Dungeon Master's Guide II

[francisca]

It was when I had gotten tired of Diablo & clones

GGGGGAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

10 thousand guys all saying "OD&D is the one true game. OD&D is the one true game. You will be assimilated. Choose fighting man or magicuser." I can't take it! I tell you, I'll jump off of a......

Oh. Sorry. that's a "b", not a "g".

Diaglo: Love you mang.....

 

[Kaji]

I've got to diagree with the premise of the thread. Anything with the word "ready made traps" and other such time saving devices is at least in the "check it out" category. And besidea, what do I care if WotC releases some goofy product I don't want? I'll save my money and buy something from Ronin Arts or Malhavoc instead.

 

[Frost]

I wonder at the thought-processes of those who believe D&D is defined solely by the supplements.

I suspect that the majority of D&D players only use the core books, and couldn't care less about the latest book released by Wizards...

Cheers!

You might be right, Merric. I think it's kind of hard to tell around these parts. If someone is posting/reading here, he's likely a "junkie." (myself included, of course). I can say that the majority of my players only have the PH.

Anyway, back on topic... I think the name of the book is bad, but the material sounds ok. The name does invoke a knee-jerk... my initial reaction was "What the f !" The description sounds fine, but sounds like material that's already out there.

However, WotC is starting to be like Microscoft to me... they see other products that someone has already made, for example, the Google Toolbar, and then put out their version. It just seems that plenty of other d20 companies have done this book already... d20 Toolbox, Gygax's Worldbuilder, Traps and Treachery, etc.

Disclaimer: I obviously have no proof this is what WotC is doing, but it sort of seems like it.

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

How about music.

That's a great idea! I'd bet that a D&D soundtrack with a crapload of special effects audio files would sell well.

 

[MonsterMash]

Got to admit unless the content is really good I won't be bothered with this, after all I already play and DM and have done for years and Johnn Four's RPG tips probably fills in most of my gaps in knowledge so what good will it do me?

 

[J_A_Garlock]

However, WotC is starting to be like Microscoft to me... they see other products that someone has already made, for example, the Google Toolbar, and then put out their version. It just seems that plenty of other d20 companies have done this book already... d20 Toolbox, Gygax's Worldbuilder, Traps and Treachery, etc.

QUOTE]

I think that I will follow my gut feeling, and most likely go with Gygax's work over the DMG 2, after all he did put a lot of useful information in the first DMG.

Anyone here ever use his Worldbuilder books?

 

[Li Shenron]

Not to pick on Ulrick, but I have a legitimate question: Is gaming the only hobby that evokes this reaction so often? What is it about gaming that causes people to want to give it up, the more product that's released for it?

Are there sports fans who want to quit if a new team is added to the league they follow? Is it because it's perceived that it is growing too complicated to keep track of? Or is it some form of commercialism disillusionment?

To me, if a product isn't released that I don't like, I don't intend to quit the hobby. It doesn't matter if not a single gaming company releases a single product that I don't like in a year's time - the only way I'll quit the hobby is death or extreme circumstances, because I know that the market is always changing, and as long as I have breath and a gaming group, I'll continue. Eventually new products will come along that excite me, and even if there are NO gamers around (let's say every single one of my gamer friends move away, and nothing's released for a year) I'll still comb message boards, still re-read my old stuff, create characters on rainy days, move on with the other business of life, and re-start myself as soon as opportunity knocks.

Then again, maybe I'm the one who needs help. I'll be the one in the nursing home, cajoling the other geezers into a game...

Well, there are possibilities even within D&D if you think about it. I was surprised by the original poster that he said he'd quit because of the DMGII because actually I see no reason why THAT book specifically could make someone want to quit, but...

I can understand someone may want to quit when there are too many new NECESSARY or strongly suggested books. I for example could understand someone who bought lots of 3.0 books and felt cheated when 3.5 came out. I play both 3.0 and 3.5 and I know they aren't that different, however it's also true that "officially" you can't use 3.0 stuff "as it is", you need to update it. If the vast majority of the gamers around switched to 3.5, the guy who spent all his money on 3.0 book may have difficulties to find someone to play with unless he also switch to 3.5. He may become frustrated and quit for another hobby where he think he won't be cheated anymore.

This is just an example of what could happen to someone, and maybe the original poster thought the DMGII was another rules update? It didn't seem so, that's why I wondered...

Without going to the extreme case of new editions, there are also some books which occasionally "correct" the game, and as such are kind of quite necessary... I'm thinking of T&B updating Polymorph and MotW updating Wildshape for example. This sort of accidents CAN make someone feel disillusioned about the hobby occasionally. Maybe one has been a fervent supported of how this game was well designed, and suddenly is ridiculed by the authors themselves saying they got it wrong

 

[reanjr]

Not to pick on Ulrick, but I have a legitimate question: Is gaming the only hobby that evokes this reaction so often? What is it about gaming that causes people to want to give it up, the more product that's released for it?

It's the insidiousness of addiction. No matter what is put out. No matter how poorly it is edited or playtested. No matter how useless Frostburn is to to my tropical campaign.

I must have it. Must buy the new book. It's pretty. It has pages. And a cover. And that's all that matters.

On a more serious note, are they trying some subversive marketing by making the book brown-covered? Did the Manual of the Planes and Deities and Demigods not sell well due to having blue covers?

How is it that the Dungeon Master's Guide II is a player's book?

 

[Rel]

I feel Ulrick's pain. This is the same way I felt when the Spankmaster 4000 came out the same week I had just bought the Spankmaster 3000.

But seriously, I do think this is a poorly named product. The content sounds very interesting but calling it the DMGII makes it sound simultaneously core and tack-on. I think that something like "Gamemaster's Grimoire" would sound cooler, cause no uproar and allow the book not to be confused with the core rules.

 

[Scribble]

Someone should start an official "Rename the DMG II" Thread...

On a more serious note, are they trying some subversive marketing by making the book brown-covered? Did the Manual of the Planes and Deities and Demigods not sell well due to having blue covers?

I wonder if that's really the cover to the book? It might just be an image someone threw together for that web blurb, and they messed up. On that note, maybe it's not really going to be called the DMG II and that's just the working name before they finalize??? One can hope right???