SpellJammer

[Ranger REG]

Ravenloft was the first, and the last licensed setting. Wizards came to the realization they could, and thus should, have made a more lucrative deal out of this.

Look at Dragonlance. The campaign setting is published by Wizards. Sovereign Press paid the cost of writing the stuff, SovPress also pay for supporting the line through sourcebooks; and Wizards reap the benefits of the sales of the best-selling book in the line.

Financially, it's a very harsh deal. I doubt you would find more third-parties willing to strike such a raw deal -- especially for a not-that-popular setting such as SpellJammer.

You forgot Gamma World but then it is not a D&D setting. But just so you know, it is not just about money when it comes to outsourcing IP brand. They want to make sure the integrity and the quality of the brand is maintained. After all, you don't want someone to have the license to Spelljammer and turn it into a Flesh Gordon/Barbarella erotic-type game for adult gamers only.

 

[Pants]

Spelljammer:
Dumbest. Campaign Setting. Evar.

Cool and unique concept, but such a ridiculous implementation.

 

[Alzrius]

But just so you know, it is not just about money when it comes to outsourcing IP brand.

But that is, by far, the largest factor. It's no coincidence that Wizards saw the success of Ravenloft by White Wolf and changed their own negotiating terms so that any future licensing of old worlds would result in a more lucrative deal for WotC.

They want to make sure the integrity and the quality of the brand is maintained. After all, you don't want someone to have the license to Spelljammer and turn it into a Flesh Gordon/Barbarella erotic-type game for adult gamers only.

This has absolutely nothing to do with Wizards of the Coast now saying that they will retain publishing rights to the campaign setting book for any third-party deals on old worlds. If WotC doesn't want a company to publish an old world of theirs due to fears for the integrity of the setting, they can simply refuse to deal with that company. Likewise, they can just as easily demand on a clause that allows them (WotC) to review and approve books that the third-party writes before said books go to publication - this is the working deal with Kingdoms of Kalamar, and that's just because they use the D&D logo there.

WotC's standpoint of being the publisher for the campaign setting book of a relaunched old world is not about integrity for the setting; it's about money.

 

[Testament]

<smegged post>

 

[Ranger REG]

WotC's standpoint of being the publisher for the campaign setting book of a relaunched old world is not about integrity for the setting; it's about money.

If it is all about money, then they should lower their prices for the licensing, but increase the royalty rate, and be damned if the third-party company takes, say Dark Sun, into an entirely different direction apart from WotC and the DS fans want.

 

[Spatula]

If it is all about money, then they should lower their prices for the licensing, but increase the royalty rate, and be damned if the third-party company takes, say Dark Sun, into an entirely different direction apart from WotC and the DS fans want.

Those last two aren't necessarily the same thing.
(as evidenced by the uproar raised by the fans over the Pazio/WOTC Dark Sun conversion)

 

[Spatula]

I've been fairly underwhelmed with fan conversions of the old settings that I've seen. It seems everyone that does them isn't happy to "Leave well enough alone and just upgrade the stats."

For instance - Darksun never had (in any of the products that I personally recall): Aarakocra or Pterran being playable races, no "Brute" class, no "Psychic Warrior" et cetera. Now, I didn't have the 2nd boxed set, or several supplements... but unless I missed something big there it seems like these things, while okay ideas, simply aren't true to the origonal.

As Style pointed out, you missed the Revised version of the setting, in regards to the additional PC races. The psychic warrior is, more or less, a multiclassed fighter/psionicist, which certainly existed in 2E if you were playing a demihuman (and similar results could be achieved by human psionicists with kits).

The "brute" thing, though, is incredibly silly. And I also have the same complaints that you do about the athas.org templar and elemental cleric classes, which is why I ended up doing my own conversion. So I know what you're talking about. But sometimes, game concepts won't cleanly translate across editions and whoever is doing the conversion has to improvise.

Still, I am thankful that athas.org has converted all those monsters for me...

 

[glass]

I always thought the problem with Spelljammer was not that it had giant space hamsters, its was that it had giant space hamsters, giff, dohwar, tinker gnomes, kender, and those insect surgeon things, all on top of grubbian physics: too much comic relief, not enough seriousness for it to be relief from.

Just my €0.02.


glass.

 

[Whisper72]

Well... I definately liked is for some additional ideas and as something you can inject into any campaign. I wish that WOTC would go the 'Ghostwalk' way with this, and produce a single book with the important rules, equipment, some feats/skills, new monsters and spells etc and campaign info al updated for 3.5. Sure, there will always be some people complaining 'it wasn't done right', but SJ, if simply upgrading the basic boxed sets and add in some original material (i.e. feats and skills mainly, maybe some new equipment/magic items etc.), it would sell prolly okay enuff to meet their standards and please many.

 

[Orius]

I always thought the problem with Spelljammer was not that it had giant space hamsters, its was that it had giant space hamsters, giff, dohwar, tinker gnomes, kender, and those insect surgeon things, all on top of grubbian physics: too much comic relief, not enough seriousness for it to be relief from.

Yeah, from what I've read about Spelljammer it seems there was way too much silliness in it, like the silly giant space hamster nonsense. Otherwise, on its own, and without the goofy humor, it probably had potential to be cool.