What do you think WotC should be making?

[00Machado]

They need to expand their genre series out to cover a lot more stuff. We need a ... political adventure book ....

I'd also release related content. Where are the modules that spin out of Frostburn or Stormwrack? Why not have the miniatures line support the books more closely, especially when a new monster book comes out?

Yes from my own selfish point of view on the political book. I'd definitely buy it.

And yes from a consumer and business point of view on your second point. Can't imagine why they aren't trying to build much more synergy withing and between their product lines.

 

[00Machado]

Connected series of adventures. Like the Slavelords series A1-A4; Master of the Desert Nomads series X4, X5, X10; The Giants/Drow/Queen series G1-G3, D1-D2, Q; The Lendor Isles series L1-L3; The Saltmarsh series...; From a 3rd-party, the Witchfire Trilogy.

Maybe not an beginning-to-end Adventure Path again, but short series are pretty nice. Load them up with adventure hooks with which a GM can spin off his own stuff. Plus, it shouldn't be difficult to make them generic enough to fit any average Homebrew.

seconded. As a side note, rather than new monster books (which I likely wouldn't buy), I'd rather see new monsters introduced through adventures.

 

[00Machado]

I would eat up a hardcover, deluxe edition of Greyhawk like a fat kid eating cupcakes! The Living Greyhawk Gazeteer is an interesting piece of work but reading it is worse than reading a high school geo book and it has little in way of 3e snippets. I think WotC would be wise to publish a 3e Greyhawk book with the Greyhawk specific prestige classes from the class books like the Knight of the Great Kingdom, Eye of Gruumsh etc. and take the chance to revise the setting description to be a bit more interesting, give a nice detailed account of the core deities and the Great Wheel cosmology, NPCs etc. If done right I think WotC could have a knock out product for Greyhawk that makes fans turn their heads and SEE that Greyhawk isn't bland and boring and is quite exciting. Look at the Pomarj! The intrigue in the Great Kingdom! The classic Dungeons! Instead of publishing sourcebooks like we get for FR Wizards could publish adventures that flesh out towns and such instead like in the 1e days. Think about the imagery of an adventure Called Death Knights of the Flanaess! Urpising in the Pomarj! The Scarlet Brotherhood strikes! Some of the most popular modules in 3e from Dungeon have taken place in Greyhawk! And WotC shouldn't worry about stepping on the toes of the regions in Living Greyhawk. Its just two different campaigns!

I would actually like to see WotC do more settings, re-releases and original material. Without an overreaching metaplot to their products D&D has only so many sourcebooks that can be done. I think they should continue ongoing support of Eberron and FR and then release a new setting once a year with a core book, a races book and a magic book and some adventures. In this way they keep things interesting and fresh and at the same time they aren't over committed to products like TSR was with their four concurrent campaign settings plus one or two settings that inevitably got cancelled within a couple o years (Dark Sun, Birthright, Mystara etc).

I would like to see a World Builder's Guidebook to help those DM's who want to create their own settings from the ground up and approaches th concept from the two different directions, helping the DM flesh it out as he goes along. It would include an adventure primer etc.

More genre series of books.

Planar adventures, even if not Planescape, Planar adventures are very popular adn something that many a DM loves to run because of the sheer amount of imagination they can put into these adventures.

Jason

Agree with all of this. Though I would only need a few planar adventures.

 

[00Machado]

I'd like to see a book devoted to Epic material, focused on DM material (magic items, monsters, alternate rules/rules variants, and running epic campaigns).

This would be a good support product. Along these lines, I think that a good general goal for them would be to focus on enablement, i.e. products that make it easier and more fun to play.

So, more things like the 3D Village terrain map thing they did, for example.
Furniture and set pieces for the miniatures line - not too expensive! Maybe even make it buidable/re-usable.

Adventure modules.

New content that makes cool use of existing things instead of new rule widgets. For example, the above mentioned adventures that tie into the environment series. Adventures that tie into the genre series. NPCs that use existing prestige classes instead of new ones. That sort of thing.

Fewer things to crowd my brain and more things that are just open and play type products.

 

[00Machado]

I think that WotC should put out a high-production-values rules-light dramatic game based on the d20 ruleset. I think it would make a good test baloon for some really great design work they could incorporate, and good market research to get them out of the tweaker / rules-heavier mindset that I think their forums and articles really encourage. Further, I think there's demand for such a product, but the existing market is scattered. It would be an opportunity for them to say "Hey, we know that lots of people drift in and out of D&D because of its complexity - let's make sure that when they drift they drift to one of our own products."

Sign me up. I want this product.

 

[Troll Wizard]

Hi Folks,

This is a spin-off of Psion's "WotC's in a rough patch" thread.

