2006 WotC D&D Product Survivor - Round 11

[Glyfair]

Last round the product with the most votes was Secrets of Xen'drik. There were very few specific reasons given, mostly either "I hate Eberron" types or some with no details such as "it's just sitting on my shelf" (but not why it's sitting on the shelf).

Next round again the top vote getter will be removed from the list.

 

[Tarek]

I read through Dragonmarked (I have a very friendly LGS) and I have to say it was a very uneven product. Besides, if I want the Dragonmarks to be able to do wierd things in a campaign, I really don't want or need a rulebook for it; I want to surprise the players.

This sort of rulebook is something I'd have to work around, rather than work with.

 

[Psion]

11th verse, same as the first...

 

[Agamon]

I don't hate Eberron, I just have no use for it.

 

[catsclaw227]

I chose Ravenloft for the same reasons as the previous poll.

 

[GAAAHHH]

I thought Secrets of Xen'drik was one of the best books WotC has put out in years.

 

[Jason Bulmahn]

I thought Secrets of Xen'drik was one of the best books WotC has put out in years.

Thanks, I do appreciate it. I am still puzzled as to why it got the axe, but it seems like general unfamiliarity took it down. Nonetheless, I was thrilled to see it make it this far.

Jason Bulmahn
Co-Author of SoX

 

[Kunimatyu]

Thanks, I do appreciate it. I am still puzzled as to why it got the axe, but it seems like general unfamiliarity took it down. Nonetheless, I was thrilled to see it make it this far.

Jason Bulmahn
Co-Author of SoX

It was a good book, and I especially like that it didn't try to spell out Xen'drik for you, just gave you lots of excellent possibilities to draw on. It deserved to make it this far.

I predict a showdown between the Fiendish books for the win, though honestly, Player's Handbook II, some poor base classes aside, is the best book for the player to come out in years, and maybe all of 3.5. It had actually useful stuff, as opposed to the usual hit-and-miss of the Completes, and while the dragon shaman isn't terribly great, even its base classes are more playable on average than a typical Complete.

 

[Sidekick]

I voted for Expedition to Castle Ravenloft.

I liked 2nd Ed Ravenloft heaps. This version - meh.

Also SoX is a good book. It just sufferes from being geared towards DMs is all. That and some people refuse to try and see the brilliance that is Eberron.

Dragonmarked is a good book - sure the mechanics in a few places are a bit wonkey or 'unbalanced' in places, but I love it, the fluff of the housees just does it for me!

 

[Rystil Arden]

Thanks, I do appreciate it. I am still puzzled as to why it got the axe, but it seems like general unfamiliarity took it down. Nonetheless, I was thrilled to see it make it this far.

Jason Bulmahn
Co-Author of SoX

To add to what others have said, what you have to understand about these survivor threads is that after you get rid of the truly crappy choices on which many people can agree, votes tend to spread out such that getting voted off happens if your choice has a built-in 'hate' crowd.

This happened in the class survivor threads for psionic classes (and would have happened for the psionic classes sooner than it did if psion-lovers hadn't purposefully chosen concentrated targets to all vote off together).

What Secrets of Xen'drik and Dragonmarked (which will undoubtably lose this round) share is a built-in 'hate' crowd: the anti-Eberron folks. All settings have them, FR has more than most (which is one reason FR products are always voted off quickly ,even when they are quality, which this year's FR products weren't anyway). It is a testament to Secrets of Xen'drik and Dragonmarked that they managed to last so long, especially against tough customers like PHII and the FCs.