D&D is now in (exceedingly awesome) commercial form

[buddhafrog]

I *really* don't want my comments above to start edition warring. I only meant to point out my personal experience going from AD&D directly to 4e - especially if that is what the intended target audience is for this commercial.

 

[Nifft]

I *really* don't want my comments above to start edition warring. I only meant to point out my personal experience going from AD&D directly to 4e - especially if that is what the intended target audience is for this commercial.

Unfortunately, now that you've mentioned two different editions in a single sentence, you've doomed the entire thread.

"Doom, doom, doom", -- N

 

[billd91]

They also sold AD&D hardbacks at the same time, and history shows that the vast majority of AD&D players started out with some form of the Basic Box. I understand you're trying to draw some kind of distinction between 80's era TSR and 4e-era WotC, but I'm not seeing it. Both companies saw/see the Basic Box as the first in (hopefully) a long line of purchases from new customers.

No, I'm trying to explain a difference in the products, not the companies. Though maybe that's not a bad idea. How successful have WotC's intro versions of games been? There was Invasion of Theed for Star Wars and previous intro games for D&D. Did any of them make a splash like they probably wanted? I liked Invasion of Theed as an intro product... then found that once I had the full game book, I hardly used it. Since then, my thoughts on intro games have changed. I don't want to pay much money for something that's basically an ad for the full game. I'd pay a small amount for maybe a set of quick start rules to get a taste, then I haven't spent much before buying the main game obsoletes the introductory purchase.

Dragon Age, so far, seems to be what the original Red Box was. A game not meant to merely introduce and get the player to move on and leave it on the shelf, but to continue being played and added to.

I understand what you're saying about people moving from a basic boxed set to the AD&D line. I did the same. But that's to be expected once the player has encountered their gateway product. Other games may attract them away from the first one, particularly when they're so similar. But in the original Red Box's case, there was an alternative path to follow that kept the Red Box itself relevant and not gathering dust on the shelf. In other words, it wasn't just an advertisement for another set of products.

 

[Lidgar]

Why does that ad make me want to read the Elric and Amber series while navigating the Halls of the Fire Giant King...ALL AT THE SAME TIME?

 

[Ourph]

kept the Red Box itself relevant and not gathering dust on the shelf.

Unlike the BD&D/AD&D relationship, the rules in the Essentials Red Box are 100% compatible with the rules in the Essentials Compendium. Plus, you've got tokens, power cards and dice that will still be useful in an expanded game. The DM advice/rule book should also be useful in an expanded game. I think there's a lot more continuing utility in the Red Box than you are giving it credit for.

 

[renau1g]

Unfortunately, now that you've mentioned two different editions in a single sentence, you've doomed the entire thread.

"Doom, doom, doom", -- N

you forgot he also mentioned edition warring! Now Cthulhu will appear...

 

[Imperialus]

Who is Justin Alexander and why should I care about his hilariously wrong opinion?

Also the original Red Box was never intended to be a one shot sale that had the whole game. It's always been a buyable demo to bring people into the game as a whole.

Which 'original' red box?

The Holmes and even Moldvay B/X's are both complete games, start to finish. I've been playing Moldvay for over a year now, have read the book cover to cover on a few occasions and the only comment that says "go buy something else" is on page 61 where it plugs the upcoming expert set and companion supplement. Of course the companion rules never came out, but that's beside the point. Justin Alexander was pretty specific claiming that the 91 Mentzer redbox is the first one where the express purpose was to serve as an advertisement, although I'm not sure I agree with him on that. I think the BECMI rules set is probably the most complete D&D set ever published I don't think it's fair to the basic sets to somehow call them incomplete. Expandable yes, but not incomplete, and not an advertisement for AD&D either, though it often turned out that way.

Oh, and I think the ad is pretty awesome!

 

[fanboy2000]

4e's got an uphill climb to meet that. It had already been widely experienced before introducing the new red box. A large segment of the potential market has already formed its impressions of the root game. The surprise round, at least for them and me, has already been expended.

I understand that 4e hasn't met your expectations, but I'm not sure why you mentioned how long 4e's been out prior to this set. The Red Box this product imitates came out in 1983, six years after the first printing of the Basic Set. Surly there were many, many people who in that six year time frame played Basic D&D and formed an opinion about the game. 4e's been out a third of that time.

Since I've already bought the new starter set, I'm not the target of the this commercial. It's hard for me to evaluate it because I'm so close to subject matter. I made the decision to buy it a few weeks ago, to compliment the fact that I'm running encounters. I like it. I'm glad it comes with character creation rules, but I wish it had a more streamlined character creation process in addition to the choose-your-own-adventure included. But oh well.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Unfortunately, now that you've mentioned two different editions in a single sentence, you've doomed the entire thread.

"Doom, doom, doom", -- N

Mearls ruins everything.
buddhafrog dooms everything.

We can't get no relief.

 

[vagabundo]

Oh I like the ad. Also doesn't preclude other TV ads reaching out to different groups of people.

Who is Justin Alexander and why should I care about his hilariously wrong opinion?

Just do a damn google search! Sheesh...

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