How would you keep 3.5 in print? (Forked Thread: WotC to Revise D&D 4th Edition GSL)

[dmccoy1693]

Forked from: WotC to Revise D&D 4th Edition GSL and SRD

Am I the only one who wants a stricter OGL? Mainly because what pazio is doing has me ticked off. I mean they are using what WOTC did, doing minimal work of their own and publishing it as their product.

I realize that people want to make money, but Id rather see 3rd party publishers publishing their own truly unique games with their own mechanics then see a ton of dnd rip offs.

He, like me, is pissed off when he purchases a book to find that 75% of it's page count is dedicated to a system we already own or could download from the SRD site. Yes, it's permissible and acceptable, but it's a cheap and lazy way to artificially inflate the cover price by reprinting something verbatim to inflate the page count.

Ok then, how would you keep the rules in print? If you want a system that works with the existing 3.5 system, like many of its customers want, how would you keep the rules in print? That is the stated goal of PFRPG core book. With as popular as 3.5 is and how much some people dislike 4E, the game is going to stick around and support would continue.

If you were incharge of a company that wanted to keep using the 3.5 rules, how would you do it? Would you ask FLGS to buy back used 3.5 books? Would you rely on Ebay? Would you just release a free PDF with chargen rules?

(And before someone says that the above ideas are good, they might be fine for an indy publisher working out of their basement, they're not good for a company with serious aspirations for long term continued 3.5 support.)

 

[Treebore]

Forked from: WotC to Revise D&D 4th Edition GSL and SRD





Ok then, how would you keep the rules in print? If you want a system that works with the existing 3.5 system, like many of its customers want, how would you keep the rules in print? That is the stated goal of PFRPG core book. With as popular as 3.5 is and how much some people dislike 4E, the game is going to stick around and support would continue.

If you were incharge of a company that wanted to keep using the 3.5 rules, how would you do it? Would you ask FLGS to buy back used 3.5 books? Would you rely on Ebay? Would you just release a free PDF with chargen rules?

(And before someone says that the above ideas are good, they're not good for a company with serious aspirations for long term continued 3.5 support.)

Your quoted people are obviously not aware of the whole reason behind PAthfinder, and then complain out of ignorance.

The WHOLE PURPOSE OF PATHFINDER is to keep 3E rules IN PRINT and ON THE SHELVES, not in electronic never never land where no one but maybe active 3E players will know it even exists.

In fact, the only reason they are changing anything, or adding stuff, is an attempt to improve upon 3E itself. However, they get flack for doing that too.

I am not a fan of 3E, and even I have managed to be aware of the purpose of Pathfinder.

Nor is what Paizo doing in any way inhibiting anyone from creating even more D20/OGL/3E goodness.

 

[Crothian]

I'm really curious as who thinks out of pruint will mean can't find it. I still see plenty of 1e, 2e, 3e, and 3.5 PHBs and books at stores. It isn't like the books are rare or expensive.

I would come up with a way to have the rules for free on line. There are many good on line sources for the rules and I would talk to one of them and embrace them., In my books I would tell people they can find the rules there and I would help the site get even better.

For fans that want the books I would have books. I think I would make them inexpensive and perhaps like the pocket guides.

 

[dmccoy1693]

Your quoted people are obviously not aware of the whole reason behind PAthfinder, and then complain out of ignorance.

Yes. I was hoping to have those that complain about the situation to take a moment and think about why the events that have happened are happening that way. I'm hoping logic and reason prevail.

 

[Darrin Drader]

The OGL is all about innovation and evolution. The Pathfinder RPG is all about taking the next step in evolution. It's clearly a new animal, but it can reproduce with the earlier animal.

 

[Imaro]

I'm really curious as who thinks out of pruint will mean can't find it. I still see plenty of 1e, 2e, 3e, and 3.5 PHBs and books at stores. It isn't like the books are rare or expensive.

