D&D 4E Monte Cook on licensing (and 4E in general?)


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Dannyalcatraz said:
It was said that heavier than air flight was impossible. This was also untrue.
"They laughed at Galileo. They laughed at Copernicus. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown" -- Carl Sagan, possibly paraphrased
 



No, I'm serious- they're discussing upgrading to 3.5. Their expressed interest in 4Ed is near nil.

I'm the only one who has pre-ordered anything. I'm the only one who has even had positive things to say about the revision.

Besides, there are lots of games that are "faster, simpler and easier to learn and play" than 3.X. I'm the only one who owns any. There is no interest in learning those games either. Realize also that the "ease" to which you refer is both subjective and ignores that there is a learning curve to any game that they've already passed in 3.X.

To illustrate: in the 1990s, I got a JD degree and passed the bar to become a lawyer. In 2003-5, I went back to school to get an MBA. Despite this, I don't plan on getting any more degrees, no matter how much it would improve my life & earning power. I'm tired of going to school. My remaining education will probably be informal, continuing ed/life experience stuff- I'm happy with what I have.

Fact of the matter: 4Ed isn't everyone's cup of tea. It isn't viewed as an "upgrade" by many people. It isn't viewed as "neccessary" by many people. Some are genuinely put off by it.
 

Dannyalcatraz said:
Besides, there are lots of games that are "faster, simpler and easier to learn and play" than 3.X.
But those are not Dungens & Dragons.
Show them a better, faster, easier and funnier version of the game they love. It's a no-brainer. And it's a NEW game too.
 

Are we at the stage where we predict whether 4E will die in flames or cure cancer? Ah, cool, I like this part.

My omen: I saw FOUR pigeons fly over my car this morning as I was smoking a cigarette and getting ready for work. Only ONE pooped on it, as far as I can tell. I think that the four pigeons must represent 4th edition and the one poop bomb must represent the big mistake I see WotC as having made so far.

I just can't figure out what the Hell my car represents. If I can figure that out, I'll know more. I mean, did 4E take a crap on me, the consumer? Or is my car the COMPETITION? Did it take a crap on the competition? Or maybe my car represents MMORPGs and we're looking at some online players returning to the fold. I'm just not sure at this point.

If someone knows, though, please let me know because I really, really want to know who 4E pooped on so I can decide if I should be offended.
 

Dannyalcatraz said:
Fact of the matter: 4Ed isn't everyone's cup of tea. It isn't viewed as an "upgrade" by many people. It isn't viewed as "neccessary" by many people. Some are genuinely put off by it.
I agree. But that was not the point we were discussing. We were discussing the impact of the GSL on 4E's success.

My point was that the majority of D&D players out there don't know or don't care about this discussion, all they care is if the new edition is going to be better or worse than previous edition. That's what will determine the new edition's success or failure IMO. Plain and simple.

Take a look at this poll http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=222814
This poll shows us that 61% of EnWorld's members and visitors will buy 4E even if it's closed. Being OGL or not have no impact on their decision. And these are the gamers we expect to be into all this OGL discussion and other peculiar matters about the RPG market. What about the gamers out there that don't even know what EnWorld is? (and I know plenty of them.)
 

ainatan said:
Take a look at this poll http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=222814 This poll shows us that 61% of EnWorld's members and visitors will buy 4E even if it's closed. Being OGL or not have no impact on their decision. And these are the gamers we expect to be into all this OGL discussion and other peculiar matters about the RPG market. What about the gamers out there that don't even know what EnWorld is? (and I know plenty of them.)

While one cannot derive much useful information from a poll, one has to ask the question: What percentage of gamers converting is enough for WotC and in particular Hasbro. If the current player base in a couple of million, and only 61% convert, is that enough? What percentage of old gamers and new gamers will be enough for WotC. If the GSL or absense of it affects 10% of the market, that could be a major issue if WotC's profit margin will be significantly affected by it.

Pinotage
 


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