Gleemax is a well named site - IMHO here's why...

[Virel]

Well at least WotC named their 4e sight right with "Gleemax", because they've put the "Max Glee" in my online experience for the last week watching 3e crash & burn. This board has been so interesting, I've found myself over here a lot in the last week.

In fairness, I do feel for the players and little game stores that are getting blindsided. Example, a new little game shop just opened in my area. The shop is stocked with thousands of dollars of 3.5e materails. This was a very major investment for this little shop, that opened only months ago. The poor owner, has just started finding it next to impossible to sell the 3.5 stuff this weekend because the new edition is coming and everyone knows.

WotC has just surpressed his sales in this segement of the hobby until May. He was such a faithful proponet of WotC's 3.5, bashing away at every chance the old-fools-in-the-old-school crowd. I'm sure he'll get over it...or go out of business.

Remember, if your having fun with your current game enjoy and don't worry about WotC and the new edition. We in the current OOP versions of D&D, learned along time ago that WotC is irrelevant to the enjoyment of the game.

 

[talien]

Well at least WotC named their 4e sight right with "Gleemax", because they've put the "Max Glee" in my online experience for the last week watching 3e crash & burn. This board has been so interesting, I've found myself over here a lot in the last week.

In fairness, I do feel for the players and little game stores that are getting blindsided.

It's nice of you to follow up with "in fairness," since the implication is that you weren't being fair with your first statement. Nothing quite like lobbing bombs on the poor saps below you when you ride the ole high horse, eh?

Remember, if your having fun with your current game enjoy and don't worry about WotC and the new edition. We in the current OOP versions of D&D, learned along time ago that WotC is irrelevant to the enjoyment of the game.

Well "we" at least agree on that.

 

[jasin]

You must lead a very fulfilling life if watching the "crash & burn" of a game you're not playing provides you with "max glee".

 

[s.j. bagley]

clearly, if you think nine months notice is 'being blindsided,' you and i have vastly different definitions of the term.

 

[Virel]

It's actually, all ment in good fun.

I've been thru this before several times actually. Didn't have the internet back in 1989 when 2e showed up so it wasn't as easy to talk with folks etc. Of course, when 3e appeared in 2000, lived thru it again.

While I am poking a little fun at my 3e D&D counter parts and the irony of GleeMax, it also pokes a little fun back at me, an admitted old-skooler as being you know the normal vindictive, stick in the mud, grognard for never getting with any of the new edition programs, some of us AD&Der's are know for.

With that said, I really do feel for the players and game shops that have suck a good bit of money into 3e.

In part, this is why I think the older versions have a lot still going for them. While cost isn't an issue for me in gaming, being able to get a minty PHB, MM, DMG for decent game for less than the cost of a new PHB is pretty good.

There is also this little gem to think about, 2000 3e, 2003 3.5, 2008 4th, if you stay with the game, things will change again in a few years. Everything that is old will be new and visa versa.

Stability can be good for game groups, if they survive for years. My AD&D game has been going for over 20 years.

I'll also admit, I've taken a lot of grief from my 3e friends for a long time, so I'm poking a little back, in what I hope is seen as a good natured way.

Cheers.

 

[Virel]

clearly, if you think nine months notice is 'being blindsided,' you and i have vastly different definitions of the term.

I understand what you mean but some of the little hobby shops seem to feel that way.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

But what time would have been good to tell that the new edition is coming?
If they tell it to early, they'd sell less of the products they produce in the mean while (which also finance the development of the new edition). Which wouldn't help the stores, either (unless this would automatically mean gamers would just invest in a different game. I think many would not.) And remember: there will still be some products coming out the next few months that are for D&D 3.x. This means WotC still expects that there will be noteworthy sales...

I assume that some clever marketing strategist type guys thingies figured out that an announcement 8 month before the release would be the best business decision. (I just hope that it was the designers that said that they would be ready in 8 months )