I am very glad to hear this. I never really understood the appeal of exclusivity, and I look forward to more people being able to experience these awesome adventures.
Adventure Module Pricing and Patronage Projects
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I am very glad to hear this. I never really understood the appeal of exclusivity, and I look forward to more people being able to experience these awesome adventures.
Glyfair
Explorer
And I will note that I have no problems with non-exclusive projects. In fact, I voted to allow the first project to be open to later project subscribers. The fact that it is so exclusive is something I like, but it wasn't mandatory.
What I am surprised about is that so many are complaining about the exclusivity of the first one, yet weren't interested in subscribing when it was a mere $10 to get in the first time. It was mentioned here a few times before the project was closed (after it was finished, I seem to remember).
Varianor Abroad
Explorer
Two points here. The first being that without the exclusivity angle of the very first Open Design project, it might not have gotten off the ground.
Second, I hear you on the complaining. I do understand that folks would like to have those highly exclusive books. I'd rather not hear about it constantly. I suspect that each individual who finds out about what they've missed posts something, and hasn't seen all the prior comments. So they say something in what is to them a conversational vacuum. To the rest of us following along from early on, it looks like a collective whine.
Would you mind elaborating on that? Count me among those that just doesn't understand what exclusivity brings to the table.
Glyfair
Explorer
To start with, since the projects so far have been adventures, you don't have to worry about your players having read the adventure.
Otherwise, the same thing exclusivity always brings to the table.
Jack99
Adventurer
Could you clarify that? Didn't you write the adventure and now you are converting it (or someone else for that matter)?
MichaelSomething
Legend
It boils down to a matter of taste. Some people are willing to pay extra to say, "I have an exclusive adventure that you can't have! I'm so cool and stuff!"
Another factor is getting exactly what you want. While many adventures are designed to appeal to the largest audience possible, partonized adventures can focus on only what the patrons want.
Monkey King
Explorer
The adventure was designed by the patrons, to match the elements they wanted; I was the developer on it, and Mike McArtor was the editor.
We're re-designing the 4E version now, rather than trying to convert it closely. Many encounters feature completely different monsters; others feature more monsters; still others are roughly equivalent.
EDIT TO ADD: The Gazetteer for the 4E version shares about 10% of its content with the 3E version, mostly lore elements. The new class builds, paragon paths, epic destinies, rituals etc are all new design work. The Iron Gazetteer will be available to the public.
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Varianor Abroad
Explorer
In addition to what is already noted, the "exclusivity" provision of that first OD project got the attention of certain patrons who funded it. Without funding the project wouldn't have launched.
Olaf the Stout
Legend
Opening note: I have only been a patron of the Empire of the Ghouls adventure, so all of my comments relate to that experience.
This may have already been covered (I haven't read the whole thread), but I the opening poster is trying to compare an Open Design patronage project with a normal adventure you would buy as a PDF or hard copy.
To me they are very different items. Generally when you buy a normal adventure you don't get access to the adventure writer to ask him questions about the adventure (i.e. what did you mean by this?, is this meant to work like this?, is this an error or have I missed something? etc.). And you certainly don't get to ask those questions while the adventure is being written.
On top of that, I found that essays and advice that Wolfgang posted while he was writing the adventure were also part of the package that I was paying for. It was like getting several columns of Dungeoncraft included with the adventure, with the plus being that you got to choose what those columns were about and they were usually related back to the adventure at hand.
The other bonus was being able to discuss the adventure with other people, allowing you to bounce ideas off of them (or just steal them!
) for when you ran the adventure in your own campaign. Sure, you could do this with a normal adventure. Just post a thread about it on EN World. However, with the Open Design project you knew that the people on there were definitely interested in the adventure and knew what you were talking about. So the signal to noise ratio was a lot higher.
Overall I definitely felt like it was worth the cost. If you are just after an adventure I don't know if you would get your money's worth from it. And, more to the point, the adventure you get at the end is only a part of what an Open Design project is all about. The actual designing and creation of the adventure itself is a big part of Open Design. Some would even argue that it is really the main part.
Olaf the Stout
This may have already been covered (I haven't read the whole thread), but I the opening poster is trying to compare an Open Design patronage project with a normal adventure you would buy as a PDF or hard copy.
To me they are very different items. Generally when you buy a normal adventure you don't get access to the adventure writer to ask him questions about the adventure (i.e. what did you mean by this?, is this meant to work like this?, is this an error or have I missed something? etc.). And you certainly don't get to ask those questions while the adventure is being written.
On top of that, I found that essays and advice that Wolfgang posted while he was writing the adventure were also part of the package that I was paying for. It was like getting several columns of Dungeoncraft included with the adventure, with the plus being that you got to choose what those columns were about and they were usually related back to the adventure at hand.
The other bonus was being able to discuss the adventure with other people, allowing you to bounce ideas off of them (or just steal them!
) for when you ran the adventure in your own campaign. Sure, you could do this with a normal adventure. Just post a thread about it on EN World. However, with the Open Design project you knew that the people on there were definitely interested in the adventure and knew what you were talking about. So the signal to noise ratio was a lot higher.Overall I definitely felt like it was worth the cost. If you are just after an adventure I don't know if you would get your money's worth from it. And, more to the point, the adventure you get at the end is only a part of what an Open Design project is all about. The actual designing and creation of the adventure itself is a big part of Open Design. Some would even argue that it is really the main part.
Olaf the Stout
