D&D 4E Opinions on the 4E preview books...

[Drkfathr1]

I don't buy the argument that these books are solely an attempt at "money grab". The previews in Dragon Magazine weren't free. You had to buy the magazine. Spread over 12 months, how much did that cost? And what was the final page count on those particular "Countdown to 3rd Edition" articles?

WOTC is under no obligations to give anyone ANYTHING for FREE.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

So, advertisements then don't contain a detailed summary of the design process.

No- some do. What I meant is that it is rare that a company will do an advertising release of that size (more than 20 or so pages) in print.

Oh, so movies, and TV shows never do books/documentaries about the making of their creative projects? Serenity Visual Companion, and the DVD documentary Done the Impossible are prime examples that this happens in written form.

<edit>
Well, if making-of material is an advertisement, then I guess you haven't been paying attention to the amount of advertisements people pay for.

Most "making-of" material of which I'm aware has been released post-release of the subjects they cover, making it a product in its own right and not a preview of an upcoming product.

Reviews & retrospectives stand on their own, meant to tap into an established money stream.

Previews are ads hoping to generate interest in a new product.

The previews in Dragon Magazine weren't free. You had to buy the magazine. Spread over 12 months, how much did that cost?

The cost of the Dragon previews depends upon how Dragon actually handled them:

1) If the magazine price went up, you ate the cost, unless you were a subscriber whose price was locked in.

2) If the magazine price didn't go up during that time and the previews were in place of normal magazine content, you ate the cost.

3) If the magazine price didn't go up during that time and they were in place of existing advertising space, Dragon ate that cost unless their ad rate also went up.

4) If the magazine price didn't go up during that time and they expanded the issues (added pages) to cover those previews, Dragon ate that cost (potentially including increased shipping costs) unless their ad rate also went up.

(These strategies aren't mutually exclusive- Dragon could have blended their strategy, raising the price a bit, raising ad rates a bit, sacrificing some articles for space, and expanding the magazine a bit.)

Don't get me wrong- ultimately, unless the advertising costs are written off (adversely affecting company viability), the consumer pays the price of advertising since it gets figured into the final price of the product advertised.

But actually charging consumers for a product that is an advertisement? That's pretty bold.

 

[Drkfathr1]

"Charging for a product...." is bold?

So....they should have given away two 96 page booklets containing full color artwork...for free?

 

[NewfieDave]

But actually charging consumers for a product that is an advertisement? That's pretty bold.

IMO, it is wrong to label these books as advertisements. Who would read a 96 page Nike ad, or watch a 4 hour McDonald's commercial? Besides, these books are clearly targeted at existing tabletop gamers rather than having a broad marketing scope. Their purpose is to provide interesting "behind the scenes" information to the people in the industry who have an interest in that type of information.

I can see the point that they serve as previews (kind of like movie trailers, which you can download for free) and are generally meant to increase interest in 4e. I can see why some people would refuse to pay $20 for a preview (myself included). But who is holding the gun to your head making you buy it?

If the only reason you want to read R&C or W&M is for the latest 4e news, well why not just read these forums?

People who are willing to pay the $20 for these books want the designer notes and artwork. You're getting all the relevant 4e crunch/fluff for free on the Internet, so why all the complaints that it costs $20 for a preview book?

 

[kennew142]

In Tucson, we had to call around to various bookstores to even find a copy of W&M. It flew off the shelves as soon as it came in. We finally found two copies at a Barnes & Noble in one out of the way mall. My friend had to take an hour to drive out there and back just so we could get a copy. I would say it's doing well in this city.

I bought the books for the designer's notes and behind the scenes information. I've found them incredibly valuable, as well as inspiring (in a gaming sense). Each preview book has spurred a flurry of campaign creation for me. I can barely write fast enough to get all of my ideas down on paper. IMO my upcoming 4e campaign will be the best I've ever run (unless of course the 4e rules just suck). In part, I credit the preview books with increasing my creative energy.

The art is awesome.

$20.00 is only too much if you are unwilling to pay that much for it. As for me, I consider it money well spent.

 

[catsclaw227]

The art is awesome.

$20.00 is only too much if you are unwilling to pay that much for it. As for me, I consider it money well spent.

No doubt! And, I got them from Amazon for $13.57 each. That's much better.

 

[Blacksmithking]

I can burn $20 on a movie and $60 on a good meal; thus, $14 for a 4e preview book isn't a stretch. I haven't bought any 3.5e material since the announcement of 4e, anyway.

I didn't like the 4e art in R&C. Most of the people and creatures looked stubby and elephantine. The crunch was interesting, though.

 

[JeffB]

Looked through both of them last night for the first time.

They are well done, and for the most part I really like the art direction. More "classic" and less "edgy" (in that annoying use of the term).

I'm a big fan of WAR, but otherwise I really did not like the vast majority of 3E art and more importantly: the style of art ("dungeonpunk" or whatever term you wish to give it)

I had/have no intention of buying them however. I'll save my money for the real deal

 

[Ian Demagi]

Previews

I got R & C for Christmas, but at $20.00, the price was a little steep. WotC is still pushing/fishing warforged as core. That would drasticially warp my view of 4E-no robots' for me, Ian.

 

[Evilhalfling]

I paid 13$ for each on amazon. This was a good investment, I enjoyed most of the art and (except halflings) and the design theory. Im starting in on designing a 4e world and needed the previews to get a better feeling of what to keep and what to pitch.

If I had to pay 40$ instead of 26? I would have been disappointed. I did have to bend my only buy from FLGS rules, but since they are not rulebooks I feel less guilt. the FLGS can expect my purchase of the 4e core shortly.