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Could the D20/OGL end up hurting WoTC?
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<blockquote data-quote="talien" data-source="post: 1953350" data-attributes="member: 3285"><p>As usual, I agree with Mike (no, not ME...HIM).</p><p></p><p>Here, easy experiment: Frost & Fur and Frostburn. D20 publisher vs. Wizards.</p><p></p><p>There was no contest. There was no contention. Indeed, if anything, Frost & Fur sales were increased by the mere fact that the "little guy was trying to compete with Wizards." Which was patently untrue, as the book was simply delayed long enough for the timing of the two books to be close together.</p><p></p><p>I've seen a lot of folks stating that they liked Frost & Fur and didn't need to buy Frostburn. But I witnessed even more consumers buying both or, more commonly, completely ignoring Frost & Fur.</p><p></p><p>In my experience, the majority of non-ENWorld customers can't even CONCEIVE of a d20 industry. They patently refuse to buy third-party publishers who have filled product niches that WOTC has not...to the extent that they will recommend, independently, the exact same product so long as it's produced by WOTC. You could smash them in the face repeatedly with D20 books that are perfect for their needs, and they will pretend you're invisible.</p><p></p><p>This is a very ego-bruising experience, but it seems to me to be a harsh reality. In fact, I suspect customers who buy third-party products that are sufficiently glossy hardcovers just assume it's made by WOTC somehow, rather than recognizing third-party publishers as independent entities unto themselves. </p><p></p><p>Taking all this into account, I really don't believe it's an either/or proposition. People bought Frostburn most of the time, either in addition to or as a replacement of Frost & Fur. But the majority of folks patently ignored its existence, as borne out by sales.</p><p></p><p>This could all just be because "your book sucks, Tresca" but I figured I'd use the experience to illustrate that a third-party publisher with a similar book didn't impact Frostburn much at all.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="talien, post: 1953350, member: 3285"] As usual, I agree with Mike (no, not ME...HIM). Here, easy experiment: Frost & Fur and Frostburn. D20 publisher vs. Wizards. There was no contest. There was no contention. Indeed, if anything, Frost & Fur sales were increased by the mere fact that the "little guy was trying to compete with Wizards." Which was patently untrue, as the book was simply delayed long enough for the timing of the two books to be close together. I've seen a lot of folks stating that they liked Frost & Fur and didn't need to buy Frostburn. But I witnessed even more consumers buying both or, more commonly, completely ignoring Frost & Fur. In my experience, the majority of non-ENWorld customers can't even CONCEIVE of a d20 industry. They patently refuse to buy third-party publishers who have filled product niches that WOTC has not...to the extent that they will recommend, independently, the exact same product so long as it's produced by WOTC. You could smash them in the face repeatedly with D20 books that are perfect for their needs, and they will pretend you're invisible. This is a very ego-bruising experience, but it seems to me to be a harsh reality. In fact, I suspect customers who buy third-party products that are sufficiently glossy hardcovers just assume it's made by WOTC somehow, rather than recognizing third-party publishers as independent entities unto themselves. Taking all this into account, I really don't believe it's an either/or proposition. People bought Frostburn most of the time, either in addition to or as a replacement of Frost & Fur. But the majority of folks patently ignored its existence, as borne out by sales. This could all just be because "your book sucks, Tresca" but I figured I'd use the experience to illustrate that a third-party publisher with a similar book didn't impact Frostburn much at all. [/QUOTE]
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