scourger said:
It has been my experience that a significant majority of DMs/GMs use modules. I use them exclusively, and the last time I played an RPG that wasn't a module was almost 15 years ago to the best of my recollection. Somebody ran Rifts--a game for which there were no modules. Even that GM continued that game using an old Omega World series of adventures.
Many of the books you mention are D&D books. I believe there is a big differrence between D&D & other d20 games, particularly those from 3rd party publishers. People will buy D&D books in much greater quantities than books for other d20 games. I have a gaming friend that bought many, many D&D books; but he will not buy books for any other d20 game. He and I are the only big consumers in our group. To use WotC's recently-revealed marketing strategy terms of Trial, Regular & Lifestyle: he and I fall somewhere between Regular & Lifestyle. We'll never be Lifestyle players because neither of us buy every product that is released by WotC for D&D--and even most other third party lines peter out (he gave up on Scarred Lands befiore it was canceled and has stopped buying Kalamar stuff, too). All of our other group members are Regular players since they have the basic rules (a PHB) and that's about it. On the other hand, I am a Lifestyle player of Judge Dredd d20. I buy everything I can for it. I do this because I like the core book and the modules. The sourcebooks are mostly just read & shelved, but I buy them because I'm captivated by the game and setting. I think this is where ADB wants to be with PD20. They want Lifestyle players. They want sales of as many books as they can print.
Which is what they will not get with your purchases of just the Klingons & Romulans sourcebooks. Do you think anyone else in your group will buy those books? Any of the PD20 books? Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying it's bad for them to sell two books or for you to buy 2 books. Certainly, not every game can appeal to every gamer. But, I'm telling them that they will sell me many books if they publish modules. You're telling them that they will sell only 2 books to you no matter if they publish modules or not. The wiser marketing strategy is to publish modules. Of course, ADB may just want to saturate the market with the first four PD20 books and then get out of the d20 publishing business. I might convert adventures from other sources for PD20, but it's often easier to just play the other game if I'm going to have to use material from it. If they want to attract Lifestyle PD20 players, they need publish adventure modules.
Anyway, these are my individual experiences, opinions & preferences. I do not believe that I am right or that you or anyone else is wrong. Different gamers have different styles of play and different tastes. I think this game will appeal to more players if it offers more. It needs to offer a core book, some sourcebooks and some modules. Not everything will sell to everyone. I'm just trying to influence this publisher at this very early stage of development of this game with my personal preferences. I'm tired of seeing new campaign settings/games/sourcebooks without modules. I stopped buying them. I hope there will be a market correction, but it is possible that I am in the minority and that the demand for settings/games/sourcebooks that are ussupported by adventures will continue. I hope not.
The market problems with modules are essentially fourfold:
1) Modules sell only to GMs, never players. At least five people in my current (ten-player) group GM at least some of the time, so this isn't a problem for us.
2) Modules don't sell to all GMs. Neither do sourcebooks, either, of course. But only one out of five GMs I know uses modules regularly. All use sourcebooks, and all but one own and use non-D&D sourcebooks.
3) Modules are often the most difficult products to adapt, and have an uncomfortable relationship with sourcebooks.
4) Modules, once used, become essentially dead to a particular group.
1. One of my (player-only) players bought OGL Steampunk for a single class, even though I own the book and let him use it and he'll probably never play in a full-on Steampunk game. He may never GM. Another player bought Complete Adventurer for the same reason and under the same circumstances. A third is likely to buy Arcana Evolved. Both the players and player/GMs in my group buy sourcebooks; at most, the player/GMs would buy modules.
2. I've cribbed rules from every single book I listed for a single campaign. I've used the Steampunk, Conan, Modern and AU books in every single session, and the PHB in all but one.
3. A module designed for core D&D is the only product to which the EL system and the wealth-by-level guidelines matter absolutely. D&D has a large enough following to make it almost worthwhile. d20 Modern, or even a very successful line like Conan the RPG, doesn't. I can't run a D&D module in Conan without a lot of work, nor a Conan module in Modern, nor, certainly, a Prime Directive module in Diamond Throne/Arcana Unearthed.
4. After about three months, any module short of the ($100) World's Largest Dungeon would probably be done and over with. Not only would I never use it again in the campaign, I probably wouldn't use it again in another campaign, and none of my player/GMs would use it in their campaigns with this group. The only way it will ever be useful to me, personally, is if I happen to GM it for another group. On the other hand, knowing the module automatically reduces my enjoyment of it (and to a lesser extent, my players') should another group run it.
