The consolidation going on

[DaveMage]

Big names don't matter to me.

A great idea and great execution of that idea are the most important things IMO.

 

[philreed]

I'm guilty of looking to see who wrote a book, and using that as one of the factors towards buying said product.

I don't see that as being "guilty" of anything. I see that as being a smart shopper.

My own short list of must buy authors?

Bruce Cordell. Easily the one author that impresses me with everything that he does.

Mike Mearls. While I don't enjoy everything he does it's always inspiring me in some way.

Chris Aylott. I loved his first mini-adventure for Rune. Then he assisted me with the mini-adventure for Rune (and was great to work with). Once I read Dynasties & Demagogues he was added to this list.

There are many, many others who I will always take the time to look at a new release but the three above are typically "sight unseen" buys.

 

[philreed]

Big names don't matter to me.

A great idea and great execution of that idea are the most important things IMO.

Often, the big names will provide that time and time again. I feel cover credit is extremely important in this industry as is respecting and rewarding the best creators. Many companies seem to disagree with this.

 

[Psion]

Several people have mentioned that numerous companies have 'hit and miss' quality. I think that's in part because d20 authors are mostly freelance, and they work for a lot of different companies, and many companies rarely have a consistant line up of authors. Having different authors not only leads to inconsisitent quality (perceived or otherwise) but also inconsistant format and style (probably a more significant factor).

To me, one of the only d20 companies that seems to be perceived as better than the others is Malhavoc Press, and that's because it's authors are big names, and are mostly by one person.

What came first, the Chicken or the Egg? Is Monte a big name because of his work, or is his work lauded because he is a big name?

Have to disagree with you and say the former. Monte's reputation certainly sells, but he has a reputation for excellent and imaginative work for a reason. And other than him, only Sean Reynolds and Bruce Cordell, two other well heeled authors, are released under the imprint. There is a lot of great talent in the Malhavoc imprint. It's not just name recognition.

Dunno how prevalent this impression is, but judging by the ENWorld reviews page, Green Ronin is also widely perceived as one of the higher quality companies. Unlike Malhavoc, they do tap authors somewhat less well known than Malhavoc. But they maintain good editorial control and focus.

 

[Psion]

I'm guilty of looking to see who wrote a book, and using that as one of the factors towards buying said product.

Me too. Younts, Cook, Mearls, Forbeck, Bell, and Lizard are a few names I look out for. I'd add Kulp to that list if I had more to judge by (coff*OSMII&III*coff).

 

[johnsemlak]

Have to disagree with you and say the former. Monte's reputation certainly sells, but he has a reputation for excellent and imaginative work for a reason. And other than him, only Sean Reynolds and Bruce Cordell, two other well heeled authors, are released under the imprint. There is a lot of great talent in the Malhavoc imprint. It's not just name recognition.
.

Well, of course it's not just name recognition, but Monte Cook has in advantage in that his name is on all the core D&D books, and in all WotC D&D books, in prominent locations. I don't know any of the relavant sales figures, but I'll bet this alone will make his works sell more than an author whose name is not featured so prominently in the PHB or DMG, when all other factors are equal.

 

[d20books]

What I personally buy

Maybe it's not Big Names that people want, but CONSISTENT quality.

I may be "out voted" (common practice in Austin, Texas, now that the Republicans disenfranchised everyone with redistricting), but I have a particular list of publishers I personally buy, eventhough I have access to every title known to man.

Fantasy Flight Games' Legends and Lairs. Yes, they've had some issues but their quality, overall, is better than most.

Atlas Games' Penumbra. Different feel. Still strong if you avoid the adventures and stick to the sourcebooks.

Green Ronin's "non-Freeport" books. They have very strong tie-ins. First, this was a turn-off, but I'm since changed my mind. All the books that go with Book of the Righteous fold in nicely.

The point is good and consistent rules that compliment one another. Getting a BUNCH of one-off books from various publishers, IMHO, creates a weird imbalance with conflicting rules variations.

I have Malhavoc Press, Goodman Games, and Necromancer Games too. These are mostly one-off purchases and they get less use because of the conflicting rules visions.

 

[DaveMage]

Often, the big names will provide that time and time again. I feel cover credit is extremely important in this industry as is respecting and rewarding the best creators. Many companies seem to disagree with this.

I'm more likely to purchase from a good company than a good author. I would buy anything D&D related from Necromancer Games because I've seen the commitment from management to produce quality, innovative products. Same goes for Green Ronin.

The only "name" that all of my D&D group knows is Gygax. If I asked them all who Bruce Cordell or Monte Cook was, half of my players would look at me with blank stares. (Although I personally think Bruce and Monte are great writers, I wouldn't buy a product just because it had their names on it.)

 

[Nellisir]

Is Monte a big name because of his work, or is his work lauded because he is a big name?

... other than him, only Sean Reynolds and Bruce Cordell, two other well heeled authors, are released under the imprint.

Didn't Skip Williams write "Cry Havoc"?

I agree GR uses less well known authors, though most of them are also from the WotC/Dragon/Dungeon stables. I think they're less well known simply because they haven't been around as long, and at least two (Jesse Decker and Erik Mona) have fulltime jobs outside of game design. I also think it'll change as they write more. I've known Erik for years, and his writing as always impressed the hell out of me.

Cheers
Nell.

 

[Sir Whiskers]

Concerning the original question, yes there is a lot of consolidation going on and I, for one, think it's a good thing.

Take a look at many of the products that were released within the first 6-12 months after 3E came out. How many would you seriously consider purchasing today, with their sloppy editing, inaccurate rules and mechanics, wildly unbalanced classes, etc.?

Now that most of us have gotten over the intial period of gorging, i.e., buying almost anything released, publishers are finding that to succeed they have to stand out among the pack. And because the economics of publishing won't allow many (if any) publishers to compete solely on price, we're seeing a marked increase in quality of content and presentation (which is intended to justify higher prices).

Of course, if we ever reach the point where only a small handful of companies produce all d20 material, we could have a problem. I just don't see that happening though - there will always be room for niche companies. There will always be ways for smaller start-ups to bypass the large companies (pdf's for instance). So we are not talking realistically about a monopoly over d20 material (I'll leave WOTC out of this discussion, since we're talking about the industry in general).

But the higher quality of the larger companies will force smaller companies to match the same standard. And, as a consumer, that's what I want.