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Message: <blockquote data-quote="shadzar" data-source="post: 5433951" data-attributes="member: 6667746">I think the failure was inevitable. You set forth to create a new copy of the game each year with the PHB cycle, but neglect to include the previous ones, as you only included the newest info, and update the rules. So to have the "errata" in place, you have to buy the newest books. People don't all want to buy the game again every year.DDi should give you the errata right away, but you have to pay for it to be in place in the rules.You can get the errata as a download to hunt through when you come to something, if you remember it while playing.This has been the case with errata all along to fix mistakes of "we screwed up and meant to write something else." The problem lies in the buying the game every year then to get it.Failing #1.Settings, cute and novel approach, but you don't get many people to buy later settings, when they will not be supported is you get a settings once and only once, then it stops. People will start buying the newest settings to try, because they know it has a short lifecycle and then products end for it. Also someone cannot buy the setting from 2 years ago, if it isn't avilable to be bought.That is failing #2.DDI. Failing #3.People don't want to rent the game, nor have to play it with a computer or always have to be around internet access to be able to play it.I can pull out the books during a power outages, light some candles, and get new people to try the game. Playing pass the laptop around to try to play while it still has battery charge isnt any way to try to play.On to Failing #4, board games.They can be a boon to get people interested in the game, but D&D hasnt ever been a board game, even if it has recently required more board game type of play with focus on grids and maps and tiles. Board games are in no way shape or form D&D or roleplaying games, they are board games. Ravenloft might be a fun board game, but it is still a board game set in the Ravenloft setting as a background, and is not going to be a roleplay game.HeroQuest is loosely a roleplaying game, but is still just a board game. One that very well introduces MANY roleplaying game elements that can get people into roleplaying, but it is still jsut a board game with the same limitations, unlike an RPG.Your model needs something that everyone will want to buy to try the game, and those that get hooked will want to buy more things after that. Red Box, I wont get started on what I dislike about this, might have been a good idea, had it not came out years too late. It should have been there right when the PHB DMG and MM came out for those wanting to try it, and telling those that liked it if they want more levels, classes, races to get the PHB, DMG and MM, otherwise it was a complete mini-version of D&D.So failing #5.......was lack of introductory product and relying on existing customers/players to support the entire new product, that was nothing like had ever existed before which means existing customer/players were not really the target for it and there was nothing in the world to get new people to want to try it at an affordable and non-overwhelming manner.D&D was all about having something small you could build on, while 4th edition started out big to build onto. AD&D was the product without much introductory level products for those that already played, and also created introductory product as an afterthought. That is what caused AD&D to not grow as good as D&D originally did, and what hampers growth potential for 4th and what caused the business model to fail because it lacked a place to start with a new game.</blockquote>

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