TikkchikFenTikktikk
First Post
Allow me to be cynical and make an analogy:
Essentials is like a "Director's Cut" edition of a movie release or a "Remastering" of a music release.
Director's Cuts and Remasters add a bit of additional value to the customer. Sometimes they dramatically affect the artistic merits of the item in question. Sometimes the new versions barely have anything of note to qualify them as a better edition.
But from the corporate executives' point of view, the only reason to release these is to make more money than they would otherwise, especially from a mature product that has saturated or is close to saturating its market and has little probability of expanding to a new market.
Director's Cuts and Remasters generally cost more than the "old", non-"premium" versions, whether or not the old version stays on the shelf.
Director's Cuts and Remasters create a dilemma for people who have already paid for the old version. Are the new features enough to make me pay for this item again? The product manager's job is to add just enough to make those people buy again without the new features actually costing that much, if anything, to add.
Director's Cuts and Remasters create a dilemma for people who have not yet paid for the old version. Which version to buy? The product manager's job is to make these people consider buying both, but if they are only going to get one to get the new version (with its higher profit margin).
Someone at Hasbro made a brilliant connection between adding directors commentary or previously unreleased tracks (or "restoring" edited scenes or studio tracks or live tracks) and D&D class builds.
Someone at Hasbro made a brilliant connection between "rules updates" and remastering video and audio.
How are the D&D product managers “adding just enough to make those people buy again without the new features actually costing that much, if anything, to add”? They are already updating the rules more frequently to correct a criticism of 3rd Edition to keep DMs from transitioning to other RPGs with better ongoing support from the publisher. They are already adding new races, classes, and class builds to provide content to Dragon and Dungeon to get players to subscribe to Dungeons & Dragons Insider. But instead of being electronic only, they are packaged in a new, physical product and marketed heavily.
How are the D&D product managers “making people who have not yet paid for the old version consider buying both, but if they are only going to get one to get the new version (with its higher profit margin)”? They are spinning the new release as more friendly to new players, and the existing product as something new player’s can transition to once they gain more experience. They are also artificially limiting the new product making an “upgrade” purchase necessary to fully enjoy the product (the new red box is limited to only a few levels).
How does Hasbro/WotC make more money from this? This is obvious in the case of people who have already paid for 4th Edition products. In the case of people who haven’t purchased anything, let us look at the case of a new player and the case of a new DM.
It’s not at all clear to which Essentials products a new player can limit their purchases. At first glance it looks like they can pay just $20 for a “Heroes of the …” book instead of $35 for a PHB. But I don’t think those books actually contain rules for play. Instead they will also need to buy the Starter or Rules Compendium for $20. So there is an extra $5 they get out of a brand new player.
If there is a value in the Essentials line, it is found in the case of a new DM who will clearly want the Dungeon Master’s Kit for $40. It looks to combine good stuff from the $35 DMG and $35 MM, the $10 DM Screen, plus other stuff. Turning off my cynicism generator for a moment—growing … weaker … must … hurry—I heartily encourage anything that gets more players to try their hand at running the game. We’re having a hard time fielding enough DMs to run tables for all the players who are showing up for Encounters.
But is the Kit enough (Cynicism generator: turn on!)? DM’s will most likely also need the $20 Rules Compendium, and likely will have started with the $20 red box. The 32 pages of monsters in the Kit isn’t much, and so they will quickly drop $30 on the Monster Vault. We haven’t even got to the rules for PC builds, and have spent $120 versus the $105 it takes to just buy the three core books.
Personally, I see Essentials as a money-grab and won’t be spending any money on it. I will continue to advise new players to just pick up the PHB1. I’ll advise players considering running a game to run a table at Encounters. If they like it I'll tell them to get the new DM Kit, and then to get the Core Rulebook Gift Set as soon as they start running home games. All the new crunch from Essentials will be in the electronic tools, and so I will advise existing player’s and DMs to subscribe to DDI if they really want it.
