d20 Super Heroes --- coming in July '06 from WOTC

[kroh]

WotC won't produce any support material for it

One of the thing I have noticed is that WotC is notoriously slow wit it's support of DnD's bastard step child anyway. While D20 Modern allows for more options and some cool variations it seems that Wizids really doesn't support it. It seems that all the support is comming from the "little Guy," and all their punch goes into the flagship.

If they are puting out d20 Supah as a suppliment...what kind of support are they really going to field. We have Future, Past, Apoc., Cyber, Arcana...where is the support for these suppliments? Their view is probably that the suppliment is support for the main ( the core book) and that's really all they need, where as they just released a host of Races books, and even books about weather for DnD.

I think M&M has done a lot to promote their line ( I have only seen the one product in the Blood and Vigilence line... I haven't taken a peek at Vigilance yet...) and it seems that the third party publishers are carrying the torch on this one...

just my 2 creds
Regards,
Walt

 

[Henry]

The Skaff Effect probably works like this:

Now that's a fun thought - the Skaff Effect helps M&M sales! You've brightened my day without realizing it, Steven, because I've never thought about applying its logic to anything but D&D; heck, nothing else but D&D has applied before. Thanks!

 

[buzz]

While D20 Modern allows for more options and some cool variations it seems that Wizids really doesn't support it.

d20M is simply not popular enough for a company the size of Wizards to profitably support it more than they do. I can't really blame them for this.

Thankfully, via the MSRD, we don't have to rely on Wizards alone to provide support material. And even though this support is dwarfed by support for D&D's d20, there's still more d20M product out there now than any one gamer could make use of in decades of play. Though I'll probably still end up buying most of it.

 

[Vigilance]

I think 4 books a year plus several free adventures plus 3rd party supplements (which WOTC has allowed and encouraged through some generous additions to the MSRD) counts as "support".

But then, the definition of "support" by the average gamer seems to be "less than what is done for D&D".

Chuck

 

[kroh]

That is probably why they went open license in the first place. They could produce a product and then let others support it. It is kind of like what these street companies do with stock Toyota's and Honda's. You get a regular car and trick it out into a super street-rod by an aftermarket improvment company.

Sure some one else made the car but these other companies came along and supported the "line" to produce a product beyond the designers inttention.

A question I have is about the third party. Will there be any reaction ( support on the part of the other publishers) to d20SH when it comes out ?

Regards,
Walt

 

[Jim Hague]

Random side note: As a rules junkie, I have no problem with M&M's point buy, nor would I imagine that people coming from more complex systems, or systems designed from the ground up as point-buy, would have any problem with that.

However, trying to convince somebody whose most recent superhero gaming experience was "City of Heroes" that M&M is worth the hassle of building a character can be frustrating at times (although I'm speaking for 1E, not 2E). Somebody playing a "Level 10 Blaster" in City of Heroes might really enjoy a d20-Modernization of Superhero conventions, whether it be in the form of d20 Supers or Blood & Vigilance.

So this could be an attempt on WotC's part to get in on some of the computer-gaming crowd action. Depending on how they end up doing it.

Or they could play the City of Heroes RPG from Eden Studios...

 

[Kenson]

Will there be any reaction ( support on the part of the other publishers) to d20SH when it comes out ?

I would imagine that will depend a great deal on whether or not any of it is added to the Modern SRD. It's not Open Content (and therefore not open to "support") until that happens.

 

[Vigilance]

I would imagine that will depend a great deal on whether or not any of it is added to the Modern SRD. It's not Open Content (and therefore not open to "support") until that happens.

Exactly so.

It aint up to us

WOTC has been pretty generous with adding Modern stuff to the SRD, but until/unless they do our hands are tied.

Chuck

 

[King of Old School]

I'm willing to conceed to Mr. Pramas that d20M doesn't generate anywhere near the interest that D&D does. Granted, no RPG on earth does. I have to wonder if the simple ability of WotC to get its product in more stores (I see WotC d20M books in Borders, but I don't always see GR books) still means d20Supes has more sales potential than any M&M product.

Point of interest: In Canada, Chapters (our Borders/B&N equivalent) no longer stocks new d20M product in stores. They stopped prior to the release of d20F, because the line just didn't move enough copies. Now, they only sell D&D books (incl. related titles like EQ) and minis, and SW minis.

KoOS

 

[eyebeams]

I would imagine that will depend a great deal on whether or not any of it is added to the Modern SRD. It's not Open Content (and therefore not open to "support") until that happens.

I think it's very likely that this content will be opened where other content has not, because I think it is probably being consciously positioned as a competitor to M&M.