New Content or Better Content?

[caudor]

Do these have to be hardcopy or is electronic (DDI) a fine format for you?

Either or both.

 

[delericho]

The content I want to see if more adventures. My fondest memories of D&D are specific adventures. They are the heart of D&D...where the rubber meets the road.

This, with the caveat that they have to be good adventures. If we're just getting more of the same, then don't bother.

More epic (and even paragon) support is sorely needed.

Also, they would probably do well to provide more "how to" guidance for DMs for things that aren't hard and crunchy - how to bring NPCs to life, how to create plots (and when not to use them), campaign arcs, building a theme and storytelling in general, building atmosphere, and so on.

The existing materials seem to do a decent job of getting DMs started, and helping them run an 'okay' game. Time to provide more help getting them from 'okay' to 'good'. (And part of that probably means loosening off on the mechanics... constantly providing more of everything mechanical probably poisons this effort. People only have so much 'headspace' to devote to the game!)

 

[delericho]

Do these have to be hardcopy or is electronic (DDI) a fine format for you?

For adventures, electronic-only is fine*. However, if they go this route, then they should really make use of the advantages of the electronic format - easily printed and scaled maps for all encounters, electonic links between encounters rather than just "a book in PDF", and easy importing to the VTT.

* That said, I have been considering lately that one of WotC's mistakes is in trying to make every book "evergreen", and that they should look to doing more "seasonal products". Adventures would be a prime candidate for these, since people always need more. However, if the DDI archives every adventure ever, then they will saturate the same as everything else. So, they may well want to consider making adventures available for a limited time only... (And, of course, the same goes for Dungeon.)

For game rules, setting materials, and the like... if the game goes electronic-only, I'm done. It could be the best thing ever, but I'll never know because I won't even check it out.

 

[Quickleaf]

I could see myself buying a 4e "Kingmaker" box set. In it, a small booklet for PCs on kingdom management, a similar resource for DMs, and then an adventure booklet or two to give a solid starting example. Throw in some extras, maybe a deck of cards with kingdom events or something, and you've got a campaign in a box.

This is exactly the type of support I'd like to see. Boxed sets and books in paper print that make innovative use of the strengths of that medium (eg. props... maps, cards, minis/tokens, handouts, decoder wheels, fortunetelling aides, etc). Basically, I would like to see WotC expand what the 4e rules can do and focus on products aimed at DMs.

While I would enjoy a software based DM campaign management tool that I could store on my hard drive without paying a subscription fee, that is wishful thinking because (a) WotC is committed to the sub route now, and (b) their in-house "Adventure Tools" are poor (or have been since my DDi expired October).

 

[D'karr]

While I would enjoy a software based DM campaign management tool that I could store on my hard drive without paying a subscription fee, that is wishful thinking because (a) WotC is committed to the sub route now, and (b) their in-house "Adventure Tools" are poor (or have been since my DDi expired October).

Is this something that, in your opinion, only WotC could provide or would you be willing to use some third party tools like Masterplan to accomplish this?

 

[Zaran]

Okay, so you'd like to see more electronic tools. Any particular content besides that, you'd like to see?

Adventures. Setting Books. Monster Manuals. How-to-build books (world builders, stronghold builders, city builders, etc) . DnD on the open sea. DnD in an Oriental Setting.

Basically everything that they used to put out but stopped because they felt that selling to GM was only selling to 1/6th of the gaming group. I believe this is a fallacy though because more than one player in my group is a GM and if the GM has the tools they will get players and players will go and buy books even if it's not the GM ones.

I recognize that they are doing a bit better with putting out GM material but I bought Shadowfell and it just felt "small". A plane book should not focus so much on one city. Or on Encounters. Everything I have seen come out for 4e has been so "condensed" . It gives me the feeling that they are putting this stuff out more because they feel they must instead of because it's a passion for the game.

If you want to know what I'm talking about when I say passion, take a look at the Ravenloft module. Or one of the 2e Darksun adventure box sets.

 

[Quickleaf]

Is this something that, in your opinion, only WotC could provide or would you be willing to use some third party tools like Masterplan to accomplish this?

Ive tried Masterplan and while it's certainly cool, I found it cumbersome and visually tiring (lots of small unformatted text) to prep adventures in. I work faster and prettier using a word template with the document map on, the old monster builder to export monsters as RTFs, and a PDF adventure design cheat sheet I made.

I'd be very interested in a campaign manager tool regardless of the software developer. WotC is at the bottom of the list for which companies I expect would accomish this first (and do it well), but I'd want the software to read monster files, something which probably would require permission from WotC.

 

[ourchair]

I always thought the story ended with the old man and the little boy carrying the donkey on their backs. Then they break their backs and die.

That's the Athasian version of the story.

 

[Matt James]

This made me think of a funny way of rewrapping the original poster's message. I live and work in the DC area and see politicians do it all the time. I have true vision against it. All you have to do is frame it. In newspaper copy many editorial pieces will spend several paragraphs bashing whatever it is they don't agree with and use one small, insignificant, piece of information to base their entire argument on. They will break it down in some seemingly coherent manner and show exactly how it is a detriment. At the end, they ask a loaded rhetorical question, and wait as the replies come in.

I'm not trying to pick on the OP. I just thought it was kinda funny to see. Though, by pointing it out, rest assured I will get the finger of doom. Just like in politics, you can be made to be the jerk for shining a flashlight on the topic

 

[Imaro]

In all honesty I just wish WotC would take some time to make essentials more complete. With the decision to release the magic item book, I'm interested in essentials again... But I see we still don't have winter or autumn sentinel Druids, we still don't have warpriests for most/ a majority of the gods in the Nentir Vale, the Slayers weapon selection hasn't been expanded beyond the staff article, and we only have partial multiclassing for some classes. I don't care if they do it in print or online but the pace at which they are filling in essentials gaps is glacial. So I guess I would fall on the side of "new stuff with a caveat" though some of this stuff is more akin to errata.