Still waiting for news about the future of d20 Modern

[JPL]

Yes, there will always be great third-party support, no matter what WOTC decides to do with the line...but I would still like some indication as to whether and in what form the line will continue.

Just to throw out a thought...rather than cancel the line, why not use it as a test lab for D&D 4.0? Why not do a revised edition and try some new ideas --- like they are doing with Star Wars? It would sell some books, it would be a massive playtest, and it might even revitalize the line.

 

[lmpjr007]

Yes, there will always be great third-party support, no matter what WOTC decides to do with the line...but I would still like some indication as to whether and in what form the line will continue.

Just to throw out a thought...rather than cancel the line, why not use it as a test lab for D&D 4.0? Why not do a revised edition and try some new ideas --- like they are doing with Star Wars? It would sell some books, it would be a massive playtest, and it might even revitalize the line.

Sorry to say but D20 Modern is DEAD to WOTC. They just put out their catalogs for products they are releasing from May to August and I saw nothing for D20 Modern. I think WOTC has decided that they have made all the money they are going to make on that line and have decided to focus on more profitable lines like the Star Wars line. Profit is the only measurement big companies care about, not what the fans want.

 

[jezter6]

I think d20M 1.5 would go over about half as well as D&D 3.5. Plenty of complaining, nobody wanting to buy more books, and considering d20m is such a small market of d20 as a whole, I see that as a failed venture.

Honestly, I'd like to see D&D 4.0/d20m 2.0 be the same SRD, same system. Like GT, it's more of an open toolkit to make any genre out of, with all the rules being the same. It's almost the same way now, except that d20m is a wierd mix of D&D 3.0 and 3.5 and has the different class structure.

 

[SteveC]

I'd have to say that the next time we're likely to see anything serious for D20 Modern is after fourth edition D&D is released. I think the line will be relaunched at that point.

--Steve

 

[JPL]

Profit is the only measurement big companies care about, not what the fans want.

I disagree.

First, it's not a choice between "profit" or "giving the fans what the want" --- making a product that is in demand is a pretty fundamental element in determining profits, isn't it? So while the decision to put the d20 Modern line on hiatus could be based on numerous factors, surely a major factor is that the line just doesn't sell as well as D&D, so it may make more sense --- both in pleasing the fans and making $$$ --- to devote WotC's resources to making more D&D books rather than maintain an unpopular line.

Second, WotC/Hasbro has given 3rd party publishers the option to keep the d20 Modern line going in any form any third-party publisher wants to try. You and I have both made a little profit of our own, haven't we, selling PDFs under a business model that just doesn't work for Wotc (i.e., a $5 PDF that sells 100 copies can still turn a profit)? So the fanbase gets what it wants, with WotC profiting only indirectly, if at all.

Third, while I'm not sure about the gaming habits of the Hasbro board, there are an awful lot of WotC staff and management who love RPGs and are trying to please both the fans and the suits, and I think it's unfair to assume that WotC is driven by pure greed.

 

[johnnype]

I'd love to see a revision of d20 Modern but i don't think it will happen 'till after D&D 4e is out. The rules work well enough but it could use a complete makeover from top to bottom if nothing else to make better use and expand d20 Future.

I've given up on the game and moved on to Spycraft 2.0 which does almost everything I want it to and is receiving support in the year to come. They don't have magic as well developed as d20M but a supplement is in the works to make up for that. They also have plans for cyberpunk and sci-fi additions. The game is a thing of beauty.

 

[lmpjr007]

I'd have to say that the next time we're likely to see anything serious for D20 Modern is after fourth edition D&D is released. I think the line will be relaunched at that point.

--Steve

I don't think they will ever relaunch D20 Modern. I am still waiting for a relaunch of Top Secret. To me it sounds like an idea the "Old Guard" at WOTC though of BEFORE Hasbro really took over. If Hasbro is anything like when I worked at Macy Corporate Headquaters, the second something become not profitable they get rid of it. Because the thing you have to really remember who ever was in charge of the D20 Modern proejct, their "success" or "failure" is directly connected to their annual review and possible raise. And no one wants to have too many "failures" on their review when they are deciding looking to get rid of people due to their "failures".

 

[JPL]

I'd have to say that the next time we're likely to see anything serious for D20 Modern is after fourth edition D&D is released. I think the line will be relaunched at that point.

--Steve

Modern rules for the industry's most popular engine are such an obvious niche that I can't imagine WotC would abandon it entirely. I figure the core book will stay in print, even if there's no new product in the pipeline.

That might be better in the long run, SteveC, than my original suggestion.

 

[Cabled]

I disagree.

First, it's not a choice between "profit" or "giving the fans what the want" --- making a product that is in demand is a pretty fundamental element in determining profits, isn't it? So while the decision to put the d20 Modern line on hiatus could be based on numerous factors, surely a major factor is that the line just doesn't sell as well as D&D, so it may make more sense --- both in pleasing the fans and making $$$ --- to devote WotC's resources to making more D&D books rather than maintain an unpopular line.

The error many (most?) fans make though is equating the statement "what the fans want" with the statement "what I want." We'd all like to have what we want, but in the eyes of big business, the fans buy what they want, and when something is no longer selling to a certain margin, the "fans" no longer want it, and they shift thier limited money and resources to finding something the fans do want.

 

[Taralan]

Well in my Opinion D20 Modern is a product line that doesn't deserve support. While the concept of an adaptation of the D20 or D&D rules for the modern (or future) era is a good one, I found the implementation totally lacking. Alternity was a much better attempt.

D20 Modern was too generic I believe to have the necessary appeal. I understand its hard to find the right balance between "generic enough" so that it can be customised ad infinitum and "not too generic" so that the game has flavour, but just as D&D is clearly not generic fantasy, and has a clear distinct flavour, it is still highly adaptable. Again I think Alternity (and Dark Matter which they ressurected for D20 Modern) managed to capture some of that flavour/adaptability ratio much better than D20 Modern.

And don't get me started on the lame "classes". Either you are a classless system or you have true (albeit potentialy broad) class. The "strong" , "intelligent" and so forth classes combined with multi-classing just recreate a classless system but in an overly complicated manner that is totally inelegant.. again IMHO of course !

I hope WoTC will totally redo this system, hopefully in the context of a good campaign world to give it needed substance... they certainly could use the new Starwars saga as a foundation since that look promising.