D&D 5E Settings played in D&D: cause or effect?

[Shasarak]

Ha "the fans" meaning you or me?

Would we be here if we were not fans? Yeah, I have stuff that I would make happen if I had the chance.

 

[hawkeyefan]

Would we be here if we were not fans? Yeah, I have stuff that I would make happen if I had the chance.

Sure but my point was that not all fans agree. They can't do what "the fans" want because there are varying opinions about what fans do want.

 

[Shasarak]

Sure but my point was that not all fans agree. They can't do what "the fans" want because there are varying opinions about what fans do want.

It would be a boring game if all "the fans" agreed.

But at least we can be happy representing the silent "Legion" of "the fans" that would agree if us if they made the effort to post, amiright?

 

[Demetrios1453]

Really, Planescape was an attempt to take the traditionally high-level playground of the planes and bring it down to low-level characters. It did a good job by fleshing out Sigil and the Outlands and by using portals to avoid the need for high-level spells. All of that can be done now in a new Planar Book or AP. All that would be missing in the Cant and Factions, and TSR was phasing them out come the end of the PS line anyway. All that would be needed is a few races (bariaur, gith(zerai/yanki), and perhaps rogue modron) and a brief write-up on factions; all stuff you could cram in a Player's Guide or Appendix.

I fully expect a 5e Manual of the Planes somewhere down the line, perhaps tied into some sort of "planar adventure" AP. Every edition has had it some form or other (although 2e turned it into an entire setting instead of just a single book, obviously), so it seems that interest would be out there...

 

[Hussar]

Again, it's a self-fulfilling prophecy. They have pushed FR down the throats of every D&D play in a major way since 3e. However, they did not do so with Darksun or the other well liked campaign settings of 1e and 2e. Of course the first time that they re-introduce the older settings they won't do as well. They've conditioned players to like and buy FR. That doesn't mean, though, that over time a new setting like Darksun won't grow in popularity to the point where even if it doesn't match FR, will still sell well.

Are you kidding? 3e? Do you have any idea how much 2e FR material there is? There is easily as much FR material in 2e as all other settings combined. There are hundreds of FR 2e products. Never minding regular features in thing like Dragon and whatnot.

Why do you think that every successful DND branded video game has been set in the Realms? That didn't start in 3e, that goes back to the eighties.

 

[Hussar]

/snip.



Eberron was a fantastic hit. It was also the only real alternative given to FR in 3e. I personally didn't like it, but many, many others did.

Why do you say that? How big was it? We had one living campaign as I recall and a handful of books and novels. Compared to FR was it really that big? Do any Eberron novels come close to the sales of Salvatore?

 

[Hussar]

/snip

But, if you are going to put out another setting then you really have to support the setting. The reviews for SCL are an indication that people want settings to be more supported than just a thin and scabby book.

Yeah those massive sales figures are just so hard to take. A month after release and it's still in at about #700 in all books. Yeah everyone hates it and no one is buying.

 

[Mirtek]

Mirtek, "most popular" is irrelevant.

Not if your target is to maximize sales

If people like multiple campaign settings, multiple campaign settings will do well.

Yet some will do better than others

It's not as if the FR will not get support if WotC gives us a few more settings.

Actually that is exactly the problem. D&D department has been reduced to a skeleton crew with scant ressources. The have to make every single book count. If they have to chose hetween the one that sells ~120-150k and the one that's do ~100-130k they'll have to put their little budget into the former since they can't do two

 

[Mirtek]

They've lost something like 60% of their customers when it comes to settings. All those homebrew people are people who might buy something else, but won't buy FR.

But there is no common connector to these 60%.

FR stuff is bought by FR fans and some of the 60%.

Yet there is no stuff for the 60% to agree on. "Not-FR" is not a setting or even just a theme that the 60% would buy like FR Fans buy FR.

A non-FR release may only reach half or less of the 60%.

When you know 40% if your customers want pork and you only can do one meal, you offer pork.

Since offering chicken will still be met by large parts if the 60% not eating since they want beef, fish, venision vegetarian vor vegan instead.

The 40 aren't the absolute majority, but by far the relative majority buy being the largest cohesive minority

 

[Lanefan]

Hiya!

In my opinion, and I've said this years ago... WotC need to work on their image of "we're gamers, just like you!". Now, I know that the core folk there are actually gamers, but for me, the whole 3.x through 4e eras have basically felt like "Here's some stuff we think we can make money off of", and less like "Here's some stuff we've been playing with in our own campaigns and we think you'd like".

In fairness to WotC, they really did have the "we're gamers, just like you" vibe going up until about 2003 - well into 3e's run - but then Hasbro bought them out and that vibe wandered off into the forest not to be seen again. Evidence: in Seattle's University district WotC had taken some of their excess money (I'm not sure when - late 1990's?) and turned a building into a massive gaming centre - video arcade up top, retail outlet etc. on the main floor, tournament-sized card gaming and RPG area in the basement, and associated gamer-themed restaurant alongside. The place was a gamer geek's dream; not really designed to make much if any money but to just be a place to game.

Within months of the Hasbro purchase the place was gone.

Lan-"I finished close to last in several Magic tournaments in that building"-efan