What roleplaying products do you think WotC should be producing over the next year or so from a business point of view? Note well that that this doesn't mean what you yourself want them to make nor does it mean 4.0 (not that that's going to stop several of you from saying it). Essentially what RPG products do think they should produce to achieve the most profit?
Jack

Obviously books that appeal across the whole fanbase/consumer base of D&D, i.e. no Epic, Incarnum and others, which WOTC has said are niche products. Or old dead settings which died long ago and/or partly contributed to TSR's fall (i.e. Planescape, Birthright, Spelljammer, Dark Sun, etc.)

Obviously the Complete Series has done quite well, which is why we are getting at least 3 more of them.
The presitge monsters books will continue. At Gencon they asked for ideas for the next enviroment book, I believe "Forest" will be next, based on popularity.

One book that could use an update and IMO would have broad appeal:

Arms & Equipment 3.5
Hardcover 320 pages
- Chapter 1: Crafting Rules (expanded), feats for crafters, special materials, masterwork and beyond quality,
- Chapter 2: Armor/Shield (pulling data from around the world and some fantasy-based stuff)
- Chapter 3: Weapons " "
- Chapter 4: Adventure Gear, I do this in my campaign already, but rules for masterwork rope(s), backpacks of different types, climbing boots, spurs,saddles, lanterns, oils, etc. and with misc/equpment bonuses to skills...
- Chapter 5: Transportation, boats, wagons, carts, sleds, balloon ship, with all the required rules
- Chapter 6: Other Sundries/Goods, Keg of Dwarven Beer, Ales, Elven Wine, Cheese Wedge, Barrel of smoked meats, fancy clothing, etc.
- Chapter 7: Magical equipment, some magical weapons and armor, but primarily adventuring gear and even household items
- Chapter 8: Treasure Generation, an expanded list of treasure generation tables for CR 1 to CR 20 monsters, list of tables for specific monster/NPC types: lich, dragons, vampires, CR 14 wizard, CR 20 Fighter, etc.

Trying to stay focused on books with broad appeal

More DM focused books and include a decent amout of content that would appeal also to players, more or less like their Heroes of Horror and Battle books.

Heroes of the Burning Sea (Pirates, islands, harbors, ships, undersea), would prefer large book with lots and lots, PrC, feats, spells, skills, ships & more ships, detailed harbors, lighthouses, monsters, etc.

Heroes of the Code
Orders of Knights, landholds, keeps, estates, Codes of Honor, Duels, Jousts, armor and weapons for knights, noble titles, PrCs, feats, skills, horses, keep and castle plans

Heroes of Cloak & Dagger
Spies, assassins, intrigue, political themes, lots of uses for sense motive, hide in shadows, forgery, knowledge skills, diplomacy, etc. Feats, spells, and abilities to help in those types of adventures and feats, spells, and abilities to counter those abilities.

Heroes of Adventure
It's the end of the world! 200+ pages of world domination and/or world ending adventures. Full of high CR boss monsters, their captains, and personal armies, with detailed plans for their world conquest, with lots of adventure ideas that can be expanded to get the party involved. Flood the world... raise all the dead... open a gate to hades... burn the world.... enslave the world... With PrCs that oppose them, weapons to slay them, special/unique spells to slay them, artifacts, etc.

 

[Aus_Snow]

More adventures in general.

Yay me!

 

[pawsplay]

Deluxe settings, including Greyhawk, Mystara, and Dark Sun, all getting a box or two hardback books.

Bumping miniature production by about 50% so there is basically a continuous collecting aspect. Also, offering PC friendly mini sets similar to the old AD&D "wizards and illusionists" boxes.

Miniature scenarios, similar to the Star Wars ones, with terrain tiles, specific miniatures, and skirmish and RPG scenarios.

An update of Arms & Equipment.

More setting-specific monster books. Not only would this please fans and cause leakage of the wallet, it would create collectability for people who don't normally play a given setting.

More Playstation games, in a variety of formats.

Hosting an advertising-driven "virtual tabletop" for D&D play over the Internet.

Some really awesome comic books.

I don't think there's enough mind flayer and beholder collectabilia out there... wouldn't you like a beholder capuccino mug?

 

[megamania]

As an Eberron fan I want to see and believe it sell well the following-

The Dragon Island (Argennessen SP)

The non- Five nation Nations of Khorvaire

The Planes of Eberron.



DARKSUN (I know- you've heard it from me already)

General books-

Magic Item Creation.
Chapters on how to do the detailed math of creating items for idiots like myself and tons of collected examples. Chapter on artifacts including an adventure involving one (or two)


Miniature Icon Series- Racial boxes collect 8 related themed figures into one box that have already been produced. No Card- strictly for RPGers.
example 1. - Orc Fighter x3 Orc Archer x3 Orc Champion Orc Sorcerer
example 2. - Githyanki x5 Githyanki Renegade x2 Githyanki Lich Queen
example 3. - Druid 5 assorted animals

Dungeon Tiles are a good idea. Expand to ships Two of the large tiles per layer of the ship. Do a special one for elemental ships.