The Official D&D Experience Speculation Thread

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Beyond this, perhaps they will announce a complete line of D&D male grooming products, including shaving cream/lotion, aftershave, deodorant, body spray, fragrance and hair-care products. The development principle? "It's time cons smelled nice once and for all."

ComicBookResources has given away CBR-branded soap at the San Diego Comic-Con (Comic-Con International) operating on this same theory.

 

[delericho]

How about:

Recognising the changing needs of their aging player base, Wizards of the Coast have decided to move away from the campaign-model of gameplay towards a single-session set-up. Consequently, the 4th Edition of the popular Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game will remove all references to character improvement and development. Instead, character creation will be performed by selecting a 'Race' card and a 'Class' card, followed by six random cards from a class-appropriate powers deck. Adventures will be designed to be playable in four hours from beginning to end, without the need for the Dungeon Master to prepare the game in advance.

(Actually, I don't see anything this extreme happening, but I can see a big advantage in developing a line of low-prep, short adventures suitable for a single evening's play. If they also sold a 'Character Folio' of about 100 pre-gen characters suitable for use with these adventures, they would go a long way to making the game more friendly to those who stop their regular campaigns when someone cancels.)

 

[loki44]

You may want to check eBay again before making comments like this. It's not that hard to find a bunch of minis at a decent price.

It's the shipping they gouge you on.

 

[jgbrowning]

• 4th Edition - I know, spoken of to death but I think this might be where we finally hear some dirt on 4th Edition. My guess? Released sometime in 2008. And please, let's not turn this into a what's in 4th Edition thread. There are eleventy-billion ones on that.

I agree. A metric boat-load of WotC products have hit the liqudation distributors (the ones that sell to used-book stores such as 1/2 price books). Some of these are barely a year old. The old stock is moving out at reduced price. 4th Edition is on its way. I'm expecting it to be released at [hendrix]The D&D Experience 2008[/hendrix].

Now, let's see if I get any of that right.

joe b.

 

[JVisgaitis]

Edition is on its way. I'm expecting it to be released at [hendrix]The D&D Experience 2008[/hendrix].

I was thinking that too, but I thought a year was too soon. Who knows, you might be right. WotC did just register DNDINSIDER.COM and a bunch of similar domain names. Wonder if that will be for their online software?

 

[DM_Jeff]

Since D&D Experience is the official convention for all things D&D and where all of the "big announcements" are made, what do you expect to be announced?

Hope this isn't hijacking, but what IS Winter Fantasy/D&D Experience? I mean, I though it was an RPGA thing, not a convention. Just a big gathering of RPGA players doing tournaments. My wife and I are seriousl;y looking for a new con rather than GenCon, with D&D focus moving elsewhere and it's overlittering with computer and video games there. W don't play in tournaments, but like dealer's rooms, art shows, and seminars. Does this thing have these?

-DM Jeff

 

[Lalato]

It's the shipping they gouge you on.

Depends on the seller. Methinks you guys need to learn about Auggies (no wait... I've said too much already).

Anyway, back to on topic... I think we'll get information about the D&D Minis set Night Below which should be out next summer.

I think we won't find out anything about 4e at all.

I think they'll have a booth set up where you can navigate the "kewl" new features on their website that are available only to subscribers.

I think I'll have a great time, even if I don't win a single match at the Sealed Championship.

--sam

 

[Thurbane]

So, let's say I need a bunch of Troglodytes, or whatever for an adventure... you're saying that I can't find them on eBay for a reasonable price? I think you're mistaken. You may want to check eBay again before making comments like this. It's not that hard to find a bunch of minis at a decent price.

--sam

The point is you shouldn't have to go through eBay - eBay itself is frought with problems, not the least of which is not everyone has a credit card (or equivalent) with which to open an account. Also, it might be fine and well for those in the USA where the majority of sellers and buyers are, but those of us on the far corners of the Earth are significantly disadvantged with shipping costs and availability of services...

...but all of this is not a debate for this thread, sorry. Suffice to say, people who play the official WotC D&D RPG should have an option to buy the official WotC D&D minis they want without randomization or having to go through unofficial re-sellers.

 

[JVisgaitis]

We don't play in tournaments, but like dealer's rooms, art shows, and seminars. Does this thing have these?

Honestly I'm not sure. I'm debating on going, but I haven't decided yet. Hopefully it will have all of the stuff you mentioned as that is the make or break for me. Here is a link to the current info: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=rpga/ddxp/hotel

 

[delericho]

Suffice to say, people who play the official WotC D&D RPG should have an option to buy the official WotC D&D minis they want without randomization or having to go through unofficial re-sellers.

Except that the randomisation is the factor that allows WotC to justify making the 'odd' miniatures. If they made them non-random, they would see massive sales for the most common monster types (orcs, zombies, dragons), and very low sales of anything more offbeat (the various types of demon, constructs, any good-aligned creatures). Hence, they would not be able to justify producing those poor sellers.

Combine that with the fact that only WotC can produce miniatures of the majority of creatures (beholders, mind flayers, anything from MMII, MMIII, MMIV, FF...) and we quickly get to a point where most monsters cannot be represented accurately on the battlemat at all - you have to use substitutions. (And, in fact, you don't have to go very far from the beaten track to get to that point - how many DMs use gnolls often enough to justify buying a mob of them?)

Random packaging is the price we pay for having a wide range of creatures available.