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<blockquote data-quote="WheresMyD20" data-source="post: 4073727" data-attributes="member: 60772">How would I design 4th edition?&nbsp; If I was hired by WotC I'd focus on profitiblity:1.&nbsp; Ensure that 4th edition is not backwards compatible.&nbsp; Players should need to buy a new version of each supplement/splat, not reuse what they already have.2.&nbsp; Make the game as grid-and-miniatures dependent as possible.&nbsp; The profit margins on miniatures and dungeon tiles are pretty high, so you want to entrench in the mind of the consumer that they are integral to the game.3.&nbsp; Sell the core game in three volumes (PHB, DMG, MM) instead of one, then publish updates annually.&nbsp; Make sure that the consumer realizes that they need to buy all the updates to &quot;stay current&quot;.&nbsp; The sales success of v3.5 shows that they will do this.4.&nbsp; Focus on the profits possible via character customization.&nbsp; Character engineering is just as important, if not more important, than adventuring.&nbsp; This provides an opportunity to sell a lot of splatbooks that feature feats and powers - especially if these feats and powers are more powerful than the ones in the core books.5.&nbsp; Attempt to get players to pay a monthly fee.&nbsp; Electronic subscription models are highly profitable since they cut out the middle man (the book/game store) and once customers get used to paying them, they tend to stop noticing how much they're spending.&nbsp; Tie previously free things, such as errata and electronic copies of the rules, to the subscription.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="WheresMyD20, post: 4073727, member: 60772"] How would I design 4th edition? If I was hired by WotC I'd focus on profitiblity: 1. Ensure that 4th edition is not backwards compatible. Players should need to buy a new version of each supplement/splat, not reuse what they already have. 2. Make the game as grid-and-miniatures dependent as possible. The profit margins on miniatures and dungeon tiles are pretty high, so you want to entrench in the mind of the consumer that they are integral to the game. 3. Sell the core game in three volumes (PHB, DMG, MM) instead of one, then publish updates annually. Make sure that the consumer realizes that they need to buy all the updates to "stay current". The sales success of v3.5 shows that they will do this. 4. Focus on the profits possible via character customization. Character engineering is just as important, if not more important, than adventuring. This provides an opportunity to sell a lot of splatbooks that feature feats and powers - especially if these feats and powers are more powerful than the ones in the core books. 5. Attempt to get players to pay a monthly fee. Electronic subscription models are highly profitable since they cut out the middle man (the book/game store) and once customers get used to paying them, they tend to stop noticing how much they're spending. Tie previously free things, such as errata and electronic copies of the rules, to the subscription. [/QUOTE]

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