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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Orcus" data-source="post: 4133798" data-attributes="member: 1254">Yeah, but you are forgetting about the peel away effect. Gamers are fickle. Unless you provide them something they are interested in, they will peel away from the core game over time and will go to other games. There is no way any one company can keep all the D&D gamers continually interested in D&D forever. That is where third parties come in. We offer an endless variety of game options, but with a HUGE IMPORTANT KICK--it is all still D&D! That keeps people invested in the core game longer. That way they still identify themselves as D&D players when time for a new big D&D product comes out or a change to a 5th edition in 8 years. If they have already peeled off to other games, you've likely lost them. One of the huge benefits of the OGL to Wizards for 3E was that it kept people playing D&D as opposed to otehr games to a greater degree. There was some peel off, but it was less. And remember, though there is noise about edition resistance here, it is mostly between CURRENT D&D PLAYERS talking about if they are going to 4E or not. If those players had already been lost, they arent really even in the discussion. Since Wizards wisely believes their first step is to transition current players, they need to reach out to that player base. And the bottom line is that Wizards doesnt speak to that whole player base. But we third party publishers speak to those that Wizards doesnt. Net evidence is rarely true proof. But it is certainly evident from boards and from emails I get that people look to us to help them decide what to do. They trust us third party publishers. They trust Necro. They know what we can do. They know we will bring them content they will want to use in their game that feels like D&D to them. And no, more than ever with 4E, current gamers who like a particular feel and vision of D&D are worried that the new edition wont have that. So Wizards actually needs the third party pubs both to help bridge current players now and to keep those players with 4E longer and avoid peel off by providing those many alternate ways to play that is still D&D.If they dont, then there is fractionalization of the player base. And that hurts when it comes time to put out a product that they want to be successful--say, a 4E MMO or a new edition. This issue isnt just about third party publishers. It is about making a move to find a way to keep people playing D&D longer and thus ensuring the lifelong value of the D&D brand.Any business manager should see that plain as the nose on their face. Clark</blockquote>

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