SCOOP! Wizards to release 3E Draconomicon

[Crothian]

Uh, I have still yet to see anything from d20 publishers that is comparible to Wotc in terms of solid, workable, balanced mechanics.

There is good and bad stuff from all parties. Wizards has put out more then a few things in the splat books, the FR, and other books that many do not consider balanced. At the same time GR, Bastion, Ambient, and many others have been making books with some really good flavor and balance. No one company is perfect in mechanics.

 

[LGodamus]

sounds good to me.

 

[TroyXavier]

I definitely want this one.

 

[Kai Lord]

Official? What an odd concept. What's official?

A D&D release from Wizards of the Coast, of course. Just because the OGL makes it legal for other companies to release d20 material doesn't make any of it anything more than glorified house rules.

Is it only the stuff in the SRD? Or perhaps only books published by certain companies? I don't like the concept of official in an RPG because it sounds like someone is trying to tell me what I can use in my game.

Why would it sound like that? D&D has always been about the merging of official (TSR/WOTC Rulebooks and accessories) with the unofficial (PC's, homebrewed worlds, etc.)

Dragon books: Slayers Guide to Dragons, Dragons, and Draconic Lore. Least those are the three I know of, there may be others. I'll leave it up to the individual DMs to determine what is official or not in their games.

The book might be well done, and it might be better then these other books. There was time when Wizards was producing better books then the other people, but I don't feel that is the case anymore.

Hey I think some players have better drawn characters than those appearing in the latest WOTC books (coughRacesofFaeruncough). As for gaming content, I don't know, I've yet to see a non-WOTC d20 product with production values worthy of my time to peruse them.

 

[Crothian]

A D&D release from Wizards of the Coast, of course. Just because the OGL makes it legal for other companies to release d20 material doesn't make any of it anything more than glorified house rules.

Actually, I'd say anything outside the SRD is glorified house rules.

Hey I think some players have better drawn characters than those appearing in the latest WOTC books (coughRacesofFaeruncough). As for gaming content, I don't know, I've yet to see a non-WOTC d20 product with production values worthy of my time to peruse them.

Rokugan, Oathbound, and Slaine are just two of the books I could name that have production values as good as Wizards. But a pretty book does not mean good.

 

[Psion]

Uh, I have still yet to see anything from d20 publishers that is comparible to Wotc in terms of solid, workable, balanced mechanics.

You aren't looking very hard then. I could cite examples, but you make that statement so broad and inherently defeasible, do I really have to try?

 

[Limper]

Did I miss something? When did dragons need ANOTHER book? When did they need more crunch?

Does anyone use THAT many dragons in their campaign?

 

[Psion]

Crothian wrote
Official? What an odd concept. What's official?[/b]

A D&D release from Wizards of the Coast, of course. Just because the OGL makes it legal for other companies to release d20 material doesn't make any of it anything more than glorified house rules.

I think Crothian's point, and I would have to agree, is that "official" is an empty accolade, and says little about the merit of the product. And unlike any open products, it will be that much more difficult for the concepts in such a product to flourish.

 

[Kai Lord]

But a pretty book does not mean good.

Correct. But presentation and content are not mutually exclusive, and I will not support a company by purchasing their products if they cut corners with the art.

 

[Crothian]

Correct. But presentation and content are not mutually exclusive, and I will not support a company by purchasing their products if they cut corners with the art.

There's cutting corners and saving money. Not all companies have the ability to pay for the best artists. However, that doesn't prevent them from turning out great products. Personally, I want to support the people who turn out the best products, not the people who have good products with the best art.