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It isn't sacrilege. Wizards created the model, including several of the Wizards staff who eventually went to Paizo. Paizo knows its a good model. To their credit, Wizards has tweaked their own model and tried new approaches. While some aspects of LFR did not work, others were important...

I completely understand it happens, but as a Colombian citizen I have to point out that the name of the country is spelled "Colombia" and not with a "u". Luckily, the country is getting safer even if the spelling remains tricky. :-)

The product is written so that it works equally well with 3E, 4E, or D&D Next. You download a document containing the statistics for each of those options. I was able to see the product today, and it is really beautiful. The DM screen is really cool. On one side it has a map of the city with...

One of the authors for the Murder in Baldur's Gate adventure posted a sneak peek of the awesome adventure, DM Screen, and sourcebook. Launch weekend is the weekend of August 16-19. I can't wait to get my hands on this!

Absolutely. Competition from other gaming systems is what D&D has dealt with for all of its life. It isn't as if those at Wizards have forgotten that. BUT, they also recognize that many gamers will play various systems and then come back to D&D. The hobby is better for that. People need a break...

There is no question that Paizo wants its brand to be recognized. Right now, it isn't. While they have done a great job of drawing fans to Gen Con, they haven't been a dominant brand... even there. And if we go to cons like PAX, they barely have a presence there (they are the size of any...

It is a reprint, so it is the same as the 1E adventure series. Yes, it does include a new adventure. (See the mentions of A0 in the review above)

I think what this reveals is that the traditional RPG model of selling through stores left money on the table. The stereotype of gamers lacking money seems true at the store level - $20-$40 RPG books can be seen covered in cobwebs at many stores and any gaming table routinely only has 1-2 people...

Great review, though you missed a big point when you say "Perhaps enterprising DMs might even use Against the Slave Lords to playtest D&D Next." The current D&D Next playtest packet includes a bestiary for this product! A DM can pick up that bestiary and run the adventure as it is, because D&D...

I think that was my fault, sorry. I was learning the footnotes and how they work and when someone was in it I copied my work, waited, reloaded, and then pasted back in... and I think I was then re-using the numbers. I tried to renumber and fix it, but... oops. Sorry! (Is there a way to avoid...

I love his work too. He contributed to many projects I dig, including my favorite setting of Dark Sun. I traded a few e-mails with him as part of the Vault of the Dracolich work (since it tied into this Encounters season). I also met him right before he left. Thing is, we never know what...

And it probably does bear mentioning for some above when they continue to work with Wizards. Chris Sims is shown as laid off above, but is a current employee (rehired after freelancing for WotC and others). Logan Bonner freelanced on tons of 4E work before becoming full time at Paizo. Richard...

It doesn't seem there is any animosity and I doubt "rudely backstabbed" captures the reality. After leaving he worked with Wizards as a freelancer to write the current season of D&D Encounters. This is pretty typical and something that is hard to capture on the list. For example, Steve Winter...

Paizo has almost certainly surpassed WotC in revenue, but they haven't fundamentally changed the RPG business equation. It is very hard to find out the financial picture of either company. How many subscribers to Paizo? How many to DDI? How many brick-and-mortar sales? How many on DnDClassics...

Wizards is not alone in this problem. The RPG industry is plagued by a simple problem: you really only need one person at the table to own a set of RPG books. At the same time, fans demand a high quantity of material to support the rules. And yet, each supplement you publish will only appeal to...

Stephen Radney McFarland? ;-) I think that's the biggest issue with the changes. DMs can easily find it worthwhile to buy the adventure but may lack incentive to run it at the store (instead of at home). I will be surprised if over time Wizards doesn't sweeten the benefits for running from the...

Excellent work, thanks!

TSR and Wizards organized play programs have undergone many changes over the years. The constant is change. At various times they have charged memberships ($30 a year in 2001) or a cost for each adventure ($10/4-hr adventure in 2001). None of this has covered costs. For example, in Polyhedron...

Thanks for posting that link! I also see the WPN Solicitation document is up. There is a lot of big news here! - The season begins with a launch weekend event on August 17-18 (it runs at Gen Con, which is the same weekend) - The season is part of the Sundering, with opportunities for the PCs...

I missed the above question, sorry. It looks like Gen Con will not have any LFR presence, though a few gamers are organizing games on the forums. LFR will be present at Origins this week and at Winter Fantasy next year. The new season of Encounters began tonight, and is linked to this...