Races and Class and the Leak's Effect

[ZombieRoboNinja]

I don't know the full intent of this poll, but it seems to me that the Races and Classes book only EXISTS as a PR tool to stir up interest in 4e, so even if they don't sell a whole lot of copies, the excitement in the community is probably what they're after.

 

[Robert Ranting]

No change.

I'll be honest, I never intended to buy the preview book because I knew all the important bits from it would be fodder for message board conversations between the release of the preview and the release of the new edition.

I don't see much point in spending money on the preview books at all if everything in them is going to elicit some response from WotC about how "that's not the way it works anymore, but it was at the time the preview was written". If I want to spend $20+ on out-of-date information that may or may not have something to do with the development of 4th edition, I can go buy a used copy of Book of Nine Swords or Star Wars Saga on ebay and start using that information in my games tonight.

Robert "I Would Rather Judge The Final Product" Ranting

 

[Li Shenron]

Unaffected. I think I knew what the book was about.

 

[Gothic_Demon]

Decreased, but not because the information has already been read. I like that kind of book, and I'd be really interested in seeing the art and the design principles. What has hit my desire to buy the book is the fact that the book was written too long ago to be of any real use, and we've already seen WotC staff come out and say that things are not the same now as they were when the book was written.

Therefore, as a preview, I think the book might be more misleading than I am willing to accept. So, I probably won't buy it now.

 

[Drkfathr1]

Decreased, but not because the information has already been read. I like that kind of book, and I'd be really interested in seeing the art and the design principles. What has hit my desire to buy the book is the fact that the book was written too long ago to be of any real use, and we've already seen WotC staff come out and say that things are not the same now as they were when the book was written.

Therefore, as a preview, I think the book might be more misleading than I am willing to accept. So, I probably won't buy it now.

This pretty much sums up my thoughts. It's not that fantastic of a preview if so much has already changed.

 

[Imaro]

Decreased, but not because the information has already been read. I like that kind of book, and I'd be really interested in seeing the art and the design principles. What has hit my desire to buy the book is the fact that the book was written too long ago to be of any real use, and we've already seen WotC staff come out and say that things are not the same now as they were when the book was written.

Therefore, as a preview, I think the book might be more misleading than I am willing to accept. So, I probably won't buy it now.

This is exactly what made me uninterested in these books from the minute it was known. I already felt hesitant at purchasing "preview" material without any crunch, but I just can't justify purchasing preview material that may or may not be actual preview material wihout crunch. I understand WotC has to make money between 3e and 4e but I get vibes of the Dungeon Survival Guide from these books and it's just not worth my money as a product.

 

[helium3]

What has hit my desire to buy the book is the fact that the book was written too long ago to be of any real use, and we've already seen WotC staff come out and say that things are not the same now as they were when the book was written.

Therefore, as a preview, I think the book might be more misleading than I am willing to accept. So, I probably won't buy it now.

You're basing this on the kerfluffle over the changing of wizard's implements, right? It's only a tiny part of the section on wizards and basically a reprint of the design & development article on the same subject. What else have the designers said has changed?

None-the-less, a preview book isn't a preview if the material in it doesn't match up with what's finally printed.

 

[Morrus]

It's not really a "leak". The first person to buy the book posted about it. That's just what happens.

 

[Imaro]

You're basing this on the kerfluffle over the changing of wizard's implements, right? It's only a tiny part of the section on wizards and basically a reprint of the design & development article on the same subject. What else have the designers said has changed?

None-the-less, a preview book isn't a preview if the material in it doesn't match up with what's finally printed.

The problem for me is that we still have many weeks (of previews) to go, and if I can get more accurate previews for free, why buy a book where I have to guess what is or isn't going to be in D&D 4e. When I considered buying the book it was because I wanted info on 4e...the fact that the book could or couldn't be erroneous in it's information decreases it's value significantly IMHO.

Also I think your last sentence is very telling. If this is a book to reach those without internet access or who don't frequent message boards they will be under the assumption that this book is an accurate preview of 4e (I mean that's what it says on the cover right?). Now it may be a small amount or a large amount that will change in 4e, but if you're basing your decision to buy 4e off these preview books...well it just seems wrong in a way. I think a better title would have been "Behind the Design: Races and Classes of 4e", rather than plastering 4e preview across the front cover.

It's akin to seeing a movie's trailer and some of the scenes they show never appearing in the movie. For some people they may not have liked the scene or noticed it anyway so it doesn't affect them one way or the other...for others that scene might have really excited them or drawn them in enough to go see the movie, the fact that the scene doesn't exsist could really irritate this subset. My reasoning is that I'd really just rather not take the risk, especially since it costs money to buy the preview.

 

[helium3]

It's not really a "leak". The first person to buy the book posted about it. That's just what happens.

You're right. It wasn't technically a leak, but at the same time I'm quite sure that the store in Hungary wasn't supposed to have sold those books. Someone's head somewhere is gonna roll for that.