D&D 4E Is the OGL the reason for WOTC's secrecy about 4E?

[zoroaster100]

I was puzzling about why Wizards seems to be shooting themselves in the foot by being so secretive about the 4th Edition rules until the 11th hour before release instead of previewing many of the best aspects in order to promote and market the game. It crossed my mind that maybe it is fear that this time around, unlike when 3rd edition was released, they are concerned that the OGL would allow third party publishers to basically copy many of their ideas and release a competing system based on 3E but with most of the 4E innovations incorported. Could this be the reason we still don't know what many of the main innovations are, such as rituals, the warlord class, etc.?

 

[thalmin]

Maybe it's a typical marketing thing. You release just enough info for people to get excited and talking about your product, but they need to wait until release to get the whole thing. The idea is for people to buy the game, not just play it.
Most movies don't have teasers that give away the climax of the movie. Gotta leave something for the audience to come in for.

 

[Connorsrpg]

Don't know what the main inovations are??? Are you serious? We know A LOT about 4E. People are actually playing it. We don't know everything, but I don;t see this as being way more secretive than in 3e's release...I just think more people are on forums like this and maybe there are more impatient people itching to either get the game or have a go at someone for not having it NOW.

Not stating the OP is doing this at all. I just think a lot of the discussion on what the big bad company hasn't shown us yet is crazy.

 

[Vascant]

They have to know now, books are at the printer. Though I imagine they were probably working on rules and names up until the very last second, this edition seems very rushed and last minute. If you look back at the information provided before the release of 3e it is close to what is being released now, oddly enough in both amount and same exact statements base on problems of the old edition vs changes in the new edition.

I personally do think it has more to do with marketing and less to do with OGL. Keep in mind they make a crazy amount of their profits on the sale of core rule books, so any extra effort to ensure good sales of these books is going to be taken.

 

[Kzach]

Yeah, having six pregen characters, fan-built adventure modules, a fan-built monster manual and a fan-built PHB is hardly anything at all two months before release.

Nothing to see here folks, moving right along.

 

[Hussar]

I was puzzling about why Wizards seems to be shooting themselves in the foot by being so secretive about the 4th Edition rules until the 11th hour before release instead of previewing many of the best aspects in order to promote and market the game. It crossed my mind that maybe it is fear that this time around, unlike when 3rd edition was released, they are concerned that the OGL would allow third party publishers to basically copy many of their ideas and release a competing system based on 3E but with most of the 4E innovations incorported. Could this be the reason we still don't know what many of the main innovations are, such as rituals, the warlord class, etc.?

How are they shooting themselves in the foot?

You have massive buzz in every RPG forum all over the internet. That's pretty decent marketing right there. If they were handling it as badly as people are making it out, we wouldn't be having this conversation.

But, to be fair, what would you do differently?

 

[Doug McCrae]

This idea's a bit wacky, a bit 'out there', maybe even a little crazy nuts but...


Maybe they want people to buy the books instead of getting the rules online for free.

 

[Nightchilde-2]

This idea's a bit wacky, a bit 'out there', maybe even a little crazy nuts but...


Maybe they want people to buy the books instead of getting the rules online for free.

INCONCEIVABLE!

 

[HeinorNY]

Maybe they want people to buy the books instead of getting the rules online for free.

I don't want to get the rules for free online, I just want to know more about the game I'm buying. For example, multiclassing, will it hurt their sales so much if they just tell how it works? What about rituals?

I can't imagine other companies using the same marketing...
"Here is the new Ferrrari, it's a lot faster and a lot safer and a lot funnier to drive, but we won't ge into any specifications of course, we don't want to spoil your surprise. Just buy it and enjoy it!!!"

 

[Hussar]

I don't want to get the rules for free online, I just want to know more about the game I'm buying. For example, multiclassing, will it hurt their sales so much if they just tell how it works? What about rituals?

I can't imagine other companies using the same marketing...
"Here is the new Ferrrari, it's a lot faster and a lot safer and a lot funnier to drive, but we won't ge into any specifications of course, we don't want to spoil your surprise. Just buy it and enjoy it!!!"

OTOH, you could read the specs for that car until the cows come home, but, you're not going to decide to buy it without a test drive.

In the same way, you're not going to buy 4e until you have the books in your hands and can see for yourself.

The point of marketing is to get product awareness out there. It is not particularly to make you decide to buy something.