Return of the DonkeyHorse!

[TerraDave]

If the quality was there, deffinately buy, and use in play.

In general, I think there is a lot of room for those 3rd party products that we just don't seem to be seeing.

 

[Zaran]

If the quality was there, deffinately buy, and use in play.

In general, I think there is a lot of room for those 3rd party products that we just don't seem to be seeing.

I'm one of those guys who feels that if it isn't made by WoTC then I do not want to use it in my game. I'm sure there are some very reputable game producers out there but I would still feel like something from a third party would be sort of like someone's set house rules that they put to paper. I would much rather use something from an older edition of DnD until WoTC puts something like this out. I won't hold my breath though.

 

[Rechan]

More accurately for me: I use info printed elsewhere or before 4E, but I think this is a good product for those who want it...however I don't want or need it.

This is also my stance. But to register my complaint with the lack of option, I voted No.

Such a product would behoove to have stuff like:

"Cost of Bribes"
"Bed in an Inn".
"Travel by Boat/Dogsled"
"Cost of Safehouse Use"

Maybe even having lists of "What's available at the average store based on size of community".

EDIT:

I'm one of those guys who feels that if it isn't made by WoTC then I do not want to use it in my game. I'm sure there are some very reputable game producers out there but I would still feel like something from a third party would be sort of like someone's set house rules that they put to paper. I would much rather use something from an older edition of DnD until WoTC puts something like this out. I won't hold my breath though.

Well if that's your stance given this poll, I'm glad I voted "No". I really don't want to see "The Big Book of Shopping Lists" come out of WotC.

 

[Desdichado]

Not only am I not interested in it, but I doubt that the market for such a product exists in sufficient strength to make this a worthwhile addition to the 4e canon. Probably a great idea for a GSL product, though.

Also, I don't play 4e. But that's neither here nor there.

 

[Zaran]

Not only am I not interested in it, but I doubt that the market for such a product exists in sufficient strength to make this a worthwhile addition to the 4e canon. Probably a great idea for a GSL product, though.

Also, I don't play 4e. But that's neither here nor there.

May I ask, what do you play?

 

[Riley]

I'd buy it if it was good.

 

[Desdichado]

May I ask, what do you play?

Currently we're doing Rise of the Runelords (first Paizo adventure path, post Dungeon) in 3.5. Prior campaign to that was Call of Cthulhu... 6th edition, I think? We haven't quite finished the first adventure of Runelords after four (or five) sessions, and there's six, so that'll keep us busy for a while.

We weren't particularly keen on changing in our group. Not that we're 4e "haters" or anything; just that we were happy enough with 3.5 that we had way too much inertia to seriously consider switching, no matter what we thought of 4e.

As it turns out, all of us tend to think that 4e had some improvements and some other things that we don't like as much, so that the net result compared to 3.5 was at best a marginal improvement, at worst, no net change. And we thought, why mess with a good thing, to say nothing of spending all that money, for something that isn't really going to benefit us personally? So we're, like a said, somewhat indifferent non-4e players, as opposed to the loud, angry type that's hanging on to 3.5 because we're mad at either WotC or Paizo or whomever. We just shrugged and kept playing a game that we liked.

Plus we intersperse our D&D with plenty of other games. After this one, we might play Shadowrun, for example. It's still too early for us to have had any serious conversation about that yet.

 

[Zaran]

Currently we're doing Rise of the Runelords (first Paizo adventure path, post Dungeon) in 3.5. Prior campaign to that was Call of Cthulhu... 6th edition, I think? We haven't quite finished the first adventure of Runelords after four (or five) sessions, and there's six, so that'll keep us busy for a while.

Do you own or use the Stronghold Builder's guide made for 3.5? Or use any of the items in the equipment lists in the phb? Or maybe your GM uses the per day pay values of common servants that's in the DMG. That stuff is missing in 4th edition. That's why I am making a wish for a book. Alot of people don't have access to those things, especially new players that WotC is targeting later this year.

 

[Insight]

The absence of these "mundane" things in 4E is the direct result of the 4E design philosophy. Early on - and I read this and heard this in multiple sources - the designers wanted to focus solely on things a typical adventurer would want or do. And this mostly means combat and adventuring. This is why there are no Craft or Profession skills in 4E and no way to make mundane items or even play a musical instrument to entertain the masses.

While this works perfectly well in say 85% of games, there is that 15% of games that are a tad "off-the-beaten-path" and want to do things like have characters run a tavern, build a castle, take a long sailing trip, etc.

I believe there IS room in the 4E tableau for some variety and a "book of mundane things" has its place. I agree with some of the posters, however, that such a book would have to do a LOT more than merely list some items to get someone to buy it. Referencing skill challenges might be a good place to start. Building a castle would be nice. Running a guild. These are things a good DM can do without such a book, but having a reference for ideas is always nice.

 

[Stoat]

I'm not particularly interested in a book like that, but I wouldn't pitch a fit if WotC made one.

Frankly, I'm not sure that what you're talking about would fill a book. The mundane items in 3rd edition take, what, a dozen pages or so? I don't own the 2E Aurora's Realms Catalog, and I don't own the 3.0 Arms & Equipment guide, but I've got the general impression that they included a number of magical or unusual items in addition to the mundanities.

Based on the discussion in the closed thread, it sounded to me like a nice .pdf or Dragon article would be sufficient for this kind of thing.