New WotC Product: The Complete Warrior

[Bendris Noulg]

If it ain't magic, it ain't fantasy. D&D is a fantasy RPG. So, why sad ? Pendragon or Mile Christi seems more appropriate for low-or-no magic play.

And perhaps everyone that prefers something not so magic ridden should play something else, for which the WotC Staff thanks us profusely during the next lay off.

Seriously, though, 3E is, well, not just magic, but magic ridden. While they have produced lower-magic games (WoT, CoC), the hard-coding of 3E's magic level is, well, laughable, particularly to those that never had so much magic in their games. What was previously a choice is now a necessity, unless you take the time to fix it.

Of course, switching to d20Modern, which is far more flexible, is an option now, but is it worth dumping 2 years of work?

The idea of a d20Fantasy have been tossed about here and there, which I might switch to. But I'd have to see it, and it's certainly nothing that WotC people have at all mentioned themselves.

So, it is sad in that WotC themselves seem to turn their backs on alternatives within the D&D line.

Not that it bothers me that much. It usually just means more 3rd Party folks get my money.

 

[Pielorinho]

Seriously, though, 3E is, well, not just magic, but magic ridden. While they have produced lower-magic games (WoT, CoC), the hard-coding of 3E's magic level is, well, laughable, particularly to those that never had so much magic in their games. What was previously a choice is now a necessity, unless you take the time to fix it.

This annoys me too. It's like my problem with Connect Four: I don't like games with checkers in them. I much prefer games with dice and little pieces you move around a board. But frankly, the amount of checkers in Connect Four is laughable. It's extremely difficult to modify Connect Four to remove the checkers and add in the dice, which would be my preference.

Huh?

Granted, D&D is not a generic game; IMO, this is a feature, not a bug.

Daniel

 

[John Crichton]

While I don't think it's too hard to scale-back D&D to a more magic-light system I would like to have some help from WotC in the form of a sourcebook (well, not a WHOLE book )on adjusting things like CR's to work with PC's that don't get magic weapons (or the higher level spells) until later levels. It's not tough and if I had more time in my week I could make it work easier but a little help from WotC would be nice and I do think they will go that route. Even if it is just in parts of different supplements. I'm sure 3.5 will make it bit easier as well, as they are tweaking many of the CR's, DR and classes anyway.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

Granted, D&D is not a generic game; IMO, this is a feature, not a bug.

Daniel

I wish more people would realize this when they say there should be a different magic system, point based or whatever.

 

[GiantInThePlayground]

You should go read the rant archives at Monte Cook's site. Some of them indeed don't play. Heck, from what Monte says, no-one at TSR played for some time.

Many, if not most of the designers definately play regularly. After all most of them are credited as playtesters in various books, many of them have written about the campaigns that they run or play in on various websites and in the pages of Dragon and Dungeon.

The first meeting I was in on my trip to WOTC headquarters was held in a room with a conference table and a wipeboard. When I got there, the wipeboard was covered in drawings of maps from a d20 Modern game that was being run Wednesday nights at the company, with all players from the R&D staff. When I asked about it, every designer in the meeting told me of at least one campaign they were playing in or DMing, and a few named 2 or 3.

Anecdotal, perhaps, but WOTC designers definitely DO play their own roleplaying games.

 

[Ranger REG]

Judging by the number of them that got released, and the number of bought copies I saw floating around my gaming group, the Complete splatbooks were probably some of 2E's best sellers.

So yeah, I think WotC know what they're doing.

I doubt it, although I did forced myself to collect them. Hey, I was young. When you hit the 30-year-old threshold, you then begin to realize that was STOOPID.

Kids, don't do what I did. Trust me, you're better off moneywise.

Remember, while the character kit concept sounds good, the Complete Handbooks project were going out in different directions. No one in TSR tries to make sure they stick to certain guideline (if there were any), and thus some kits are useful while others are plain uber or worthless to begin with. Plus, TSR didn't bother to errata them.

 

[barsoomcore]

Judging by the number of them that got released, and the number of bought copies I saw floating around my gaming group, the Complete splatbooks were probably some of 2E's best sellers.

I can't say for sure since of course I haven't seen the account books, but Ryan Dancey DID see the account books and his statements were very clear: TSR lost money on almost every product except the Player's Handbook.

Note that we have TSR releasing many many splatbooks, followed by TSR driving itself into truly staggering amounts of debt and having to sell itself off for the only thing it had left of any value: the Dungeons and Dragons trademark.

They may indeed have been great sellers, but clearly publishing and distributing them was not profitable enough for TSR to avoid collapse. It's entirely possible to sell lots of something and still lose money, and evidently that's exactly what TSR did.

One of the most important lessons of TSR's demise for game publishers is: concentrate on return, forget about breadth of offering. It's possible WotC has forgotten this, I don't deny that. But it's a big leap to assert that from the title of an unreleased book.

Melodramatic hand-wringing aside, it's a curious book title. I find it difficult to imagine a guidebook for the Warrior class, or at least imagining anyone thinking it would be profitable. Do we know for certain the report is accurate? If the focus of the book is mass-combat, well, I think the title is ill-chosen. I also think we'd have heard more about it before now.

Weird. Time will tell, I'm sure.

 

[Shard O'Glase]

I'd like to see some feats and prestige classes that leap into the supernatural. A sort of earthdawn like book for fighter types.

 

[Vocenoctum]

I'd like to see some feats and prestige classes that leap into the supernatural. A sort of earthdawn like book for fighter types.

Psychic Warriors fit well. A lot of variety.

 

[drnuncheon]

Do we know for certain the report is accurate? If the focus of the book is mass-combat, well, I think the title is ill-chosen.

There is no "report", aside from the title. The idea that it is a book dedicated to the Warrior NPC class is rank (and ludicrous, frankly) speculation.

J