3.X Petition

[Psion]

The problem with this (and this is no stab at you) is that people who are unhappy tend to be more vocal than people who are.

Are you reading the same boards I am?

Only on one of the D&D-oriented board (not this one) can 4e skeptics post without being lambasted by the folks excited about 4e.

 

[Khairn]

Are you reading the same boards I am?

Only on one of the D&D-oriented board (not this one) can 4e skeptics post without being lambasted by the folks excited about 4e.

Sad but very true.

However, I've recently seen a little more acceptance of differing opinions from both sides of the discussion. It's not as if we are all a single happy family, but its been a little less acrimonious of late.

 

[Thurbane]

If this niche market were significant, then the sales of 3.X stuff would not be tanking as badly as it has been. Unless you're suggesting that this niche will suddenly start buying more once 4E is actually released, which does not seem likely.

To be fair though, the amount a 3.5 releases seems to have slowed down significantly since the 4E anouncement. Speaking for myself, I still went out a bought MMV, RC and EoE after the 4E anouncement, not to mention a bunch of 3rd party stuff I spotted on sale.

Of course, for any publisher looking to make a profit, they can't only consider the size of the 3.X market. They have to ask: are my resources better invested in developing 4E stuff or 3.X stuff? If the profit potential is higher with 4E, then that's where the bulk of the resources will go.

True, that's simple economics. Still there are plenty of industries where niche providers do quite well for themselves, especially when there is no direct competition from the "big boy on the block".

Don't misunderstand me; I'm sure some publishers will continue to release 3.X stuff, possibly including me. But the vocal dissenters here and elsewhere do not form a large enough market to support much material being released.

I would guess that if someone started up a quality "Dungon Magazine" style resource for 3.5 adventures, it would sell pretty well for the forseeable future.

There are two factors I can see as directly influencing this:

1.) Anyone putting out 3.5 material would not be in direct competition with WotC.

2.) While the "vocal minority" might not be a huge slice of the market, I strongly suspect there is still quite a solid market who either aren't interested in changing editions or wont be jumping to 4E until it has "established" itself.

 

[Emryys]

I would guess that if someone started up a quality "Dungon Magazine" style resource for 3.5 adventures, it would sell pretty well for the forseeable future.

There are two factors I can see as directly influencing this:

1.) Anyone putting out 3.5 material would not be in direct competition with WotC.

2.) While the "vocal minority" might not be a huge slice of the market, I strongly suspect there is still quite a solid market who either aren't interested in changing editions or wont be jumping to 4E until it has "established" itself.

This would be interesting... I wonder if a general 3.5/d20/OGL magazine is viable...

 

[Glyfair]

I would guess that if someone started up a quality "Dungon Magazine" style resource for 3.5 adventures, it would sell pretty well for the forseeable future.

There are two factors I can see as directly influencing this:

1.) Anyone putting out 3.5 material would not be in direct competition with WotC.

2.) While the "vocal minority" might not be a huge slice of the market, I strongly suspect there is still quite a solid market who either aren't interested in changing editions or wont be jumping to 4E until it has "established" itself.

Assuming it's a PDF magazine. After listening to discussion from Erik Mona (about Dragon & Dungeon) and Wolfgang Baur (about Kobold Quarterly), anyone who wants to put out a full fledged print magazine is setting themselves up for disappointment more than likely. Anyone who chooses to do it for a sub-market of D&D is just throwing money away.

A PDF magazine, with possibly some print-on-demand type arrangement, on the other hand, might work.

 

[Brix]

Of course the market will tell how many 3.x support we will see in the future.
But as we know, rules sell well.
What most people like to see is a consolidated (and improved) set of 3.x rules.
So that should be - let's say - three rule books at first.

at 3point75.org we currently talk about what 3.x books you would actually buy.

 

[MerricB]

One trouble with this "remaining market" for 3e is that they don't all want the same 3e. There's a big difference between the products of all of the publishers.

So, Goodman Games might still be publishing 3e material, and the total number of 3e players is enough to keep their line profitable... unfortunately too many of the 3e players are wanting some other publisher's material and so aren't buying GG.

Cheers!

 

[trancejeremy]

I think part of the problem would be branding as well. Once d20 gets killed, what do they call their products? OGL? Bleh.

Goodman could possibly launch their version of 3.x and call it "Dungeon Crawl Classic: 3rd Edition" (or somesuch). Though that might be too close to comfort to D&D.

I guess maybe Kenzer could use Hackmaster. Have a 3rd edition of that. Might depend on their contract with WOTC (since they licensed AD&D for that). Paizo could possibly use "Pathfinder"

Anyway, it was a nice run while it lasted.

 

[dmccoy1693]

I think part of the problem would be branding as well. Once d20 gets killed, what do they call their products? OGL? Bleh.

Paizo don't call their products d20 but "3.5 OGL Compliant".

 

[Fifth Element]

To be fair though, the amount a 3.5 releases seems to have slowed down significantly since the 4E anouncement.

True, but I see that as an effect of the plummeting sales, not a cause. Fewer 3.5 products are being released because the market for 3.5 products shrunk significantly when 4E was announced.

The most information way would be to look at per-unit sales, rather than simply sales volume.