What's up with all the 'evil' books lately?

[National Acrobat]

I think people have seen how powerful of an evil character you can create, especially clerics. So naturally, there is a demand to know how to run and play in an evil setting for evil characters.

 

[Furn_Darkside]

I think people have seen how powerful of an evil character you can create, especially clerics. So naturally, there is a demand to know how to run and play in an evil setting for evil characters.

I don't know how true that is- I know I have heard people just say they are tired of being the villians.

I would not mind books that help me round out villians, but I will not be running an evil campeign.

FD

 

[Zappo]

Ok, ok! There is a void, which is being filled. In a month or so, you can change the quote to "There was a void, now filled". There, is it fine now?

 

[Sammael99]

Villains, Book of Vile Darkness, Of Things Dark And Sinister, etc, etc. Why so many? And why are they all coming out at around the same time?

Also, what is the next trend? Books about really good people? governments? insane asylums?

That last item could be pretty funky...

As for a decent book on governments, I wouldn't mind reading one, and maybe half the campaign designers around could do well with one too... Kind of niche, but kind of useful too...

 

[National Acrobat]

I don't know how true that is- I know I have heard people just say they are tired of being the villians.

I would not mind books that help me round out villians, but I will not be running an evil campeign.

FD

I know personally from my experience that my players, especially those with the expanded domains from the FRCS book are dying to play an evil group where they can play clerics with some of the evil oriented domains, plus several of my players want to play Blackguards and another wants to play a Pale Master. All evil. It seems to be something they want to try. Just my personal experience.

 

[Vocenoctum]

Heck, I'll probably glance through Vile Darkness and not even buy it, since I doubt it'll be worthwhile. Likewise, I'll probably not even give the "other evil books" a second glance.

Basically, I don't want a Book of Eville. I love Secret College of Necromancers. It's plenty Eville enough for me, but is centralized around a concept I can use. I also have basic drug rules in Arcana: Socieites of Magic.

I don't want some book which only fits in because it's for evil. To me it's just silly. If I bought a book about X, and it happened to have torture rules in their, fine, but I don't need a book geared towards such.

From reading Monte Cook's article about the four types of campaigns in Dragon, I can honestly say "Vile" is not one I'll ever run.

 

[jmucchiello]

True. Throwing away half of a manuscript could be costly,

Actually it's throwing away the whole manuscript. More than likely all of the manuscripts for these evil books were in the editors hands when the companies announced "hey we've got an evil book". Now there are several coming out at once. Should the producer just eat the manuscript cost? How about the artwork they've commissioned as well? Printers do not like it when you miss your target window to have something printed. RPG producers run on thin margins. Once the book is written it has to get out the door eventually.

Also, wouldn't trashing a half-written manuscript be cheaper than printing a book that will just sit on the shelves?

As I said the lead time for a book means the manuscript is probably complete (or nearly complete) before the book is announced. If you trash it do you pay the writer? If you don't will he work for you again?

Joe Mucchiello
Still no evil book announced.
Throwing Dice Games
http://www.throwingdice.com

 

[Theovis]

I've wondered if on occasion some publishers try and scoop WOTC with their releases, such as Traps and Treachery (beating Song and Silence to the shelves) and the Divine and the Defeated (Deities and Demigods).

Without WOTC's red tape, it seems possible to get a product together well before Wizards does, even if you don't start until rumors of the release start to circulate. Book of Vile Darkness has been talked about for quite some time, so it's entirely possible the products are linked, just not by conspiracy.

 

[Henry]

I really don't think you can say that the books are "all at the same time." For example, AEG's "Evil" has been out for some time now. BOVD is not out for another month, and I am unfamiliar with the others as even being released soon.

 

[Maraxle]

As I said the lead time for a book means the manuscript is probably complete (or nearly complete) before the book is announced. If you trash it do you pay the writer? If you don't will he work for you again?

Isn't it cheaper to pay a writer than pay a writer and pay for printing, only to have the book collect dust? Anyway, I don't really care. I was just curious as to why there were so many books with the same basic premise, rather than innovative ideas.