What Do You Need From Publishers?

[Koloth]

Setting books that are not hard tied to one system. Example would be Green Ronin's Freeport book. Other examples like World's Biggest City/Dungeon books. Bonus points for including a pdf that recasts any included NPCs for other systems. Don't try to make me buy a $70+ book with D&D NPCs that was originally a $70 book for Pathfinder when there are no other changes to the setting information. Additional bonus points for making material in various VTT formats. Books are cool but for most folks, data entry sucks.

For game systems, downloadable character sheets and other basic reference material. Make it easy to find. Don't hide it behind a subscription.

 

[payn]

What I need mostly from publishers is rules, and at least some mechanical implementations of those rules (In a game like D&D, that'd be player options, monsters, spells, items) that A) give me some sense of the general expectations of the game and B) give me ideas I can fold, spindle, and mutilate into things I can use at my table. Things to make play easier at the table are nice, but my experience is that different people will find different things helpful, there--and it has mostly seemed to me as though what other people find most helpful, I find least. (Obviously if everyone else finds a thing useful, the publisher/s should keep publishing that kind of thing, it's just not a thing I need.)

Oh this is good stuff. I also like sub-systems that expand the rule set.

 

[Scott Christian]

This may sound odd, especially considering the gaming world seems to be inundated with them, but I would say maps, terrain, and minis. But there is a catch, but I would like ones that are more customizable. I know Inkarnate and Dwarven Forge, and I use it. Also, I have used HeroForge on occasion for miniatures. But, each and every one of these is extremely expensive, and I don't mind spending money on this hobby. It just seems if the scale could somehow be ramped up, or the technology tweaked for efficiency, then that would be a boon to the hobby.

 

[sevenbastard]

A "Book of Lairs" is always useful. I dont need adventures, I write those, but sometimes you need a Displacer Beast den that is tightly writen, minimal back story, but creative as a random encounter to pop down in a hex.

Stat blocks. Sure I got two maybe three hill giants for 5e, but what about my Hedge Witch Hill Giant Matron? A Hill Giant Chain Berserker? Give me some variety. Sure I can reskin and homebrew, but its faster to have them in a book.

And for 5e a whole book could be filled with NPC for classes of various levels and sub classes. And some NPC that are multiple classed.

 

[Arilyn]

Pretty much what @overgeeked said. I love short imaginative adventures that inspire and excite me A lot of the coolest adventure stuff is coming from the OSR/NSR these days. Game wise, there's many excellent ones from a variety of styles.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Modular content, whether that's settings -- the OSR has a lot of single hex settings, which is a great example -- dungeons, encounters, etc.

I think at this point, most existing GMs have settings for days and, if not, can typically come up with a setting by knitting what they have together. But the game is typically not played in broad sweeps of history and cosmology, but in day to day encounters and life. Give me that stuff.

If you want to create a detailed setting book about what life is like in your fantasy kingdom, just make it systemless and ideally something like The Writer's Guide to Everyday Life in the Middle Ages, where it's easy to flip to a page and look up clothing or meals or holidays, etc. With a book like that, a map, a few place names and a few adventures (including ones from other vendors), I'm good to go.

 

[bedir than]

Simplified character sheets

I know the main sheet has to represent every possible construction of a character, but I don't need a four page sheet for a specific character (D&D and the like).

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Simplified character sheets

I know the main sheet has to represent every possible construction of a character, but I don't need a four page sheet for a specific character (D&D and the like).

And for non-D&D games, this still applies. Having a cool arty character sheet that's a nightmare to use at the table is less preferable than having a clean, well-designed one, with all of the essentials listed on it.

 

[DragonLancer]

For D&D I want full published adventure path style campaigns that go 1st to 20th. Generic enough that they can fit most settings and don't go weird or way out.