D&D 5E GF9 Elemental Evil DM Screen and Spell Cards Released (Sort of)

[delericho]

This whole "adventure screen"...WotC is trying desperately to make this a 'thing', aren't they?

I wouldn't be at all surprised if it were GF9 who were trying to make it a 'thing', rather than WotC.

Am I alone in this, or do people actually pay money for one-shot-then-even-more-useless "DM screens" such as this?

I haven't bought either of them so far, and indeed won't. However, if they were done well then I actually would at least consider them. After all, if all goes well then I would expect to spend a year running one of these campaigns, and so if the screen were to genuinely make that easier and/or more enjoyable, then it might well be worth the money, even if I never used it again.

Of course, the key there is "if done well". Sadly, that doesn't appear to be the case with either of the examples to date.

 

[JRedmond]

You guys realize this is GF9 not WOTC right? I don't think this is WOTC asking them to make these. Lets look at the fact that WOTC released a Tyranny DM screen and so did GF9, why would WOTC do that? If its like $15 I'll pick it up for my EE game and not get coffee for three days.

 

[DEFCON 1]

You guys realize this is GF9 not WOTC right? I don't think this is WOTC asking them to make these. Lets look at the fact that WOTC released a Tyranny DM screen and so did GF9, why would WOTC do that? If its like $15 I'll pick it up for my EE game and not get coffee for three days.

Yeah, I mean why does any company make anything? If it's cheap to produce and people buy them, why wouldn't they continue to make them and sell them for each adventure book WotC makes? Heck, people keep clamoring for an OGL and that'll only compound the amount of products that most people will think aren't worth buying, but that won't stop small companies from making them. Because there's always someone for whom the product was worthwhile and the price not onerous.

 

[pming]

Hiya.

Yes, I'm well aware it's GF9 that is producing it...but they are doing it under license from WotC. All that artwork? I'm pretty sure there are clauses and whatnot in their contract that say "Any artwork you commission must go through us first, and you can only use it in conjunction with said product or advertising for said product"...or something to that effect. Meaning...that WotC basically holds all the cards on what gets finalized.

I am/was a huge Kenzer & Co. fan with their Kalamar and Hackmaster (4th; not the newer one). I'm pretty sure their license with WotC was a lot more loose due to the fact that they had it because WotC "lost" a court battle with them over reprinting and stuff of, I think, Knights of the Dinner Table and the Monty Python and the Holy Grail CCG (I don't know the details). That allowed them to basically take 1e/2e carte-blanche and create a "parody version of AD&D and stuff". They knocked that one out of the park!

I'd bet dimes to dollars that WotC is *extremly* careful about what they allow and disallow their licensee's. I wouldn't put it past them to have a "They can make stuff that's cool...but not too cool as to compete with something we want to do", but that's just my paranoia about big companies kicking in. Probably. Maybe...

^_^

Paul L. Ming

 

[Warunsun]

Battlefront/Gale Force has already stated a few times that everything they sell "D&D branded" goes through rigorous approvals over at Wizards of the Coast. It was also stated as a reason why the initial spell cards were so late--because they were waiting on WotC approvals and final text edits. I'd be surprised if any of these products weren't initially planned as an option by WotC for BM/GF9 to explore.

PS: I didn't buy the Tyranny of Dragons screen. But I am not running that game either. I have my own home-made DM screen with a combination of full color 5E art and old school TSR logos on the player's side. I thought the look would be fun. On my side I have some useful tables from the PH and some from the Basic D&D DM rules. I used the classic fonts from the 1E DM Screen and even printed it on goldenrod paper. But even with that screen I have considered buying the Elemental Evil one. Reason being that I plan on running Princes of the Apocalypse. It is a huge $50 module and sounds like it will be a good long adventure. The screen is a cheap enough accessory and it might help some of the players get into it. I haven't totally decided yet. Mostly depends on how long it takes for them to release it. If I can get it on/before I start running Princes of the Apocalypse the chances are much higher I would purchase it. My PCs are already approaching fifth level but definitely should be sixth or less by the time I get my hand on the adventure. I figure with bounded accuracy I can adjust the adventure up two levels in some places if needed. I am already moving it likely to the Domain of Greyhawk on the World of Greyhawk so some assembly will be required. I am interested in what regions of Greyhawk the actual adventure suggests.

 

[Warunsun]

Happy to report that my pre-ordered Elemental Spellbook Cards and Elemental Evil DM screen arrived in Michigan. The screen itself seems to be printed on sturdy cardboard. Even though the envelope they used has some interior bubble wrap it came with a few minor dings in it. Glad to report that the Elemental Cards included the missing Arcane card Mislead and missing Paladin card Destructive Wave. It arrived in time for the start of the game in my campaign. Next weekend we will be starting it.

 

[Doc_Klueless]

Just received an email from them stating that the new printing of cards is on the way to their warehouse and should be shipping soon. So, I guess if you order from them now, you'll definitely get the new printing.

 

[Zander]

I bought the spellcards at a con in London yesterday. They were £4. I think they also had the EE DM screen.

The spellcards have rounded corners, so if your other spellcards are GF9's first printing, you'll have a mix of rounded and square cornered cards. I'm in that boat. It doesn't bother me though: I put the spells my wizard uses in the kind of multi-compartment protector sleeves used for baseball cards. But if you prefer to keep your cards in a deck, having two kinds of corner may bug you.