Eric Noah's Info

[EricNoah]

Well here's some more...

I just heard from a high-up at WotC. He says the info is so wrong that he suspects that my source is out to torpedo "my reputation" by giving me something this far off the mark.

I trust my source's intentions, though as I've said earlier my source could be misunderstanding something, or I could have misconstrued something.

Hopefully if the WotC person doesn't mind outing himself he could post here to verify and share what info he is allowed to share.

In any case, I responded to him as I respond to all of you: I'm out of the "D&D scoop business" and so this is the last you'll hear from me on anything 4E related.

 

[Clefton Twain]

The only serious reason for a customer to reject an edition change is if the costs involved in moving from one edition to another is too high. The only way that the RPG business is going to be able to permanently move to a "periodic edition release" business model is if they decrease the price of the cost of an edition change to the point where they gain more customers than they lose with each edition change. If you can figure out how to do that then you'll know what 4E is going to look like.

Pretty good assessment. And that may be the driving force behind the rumored "release in small amounts"--it doesn't seem like you're spending a lot when you pick and choose little bits.

The move from 2nd ed to 3e was sorely needed. 2nd edition was very old, clunky, and was broken in many ways. I just don't see the same problem with 3e. If anything, I think WotC really needs to either revamp or open up the epic stuff. They've pretty much neglected it and I think there is at least enough interest to make a little money there, if done right.

They could even still just revamp some things in 3e--maybe work on that "20 levels of spells" thing, or classless D&D, or a better spell point system to replace the one in Unearthed Arcana?

All I know is, if, as rumored, 4e is supposed to be much more minis based, they'd better let you buy the EXACT minis you want, instead of getting your luck of the box.

(Once again, I know it's all heresay, but I like adding fuel to the proverbial fire

--CT

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

In any case, I responded to him as I respond to all of you: I'm out of the "D&D scoop business" and so this is the last you'll hear from me on anything 4E related.

I hope all this didn't make you feel like Cassandra, Eric. We're all suckers for a good argument over just about anything. It's was good to get the blood pumping before GenCon!

 

[ColonelHardisson]

Well here's some more...

I just heard from a high-up at WotC. He says the info is so wrong that he suspects that my source is out to torpedo "my reputation" by giving me something this far off the mark.

I trust my source's intentions, though as I've said earlier my source could be misunderstanding something, or I could have misconstrued something.

Hopefully if the WotC person doesn't mind outing himself he could post here to verify and share what info he is allowed to share.

In any case, I responded to him as I respond to all of you: I'm out of the "D&D scoop business" and so this is the last you'll hear from me on anything 4E related.

Eric, just so we're clear, did the WotC higher-up say anything at all about what was wrong about the rumors? Most importantly, did he specifically deny 4e was being worked on? I doubt he said anything specific like that, but I figured I'd ask.

 

[EricNoah]

Eric, just so we're clear, did the WotC higher-up say anything at all about what was wrong about the rumors? Most importantly, did he specifically deny 4e was being worked on? I doubt he said anything specific like that, but I figured I'd ask.

Nope.

Let me point him to this thread. If he's able to post anything maybe he will, and head this whole fruitless discussion off at the pass.

 

[mcrow]

Well here's some more...

I just heard from a high-up at WotC. He says the info is so wrong that he suspects that my source is out to torpedo "my reputation" by giving me something this far off the mark.

Thank the Gods!

Now I don't have to hate D&D.



yet.

 

[Koewn]

I'm glad I previewed, I had a big old reply that would've looked stupid with this new info.

Well here's some more...

I just heard from a high-up at WotC. He says the info is so wrong that he suspects that my source is out to torpedo "my reputation" by giving me something this far off the mark.

Or gearing up interest/speculation for GenCon? There may very well be a biggish product coming out that could sound like a 4E but isn't (like the Basic Set sorts of ideas above).

That's almost too bad.

I was looking forward to finding out if diaglo's hat of e4 know no limit.


Koewn

 

[fafhrd]

Dueling WotC insiders...Sounds like the ettin's right head doesn't know what the left head is doing.

 

[Arnwyn]

Let me point him to this thread. If he's able to post anything maybe he will, and head this whole fruitless discussion off at the pass.

Eric, this thread went to 12 pages in less than a day. It already made it through the pass (and sacked the nearest village).

 

[EricNoah]

Hey, if we can keep it from infecting any other threads I'll count it as a success!

 

[PatrickLawinger]

Nope.