I would come up with a way to have the rules for free on line. There are many good on line sources for the rules and I would talk to one of them and embrace them., In my books I would tell people they can find the rules there and I would help the site get even better.

For fans that want the books I would have books. I think I would make them inexpensive and perhaps like the pocket guides.

Wow, I haven't seen any 1e, 2e or even 3e (though lots of 3.5) books in a bookstore in... well in a long time. Now ebay yeah, but that totally destroys the chance of an impulse buy, or a chance to look through a book and be sold on it.

As far as the rules being online well then you are consciously limiting your market to only those gamers who use the internet for gaming...and have even less availability for the new player whose looking through books in a store. Not really smart if you want to expand or grow your player base.

Your last idea might be good...except nice color hardbacks sell, plain and simple. They're more attractive, draw more attention, etc. Again if you actually want a fanbase and want it to grow... why skimp on production values. As far as the PFRPG I would note that it is a complete game for $40 (or it might be $50) as opposed to the 3 3.5 books for almost $90... seems like a pretty good deal to me.

 

[Caliber]

I would think setting up a website with a free copy of the rules (perhaps a mirror of d20srd.org?) with the first page of every book saying "check here for rulez!" would work pretty well. The Pocket Guides (as Crothian points out) would be a way for those who need a hardbound copy, but really I expect 3E rulebooks to float about for years and years to come.

Also, the posts that spawned this thread don't specify Pathfinder here, and there were plenty of other games that essentially did the same thing (take the SRD, slightly tweak it, publish it as its own game). I think a lot of those were a bit cheap as well.

My complaint with Pathfinder (as Treebore mentioned) is I don't like the changes being made. But that's neither here nor there.

 

[Caliber]

Your last idea might be good...except nice color hardbacks sell, plain and simple. They're more attractive, draw more attention, etc. Again if you actually want a fanbase and want it to grow... why skimp on production values. As far as the PFRPG I would note that it is a complete game for $40 (or it might be $50) as opposed to the 3 3.5 books for almost $90... seems like a pretty good deal to me.

Not totally true, I think. There is going to be a separate MM for $X dollars. (No idea on the planned pricing, sorry!)

So its like the PHB + DMG for $40~50, versus $60 (no idea what they'd actually cost used ... I actually paid less new because of discounts at the time).

 

[ShadowDenizen]

I'm really curious as who thinks out of pruint will mean can't find it. I still see plenty of 1e, 2e, 3e, and 3.5 PHBs and books at stores. It isn't like the books are rare or expensive.

I don't think it's a matter of rarity; it's a matter of visibility and public perception.

Npot everyone is an avid web-surfer [like most who know about and visit ENWorld]; if John Q. Public, who doesn't visit ENWorld, walks into a LGS and sees 3E and 4E D+D books sitting next to each other on the shelf, which do you think he would would buy? I would bet it would be the current setting, the one that is more likely to get him into a brand new game.

The OGL is all about innovation and evolution. The Pathfinder RPG is all about taking the next step in evolution. It's clearly a new animal, but it can reproduce with the earlier animal.

What Darrin said.

I commend Paizo for taking a ruleset that was, for all intents and purposes, a dying breed and giving it a facelift and a new life, and putting it back on the shelf.

 

[dmccoy1693]

I don't think it's a matter of rarity; it's a matter of visibility and public perception.

Npot everyone is an avid web-surfer [like most who know about and visit ENWorld]; if John Q. Public, who doesn't visit ENWorld, walks into a LGS and sees 3E and 4E D+D books sitting next to each other on the shelf, which do you think he would would buy? I would bet it would be the current setting, the one that is more likely to get him into a brand new game.

Bingo. What person whats to start playing that "old" game no matter how much better it is then the current edition. I never played Traveller. I've thought about ordering the reprints or buying something on ebay but ... I don't want to play a game that old.

I did however pre-order Mongoose's version. And it is a great game.