Only the Lonely: Why We Demand Official Product

[MarkB]

One reason the OP doesn't really touch on is "popularising". Just because you're longing to play in a classic setting, that doesn't necessarily mean that you can gather a whole table of like-minded players. If it gets published by WotC, that makes it the new big thing, and thus a much easier sell.

 

[jmucchiello]

I think more than keeping it alive, since if you have the 1e fluff you can run a Greyhawk game with it just fine, is that people want mechanical support for that fluff. A few feats, magic items and subclasses that have been built and play tested. As well as perhaps 5e stat blocks for some prominent NPCs.

But all the magic items and artifacts that go back to 1e ARE Greyhawk specific magic items. What fluff exists in GH that isn't just in the PHB by default?

 

[Tyler Do'Urden]

My biggest issue with 3rd party stuff is that I can't browse the entire product like I can a WotC release. A lot of 3rd party stuff isn't good, so if I can't look at the whole thing, I'm not about to spend money on it and hope I get one of the good ones. My second biggest issue is that even on the off chance that I can browse the whole 3rd party product, it's often PDF only which I don't use for running games. I like a nicely bound physical product to carry with and open when I need it.

Those are good points. I just stick to ones that look interesting and are popular - or preview it on The Trove (though if I'm going to use something in a game that isn't out of print, I always pay hard cash for it).

Also I'm a laptop DM, and I can't imagine DMing without one at this point - being able to have all my resources right there at my fingertips without piles of books (plus having the ability to use Google to answer rules questions on the fly!) is just too important to me. (And I never have to show any of my players the cover of an adventure module or book, so they never have any idea what might be coming... )

 

[Anoth]

Those are good points. I just stick to ones that look interesting and are popular - or preview it on The Trove (though if I'm going to use something in a game that isn't out of print, I always pay hard cash for it).

Also I'm a laptop DM, and I can't imagine DMing without one at this point - being able to have all my resources right there at my fingertips without piles of books (plus having the ability to use Google to answer rules questions on the fly!) is just too important to me. (And I never have to show any of my players the cover of an adventure module or book, so they never have any idea what might be coming... )

I can’t imagine using a laptop. I try to be so prepped that I don’t need references outside my notes to play. I hate holding up the game to lookup anything. I won’t do it. I’m sure your laptop skills make those things quick. But that would never work for me.

 

[generic]

We'll have to strap him to a rocket at fire him at it?

How can you strap me to a rocket if you're living in the Forgotten Realms? The Forgotten Realms has been stuck in a state of perpetual non-advancement for the last thousand years.

 

[schneeland]

One thing that's missing in the list at the start of this list: translations. Official WotC publications are typically translated into all major languages, at least after a while. That's typically not the case for 3rd party books or content on DM's Guild.
To be fair: this could be listed under "convenience", but for some people English books are quite hard to grok.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Stormonu]

How can you strap me to a rocket if you're living in the Forgotten Realms? The Forgotten Realms has been stuck in a state of perpetual non-advancement for the last thousand years.

It’s a Shou Lung rocket made by Gond Wondermakers - get with the times!

 

[Anoth]

How much did the world change between 500ad and 600ad. How much did the world change between 2000bc and 1000bc. Yeah. There were changes. But people still fought with swords, spears, and shields. What is it you want? Do you want them to invent cars? I once played a forgotten realms game that took place in the 1990s dale reckoning time and we did just that. Orc biker gangs were badass.