Essentials is like a "Director's Cut" edition of a movie release or a "Remastering" of a music release.
Director's Cuts and Remasters add a bit of additional value to the customer. Sometimes they dramatically affect the artistic merits of the item in question. Sometimes the new versions barely have anything of note to qualify them as a better edition.
But from the corporate executives' point of view, the only reason to release these is to make more money than they would otherwise, especially from a mature product that has saturated or is close to saturating its market and has little probability of expanding to a new market.
Director's Cuts and Remasters generally cost more than the "old", non-"premium" versions, whether or not the old version stays on the shelf.
Director's Cuts and Remasters create a dilemma for people who have already paid for the old version. Are the new features enough to make me pay for this item again? The product manager's job is to add just enough to make those people buy again without the new features actually costing that much, if anything, to add.
Director's Cuts and Remasters create a dilemma for people who have not yet paid for the old version. Which version to buy? The product manager's job is to make these people consider buying both, but if they are only going to get one to get the new version (with its higher profit margin).
Someone at Hasbro made a brilliant connection between adding directors commentary or previously unreleased tracks (or "restoring" edited scenes or studio tracks or live tracks) and D&D class builds.
Someone at Hasbro made a brilliant connection between "rules updates" and remastering video and audio.
How are the D&D product managers “adding just enough to make those people buy again without the new features actually costing that much, if anything, to add”? They are already updating the rules more frequently to correct a criticism of 3rd Edition to keep DMs from transitioning to other RPGs with better ongoing support from the publisher. They are already adding new races, classes, and class builds to provide content to Dragon and Dungeon to get players to subscribe to Dungeons & Dragons Insider. But instead of being electronic only, they are packaged in a new, physical product and marketed heavily.
How are the D&D product managers “making people who have not yet paid for the old version consider buying both, but if they are only going to get one to get the new version (with its higher profit margin)”? They are spinning the new release as more friendly to new players, and the existing product as something new player’s can transition to once they gain more experience. They are also artificially limiting the new product making an “upgrade” purchase necessary to fully enjoy the product (the new red box is limited to only a few levels).
How does Hasbro/WotC make more money from this? This is obvious in the case of people who have already paid for 4th Edition products. In the case of people who haven’t purchased anything, let us look at the case of a new player and the case of a new DM.
It’s not at all clear to which Essentials products a new player can limit their purchases. At first glance it looks like they can pay just $20 for a “Heroes of the …” book instead of $35 for a PHB. But I don’t think those books actually contain rules for play. Instead they will also need to buy the Starter or Rules Compendium for $20. So there is an extra $5 they get out of a brand new player.
If there is a value in the Essentials line, it is found in the case of a new DM who will clearly want the Dungeon Master’s Kit for $40. It looks to combine good stuff from the $35 DMG and $35 MM, the $10 DM Screen, plus other stuff. Turning off my cynicism generator for a moment—growing … weaker … must … hurry—I heartily encourage anything that gets more players to try their hand at running the game. We’re having a hard time fielding enough DMs to run tables for all the players who are showing up for Encounters.
But is the Kit enough (Cynicism generator: turn on!)? DM’s will most likely also need the $20 Rules Compendium, and likely will have started with the $20 red box. The 32 pages of monsters in the Kit isn’t much, and so they will quickly drop $30 on the Monster Vault. We haven’t even got to the rules for PC builds, and have spent $120 versus the $105 it takes to just buy the three core books.
Personally, I see Essentials as a money-grab and won’t be spending any money on it. I will continue to advise new players to just pick up the PHB1. I’ll advise players considering running a game to run a table at Encounters. If they like it I'll tell them to get the new DM Kit, and then to get the Core Rulebook Gift Set as soon as they start running home games. All the new crunch from Essentials will be in the electronic tools, and so I will advise existing player’s and DMs to subscribe to DDI if they really want it.
