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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Essafah" data-source="post: 7896762" data-attributes="member: 16472">[USER=467]@Reynard[/USER] you could be correct regarding the Dark Sun brand being esoteric with a younger generation of players but then so was Eberron for many.  For example, Eberron is still a young setting to me but in my gaming group we have a player who is 22 years old.   She would probably have just been barely walking when Eberron was released so to to her this is a shiny new book and guess what?  She loves it with the steam (er dungeonpunk) feel and new races, etcetera.  So, the idea of not publishing a campaign world because a lot of new players don't know about it does not hold up to me or they would never have released Eberron. I think WOTC's model currently is to release campaign worlds that are distinctly different from FR which is they made the flagship world for 5E and is more a generic setting. I started playing in 2E and didn't really know about worlds like Mystara and Greyhawk yet when then TSR released From the Ashes for Greyhawk and Karameikos: Kingdom of adventure for Mystara I was happy  and excited to learn about them because it was a fresh setting to explore.  Likewise when Dark Sun was released it had a smaller footprint than now as it was brand new yet many people found it exciting.  I imagine how some people may feel about Wildemount now.For me, I must admit I am highly disappointed and feel let down by WOTC that they are not releasing some classics full campaign settings that I am fond of like Dark Sun, Planescape, Spelljammer, or even Ravenloft (I mean a full world book not CoS).  I think if WOTC was still an independent RPG/gaming company these worlds would have been out already and we would have more splat books which I like because I like options, but WOTC is owned by Hasbro and like them or not Hasbro handles business like an efficient corporation.  The Wildemounte book while a huge let down to me makes sense to 1) tap into the podcast fanbase and release a book that is pretty much guaranteed to be a huge seller and 2) potentially expand some new players into the fold.  Plus, the book will have some stuff for non-CR fans.  For example, Dunamancy seems like a cool school of magic and from the interviews I have seen on D&D Beyond it seems like Dunamancy is brings a lot of 4E control elements (pushes, pulls, and slides) to the game and this is something from 4E that I miss.  So that is cool.I wish that there was a way to satisfy both the existing/older customer base who helped propel D&D to popularity and the fresh blood that is vital to carrying to the torch forward.   [USER=16077]@3catcircus[/USER] is correct in business school they do teach that while expansion is vital existing customers are the crux of your sales vs new customers who often will buy sporadically (if in big chunks) but not consistently buy and support a product and there are examples in business of abandoning existing customers being a bad model.  I don't really know if WOTC is doing this here though BUT I will say I can understand people being upset that worlds like Ravnica (which I purchased and thought "Oh this is all about political intrigue between existing houses/factions and is a mix of fantasy adventure and hard-boiled detective but all confined to this giant city so it is a more restrictive version of Eberron) and now Wildmounte have settings while even distinctive classic campaign worlds like Planescape, Al-Qadim, Spelljammer, and Dark Sun don't yet.   I also don't understand the logic of  people who say just use the campaign material out from 2E or 1E or whatever. To me this argument seems highly disengenous; people like shiny new books with new (and recycled art) for their favorite worlds and minor updates on world happenings, etcetera.  Hence, why Eberron got an update.So, yeah I can understand both sides of the argument.  I plan on purchasing Wildemount though I honestly feel little excitement over it because it does have something to mine.  Honestly, as a solution maybe WOTC/Hasbro should license out the brands they have no intention of selling.  Via licensing agreement even with a competitor company like Paizo both sides when depending on how the agreement is detailed.     This way an RPG company can put out official WOTC branded materials for worlds many existing fans love and that I think new players  would love too judging by Eberron and past history while at the same time WOTC can just release worlds  based on podcasts products  and highly popular mass appeal brands.  To me that model seems like a win/win for everyone.P.S.  As a quick addendum for worlds like Greyhawk which I absolutely love but are not distinctive enough from generic fantasy worlds like FR and are less likely to see a world release from WOTC anytime soon, I think WOTC should consider some kind of Print on Demand model perhaps.  I mean, with Greyhawk I have the Living Greyhawk Gazetter from 3E and I do not imagine much has changed. WOTC could literally just port most of the text over verbatim and add a vague plot hook for new developments for some of the major land and use mostly recycled art with a few new pieces thrown in and advertise it as a new sitting but the book is printed on demand when ordered.  I think despite this philosophy of the old guard dying these books would be popular.  I also think this could be a way for settings that were super niche even in 2E when TSR was releasing campaign worlds faster than  hotcakes to get a release.  I am looking at settings like  Karameikos, Red Steel (more of a subcampaign that one), etcetera to see the light of day in 5E.</blockquote>

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