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<blockquote data-quote="Ahnehnois" data-source="post: 7651870" data-attributes="member: 17106"><p>I've been struck by the number of free rpg products that do seem to waste my time. A good rpg product - free or not, contains new and useful ideas. It used to be that WotC would put out a lot of excellent free content; often web enhancements or small-niche columns like Far Corners of the World or Mind's Eye. Stuff that maybe they wrote while working on other things, and were putting out because it didn't fit in a (not free) book or because they were piloting it for future use. An extra reward for paying customers who check out their site.</p><p></p><p>They got away from that and started doing more advice and analysis, some of which was good and some of which wasn't, but none of which has the value that actual rules content does.</p><p></p><p>Nowadays, what I see is a lot of useless stat blocks and maps. Not rules, but stuff someone made with the rules. Gee, thanks. I'll go put that in my campaign, if I don't, you know, have any ideas of my own and if the statblocks are made to fit my style, and my houserules and conventions. Not worth my time. Or we get quickstart guides and the like, which are occasionally decent advertisements, but have no real value as a reward for someone who does own the full game. It's kind of sad when "Free RPG Day" rolls around, and there's nothing even worth the gas I'd spend getting to it.</p><p></p><p>The good part, though, the ones I see value in are either things like above that add value to games you already bought, or games that are completely free and open from the start, not useless chaff or free things designed to make me a paying customer. The internet allows us to share some great ideas without money changing hands.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Ahnehnois, post: 7651870, member: 17106"] I've been struck by the number of free rpg products that do seem to waste my time. A good rpg product - free or not, contains new and useful ideas. It used to be that WotC would put out a lot of excellent free content; often web enhancements or small-niche columns like Far Corners of the World or Mind's Eye. Stuff that maybe they wrote while working on other things, and were putting out because it didn't fit in a (not free) book or because they were piloting it for future use. An extra reward for paying customers who check out their site. They got away from that and started doing more advice and analysis, some of which was good and some of which wasn't, but none of which has the value that actual rules content does. Nowadays, what I see is a lot of useless stat blocks and maps. Not rules, but stuff someone made with the rules. Gee, thanks. I'll go put that in my campaign, if I don't, you know, have any ideas of my own and if the statblocks are made to fit my style, and my houserules and conventions. Not worth my time. Or we get quickstart guides and the like, which are occasionally decent advertisements, but have no real value as a reward for someone who does own the full game. It's kind of sad when "Free RPG Day" rolls around, and there's nothing even worth the gas I'd spend getting to it. The good part, though, the ones I see value in are either things like above that add value to games you already bought, or games that are completely free and open from the start, not useless chaff or free things designed to make me a paying customer. The internet allows us to share some great ideas without money changing hands. [/QUOTE]
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