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Message: <blockquote data-quote="GreyLord" data-source="post: 5368790" data-attributes="member: 4348">Uh, no, that's as someone else pointed out, more like the change of covers in 1e, like the theives combat to the wizard at the front covers.  Even the slight revisions is more like the 2e version where they had the original with the warrior on horseback, and the revision with changes in text and such with the black cover.An entire edition change is more like what they did with some of the series books (Tom Swift is one where they had a total change of character and setting in the early 80s, from simply scientist on earth, to space traveller) (another is the Hardy Boys, who have had series that go into the current time...but they always keep the originals in print since the tend to be more successful in the long run, with the revisions typically dying out.  The only revision they had that remained more popular in the long run was the original revision of the 40s -60s where they took out a lot of the racist ideas and other types of items which may be offensive)  (a more likely agenda of revision would be the rewrite of Heinlein's Starship troopers from the novel, to the movie, to the tie in movie novellas and books.)Going off of the parenthesis above, Heinlein's book Starship troopers would be the closest.  The movie had it's rewrite, and had some books off of it come out.  These books were MORE POPULAR then the original for a while...and then slowly died off.WotC IS a book publisher, but they don't seem to learn what some of the others did (BEYOND THE ENTIRE going to E-book for D&D format other's have already learned to do with their books in print...) where you may revise something to a totally different story to make profits...but you NEVER  completely desert the original as in the LOOONG RUN you can make money in some way or fashion off of the older versions of books as long as someone someplace out there wants a copy.Star Wars is a pretty good example as well with the original Trilogy, though the changes there would probably be more akin to 1e Unearthed arcana to 2e core (so nothing more then the PHB, DMG, and MM for 2e, and 2e even had a grandfather clause for 1e!).  There are many that decry the changes that Lucas made for his creative vision...and that was not as drastic a change as that made from 2e to 3e or 3e to 4e.Most book revisions that go all out are complete fiascos though.  People get used to the writing and books a certain way, so when someone says they can improve...it typically meets a LOT of resistance.  The key is if you can increase your sales to make up for the loss of good will that you gain from some of the hardcore fans...and with those sales perhaps make it up with new fans.A key success would be the Conan revisions of the 70's.  They ran out of Conan stories by Howard...but needed more...what to do...but make them up!  It turned out to be a blazing success...and led to even more success with movies...comics...etc.A major failure was the attempt to rewrite the Hardy Boys into adults in a series of Hardy Boys...where Joe's Girlfriend get's blown up, Joe becomes a drunk womanizer, and Frank starts packing (a gun) with a much more violent overtones.  Some liked it, but overall it was an abysmal failure.Revisions of character and tone can be a success...but equally can be a failure.  WotC has done TWO MAJOR and one MINOR in the space of 10 years...which overall is unprecedented in a MAJOR line (with the exception of maybe Warhammer, as that's a tabletop game, and another example of how to tweak success from revisions...but they haven't really had ANY REVISION being as drastic as the two major changes in D&D...their's would amount to changes like 3e to 3.5).Tom Swift has had at least two major successful revisions...one from the 1910 version to a more 20th century version...and then the 20th century version to the 21st type version...though the second (much like I would categorize 4e) wasn't as popular as the first revision.  The final revision, or last one I didn't follow much as it did some stuff I wasn't interested in...and I'd say most of the fans had the same view as Tom Swift has sort of died off these days.I'd say the original post on marketing holds true with book marketing as well...and RPG's ARE books...even if those books have games in them.  They are not video games.  You don't normally do well with a lot of revisions...and you normally don't want to upset your core audience too much too often or you risk losing your only guarantees of who is actually going to buy it.  You don't only cater to your core audience because they eventually either die or move onto new things...unless you can bring in new blood your book is bound for the burn pile because no one is going to eventually read it.</blockquote>

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