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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Arauthator" data-source="post: 4005488" data-attributes="member: 46168">Ok. I got to put some input on this theory. Let me sit back in the couch and put my laptop on my wittle piwow so's I can stretch out.I got some insight on this because my profession is that of a Technical Writer. I'm a Technical Publications Specialist, and I can tell, if WE took on that attitude, the people that use our manuals would be totally lost. I happen to write manuals for Aircraft, so imagine if I were to write those manuals from the eyes of what I want them to see, or make them see things MY way. We would have aircraft falling out of the sky, which is EXACTLY what WoTC has done. It shows in the sales. You have to write manuals while trying to see it through the end users eyes, since ultimately, they are the one going to look at it everyday long after you are already looking at your next project. * (I'm thinking GenCon should be mandatory for this reason.)I think it's quite arrogant to suppress the ideals of a publisher or developer onto the end user, not just with RPG's, but ANYTHING where people are going to be using your manuals. Boeing didn't drop the Manuals for B727's just because they were old aircraft. No, people still use them aircraft and in this particular case, the FAA requires support for those manuals as long as the aircraft is being used. Well guess what, people are still using older versions of rules in RPG's and in my opinion, it's the downfall of game companies to not keep support up. Now I realize that you have to make a profit in this business and the business of Aircraft Manuals relies on the fact that the Aircraft stay around a lot longer than the people who play RPG's, but never-the-less, there is still a small market out there for them. No, you don't want to boost that support past your flagship product by any means, but if you can show the world you are willing to pull Dungeon Magazine and Dragon Magazine off the shelves to bring to your website, oh yes, you can definitely pull support for older rules. Maybe release a module or magic item compendium every 3 months, or something to that effect. While your flagship product gets something new every month.I would love to talk to the guys from Steve Jackson Games, particularly Sean Punch, and see what went wrong when they tried this method, apparently more than once. I can tell you from all of my experience in this world, just because one person failed, doesn't mean everybody will. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Just make sure you don't make the same type of mistakes twice.Somebody on here suggested labeling a rules system "Vintage DnD". I think that is an excellent idea. Furthermore, you are living in a time right now where movie producers are bringing back older movies, I.E. Rambo, Video Games companies bring back older games, I.E. Turok is scheduled to make a come back, and ID Software..DOOM 3, did fairly well on revamping it's flagship game. If you were going to implement this idea of supporting older rules, NOW is the time to act on it while the consumer is already used to this idea! Derrr! Doesn't WoTC or Hasbro PAY people to have this kind of vision? This is something that should have been done at the time of putting the magazines on the website, or at the time of announcing fourth edition, however it's not too late. Actually, releasing that information in the first quarter of 2009 would be excellent timing as well, just a few short months after the last rule book is scheduled to be released. Even the Car Manufacturers are doing well at this strategy.On a side note, you guys have any idea how hard it is to find Cry Havoc rule books? My first copy got damaged a few weeks back, and it took me a week to find somebody that could ship it within 10 days. Sheesh!Don't even get me started on the idea of having a fourth edition when Chainmail didn't even make it to the shelves.But back to my point. I know this is a Monday Morning Armchair Quarterback thing to say, so forgive me, but if it were me in on the decisions over there, I would make a master copy of ALL the DnD rules ever created into a book that can be used as a PDF, and let the end user download updates upon a description of those updates from the website. I would also make sure it had a very good description of the changes and charge for that update. Maybe fourth edition is moving toward this already, but it should include the older stuff if it is.</blockquote>

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