Why won't WOtC let another company publish...

[kenmarable]

You'd be surprised how many of the D&D and d20 Modern label fans have that assumption. It goes along with their assumption that third-party d20 products are "third-rate."

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That may be true of some, but personally I think sight-unseen, I trust WotC designers more than 3rd party. However, certain names do crop up over time to buck that trend, but until I am familiar with someone's work that is my assumption. For me, it isn't so much that they are personally better, but it's the environment of doing it as a full time job for years on end, surrounded by a dozen or more others who have been doing it as a full time job for years on end. Contrast that to the majority of 3rd party publishers who are often part-timing it and/or working solo. I'm not saying good design can't happen in that sort of environment, but it can be more challenging.

A couple notable exceptions are Green Ronin and Paizo, but considering that they are staffed with people who have been in the industry for years, and are doing it as a full time job in a collaborative environment, I include them on par with WotC for my personal level of trust.

So I'm certainly not one of those who thinks 3rd party = 3rd rate, but I do have more trust in WotC and Green Ronin and Paizo for producing good design work than I do 3rd party companies - again, at least until I actually dig into the product and judge it on more than the company's rep. However, on the flip side, I except more innovation and pushing the envelope from the smaller 3rd party companies than the bigger ones (especially WotC), since typically, the bigger they are, they more "safe" the tend to run things.


Oh, as a little philosophical jab - like it or not, all knowledge is based upon assumptions.

 

[WayneLigon]

...but crosses it with the Imaro ... stories I grew up on and still love.

Wow, you're the only other person I can think of that even knows Charles Saunders existed much less wrote some great fantasy fiction . And this is my first time looking at the Wiki; I didn't know there was a third book.

 

[Imaro]

Wow, you're the only other person I can think of that even knows Charles Saunders existed much less wrote some great fantasy fiction . And this is my first time looking at the Wiki; I didn't know there was a third book.

Read them a long time ago, but I just recently found out they are back in print and ordered the first book from amazon. I have an all, except for two players, african-american group and I think it'll be good reading for all as I've been considering doing my next C&C campaign in Nyambe.

 

[JVisgaitis]

You might want to get your hands on Dragon #319 and Dungeon #110.

I have them. They're good, but I didn't like how they found they need to fit everything in. They're cool, but could have been better IMO.

 

[Joël of the FoS]

The “Ravenloft experiment” demonstrated that even with the backing of the 2nd most powerful company (white wolf) the original settings don’t have enough sales to be attractive.

I would agree if WW did act like it cared about the setting and advertised it.

"backing", you say? Ever saw an ad after the launch of the first book? A web author interview? A web enhancement? Well, anything interesting that would spark a DM's interest to look at the Ravenloft setting? No, nothing, nada, rien.

Also, the location of RL in the WW web site and the WW catalog said a lot: last thing at the end of it, on one page (while most new WW releases got the luxury treatment in the catalog and web site).

We don't know the sales of RL 3e books, by the way, and there have been only speculations on this. The only thing we know is that the Gazetteer didn't sold well.

Joël

 

[Xyanthon]

I would love to see some new Planescape stuff. When 2e came out, I pretty much had stopped playing D&D. Most of the stuff that came out durring the 2e era just did not appeal to me. However, when I came across the Planescape stuff, I really liked it. Being a big Elric/Eternal Champion fan the whole planar cosmology thing really appealed to me. So yeah, new Planescape stuff would be awesome. However, new planar material in general is pretty cool with me so it wouldn't even have to be Planescape for me to be happy I suppose. I still need to check out that Malhavok book Beyond Countless Doorways.

 

[Vanuslux]

Nevermind the fact that 3E Ravenloft's product line was pretty weak and uninspiring. It lacked the line of gripping adventures that really made 2e Ravenloft shine (to me at least). It probably didn't help the line that every cover looked pretty much the same and even with the covers facing outward on the shelf they all kind of blended together with nothing especially attention grabbing about them. No, I don't think Ravenloft is a good example of settings not having enough sales to be attractive. That line shot itself in the foot at every turn. I can't think of one thing they did right with it.

 

[Graf]

I would agree if WW did act like it cared about the setting and advertised it.

... the fact that 3E Ravenloft's product line was pretty weak and uninspiring.

I know little about the SS Ravenloft line. I certainly wouldn’t want to be held as having said it was good or bad. Though I think it received attention in the market.

Still… is there a game company out there that would be more equipped to handle an adaption of one of the remaining 2nd edition settings? WW made their name in horror; nobody else really has those sort of credentials (or their size).

The ‘genres’ of Post-apocalyptic Psionic Desert adventure/Fantasy in Space/Arabian Nights don’t really seem to be heavily served.

 

[Ranger REG]

Still… is there a game company out there that would be more equipped to handle an adaption of one of the remaining 2nd edition settings? WW made their name in horror; nobody else really has those sort of credentials (or their size).

And after the Ravenloft debacle they lost that credential (at least among us d20 gamers), not that many of their Storyteller fans would notice the ripple.

 

[Razz]

The one thing I hated about the WW Ravenloft was it's complete lack of setting cross-over. They were not allowed to mention anything from any of the other D&D settings nor continue the trend of involving outsiders from those published realms.

Yet Ravenloft was founded upon the mysterious Mists nabbing people from other cosmologies/Material Planes/multiverse whatever and abandoning them in the Demiplane of Dread. Heck, Strahd himself came from some unknown world! How do you wipe away it's foundations just like that!?