WotC: Character Builder's effect on Third Party Publishers

[jlac]

...

. . . the slightly larger half of 4E players/DMs still allow 3PPs. How indicative overall that is of the true numbers, I don't know, but it's at least better than what's been represented in the replies of this thread.

~

Well, I answered that I allowed 3PP stuff, but only because no one in my group (including me) ever bothers with them. I very rarely buy 3PP (and if I do its mostly just to read and not use in play). WotC gives my group plenty of options, and I'm still gun-shy from the huge crapalanche that 3PP caused for 3.x (not all of it sucked, but most of it did).

Besides, why would WotC give players the option of picking up a cheap/free dataset for CB that might include functional equivalents of classes they provide in their books?

 

[Jinglehopper]

I know that I have actively chose not to use any homebrew options provided by my DM because the character builder would not support them.

That sucks.

 

[catsclaw227]

Imagine if WOTC and 3PP teamed up so that DDI Subscribers can buy datasets from WOTC, where WOTC and the 3PP split the proceeds, it gets integrated into your CB based upon your username and you can then have your personalized CB.

It's a revenue stream for WOTC, and they could make up the cost of the extra development (that they may well need to fund anyway), and maybe make a small extra bit on DDI for existing subscribers.

It also helps solve the question of how to increase revenue from paying, loyal customers. I would buy the 3PP product anyway, so why not sell the datasets too!

 

[UngainlyTitan]

Imagine if WOTC and #PP teamed up so that DDI Subscribers can buy datasets from WOTC, where WOTC and the 3PP split the proceeds, it gets integrated into your CB based upon your username and you can then have your personalized CB.

It's a revenue stream for WOTC, and they could make up the cost of the extra development (that they may well need to fund anyway), and maybe make a small extra bit on DDI for existing subscribers.

It also helps solve the question of how to increase revenue from paying, loyal customers. I would buy the 3PP product anyway, so why not sell the datasets too!

Its dooable in principle, the big issue is what would WoTC charge for it and could the 3PP afford it. Also would people buy third party stuff on a subscription basis?

 

[Nylanfs]

Is PC Gen supporting 4E?

We have a starter set with the rule constructs and very basic generic information. It has to be downloaded seperately, we're working on a character sheet to go along with it currently.

 

[RefinedBean]

So DDI users get their stuff for free, and 3PP have to pay for that? I don't think that will work.

Yeah, complete brain-fart on my part.

 

[Remathilis]

My big problem is the lack of house rules that affect the engine somehow. I want powers that calculate attack bonuses, feats that grant appropriate pluses, paragons that stack appropriate bonuses, and custom deities that grant access to custom channel divinity feats.

Core Rules 2.0 + Expansion did most of this kind of things for 2e. (though not perfect) and it allowed a lot of content distribution (via the .xpt/xpx format, readable only by CR2). If WotC could get something like that going for their houserules section, It would be the best program Evar!

 

[UngainlyTitan]

My big problem is the lack of house rules that affect the engine somehow. I want powers that calculate attack bonuses, feats that grant appropriate pluses, paragons that stack appropriate bonuses, and custom deities that grant access to custom channel divinity feats.

Core Rules 2.0 + Expansion did most of this kind of things for 2e. (though not perfect) and it allowed a lot of content distribution (via the .xpt/xpx format, readable only by CR2). If WotC could get something like that going for their houserules section, It would be the best program Evar!

I agree, I have been looking at the XML of the character sheet. the structure seems straightforward but figuring out what all the magic numbers mean would be a pain. On the other hand if WoTC were to document the xml schema then any third party could poke values into the character sheet that would represent the effect of houserules.

That said, it would be better to have the rules elements in the CB initially. But given the layout of the character sheet xml that should ultimately be dooable. The only issue is that the house rules would have to work within the D&D 4 structure.

 

[Echohawk]

If that were available, what's stopping anyone from making a DataSet with the powers/races/clases from, say, Arcane Power? Or any other WotC book? And then upload it somewhere?

Well, nothing. But why on earth would I want to download a third party dataset with the powers/races/classes from Arcane Power (or any other WotC book) when the Character Builder already includes that information?

 

[Squire James]

Well, nothing. But why on earth would I want to download a third party dataset with the powers/races/classes from Arcane Power (or any other WotC book) when the Character Builder already includes that information?

If, for instance, you quit DDI and have an old version of the Character Builder sitting on your computer that lacks that information. This is about as much trouble as finding a pirate updated Character Builder, though, so I doubt this would get much traction. Not, mind you, that I do anything like that.