D&D 5E Wanting more content doesn't always equate to wanting tons of splat options so please stop.

[hawkeyefan]

That's not accurate. I do judge based on the merit of the material. That's why I didn't buy all WotC 3e releases, and did buy the rare third party release. I also had the time to go dig through the third party dross to find the gems. I no longer have the time that I had, nor are most of the third party releases in stores for me to leaf through even if I did. As a result, I have to wait for WotC to give me a general release book before I get any.

You say you don't do the thing, then you explain how you do the thing.

I'm not saying I blame you...you don't want to risk money or time on something that won't prove worthwhile. That's understandable. I don't have the amount of time to spend on this stuff that I used to, so I get that.

But there's quality stuff out there. Folks have made some solid recommendations. I would say you should check some of them out...maybe you'll find something that will make you decide to invest in 5E.

 

[Shasarak]

Note: I want to make it clear that I am not making a value judgement on whether DMs *should* unilaterally make such decisions. Only that the rules have NEVER given players any kind of authority to "force" anything into a game the DM is not comfortable including.

Ok, so if the player can not "force" anything into the game, how can we then use a new class from the Dms Guild reliably expecting to be able to play it?

Sure some DMs are going to allow it but I have seen a lot of DMs that will not even allow official material in their games. Take the 5e Gun-slinger for example for a very popular class that uses equipment ie guns that are not always accepted.

 

[Corpsetaker]

But there's quality stuff out there. Folks have made some solid recommendations. I would say you should check some of them out...maybe you'll find something that will make you decide to invest in 5E.

There's been quality stuff out there for years now through various editions of D&D. Doesn't change the fact that lots of DMs still do not allow things outside of what comes from Wizards. 5th edition hasn't changed that attitude.

 

[Azzy]

Why are you trying to make my view into some kind of minority? I'm not a stranger in a strange land. I am a gamer who prefers more variant content and I am no where near alone in that want. Show me some kind of proof that shows me in that minority.

There will be more variant content. SCAG had more player content, Volo's Guide has more player & DM content, the "major mechanical expansion" that Mearls speaks of will have more content (likely next year). If that's not enough, and you won't use DM's Guild or 3P products, then you're just beating your head against a brick wall. All you can realistically do is either wait for more options to come along in WotC's "slow" release schedule, start accepting DM's Guild/3PP material, or migrate to a different game that fulfills your desires. Anything else is just howling at the moon.

 

[Jester David]

Why are you trying to make my view into some kind of minority?

Very likely because your view is that of the minority...

Show me some kind of proof that shows me in that minority.

I doubt there's hard "proof" one way or another. Or what would even qualify as proof.
But there's a lot of small details that build a larger picture.

First, most "gamers" don't buy the books. They play, but they rely on others for the rulebooks, typically the DM.
Second, and those "gamers" that do buy the rulebook seldom buy more than the PHB. There's a reason it sells far more than the other two Core rulebooks, which in turn sell more than any other accessory.

So already we have people buying accessories as a minority.

Of the people who buy the accessories, you'll have the people who buy all and the people who don't buy all.
Gamers are an obsessive bunch by their nature, so the percentage of fans that "gotta get it all" will likely be higher than in other hobbies. I'd guess that the ratio of completists would be less than 50% of the dedicated fanbase (a minority), but if someone told me 51% of dedicated D&D fans bought all the books I'd probably believe it.

So fans who buy accessories are a percentage of the minority of a minority of D&D players. Right out of the gate.
Dividing that into fans who want more mechanical content versus more flavour text content will inherently further reduce the audience to an even smaller percentage. If people have an opinion at all: the fluff vs crunch division is a false dilemma; many D&D purchasers won't have a strong opinion one way or the other.

So, yes, your views are that of the minority.
Really, all our views are. Because the vast, vast majority of D&D fans won't even visit ENworld, let alone post on the forums.


D&D is doing very well. Very, very well. Likely better than any time in the last 30 years. And it's doing so despite the constant complaints of lack of splatbooks. Which started pretty much immediately prior to the DMG being released when people wanted to know what was next.
So either the vast, vast majority of D&D players just don't care or the lack of new books isn't stopping them playing and supporting the game. Either way is the same for WotC.

 

[hawkeyefan]

There's been quality stuff out there for years now through various editions of D&D. Doesn't change the fact that lots of DMs still do not allow things outside of what comes from Wizards. 5th edition hasn't changed that attitude.

Yes, I agree. However, I was talking to [MENTION=23751]Maxperson[/MENTION] about the quality of many third party projects, and suggesting he give them a try.

I would suggest the same to you. Do you play with a DM who won't allow 3rd party content? I know that you say you want more stuf, and when people cite the Guild or 3rd party, you dismiss them out of hand. Is it because your DM won't allow that stuff? Or is there another reason that you don't use the easy and obvious answer to your complaint?

 

[Shasarak]

D&D is doing very well. Very, very well. Likely better than any time in the last 30 years. And it's doing so despite the constant complaints of lack of splatbooks. Which started pretty much immediately prior to the DMG being released when people wanted to know what was next.
So either the vast, vast majority of D&D players just don't care or the lack of new books isn't stopping them playing and supporting the game. Either way is the same for WotC.

DnD is doing very well for the size of its budget. What do we have now? Two designers and one adventure writer? A couple of Pod-casters and an PR guy? I dont know, maybe that is all it needs until the AI comes online.

 

[Jester David]

DnD is doing very well for the size of its budget. What do we have now? Two designers and one adventure writer? A couple of Pod-casters and an PR guy? I dont know, maybe that is all it needs until the AI comes online.

D&D is doing very well by any metric: books sold, audience, social media presence, growth, etc.
That it only has three to five people on the RPG staff just means the unqualified success also translates to sizable profits for WotC.

 

[Maxperson]

You say you don't do the thing, then you explain how you do the thing.

That's not true. If I didn't base my purchases on merit, I'd just buy third party stuff without checking it first, and it would be whatever. The fact that I don't have time to study third party material means that I don't buy it. Not because of lack of merit, but because I can't discern the merit.

 

[Maxperson]

Very likely because your view is that of the minority...

You can of course cite objective numbers proving this claim, right?

I doubt there's hard "proof" one way or another. Or what would even qualify as proof.

And yet you claim it as a fact. Interesting.

But there's a lot of small details that build a larger picture.

Not the picture you claim.

First, most "gamers" don't buy the books. They play, but they rely on others for the rulebooks, typically the DM.
Second, and those "gamers" that do buy the rulebook seldom buy more than the PHB. There's a reason it sells far more than the other two Core rulebooks, which in turn sell more than any other accessory.

You keep saying that, but no new data has been provided that shows that this same dynamic is present for recent editions.

So already we have people buying accessories as a minority.

That's the claim, but I haven't seen any objective numbers proving this statement.

So, yes, your views are that of the minority.

Show the sales statements that prove your claims.