Let me point him to this thread. If he's able to post anything maybe he will, and head this whole fruitless discussion off at the pass.

I wouldn't have high hopes of that. Generally, an employee making announcements for a company such as this without "permission" is a no-no and could threaten their job. That is why I couldn't say "<> says X is completely wrong" when I posted a reply several hundred (thousand now??) posts ago.

I think it is a shame that this got reported as "news" when Eric has already stated that he didn't intend for it to be. It certainly has kicked up the hype some. Now, if True 20 and CnC sales take off, maybe Green Ronin and the Troll Lords need to buy Eric a nice bottle of scotch ...

I figure this should hit 1000+ posts by the next time I glance at the boards .

 

[Mark CMG]

Well here's some more...

I just heard from a high-up at WotC. He says the info is so wrong that he suspects that my source is out to torpedo "my reputation" by giving me something this far off the mark.

I trust my source's intentions, though as I've said earlier my source could be misunderstanding something, or I could have misconstrued something.

Hopefully if the WotC person doesn't mind outing himself he could post here to verify and share what info he is allowed to share.

In any case, I responded to him as I respond to all of you: I'm out of the "D&D scoop business" and so this is the last you'll hear from me on anything 4E related.

Well, that doesn't necessarily negate my own prediction of what might be in store for 4E.

I'm thinking we're going to see new products along the lines of -

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dd/20060317a

- packaged with the appropriate miniatures and broken out by ELs or CRs. Very modular, smaller packages that have a component that appeals to collectors. As they get a better picture which ELs and CRs are being most used, they can focus on churning them out. Larger packages would put strings of such encounter packages together. They can handle the core books and collectable stuff themselves and license out the stuff that doesn't move in great volume, the niche stuff that 3.x third party pubs have been doing through this edition.

Anyway, that's my guess at one possible scenario of what WotC might do with the future of D&D.

Still . . .

Dueling WotC insiders...Sounds like the ettin's right head doesn't know what the left head is doing.

Testing among future gamers showed that the ettin was too complex, so it only has one head in the redesign.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

Testing among future gamers showed that the ettin was too complex, so it only has one head in the redesign.

ROFL.

Heh... an ettin with only one head smells twice as bad and only tastes half as good.

 

[EricNoah]

If nothing else, this conversation is a good way for WotC to see what some of the fears are.

The fears seem to be that a) we won't be warned of the approach of a new edition in a timely manner, b) a new edition will be more closed off than the current edition is and thus 3rd-party publishing will suffer, c) too-tight a tie between D&D "hardware" and "software" and the feeling that we might be strong-armed into buying stuff we don't want*, d) changes to the game might not be driven by the needs of current players, but by the needs of a future potential market.

I think they're reasonable worries. I think WotC can address these early on even if they can't be specific about timelines, etc.

* Remind me to tell you about my last computer purchase. I had to spend $30 to NOT get a printer when I bought a computer and a monitor. Blech!

 

[Koewn]

ROFL.

Heh... an ettin with only one head smells twice as bad and only tastes half as good.

The hydra's getting nerfed, I'll tell ya that much.

And the Chimera? Not so chimeric anymore.

 

[Owen K.C. Stephens]

I have to say, I suspect Star Wars Saga is going to be picked up by a lot of curious/nervous D&D DMs ...

Well for obvious reasons, I hope you're right!

Owen K.C. Stephens
lightsaber fanatic

 

[JustaPlayer]

Nope.

Let me point him to this thread. If he's able to post anything maybe he will, and head this whole fruitless discussion off at the pass.

Ha! This discussion is soooooo waaaay past the pass.

 

[GVDammerung]

Well here's some more...

I just heard from a high-up at WotC. He says the info is so wrong that he suspects that my source is out to torpedo "my reputation" by giving me something this far off the mark.

I trust my source's intentions, though as I've said earlier my source could be misunderstanding something, or I could have misconstrued something.

Hopefully if the WotC person doesn't mind outing himself he could post here to verify and share what info he is allowed to share.

In any case, I responded to him as I respond to all of you: I'm out of the "D&D scoop business" and so this is the last you'll hear from me on anything 4E related.

Sounds like someone was treated to "a whiff of grapeshot," or its near cousin, which can be uncomfortable. Its not nice to tell Wotc's secrets.

 

[fafhrd]

Think bigger Mark!

 

[EricNoah]

Wow, when I said "smaller packages of info" that's not what I had in mind! Having to buy each half of an ettin separately would indeed be a problem.