How many people are buying less books for 4E than previous editions?

[jdrakeh]

Me, but it has more to do with a lack of personal finances than anything else. In previous years, I grew my RPG collection significantly. Earlier this year I had to sell over 90% of it to makes ends meet.

 

[Dykstrav]

I jsut do not want to spend the money on the books right now. Or on this system.

I bought all the complete books for 3.5 plus other things, and I felt like there was always something I really wanted to have, that would add to my enjoyment of the gmae.

4E does not feel like that. I feel new books complicate the game, but do not really add to it.

Honestly, it is an odd feeling for me towards WOTC

This is pretty much my attitude towards 4E at the moment.

My passion for the game has been waning over the past two years or so. Most of the products either don't seem usable in their presented format or seem like generic clones of D&D rather than the genuine article. There's a lot that I don't like about the game, and it's slowly outweighing what I do like about it.

I do still buy 4E products, but nowhere nearly as often, and I scrutinize those purchases more thoroughly than I once did. There was a point where I considered D&D products a good buy by default, but that opinion has slowly changed.

 

[scourger]

Yes. I have bought no 4e books. I have purchased a few other RPG books, but those are less satisfying, too.

 

[Nifft]

I bought most of them, until I realized the DM books really were DM-only (e.g. Open Grave had nothing for me as a player).

Now I'm looking forward to Primal Power and PHB3, but otherwise... well, otherwise I'm buying tons of Exalted 2e books.

So my total buying hasn't really gone down much.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Lancelot]

So far, I've been buying about the same number of books as 3e.

I bought most of the initial 3e books (say, 75% of the first 20-30 WotC releases), then dropped to about 50% for the middle of 3e, then cherry-picked about 25% of the last third of the releases (e.g. the Fiendish Compendiums, Magic Item Compendium, etc).

The same is true so far for 4e. I can see myself avoiding Martial Power 2 and similar. I suspect I'll buy PH3, given what I've heard of it so far. DMG3 will be a harder sell - it will need to include some really good crunch, some advice for Epic campaigns, plus a compelling setting (e.g. City of Brass). Anything less and I'll survive without it.

AV3 is similarly on the margin: AV1 was awesome, but primarily for the new weapon types, alchemical items, etc. AV2 was hurt by being "only" magic items, and I wouldn't buy another simialar book. I'd like to see more weapon types, more masterwork armors, more involved rules on item creation, more rituals, more alchemy, more mounts and vehicles, and support for building strongholds and siege equipment.

MM3 is a must-buy, as is anything on the Planes, new "specific" monster books (Open Grave, Draconomicon, etc), and any items that are steeped in nostalgia. I don't buy 4e modules, but I'd probably purchase a "Return to... [classic module]" adventure. The latest Giants module doesn't count: it may be a homage, but it's just not the same.

 

[EP]

I've bought much less than the early 3.0 days for the sole reason that I just don't feel like spending $40 on every hardcover book that hits the market. And since every RPG book nowadays is hardcover, it seems a bit much to spend for something which will only give me a couple of feats or a single paragon path for my character. Whenever I do buy, it's something with a DM focus (Manual of the Planes, DMG2) or a major expansion (PHB2). Otherwise, I know someone else in my group will have Primal Power for me to borrow during the game.

 

[Garthanos]

I've bought more and spent more on D&D products in the latest version than all other versions combined, given more out as presents and subscribed to DDi when I never did to the dead tree version of the Dragon.

 

[The Ghost]

Less. So far for 4e I have only purchased the PHB, DMG, MM, and one year of DDI. Compared to 3.5e where I own about 80% of the WotC released books as well as a couple third-party books. I think I have reached the point where I am more interested in books on flavor* than I am in crunch. I have more than enough crunch in the books I already own to last me through the life of 4e.

* My flavor dollars are going to Paizo for their Golarion setting, which I find far more appealing than what WotC has done with Forgotten Realms and Eberron. This may change when/if they release Greyhawk for 4e.

 

[darjr]

Other than the three first books I have not purchased a lot for 3.5. I've probably got as much 3rd party stuff as WotC stuff for 3.5.

For 4e I thought that with the DDI I'd have even fewer books. It hasn't been the case. Newer books have an increasingly larger hurdle though. The DDI is really fantastic.

I currently have quite a few more WotC D&D books for 4e than I ever did for 4e. What surprised me is I'm on the same purchasing curve for 4e third party stuff as I was for 3.5 third party books.

 

[Hussar]

I'm buying about as much now as I bought throughout most of 3.5 onwards, which translates to very, very little. I buy maybe one, two books a year. As I've gotten older, my purchasing has gone way down. I'm tired of having books gather dust on my shelves. If I don't see an immediete need for it, I don't buy it anymore.

Guess I'm not really the target audience anymore and haven't been for some years.