Rules Compendium - Worst timed release ever?

[Gargoyle]

I would have bought this if 4e wasn't coming out. Now it will be hard to justify, even though I'd still probably use it for a few months.

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=products/dndacc/215397200

 

[Vascant]

I would have bought this if 4e wasn't coming out. Now it will be hard to justify, even though I'd still probably use it for a few months.

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=products/dndacc/215397200

Perfect timing if you are not changing editions though..

 

[Festivus]

I am waiting to see what it looks like. I missed a lot of the complete books, this might be a boon for me. The Spell Compendium and Magic Item Compendium were both fantastic additions to my tiny library and a great value for my limited budget.

 

[Hackmaster]

I would buy that in a second if 4th wasn't coming out soon. If it has a lot of the new classes from "complete" books or PHB2 I'll still buy it.

 

[rgard]

I plan on picking it up. We're still playing 3.5 and not in any hurry to change over to 4e.

Thanks,
Rich

 

[Olaf the Stout]

I'm still unsure if I'll buy it or not. We're still not 100% sure what the book will actually contain. From what I have heard, it will have a 2 page spread on a number of D&D rules like grappling, the Polymorph spell etc. From reading some posters comments in other Rules Compendium threads, some think that it will be a condensed version of the rules, or a compendium of classes, PrC, etc. I'm not sure that is the case. I guess we will find out soon.

Olaf the Stout

 

[dmccoy1693]

I would have bought this if 4e wasn't coming out. Now it will be hard to justify, even though I'd still probably use it for a few months.

This is exactly the kind of book an RPG company produces just before a new edition:

1) Those not changing editions (as well as collectors and those that want completeness or etc) have one last product to buy. These historically sell well.

2) Profit margins are relatively high considering it has no R&D cost, no playtesting cost, etc. All that's required is inhouse editting.

3) High profit margins combined with high sale is what most RPG companies need when they're about to launch a new edition. They need extra money to pay the printer upfront cost for the volume of core books they expect to sell.

I was sure a new edition was coming the moment I saw this book.

 

[jdrakeh]

Perfect timing if you are not changing editions though..

Yep. I believe that somebody who works for WotC has been quoted as saying that this product is intended to be a kind of 'thank you' for all of the 3.5 fans out there. And, as we all know, just because a new edition is coming out doesn't mean that the old one suddenly becomes obsolete/unplayable. Unsupported, sure. But that's not the same thing at all.

 

[Emryys]

I'll probably pick this up, so if I want to run a 3.5 game, it has to be in this book... nothing else...

 

[Gargoyle]

Yep. I believe that somebody who works for WotC has been quoted as saying that this product is intended to be a kind of 'thank you' for all of the 3.5 fans out there. And, as we all know, just because a new edition is coming out doesn't mean that the old one suddenly becomes obsolete/unplayable. Unsupported, sure. But that's not the same thing at all.

That makes sense, and I'm not sure why I didn't think of these reasons when I first saw it...guess I'm just disappointed it didn't come out a year ago. I really loved the Rules Cyclopedia for OD&D, having all the rules in one book is awesome.

I may buy it for the commentary alone, and as a thank you to WotC for 3e. I've had a lot of fun with 3e, and agree it will be worth playing, just as earlier editions of the game are still fun to many people. Maybe I'll even start up another 3e campaign this winter when I've got time, and end it with a bang when 4e comes out. Short campaigns that you plan to end can be a lot of fun.