Amazon: Last War (Eberron) and Complete Champion

[Mystery Man]

Well I'm just going to cut out the drow and dragon section of my monster manuals and throw the rest away. Apparently there is no need for any other monsters....

 

[Sammael]

Maybe we'll have 'Drow Magic' next year because books with magic and drow sell a lot and putting them together we'll seel even more.

Oh come on, that's, like, totally unfair to the authors. The book will have a regular development cycle and will differ in no way from other WotC books of that year. Other than having a half-naked drow dominatrix on the cover, that is.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Know the feeling. I just threw up a little.

Maybe we'll have 'Drow Magic' next year because books with magic and drow sell a lot and putting them together we'll seel even more. Where's the vomit smiley?

Wow. Overreact much, Joe?

I mean, it's a book on drow. No more, no less--and certainly no indication, as some people seem to think, that next year is a "Year of the Drow." Fiendish Codex I didn't make this "The Year of the Demon." Lords of Madness didn't make it "The Year of Strange and Ugly Things."

Lots of people love drow. Lots of people hate 'em, or are tired of them. If you don't like drow--or if you don't like what we did on the book--don't get it. It's not like you're going to hurt our feelings. But this really seems like a silly response, amigo.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I will say that I'd like to see something in the drow book that isn't more of the Salvatore-flavored same. Lord knows the third party publishers hammered that trope into the ground for good.

Heck, I'd like to see the Greyhawk Underdark used as the basis for the book. I still want to sail the Sunless Sea!

 

[Sammael]

I mean, it's a book on drow. No more, no less--and certainly no indication, as some people seem to think, that next year is a "Year of the Drow."

It's the second drow-related WotC product within the first 6 months, the first being Expedition to the Demonweb Pits. That's actually more drow-related books than we had dragon-related books in the first 6 months of this year. You know, the Year of the Dragon?

Sorry to say, but you're a bit biased, Ari. What with being one of the authors and all.

 

[pfisteria]

You know what I'm tired of? All these dang books and adventures with humans in them. Sheesh.

 

[Mouseferatu]

It's the second drow-related WotC product within the first 6 months, the first being Expedition to the Demonweb Pits. That's actually more drow-related books than we had dragon-related books in the first 6 months of this year. You know, the Year of the Dragon?

Sorry to say, but you're a bit biased, Ari. What with being one of the authors and all.

I never claimed not to be biased (though I'll point out that I did say the book wasn't likely to be to everyone's tastes, so I don't think I'm making any unfounded claims about the book itself).

All I'm saying is that guessing about what this book might mean for other WotC releases later in the year, and then getting upset about stuff that's only been guessed at, is an overreaction.

 

[JoeGKushner]

WoTC does products of all types but it seems like the well is very very dry half the time.

For every Book of Nine Swords, Magic of Incarnum or Tome of Magic, we get Complete Complete, Races Races, Drow and Dragons when so much else of the D&D experience is left to languish in 3.0/unsupported land.

Really, the drow are the last entity that need more coverage.

but hey, the standard book of X are probably good sellers so WoTC has to keep 'em coming and hopefully that means we'll see some more books that aren't Complete Race/etc...

 

[Mouseferatu]

but hey, the standard book of X are probably good sellers so WoTC has to keep 'em coming and hopefully that means we'll see some more books that aren't Complete Race/etc...

I hope so, too. I'd love the chance to work on another Tome of Magic-style book; I've learned a lot since I worked on the first one.

 

[Sammael]

All I'm saying is that guessing about what this book might mean for other WotC releases later in the year, and then getting upset about stuff that's only been guessed at, is an overreaction.

True.

Here's my hypothesis: since WotC is going to announce 4E at the newly-renamed D&D eXPerience (a name that makes me want to vomit, but that's another story altogether), formerly Winter Fantasy, 2007, they want to make sure the last books they ever publish for 3.x will sell. Drow books sell, hence this title. Adventures sell, hence the sudden influx of adventures, products that we know from reliable sources historically sold less than sourcebooks.

One flaw in the hypothesis is the presence of Complete Champion on the schedule, but it may be that the book will be a 3.x/4E crossover product.