Games with "terrible" follow-up editions

[Jahydin]

Somebody took Hackmaster and made it actually playable, and I can think of no greater crime than that.

Who did this? I want to read about it, haha.

 

[Retreater]

Can I complain about one aspect of a new edition? Not the system itself, mind ya.
The Core Rules for Savage Worlds used to be a $10 digest paperback, easy to buy multiple copies and pass around the table. Now the current SWADE rules are like a bloated $40 hardcover that doesn't scream FAST FURIOUS FUN. It's like it lost touch with its pulp roots.
The system is fine. It just didn't need to be in this format.

 

[Thomas Shey]

The old edition was an artifact of its time. Even if it was a softcover these days it'd have to be significantly more expensive. You simply can't do that and not lose money these days.

 

[Retreater]

The old edition was an artifact of its time. Even if it was a softcover these days it'd have to be significantly more expensive. You simply can't do that and not lose money these days.

Sure, you could. Look at all the zines. 30-odd pages, staple bound.
Look at Fate Accelerated. Look at Mothership.
If they were to strip down the system to its essence, really make it fast and simple, they could have produced something cheaper - and I'd argue, better.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Sure, you could. Look at all the zines. 30-odd pages, staple bound.
Look at Fate Accelerated. Look at Mothership.
If they were to strip down the system to its essence, really make it fast and simple, they could have produced something cheaper - and I'd argue, better.

You'll note you're not talking about anything like the scope or quality of the old book amidst this. And note I said "and make any money". If you think the physical products for any of those do that, I'm afraid I have to disabuse you.

(And of course that's if you even think there's much of a market for ultralightweight rules systems in physical form).

 

[Jahydin]

Can I complain about one aspect of a new edition? Not the system itself, mind ya.
The Core Rules for Savage Worlds used to be a $10 digest paperback, easy to buy multiple copies and pass around the table. Now the current SWADE rules are like a bloated $40 hardcover that doesn't scream FAST FURIOUS FUN. It's like it lost touch with its pulp roots.
The system is fine. It just didn't need to be in this format.

I hear you. Those Explorer editions were my favorite gifts to give out to all my players. But even at the time, you have to admit the value was quite the steal. My guess is the primary focus of those was to get people to try out their game and get the word out. Thanks to digital being so popular though, that can just have the full PDF serve that function; it's still $9.99 even.

 

[aramis erak]

Every Pendragon edition after the first seems to stray further and further from the concept of Arthurian knights errant.

In part, beccause 1E wasn't about knights errant either. It was about household knights, a VERY different thing.

 

[aramis erak]

I hear you. Those Explorer editions were my favorite gifts to give out to all my players. But even at the time, you have to admit the value was quite the steal. My guess is the primary focus of those was to get people to try out their game and get the word out. Thanks to digital being so popular though, that can just have the full PDF serve that function; it's still $9.99 even.

They (the EE) were a loss leader. PEG noted that they were selling it as low as they could based upon not losing money, in order to bring the system to as many as possible. It wasn't intended to be sustainable. The new equivalent is the low cost PDF of SWADE for getting rules into hands cheaply.

 

[Retreater]

I hear you. Those Explorer editions were my favorite gifts to give out to all my players. But even at the time, you have to admit the value was quite the steal. My guess is the primary focus of those was to get people to try out their game and get the word out. Thanks to digital being so popular though, that can just have the full PDF serve that function; it's still $9.99 even.

Yeah. But a PDF gift copy means your player is already invested enough to have an account with Pinnacle, bringing their tablet to the game, etc.
For a print copy, it's a 300% increase in cost between editions. That's like the 6e players handbook being $150.

 

[aramis erak]

Yeah. But a PDF gift copy means your player is already invested enough to have an account with Pinnacle, bringing their tablet to the game, etc.
For a print copy, it's a 300% increase in cost between editions. That's like the 6e players handbook being $150.

it's better to think of EE as "Deluxe on discount for 6 years running." They literally chopped their margin per copy to pennies. And set an MSRP that hurt some LGSs.