a single digit number of widely supported complex games.
Well, sure, but what's the alternative? You make a marketing push during the release of a new edition precisely because the barrier of entry is at its lowest point, and then you collect the money from the dedicated fans as the "new edition" window closes. Then you reboot, and start anew.
I also think that the book is as you describe, but - at least on the upcoming releases page here - it is listed as being produced by Sasquatch. I must say that I was surprised when the book was announced precisely for the reasons that you mention. I wonder if anybody has more information on this.
