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<blockquote data-quote="Steel_Wind" data-source="post: 5081656" data-attributes="member: 20741">Is there value-in-use to a &quot;system free&quot; setting or adventure?Of course there is.&nbsp; But that's a misleading conclusion if the thesis is that &quot;system free material is a commercially preferable option&quot;.When the value-in-use of the product is for it's general setting, maps, characters and plot hooks, there is no need to make the jump to say that &quot;system free&quot; is just as good and just as commercially viable an option as one that is system based -- at the time of its commercial release.I put it to you that when I go look at older material from a much older or OOP version of a RPG (whatever the case, an adventure that is statted for a version of a game I don't use), it is for all intents and purposes, &quot;system-free&quot; as I am using the product.My point: A product can support a system and hook in players in that fashion and gain commercially important sales. Even still, people can use that system specific book as &quot;system free&quot; if they are not using the system it was specifically written for.In that fashion - you get the best of both worlds. It also explains why the decades of published adventures still remain to add an ever-expanding &quot;glut&quot; of viable adventure material that current material must still compete against.This is the real reason that WotC does not make available older .pdf adventure material that is, for most purposes, &quot;system free&quot; in how it is now used. That 1st and 2ed material is used as &quot;system free&quot; adventure material and thereby competes with current material. That's why it is not availalbe for download on WotC's site anymore.&nbsp; &nbsp;The value in use of fluff is eternal, where as the value in use of crunch is specific to a particular point in time (more or less).&nbsp; But that does not mean that creating crunchless adventures is ever wise from a marketing standpoint.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Steel_Wind, post: 5081656, member: 20741"] Is there value-in-use to a "system free" setting or adventure? Of course there is. But that's a misleading conclusion if the thesis is that "system free material is a commercially preferable option". When the value-in-use of the product is for it's general setting, maps, characters and plot hooks, there is no need to make the jump to say that "system free" is just as good and just as commercially viable an option as one that is system based -- [I][B]at the time of its commercial release.[/B][/I] I put it to you that when I go look at older material from a much older or OOP version of a RPG (whatever the case, an adventure that is statted for a version of a game I don't use), it is for all intents and purposes, "system-free" as I am using the product. My point: A product can support a system and hook in players in that fashion and gain commercially important sales. Even still, people can use that system specific book as "system free" if they are not using the system it was specifically written for. In that fashion - you get the best of both worlds. It also explains why the decades of published adventures still remain to add an ever-expanding "glut" of viable adventure material that current material must still compete against. This is the real reason that WotC does not make available older .pdf adventure material that is, for most purposes, "system free" in how it is now used. That 1st and 2ed material is used as "system free" adventure material and thereby competes with current material. That's why it is not availalbe for download on WotC's site anymore. The value in use of fluff is eternal, where as the value in use of crunch is specific to a particular point in time (more or less). But that does not mean that creating crunchless adventures is ever wise from a marketing standpoint. [/QUOTE]

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