Do your expectations of a product change . . .

[philreed]

. . . based on publisher?

Do you expect more out of a larger publisher than a smaller publisher? And, if so, does your opinion of a product depend on the size of the publisher?

As an example, would a WotC-style book (well edited, attractive layout and art, low price) coming from a smaller publisher impress you more than the exact same book if it were released by WotC?

I think that for most people the answer is yes. It may be a subconscious thing but I think that all of us have certain expections from certain publishers and our opinions of products would change if the same product was released by a different publisher.

NOTE: This post adds to the evidence that I am an idiot.

 

[Turanil]

Do you expect more out of a larger publisher than a smaller publisher? And, if so, does your opinion of a product depend on the size of the publisher?

As an example, would a WotC-style book (well edited, attractive layout and art, low price) coming from a smaller publisher impress you more than the exact same book if it were released by WotC?

In terms of gaming contents I expect the same quality whoever publishes it. In fact, third party publishers often do products that look better to me than WotC products. However, when it comes to art, layout, and price, I perfectly understand that third-party publishers don't have the financial capability of WotC, so I won't mind it be mdiocre coming from them, but not when coming from WotC.

 

[delericho]

I voted no, but I feel that the question asked in the poll is different from the one asked in your post. My opinion of a product is not based more on the publisher, but it most certainly is a factor.

My expectations of a product from Malhavoc or Green Ronin are significantly higher than from other companies. However, I think this is a good thing. I don't subscribe to the notion that you should "lower your expectations to enjoy this." True, this means sometimes I'm disappointed (Book of Roguish Luck, Advanced Player's Manual, Phantom Menace), but on the other hand, when expectations are fulfilled it's a great thing.

The other thing is that expectations based on publisher are based on the previous track record of that publisher. Malhavoc and Green Ronin produce great books.

Note that I haven't included Wizards in my list of great publishers. Wizards consistently have the best production values in the industry (and, thankfully, they seem to have brought back the more glossy paper in DMG2 - the paper in HoB just felt less pleasant). However, I really don't put too much stock in how well a book is physically put together. It's how it works at the game table that counts. And, in terms of consistency, some other publishers have the edge, IMO. (Although Wizards have produced some great books.)

 

[MonsterMash]

A qualified yes, I tend to expect WotC products to have glossy pages, colour art internally etc, but these are much less important to me than content, so I again have expectations on that, but its a different thing to physical production.

I actually expect more innovative products to be from smaller publishers rather than WotC or Mongoonse as there is less of a need to meet a mass market if you are publishing 2000 copies and can make a profit at that level rather than 20000 copies.

 

[Raven Crowking]

. . . based on publisher?

Do you expect more out of a larger publisher than a smaller publisher? And, if so, does your opinion of a product depend on the size of the publisher?

The short answer is, yes, my expectations change based on the publisher. I expect more from publishers I have learned to know and trust...and they usually deliver.

I expect WotC to offer a slick-looking product, which may have innovative rules, but which will have less than stellar examples of those rules.

I expect Goodman Games to have some neat ideas that I can steal & tweak, but I expect that I will have to do a little tweaking with them (which is okay with me if the ideas are good enough).

I expect that I can use a Bastion Press or Green Ronin Press product right off the shelf if I desire to.

Etc.


RC

 

[Spell]

wait a second! i voted "no" because the question in the poll is different than the one you are asking in the thread.

my opinions on a given product is not influenced by the name of the publisher (if a book by, say, green ronin is awful, then it's awful!).
on the other hand, expectations *are* influenced by the publisher! i think it's quite normal.

 

[philreed]

Okay, I appear to need more sleep. I can't believe I made such a large mistake with the actual poll.

Sorry, guys.

 

[Psion]

You poll and your post ask two different questions to me.

Does the publisher influence my expectation? Definitely. Some publishers seem to have lower standards, worse developers, or philosophies that are at odds with mine.

Does the publisher influence my opnion? No, not really. I regard some books by publishers I don't typically prefer more highly than some books by publishers that I consider to be stronger.

 

[Kanegrundar]

I'd say yes. There are some publishers that I expect to have excellent production values. However, once I get a look at the book, my choice to buy really depends on the content. Being one of my "select" publishers will ensure that I at least look at anything they put out, but if the premise of a book interests me I'll look at books from publishers that I've been bruned by in the past.

Kane

 

[DaveMage]

At this point, I expect awesome production values from WotC...and not really from anyone else.

My last pleasant surprise in this area was Denizens of Avadnu, which was actually in color! (Fantasy Flight, though, is such a tease - I wish they would have done Midnight 2E completely in full color and not just the first 32 pages. Those 32 pages are gorgeous, though.)

The only two d20 publishers that I would preorder everything for without hesitation is Necromancer and Bastion. Though I buy a lot (and I mean a *whole* lot) from others, I wait for specifics before I make a definite decision.