One of the big expenses that come from box sets ( from a publisher point of view ) is damaged returns. It's very easy for a box set to get partially crushed during transit. ( Either from shipping it directly to the consumer or shipping to the distributor or shipping from the distributor to the...
The game will be released in November for backers, and December for the general release.
Why did Green Ronin Kickstart this? Why does Monte Cook Games use Kickstarter? Why does Steve Jackson Games use Kickstarter? Why does Pinnacle use Kickstarter? Why does every game company but Wizards, FFG...
I certainly view it as an onramp, and will be checking out the playtest.
When PF first launched, I had zero interest in it. I had just come out of running a four year campaign, and was sick to death of 3/3.5e. I was way more excited to check out 4e. ( 'Course, I was underwhelmed and...
I'm not sure if you know this or not, but Pramas ( one of the owners of Green Ronin ) is a huuuuuge Greyhawk fan. I'm sure he'd love to get the license for it from Wizards. Not sure if Wizards would give it to him though.
Huh. In spite of all the hate here for Forgotten Realms, Wizards must be doing something right. Almost like people who frequent forums aren't the center of the RPG world. Weird.
They're playing a pretty slow advancing game. ( 105 4 hour episodes and they've gone from level 8 to 18? I think ) They also started out and played their first right levels in Pathfinder before converting everything over. So, they have more magic items than the usual 5e campaign.
There's a list in the book.
Quicker potion drinking, more difficult resurrection magic, the ability to cast two spells a turn ( with restrictions, ) and a few others.
1 ) Social Media is invaluable. I ended up recruiting a player in my last campaign from a Facebook group. Look for geographic focused, Nerd oriented groups. You may be a little ways away from your local big city, but plenty of other people are, too.
2 ) Other Social Networking. ( Word of mouth...
I suspect that you have a fundamental misunderstanding about the Realms.
They are now and have always been mutable. The original source was an unreliable narrator. They've been designed to be changed. The only constant in the Realms is Elminster's beard length. ( And even that is up for dispute. )
We now have a new subforum called Publishing Business & Licensing where you can discuss all aspects of the publishing process, including the OGL and other open gaming issues, as well as logistics, crowdfunding, and more.