I ain't buying a thing from WotC...

[Sephiroth]

I'll buy:
Fiend Folio (you can never have too many monsters)
Dragonlance (because Dragonlance got me in to D&D in the first place)
The revised books

I'll might buy:
Ghostwalk (Monte wrote it, but playing ghosts doesn't sound THAT exciting...)

 

[Monte At Home]

To give credit where credit is due, Sean Reynolds was the lead designer on Ghostwalk and wrote most of it. I only wrote small parts.

 

[kreynolds]

So, what is Ghostwalk anyway? This is the first time I've heard of it.

 

[roytheodd]

Thanks. I wrote that book. -.-;

Ah, can't please everyone.

I mean no offense. Star Wars role-playing isn't my bag, so when I say it doesn't count I mean that I'm not let down by its place on the production schedule. I'm let down by D&D books that will do me no good.

Hopefully they're still drawing on quality freelancers, as well as the creative staff they still have on board.

I mean, we have planned 14 D&D/Kalamar products, 20 HackMaster products (not including about 60 miniatures), at least 4 comic lines including a new D&D comic miniseries, plus some secret project stuff I can't mention yet.

And that's with a total staff of 14...



=====
Mark Plemmons
Kenzer and Company
Art Coordinator
www.kenzerco.com
=====

And that's why your firm gets a lot of my money and will very likely continue to do so. There was a time when I would buy the WotC books before having seen them, but no longer. Kenzer products have that ability however. I really enjoy Kalamar and I've got all of the announced titles pre-ordered or on my shelf already. But you're in a different category because you're known for making books for a specific setting - WotC makes many titles of a somewhat generic variety for easily dragging elements into any setting. It's disappointing, if there's truth to the rumor, that they co-opted your Arms & Equipment Guide to make their own (just one more reason I don't want to buy theirs).

WotC has the ability to still make good stuff, but they've got such a focused range of titles from now until August that I simply have no interest.

 

[ced1106]

What did I expect after they fired their creative staff?

Hmmm.... Profits???

Network theory be darned the whole point of the OGL license was for third-party developers to put out the low-profit products, while Hasbro put out the high-profit products. It's a win all around. You gain the best d20 products out there (and, from this old timer's perspective, the best d20 products blow away the best AD&D ones!), d20 companies have an audience for their projects, and Hasbro decides WotC stays around another year.

We're no longer WotC's audience. We support d20 so indirectly increase WotC product sales, but the core books are meant for the new player, and always will be.


Cedric.
aka. Washu! ^O^

 

[Capellan]

I'll definitely buy the revised core books.

As for the others, Savage Species and Arms & Equipment are likely purchases, unless feedback from others is overwhelmingly negative. Since I end up buying most product sight-unseen (except for things I pick up at conventions), the reviews and message boards at ENworld are an invaluable resource

Races of Faerun is a possible purchase, provided that it has wider application than just the FR setting, and that the game balance of the crunchy bits is reasonable.

Fiend Folio ... probably. One can never have too many monster books (as long as they are done reasonably well). This is particularly true when you have long time players at your table, who tend to know the stats of the core monsters backwards. As for the fiend-focus of it ... it doesn't bother me. There are lots of ways I can use that. Maybe a campaign with hordes of demonic enemies. Or one where each 'type' of fiend is actually a specific individual, instead. ie there is one Marilith, one Balor, etc.

 

[Dragonblade]

I'm buying everything that WotC is putting out next year, even the Star Wars stuff.

And I will buy Cry Havoc by Skip Williams and Conan d20 and Lone Wolf d20 from Mongoose. And I will buy anything Spycraft that comes out.

Thats all.

 

[jdavis]

I can't plan that far ahead with what I will buy, it depends on what looks good when I see it and what kind of mood I'm in, oh and if I have the extra money or not.

As far as the revised core books, I don't want to make any decisions on them until I actaully know exactly what is in them, which probably means I'll decide to buy them or not while I am in the bookstore thumbing through them.

 

[shadowlight]

To give credit where credit is due, Sean Reynolds was the lead designer on Ghostwalk and wrote most of it. I only wrote small parts.

Still, it's the "Monte" on the cover that's making me buy this one! (Because I've enjoyed the Malhavoc stuff so much)

 

[Morrus]

Savage Speicies and Arms & Equipment are on my "must have" list. The revised books - well, I'm sure I'll end up getting them, but I'm not particularly excited about them (and neigther am I offended by them, as some seem to be...). Fiend Folio is a maybe.

Not sure about Ghostwalk. I trust the authors to do great work, but the subject matter doesn't really inspire me. We'll see.