Spring/Summer D&D Drought? 3.5 Publisher Reaction?

[Vrylakos]

Hey there...

I was thinking: Creature Collection Revised has been pushed back to be retooled for D&D 3.5.

I figure many publishers may decide to hold off publication of material as we get closer to the 3.5 release, and so the summer might see a fairly barren landscape with regards D&D releases. A prime time to put out d20 Modern material, or for Mongoose to put out more Judge Dredd or Slaine stuff, I guess... Why print when your sales may drastically drop a couple of months down the road? PDF sales, on the other hand, may go up as players search for lower cash risk game materials, especially if offers of free 3.5 updates are offered.

I'm also wondering if some companies might use 3.5 as a chance to re-do material and 'get right' products that had potential but were marred by shoddy editing, printer goofs, or low cash, or just a general lukewarm reception. Like, let's say "Foundation" to use an extreme example. I'm sure there were other releases that didn't quite meet a company's hopes...

Third: I'm thinking WOTC and publishers in general will face declining sales to currently scheduled/at print products. I've already decided to pass on Savage Species, since it may be to various degrees made obsolete. Same with Fiend Folio. Anyone worried about a less than profitable first two quarters? Anyone have any plans to weather this? With regards WOTC, I'm hoping a slump in sales, if it happens, doesn't force more layoffs or other profit-related troubles.

Well, there you go. There are my thoughts, questions, yadda yadda. People may already have posted things like this, in which case I apologize.

And what's the deal with E-Tools?

Vrylakos

 

[d20Dwarf]

You have craftily been holding back Fields of Blood for exactly this reason, haven't you? C'mon you crafty devil, admit it!

Of all people, WotC can handle the level of sales slump I think we'll see. WotC has been hyping the backward compatibility of the new edition enough in the mags that I think probably only us internet-addicted gamers have even thought much about the revised books.

Smaller publishers have a decision to make, however, and with backlist sales doing as poorly as they are, it's not an easy one. You either wait with your product and suffer possibly debilitating cash flow issues or put it out to market and hope to sell as many as you can before the new edition hits.

I'm not bashing the revision, and I hope this thread doesn't turn into that like so many others have.

A good point was made earlier that in this case public perception of the compatibility is much more important than actual compatibility. I think this is true for now but will diminish once the rules are actually available. But, by then we are back to talking about that dreadful backlist again....

And what's the deal with E-Tools?

God I hope Ryan happens upon this thread.

 

[Nightfall]

V, I'm sure that while CC Revised and possibly the Player's guides will get pushed back, the other stuff, Termana HC, Blood Bayou and probably a few other things that haven't been mentioned might get in before the summer/spring.

Btw Wil, I've got my copy of Midnight on pre-order.

 

[jmucchiello]

I would think it would be more of a summer/fall drought. Wizards isn't pre-releasing the revision under NDA like they did with d20 modern. Because of this, publishers won't have a handle on the changes for some time after their GenCon release. I suspect the new product at GenCon will be self-contained sourcebooks only. Rulebooks will slow down during this time. Or not. I'm no good at reading the market.

 

[d20Dwarf]

Btw Wil, I've got my copy of Midnight on pre-order.

Cool, me too!

 

[MythosaAkira]

I would think it would be more of a summer/fall drought. Wizards isn't pre-releasing the revision under NDA like they did with d20 modern.

Actually, it looks like they are:

http://www.gamingreport.com/article.php?sid=7087&mode=&order=0

Though it looks like you're out of luck if you're only publishing PDFs...

 

[JohnNephew]

Speaking for Atlas Games, we're taking a wait-and-see attitude at the moment. The project we're most concerned about is the Penumbra Fantasy Bestiary, since it sounds like there are some changes to monster rules (damage reduction, for example) that may need to be taken into account. A big of this size and expense (368 pages, $45 SRP) is not one that we'd like to see made obsolete in a couple of months...

On the other hand, a sourcebook like DYNASTIES AND DEMAGOGUES should not have any cause for delay. Its rules content is (Michelle tells me) more like stuff that you lay over top the D20 system -- rules for things like voting, elections, debates, diplomacy -- so its reliance is on the fundamentals of the d20 system, which will not be changing (like, what modifier you get from a given score in Charisma, and which kinds of rolls that modifier applies to). It'll be just as useful before and after 3.5, so there's no point in delaying it (and it'll be a great thing for people to pick up if they're holding off on other purchases until the new shape of the d20 landscape is clearer).

 

[TheAuldGrump]

I would think it would be more of a summer/fall drought. Wizards isn't pre-releasing the revision under NDA like they did with d20 modern. Because of this, publishers won't have a handle on the changes for some time after their GenCon release. I suspect the new product at GenCon will be self-contained sourcebooks only. Rulebooks will slow down during this time. Or not. I'm no good at reading the market.

Last I'd heard they were releasing 3.5 about a month before Gen Con. They are also releasing it all at once, so at least there won't be a three month lag time between book 1 and book 3.

The new Monster Manual is what I am looking forward to most. MM was the only 3e book that I was truly disappointed with, oddly, Monstrous Compendium was the 2e book that I was happiest with. I was very glad to see Creature Collection borrowing a page (sorry, I couldn't resist) from MC.

I have no intention personally of changing my buying habits while waiting for 3.5, except as publishers change their publishing habits, I can make any necessary adjustments myself.

Fortunately for Mongoose only the Druid class is being substantially changed as far as their already published Quintessential books go. (Mongoose Quintessential class guides are the one book I am almost certain to purchase the week that they appear.)

The Auld Grump

 

[Kerrick]

Speaking for the Brood, we're just holding our breath also. We've got a couple books out and several more on the way, and the thing we're most worried about is how much we'll have to fix when the revised rules come out. We're not going to stop producing stuff, though we might slow down release; that would be insane, for one thing, and just plain stupid, for another (we don't rely on the cash flow from the books, but it is a welcome addition...). If we have to change things, I for one would rather do it while it's still in rough draft, rather than putting out errata. In the meantime, we'll fill out an application for an NDA and cross our fingers...

 

[jaerdaph]

I'd like to encourage publishers to consider this an opportunity to develop some new products in the interim for the other SRD - the one that came out with the d20 Modern Roleplaying Game. That one isn't going to be changing for awhile.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade