Actually, that is why I posted to this thread. It wasn't to criticise Bastion's product or the art, but more to respond to what I perceived to be Bastion disregarding the opinions of their customers.
Also, because I thought Oathbound had a lot of potential, even though I haven't really used it, got me thinking WHY haven't I used it, or bought more? And I thought this information might be useful to Bastion for future marketing or product development.
To be fair, there are a vast number of reasons which factor into why I purchase or pass over a product. The relentless release of new products by a vast number of d20 companies at the time (this seems to have slowed somewhat since) makes competing for the gamer dollar very competitive indeed. I guess it came down to justifying every purchase I made, and weighing them up against the alternatives.
There are a variety of things that make me pick up a gaming book .. not in any particular order 1) good reviews; 2) reputation of the company; 3) already have other products in the same line; 4) cover art jumps out at you!
A couple of weeks ago, the guy behind the counter of my FLGS complained I had completely passed over a new product without even a second glance. It was a soft-bound book, the cover art was very non-descript, and even the title was not very prominent. I had to admit, I thought it was a supplement to some game I hadn't heard of.
So, after his complaint, I thought I'd pick it up and have a look. It was actually a brand new campaign setting. The more I read, the more interesting it looked. If I recall, it was kind of steam-punky post-apocalypse earth with demonic invasion and earth had gone all neo-religious right in response. It was a great setting and I'm glad I was convinced to pick it up. I bought it on the spot. But for the life of me, I still can't remember what the game was called?
Though important, cover art, or indeed, interior art, alone aren't enough to sell a book. The rules / editing must be solid, and conform to d20 standards. This is one reason I shy away from OGL products in favour of d20 products. I want to ensure that if I want to lift aspects from one product and drop them into another, they will work without too much difficulty. This is not true of all OGL products.
Though a fascinating setting, Monte Cooke's Arcana Unearthed strays a little too far from d20 to be immediately useful in my games. It might be great for a self-contained campaign, but then content from other d20 products aren't going to drop into it without editing either.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not trashing AU, in fact I think it's very good. But I also think it has a specific audience, that being people seeking something alternative from their d20 games. Though I also think if left unchecked, if different alternate d20 spin-offs gain enough popularity, there is a danger of fragmenting the market, which becomes detrimental to the goal of having a common rules system.
EverQuest RPG was another example of OGL gone wrong. I bought the EverQuest Players book, but soon realised there were just too many things that were changed for no apparently good reason .. change for the sake of change .. I would no longer be playing familiar d20, but something else. You couldn't mix with characters from other sources, because the magic system was different, and the characters were overpowered. I severely regret I ever made that purchase, and vowed not only to never to buy another book in the EverQuest line again, but made me wary of the products of every other d20 publisher on the market.
There are a variety of reasons why a company may choose to go OGL instead of d20. Being able to display nipples in their artwork, for example
However, the most common reason for going OGL appears to be for straying from the d20 system, or taking the rules in a new direction. This isn't always a bad thing .. but it can often be so.
I should mention that the above comments aren't directed at Bastion Press products. I'm merely elaborating on reasons I have for buying or not buying products .. anyone's product.
I notice Bastion Press mention in another thread that they're bringing out a new OGL campaign. I really hope that Bastion bring out a great product, and don't repeat the same mistakes I feel a lot of other companies have made with OGL.
