Pre-Gen Con WotC Press Conference

[Brown Jenkin]

They are going to announce that the D&D minis line will be replaced with an all digital release which will save its players from having to carry all those bulky minis around. Just like Dragon and Dungeon are going digital so that we won't be burdened with all those paper copies.

Or maybe they will announce that the 4E announcement will occur at the D&D experience in February. Wait then this would be the announcement, no wait the announcent would be at the D&D experience, Ahhhhhhh I'm so confussed.

 

[crazy_cat]

Aren't WOTC scrapping D&D rather than risk releasing 4e?

I heard somebody say that they were going to use the OGL Traveller rules that Mongoose are planning - so instead of D20 we'll all be playing 2D6 by this time next year.

Its the end I tell you, the end! (puts on tinfoil hat and runs away)

 

[kenmarable]

Just to keep rumors flying - WotC is ending the Gen Con license and resuming control.*

OR, through the d20 trademark that has been supported in the industry for the requisite 7 years, they are hereby claiming that all 20-sided dice are property of WotC. "All your dice are belong to us." **



* Of course, I don't need to let silly facts get in the way like Gen Con was bought, not licensed, but where's the fun in that?

** But they only want the dice that roll a lot of 20's. Several members of the Development team have suffered character deaths lately, so they want any and all "good dice" that have "never ever rolled a 1."

 

[Flynn]

Okay, so is this an internet rumor, or is it real? If so, could someone point me to an official link or something?

Thanks,
Flynn

 

[Fenris_x]

Now must be an awesome time to work in the WotC marketing department. You're guaranteed that from now until the REAL announcement of 4e, every single press conference, no matter how trivial, will be well attended.

 

[Maggan]

I just got the invitation on my mail. After much digging among my pals who work for WotC (as freelance artists, not game designers), I've managed to get the following confirmed:

WotC is releasing a new license, to complement the d20 license. For a fee, any company which passes a quality review, will be able to put "Compatible with the D&D roleplaying game. Requires the Player's Handbook, published by Wizards of the Coast" on certain types of products: adventures, monster books and gaming aids that support D&D Minis.

No campaign worlds, no "core" rule expansions, no splat books.

This will also give each participant a certain amount of exposure in Dragon Online, and Dungeon Online, as well as on Gleemax.

Since the license will only appeal to a few publishers, this is an invitation only event, open to those that are considered to be both solvent enough, and interested enough, to sign up for a license.

Apart from Goodman Games, Paizo, Necromancer Games, Sword & Sorcery Studios, Privateer Press, Green Ronin, Mongoose and surprise participant Malhavoc Press have been confirmed as having been sent an invitation.

That the scoop!

/M

 

[Scribble]

Now must be an awesome time to work in the WotC marketing department. You're guaranteed that from now until the REAL announcement of 4e, every single press conference, no matter how trivial, will be well attended.

Yes... all 3 seats will be filled.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

That totally makes sense. In fact, when people have been talking about whether 4E would go OGL or not, I felt like this was the likely way they would go to stop people from creating an alternate OGL Fantasy game that could draw customers away from the core D&D business...

 

[GeorgeFields]

Wizards of the Coast is announcing upgraded functionality to the Gleemax website.

Nah, don't think so.

They'd be better off tossing the Gleemax server into a large vat of acid.

 

[Beckett]

Maggan- my BS detector caught fire a while back, so I have no idea if you're pulling our collective leg here. But that would make sense; it'd explain why they've been pulling in their licenses, and it would give a more trustworthy label than D20 for books.

Last night, I was reading Erik Mona's answer to the question, "Why is Pathfinder OGL instead of D20?" The response was that, due to all the poor quality material published under D20, that label was now like a Scarlet Letter. A WotC seal of approval could go a long way to getting away from that stigma.