Why won't you switch?

[Lackhand]

The first test of this will come when they release that Dragonborn splatbook in 2009 or 2010. Personally, I wouldn't be remotely surprised to see 5e going a lot more "back to basics", dropping the Dragonborn and the Tiefling, and heralding the return (again) of the Half-orc and the Monk in the core.

Not the monk in core -- too anime.

But yeah, the guide to all things draconic (probably not just dragonborn -- probably a sort of draconomicon-ish thing, preferably not -- but conceivably -- the Draconic Powersourcebook (Powersource book? Power sourcebook?) ) will come out...
... and if anecdotes count for anything (protip: they don't!), it'll sell like draconic hotcakes.

Dragon Magic. Research indicates that books with either of those words in the title sell better. Both together? Yahtzee!

 

[Cadfan]

I've got friends who love the dragon books. And they're not 12, they're all in college. And interestingly, I don't have a single friend who enjoys going around and making fun of people who like dragon characters instead of pointy eared elfy characters. That isn't necessarily because I don't know anyone who does that, but those I know certainly aren't my friends.

 

[AllisterH]

It's rather hard to buy those books about Orcs when they don't publish them.

And one could argue that the reason we kept seeing new and different versions of the Dragon Disciple/Dragon Shaman, Dragonkin/Dragonborn/Half-dragon concept, but rarely or never did we see expansions to the existing material, is that none of the various versions they put out achieved any notable traction amongst the player base. One might almost think someone at WotC has a pro-dragon anti-orc (and pro-elf, anti-gnome) agenda that they're pushing on us despite a customer base inclined to say "Meh".
.

I could see WOTC putting out 1 book on Dragons. Maybe 2 if you're belief is correct (although WOTC pretty much has never gone back to a topic that didn't sell in the 1st place, see Weapons of Legacy or Tome of Shadows) but 3?!??!?!

No-one at WOTC has got that kind of power to subject us to 3 books on Dragons, countless others "Dragon-inspiried mechanics" without there being some monetary benefit to it.

I suspect this is the same reason why the warlock is in 4E and not the bard. The warlock seems like it has become a popular class much moreso than the bard anyway.

 

[helium3]

Isn't there some conspiracy theory that the whole "New Coke" thing was really so they could change their formula for Coke from Sugar to High Fructose Corn Syrup and get away with it?

 

[TwoSix]

I think of Tieflings as a PC race in the PHB as a deal-breaker, but not by itself. It's a sign of a pervasive attitude that seems to fill 4e, the disregard of established setting presumptions and meta-setting information.

It's funny, because the cleaning up of 30 years of psychic detritus is one of the big attractions for me with 4e. If the setting changes were so sweeping, I wouldn't have been half as interested.

 

[Desdichado]

It's funny, because the cleaning up of 30 years of psychic detritus is one of the big attractions for me with 4e. If the setting changes were so sweeping, I wouldn't have been half as interested.

Indeed; the "cleaned up" setting is one of 4e's strong points right now.

The only reason it's not a strong enough point is that I can do that on my own in homebrew already anyway. And in fact, I do.

 

[Celebrim]

I've got friends who love the dragon books. And they're not 12, they're all in college. And interestingly, I don't have a single friend who enjoys going around and making fun of people who like dragon characters instead of pointy eared elfy characters. That isn't necessarily because I don't know anyone who does that, but those I know certainly aren't my friends.

Yeah, and my two year olds are huge fans of Dragons. Pete's dragon. DragonTales. Stuffed dragons. Books about dragons.

And noone better make fun of my girls!

Seriously, a little levity Cadfan? Lets not get all riled up over nothing.

And I make equal fun of people who are fond of pointy eared elfin characters. Especially if they are my friends. It's only a problem if you haven't embarassed your inner silliness.

Come on admit it. You are the 'friend' you are referring to. We all know it. Come out of the closet. You don't have any more to be ashamed about being a dracophile than a writer of erotic furry Star Trek crossover fan fiction.

 

[AllisterH]

Isn't there some conspiracy theory that the whole "New Coke" thing was really so they could change their formula for Coke from Sugar to High Fructose Corn Syrup and get away with it?

New coke is interesting.

In Blind Taste tests, new Coke did WAY better than classic AND pepsi (and I agree with this, I always thought classic coke was nowhere as good as Pepsi) but a minoirty of people were able to make their concerns dwarf and influence others.


Will we see the same with 4E via 3.5?

 

[Scarbonac]

Personally, I'm in the "can't wait" camp and would've liked to have seen this revision sooner, as are a lot of people.

This really isn't the thread for you, then. This is the "Why won't you switch?" thread.

Are you lost?

 

[wingsandsword]

Not the monk in core -- too anime.

1e was "too anime"? I didn't know excessive anime influence was a problem dating back to the late 1970's in D&D design.

Monks in D&D long predate the popularity of anime in the United States.