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Weird rumor concerning "Book of Vile Darkness"
- Thread starter EricNoah
- Start date
Simon Magalis
First Post
Scott Greene had said on the Necro boards thought that there would be no crossover between the Tome of Horrors and any future WOTC products... I just wonder if he didn't know about this one yet.
Orcus
First Post
Scott and I are under NDAs for both the MM2 and the BoVD. We cant mention the contents. But I can say that I am aware of the contents and there will be no (well, almost no) duplication in Tome of Horrors (we are doing 2 or 3 that they are doing by special arrangement). And yes, ToH will include Demon Princes and Arch Devils from the original 1E MM, the Fiend Folio and the original MM2. I just cant say which ones. It was important to us (and to WotC) that there not be overlap and there wont be.
Clark
Clark
Hail to you Undying One! Any chance at a free copy of ToA? 
Kichwas
Half-breed
Re: Re: Re: Re: Weird rumor concerning "Book of Vile Darkness"
AEG's Evil and the WW Black Dog line approach the subject from two different angles.
And actually the first example Monte mentions is in both AEG's Evil and Mongoose's Demonology already.
So I'm skeptical on the 'need' of a book like this. It seems like it will only really appeal to two crowds:
Monte fans.
People who don't buy d20.
Maybe the book will be good. Maybe it will be better than the competition. Or maybe it won't.
But you should stop calling it a first or original.
Me personally, I don't a book with arch villains and tumor-using mages goes together with a book on slavery and prostitution... Sounds more like seperate topics to me. But I'll judge the actual book when I see it.
Except that it has.mearls said:
AEG's Evil and the WW Black Dog line approach the subject from two different angles.
And actually the first example Monte mentions is in both AEG's Evil and Mongoose's Demonology already.
So I'm skeptical on the 'need' of a book like this. It seems like it will only really appeal to two crowds:
Monte fans.
People who don't buy d20.
Maybe the book will be good. Maybe it will be better than the competition. Or maybe it won't.
But you should stop calling it a first or original.
Me personally, I don't a book with arch villains and tumor-using mages goes together with a book on slavery and prostitution... Sounds more like seperate topics to me. But I'll judge the actual book when I see it.
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Simon Magalis
First Post
Don't get me wrong Clark... I was more worried about WOTC taking something that you had already planned on doing. Glad to see that isn't the case. Thanks for the info.
Skarp Hedin
First Post
Arcady said:
I believe, somewhere in this thread perhaps, that Monte stated that he had written the majority of this book before AEG released Evil. Also, some people (who may or may not know what they're talking about, but I think this makes sense) stated that WotC has a long lead-time between project conception and final release. So if the BoVD was mostly written before Evil and all that.. would we then want WotC to chuck all Monte's work (without paying him, presumably) and thus lose money on a product which will certainly sell? Sure, perhaps because of Evil and Demonology and etc.. maybe it won't sell as well as it would have had these products never been produced, but I imagine it'll be profitable.
Also, what's "need" got to do with anything? We don't -need- Ford to exist, since we have Chevrolet, etc. I don't mean to seem cynical or unpleasant here... but no one needs any of this stuff, anyhow. All these products (the majority anyhow) are produced because someone thinks they'll make 'em some money, so "need" is defined by "what the market will bear". So if the Book of Vile Darkness turns a profit, then clearly it was a "necessary" product.
Arcady, you cad, you went and edited whilst I was dusting off the rapier-like wit 'n stuff.
As for originality, isn't this the first time WotC (or really, even TSR) has produced a product of this nature? I can't think of any others offhand, at least, nothing that's particularly in-depth and etc.
Oh, and uh.. the uh, tumormancers (hee hee, I wanna be a tumormancer, I'll fortell the future by biopsy).. yeah, anyhow, those goons could traffic in slaves, to sacrifice to the Bad People. I think Monte mentions somewhere that the prostitution crap was invented by the catalog copy-writers.
I believe, somewhere in this thread perhaps, that Monte stated that he had written the majority of this book before AEG released Evil. Also, some people (who may or may not know what they're talking about, but I think this makes sense) stated that WotC has a long lead-time between project conception and final release. So if the BoVD was mostly written before Evil and all that.. would we then want WotC to chuck all Monte's work (without paying him, presumably) and thus lose money on a product which will certainly sell? Sure, perhaps because of Evil and Demonology and etc.. maybe it won't sell as well as it would have had these products never been produced, but I imagine it'll be profitable.
Also, what's "need" got to do with anything? We don't -need- Ford to exist, since we have Chevrolet, etc. I don't mean to seem cynical or unpleasant here... but no one needs any of this stuff, anyhow. All these products (the majority anyhow) are produced because someone thinks they'll make 'em some money, so "need" is defined by "what the market will bear". So if the Book of Vile Darkness turns a profit, then clearly it was a "necessary" product.
Arcady, you cad, you went and edited whilst I was dusting off the rapier-like wit 'n stuff.
As for originality, isn't this the first time WotC (or really, even TSR) has produced a product of this nature? I can't think of any others offhand, at least, nothing that's particularly in-depth and etc.
Oh, and uh.. the uh, tumormancers (hee hee, I wanna be a tumormancer, I'll fortell the future by biopsy).. yeah, anyhow, those goons could traffic in slaves, to sacrifice to the Bad People. I think Monte mentions somewhere that the prostitution crap was invented by the catalog copy-writers.
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TalonComics
First Post
I must admit I am very surprised that Hasbro would okay a project like this mainly because they have never done anything remotely like it. I can't think of anything that even comes close to this going all the way back to the TSR days.
The most important question I have as a retailer is: Is this book going to contain a "Mature Readers" warning? D&D has always been defended as a game playable by 12 and older and this would be the first book that goes against that not counting Call of Cthulhu D20.
With that being said though I hope that this begins a bold new direction for Wizards of the Coast products. No, this isn't going to go over well with ultra conservatives and the religious right. It's time though to tackle the dark side of D&D.
I don't want this to be an instructions manual on how to play evil characters or how to run an evil PCs game. What this should be is how to truly play evil adversaries against the forces of good. How to make them sweat when confronted with those who are willing to do *anything* for power.
Welcome to Hell, children. You won't be leaving.
~Derek
The most important question I have as a retailer is: Is this book going to contain a "Mature Readers" warning? D&D has always been defended as a game playable by 12 and older and this would be the first book that goes against that not counting Call of Cthulhu D20.
With that being said though I hope that this begins a bold new direction for Wizards of the Coast products. No, this isn't going to go over well with ultra conservatives and the religious right. It's time though to tackle the dark side of D&D.
I don't want this to be an instructions manual on how to play evil characters or how to run an evil PCs game. What this should be is how to truly play evil adversaries against the forces of good. How to make them sweat when confronted with those who are willing to do *anything* for power.
Welcome to Hell, children. You won't be leaving.
~Derek
WOTC_Keith
First Post
TalonComics said:
Talon,
I'm not surprised at all. It's what the folks at WOTC (I almost said "we") have been saying for (literally) years. Wizards RPG division does not have to get a single one of its non-Hasbro property related books approved by anyone at Hasbro. WOTC steers its own RPG ship and has from the very beginning.
Keith Strohm
Director of Communication
Sabertooth Games
P.S. Must remember to change my EZ Board name!!
angramainyu
Community Supporter
Sorry Talon, I can see why this, as a retailer, might worry you, but I think it might be nice to have prodect that isn't dumbed down for 12-year olds. I'd be happy to see an "official" product on vile side. Let them put a disclaimer on it.
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