Exactly! The part that matters isn't that WotC staff writes them. It's that they are providing guidelines and overseeing them. Consistency and officialdom. The AL materiel is considered as official.
D&D 5E I think the era of 4th edition Dungeons and Dragons had it right. (not talking about the rules).
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Exactly! The part that matters isn't that WotC staff writes them. It's that they are providing guidelines and overseeing them. Consistency and officialdom. The AL materiel is considered as official.
darjr
I crit!
Um. Well its not just AL stuff that is sorta official. There are other mods, like the one I wish was AL legal by kobold press and the other by chris (?).
And I'm willing to bet neither of those were vetted or even give a cursory look at by anybody at WotC
You said yourself, these are not AL legal, so by default they aren't official.
Widely accepted by the community as good != official. "Sorta official" is not an existing term, IMO. AL modules are official, because WotC acknowledged them as.
Official/canon = acknowledged legally by WotC, regardless of who wrote it. Playable at organized WotC events and if fluff, considered part of the setting's canon, so could provide a basis for common ground between fans and might inspire novels, that are also considered as the part of official canon of the specific setting.
Everything else is homebrew, or fanfic regardless of it's quality (I'm not against those, I like good fanfic and homebrew, but it is what it is), or who wrote it. Consequently I don't regard non-official licensed material on DMsG as "support" from WotC.
Widely accepted by the community as good != official. "Sorta official" is not an existing term, IMO. AL modules are official, because WotC acknowledged them as.
Official/canon = acknowledged legally by WotC, regardless of who wrote it. Playable at organized WotC events and if fluff, considered part of the setting's canon, so could provide a basis for common ground between fans and might inspire novels, that are also considered as the part of official canon of the specific setting.
Everything else is homebrew, or fanfic regardless of it's quality (I'm not against those, I like good fanfic and homebrew, but it is what it is), or who wrote it. Consequently I don't regard non-official licensed material on DMsG as "support" from WotC.
hawkeyefan
Legend
[MENTION=6804619]PMárk[/MENTION] I'm reasonably sure that the reason they don't license their settings out is because they want to hold onto them for future publication in house. At some point, that's bound to happen....not every setting, but there are a clear handful that seem very likely.
When the time is right, we'll see Dark Sun or Ebberon material, or another setting. And until then, it would be foolish to let anyone else produce material for the setting. They'll decide which one they want to do, then release a book related to that world, and then probably open up for 3rd party on the DMsGuild.
When the time is right, we'll see Dark Sun or Ebberon material, or another setting. And until then, it would be foolish to let anyone else produce material for the setting. They'll decide which one they want to do, then release a book related to that world, and then probably open up for 3rd party on the DMsGuild.
delericho
Legend
Maybe. But it might be simpler than that: maybe they just haven't received a good enough offer?
MichaelSomething
Legend
I know I'm late to the party but...
http://burgerbusiness.com/is-mcdonald’s-experiencing-menu-overload/
and
http://www.fiveguys.com/
delericho
Legend
Yep. As I understand it, most people do best with 7 (plus or minus 2) options. Ideally, you can then have the ability to customise within those 7 broader options, but ideally for advanced users who know to ask for them.
That said, I think what we might want ideally is actually a "new games" shelf in the FLGS, containing only the starter sets/books for 7ish different games, and then further back the "advanced user" shelves with all the books for those 7ish games. That way, the new person coming into the shop gets to skip the "wall of books" problem, while the rest of us still get the full range of choice.
But that's a fantasy, of course - given how pressed game stores are, and given how pressed RPGs are within those stores, it's really not practical.
darjr
I crit!
That's pretty silly. Ask the authors and most of them will tell you they DO NOT troll through tons of AL adventures or much of anything else before they write their books. Yet their stuff gets an 'official' stamp. The adventure 'The Minds of Madness' is official, it's from WotC, and it isn't AL legal.
And then there are things like this adventure http://www.dmsguild.com/product/193502/Fee-Fly-Foe-Fund-A-Storm-Kings-Thunder-Adventure
Not written by WotC, not put up on DM's Guild by WotC. And as far as I know not looked at by any WotC employee except when it was played at Extra Life. It absolutely isn't AL legal either. Is that official?
DMSGuild by design blurs the line, and you'll have to make clear what your line is for what is 'official' and it may not be a line shared by everyone.
hawkeyefan
Legend
That's certainly possible. I would imagine that there would be a dollar amount that could be offered that would make it a no brained for WotC to license out a setting. Such a figure would likely even vary depending on the status of the setting in question; so something like Greyhawk would have a higher price tag than something like Karameikos, for example.
I suppose the question is are there any publishers who would be interested in a setting that could also make an offer that would interest WotC.
JeffB
Legend
I dont see them licensing settings to "competitors". Especially as the new business model has realized that IP is the only thing they have complete control over (vs. System), and they are trying very hard to promote IP across several mediums. Branding.
In addition, at this point I don't see how any other intelligent business person would want to license their "old" IP and essentially never be in control of their own destiny. Kenzer and Paizo are well aware of how this works when the plug is pulled. Its one thing for Nike to enter into a contract with Coke to make some coca cola inspired clothes and shoes. They can sever a contract, pay some lawyers and pay off a penalty without a hiccup. Its another thing for 3 nerdy fandoodz who love Greyhawk to produce a setting book and modules and rely on it as their main/big source of income.
Nope, I forsee them allowing things through DMs Guild at their whim and sitting on older IP until they figure out what to do with it. The business world is much different than it was 2002.
In addition, at this point I don't see how any other intelligent business person would want to license their "old" IP and essentially never be in control of their own destiny. Kenzer and Paizo are well aware of how this works when the plug is pulled. Its one thing for Nike to enter into a contract with Coke to make some coca cola inspired clothes and shoes. They can sever a contract, pay some lawyers and pay off a penalty without a hiccup. Its another thing for 3 nerdy fandoodz who love Greyhawk to produce a setting book and modules and rely on it as their main/big source of income.
Nope, I forsee them allowing things through DMs Guild at their whim and sitting on older IP until they figure out what to do with it. The business world is much different than it was 2002.
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