Bringing back old product lines as one-shot books
- Thread starter BOZ
- Start date
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer
i could see reprinting older editing material, but releasing old edition settings in old edition format?
"Yes, we are releasing a brand new 1E Forgotton Realms campaign setting! No, don't go buy a used copy of the old gray one for $5 on ebay, buy the new one we are remaking!"
"Yes, we are releasing a brand new 1E Forgotton Realms campaign setting! No, don't go buy a used copy of the old gray one for $5 on ebay, buy the new one we are remaking!"
northrundicandus
First Post
BOZ said:i could see reprinting older editing material, but releasing old edition settings in old edition format?
"Yes, we are releasing a brand new 1E Forgotton Realms campaign setting! No, don't go buy a used copy of the old gray one for $5 on ebay, buy the new one we are remaking!"
If it makes Hasbro money, why not? They've released collector's editions of Monopoly and other board games, with the older rules and pieces. Why not D&D and AD&D?
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer
a "collector's edition" would be a reprint - TSR/WotC have done this several times with classic 1E material, and that's OK.
"updating" materials with older edition rules - retrograding - would only have appeal to those who still play older systems. sure, it would sell somewhat, but only to those with very active campaigns looking for something new and lacking the desire to continue preparing their own materials. people with no desire to play older editions (many of whom played back in the day and are done with it) would have no use for this, and many nostalgic types may not want it if it doesn't match the feel they are accustomed to.
this is why i am promoting what i am promoting - something that would (hopefully) appeal to both groups - the new edition only players, as well as the nostalgic types.
"updating" materials with older edition rules - retrograding - would only have appeal to those who still play older systems. sure, it would sell somewhat, but only to those with very active campaigns looking for something new and lacking the desire to continue preparing their own materials. people with no desire to play older editions (many of whom played back in the day and are done with it) would have no use for this, and many nostalgic types may not want it if it doesn't match the feel they are accustomed to.
this is why i am promoting what i am promoting - something that would (hopefully) appeal to both groups - the new edition only players, as well as the nostalgic types.
Alzrius
The EN World kitten
northrundicandus said:
Probably due to the fact that many of the books released that way would still be building off each other, for one thing. It'd be hard to justify selling a reprint of the Dark Sun boxed set when you told people you still had to buy the reprinted Psionics Handbook, both 2E, and both unable to be used with your 3E game. People would be willing to make that sacrifice when it was current, but new gamers probably wouldn't see the appeal in buying reprints of older stuff that doesn't work with the new edition of the game.
There were pocket books printed a while back though of older AD&D stuff, so I could be wrong.
Orius
Unrepentant DM Supremacist
I would also say no to a $40 hardcover that tries to cram in half a dozen settings; IMO, that's just not enough space. I would rather see the settings that had some truely unique stuff presented as a single book maybe like OA or MotP that updates the mechanics so they mesh well with 3.5 (unlike the bolted-on approach of 2e).
For example, Spelljammer. I've never played SJ, but what interests me the most is the spelljamming itself. Having rule mechinics for powering spelljamming helms that work with 3e rules would be interesting to me. Of course, you don't want to fundamentally alter it and rile up the people who like old SJ.
Another good example is Birthright. What I'd like to see is rules for blood abilities and running domains. Maybe even make it a system that can be added onto any sort of D&D world, but uses Cerilia as an example. There are the blood feats in Dragon #315 which make a pretty good start fot that, but I'd prefer a more diverse list of feats that aren't tied to specific Cerilian gods, but that can be a applied to gods based on their portfolios.
I would say no to something like Mystara, because while it may have had some good stuff, Mystara is pretty much a typical D&D setting, like Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms, etc. So a "core" Mystara campaign really doesn't have anything to convert, except some monsters. Yeah, there's the Hollow World and Savage Coast, but Mystara on the whole doesn't really have concepts that are as interesting to me as Spelljammer, Dark Sun or Birthright.
For example, Spelljammer. I've never played SJ, but what interests me the most is the spelljamming itself. Having rule mechinics for powering spelljamming helms that work with 3e rules would be interesting to me. Of course, you don't want to fundamentally alter it and rile up the people who like old SJ.
Another good example is Birthright. What I'd like to see is rules for blood abilities and running domains. Maybe even make it a system that can be added onto any sort of D&D world, but uses Cerilia as an example. There are the blood feats in Dragon #315 which make a pretty good start fot that, but I'd prefer a more diverse list of feats that aren't tied to specific Cerilian gods, but that can be a applied to gods based on their portfolios.
I would say no to something like Mystara, because while it may have had some good stuff, Mystara is pretty much a typical D&D setting, like Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms, etc. So a "core" Mystara campaign really doesn't have anything to convert, except some monsters. Yeah, there's the Hollow World and Savage Coast, but Mystara on the whole doesn't really have concepts that are as interesting to me as Spelljammer, Dark Sun or Birthright.
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer
i'm glad to have gotten so many positive responses here - some places didn't recieve the idea so warmly, such as Monte's boards
Alzrius
The EN World kitten
Hmm, in all honesty, most of the replies there don't seem to know what they're talking about.
The idea that these campaign worlds died out because there wasn't sufficient fan base to sustain them isn't at all correct. They "died out" because they were either never meant to be an indefinite run (such as Al-Qadim, which lasted a year beyond its three-year projection), or they were simply pruned by WotC after the buyout, since WotC's idea of not subdividing the market meant pruning all but the most successful.
The idea that these campaign worlds died out because there wasn't sufficient fan base to sustain them isn't at all correct. They "died out" because they were either never meant to be an indefinite run (such as Al-Qadim, which lasted a year beyond its three-year projection), or they were simply pruned by WotC after the buyout, since WotC's idea of not subdividing the market meant pruning all but the most successful.
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