Unearthed Arcana Unearthed Arcana probably coming to D&D website (Reddit AMA)

[Jester David]

I'm sorry, but, isn't this largely the Pathfinder model?

A couple of rule books per year, with most of the material tied into the Pathfinder modules? Aren't the modules themselves about half module and half rules and setting material?

So, this year you're getting the Rise of the Dragon Queen which has lots of Forgotten Realms goodies, much of which is being added to the Basic Book. Next year we get ... Spell jammer (just for giggles) and we get Spelljammer stuff added to the Basic Rules.

What makes you think that Thri-Kreen, for example, won't be added to the Basic rules?

Keep in mind that the "Pathfinder Model" was also the planned 3e model until some key staff left or were laid off, and the plans changed.

 

[Iosue]

It'll be interesting to see what their post DMG plans are vis-a-vis the Basic Rules.

As it stands now, you have the Basic Rules, and then you have the supplements that provide the info from the PHB, MM, and DMG that you need to run the Tyranny of Dragons AP.

We can assume, I think, that the future player-oriented books will have the same amount of embedded world material that you see in the PHB. Nothing you have to use, but a lot of fluff for if you want to play in the Forgotten Realms. So, I suspect that buying the, say, player-oriented psionics stuff will not bind you to the then-current campaign or campaign world. I'm less certain that stuff will show up in the Basic Rules. I think we'll see more supplements to adventures, but I suspect these supplements will have less and less new material as time goes on.

Putting things like Psionics in the basic rules strikes me as defeating the purpose of the Basic Rules themselves: a simple, free on-ramp to new gamers and core game for people who don't need all the bells and whistles.

 

[Hand of Evil]

I'm sorry, but, isn't this largely the Pathfinder model?

A couple of rule books per year, with most of the material tied into the Pathfinder modules? Aren't the modules themselves about half module and half rules and setting material?

You know, if I were Pazio I would be looking to the OGL next year and do my own 5E line, something new (Planescapey setting?) and I think they would secure being the number one RPG publisher.

 

[sgtscott658]

Here ya go:

http://www.ethicalconsumer.org/commentanalysis/corporatewatch/mattelhasbro.aspx

Oh and a berger flipper here in the USA has alot more say then some poor chinese peasant forced to work 16 hour days for your gaming pleasures.

Edit: Nobody probably cares so there really is no point in this.

Scott

Got anything corroborating for this? By some folk's definitions, a 17 year old in an american burger dive can be called "child slave labor".

Mod Note: Whether people care or not, real world politics is kind of out of bounds for these forums. So, let's let it be, please and thanks. ~Umbran

 

[Bugleyman]

Unsurprisingly (given my signature), I'm very pleased with what was said about managing bloat.

 

[Hannerdyn]

It's long term versus short term profits. Overwhelming people with content is great in the short term, but in the long term it burns people out on a game and you get diminishing returns with every product until you finally release a new version of the game. However long term profits can be realized if you pace the releases over years instead of months. In addition, you can slowly grow the brand that way year after year, without having to reset it and driving some of your core audience away with each reset, and ultimately the brand can (and should) make more than the game itself.

Well said but just to make a couple more points; in the long run the previous model will give you losses. You're printing more books than you can sell, your distribution costs go up per unit, etc. The 'new' model may actually be more profitable for that reason alone.

Also consider that if they lower the barrier to entry (something dozens of splat books makes more difficult) and are therefore able to attract more people to the game, that will also help to improve their margins.

 

[Jester David]

You know, if I were Pazio I would be looking to the OGL next year and do my own 5E line, something new (Planescapey setting?) and I think they would secure being the number one RPG publisher.

Paizo's been pretty adamant that they don't want to be at the mercy of another publisher again.
They were left in the lurch back in 2007, when a few months after they decided to release a series of adventures for 3e WotC decided to no longer support that edition. The future of their company was almost out of their hands.

With 5e doing so well it seems all well and good that other companies might want to join in and produce compatible content. But that gets tricky if, suddenly, WotC decides to produce an adventure that's too similar to something they planned, or changes the licence, or decides to release 6e. That's going to affect their company's sales and future.

 

[Scorpio616]

Edit: Nobody probably cares so there really is no point in this.

Hardly. While the site sure looks to be pushing a specific agenda, and I do wish the article's footnotes were more readily accessible, it's still useful.

Hasbro's entry on chinalaborwatch.org ... http://www.chinalaborwatch.org/reports/brand/24

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Things like Kender and Warforged should be in world supplements anyway, not the overall DMG, unless they were doing an appendix that had all the playable races for Dragonlance, Dark Sun, Spelljammer, Eberron, Ravenloft, OA, etc.

I suppose, these two races would have been in the campaign chapter, maybe as example races for specific campaigns (eberron and dragon lance).

 

[Kaychsea]

Things like Kender and Warforged should be in world supplements anyway, not the overall DMG, unless they were doing an appendix that had all the playable races for Dragonlance, Dark Sun, Spelljammer, Eberron, Ravenloft, OA, etc.

Given the, err... feedback(?) generated by the inclusion of things that people didn't want wasting space in the MM (metallic dragons et al) think of the enhanced form if there are things they don't want in the DMG? It's not like they've said that this kind of thing would be made available for no cost in a readily available resource... no wait...

And why would I be Golden Retriever puppies if I don't like Julie Andrews?