Will anyone fill WOTC's shoes with 3E?

[DM_Jeff]

I am heartened and strengthened by the company I will have on my very long 3.5 journey, not only with my gaming friends but folks I respect on these boards!

I hold no hat for 4e, it may be good or bad, it’s all irrelevant to me. It’s a different game. When WotC kindly told me point blank nothing I own will be useable with the new edition that laid it out for me and my groups. I have a room of exciting campaigns and 3.5 rules I’m still looking forward to use, my future’s so bright I gotta wear shades!

So if Pathfinder, for example, stays with or provides 3.5 stats for me, I’ll be one happy fellow.

 

[Jubilee]

I expect my husband and I will end up getting at least the 4e core books. I'm not sure though that our regular gaming group will be willing to reinvest in a new system. I'm not sure I'm willing to put as much money into 4th edition as we did in 3.5. I will definately be more picky about what's worth buying and what's not (which does not mean my husband will, so it doesn't much matter what I think!).

However, I've fallen in love with Pathfinder and Paizo's new setting, so if they switch to 4e, I will probably have to step up to the GMing plate myself, and force the group to play it in 4e, so I can justify a continued subscription!

/ali

 

[GVDammerung]

I am heartened and strengthened by the company I will have on my very long 3.5 journey, not only with my gaming friends but folks I respect on these boards!

I hold no hat for 4e, it may be good or bad, it’s all irrelevant to me. It’s a different game. When WotC kindly told me point blank nothing I own will be useable with the new edition that laid it out for me and my groups. I have a room of exciting campaigns and 3.5 rules I’m still looking forward to use, my future’s so bright I gotta wear shades!

So if Pathfinder, for example, stays with or provides 3.5 stats for me, I’ll be one happy fellow.

The last is a rub. At one of the Paizo seminars at Gencon, Erik Mona indicated that if Wotc creates a reasonable d20 or OGL license Paizo would go to 4e with its Pathfinder products beginning in August 2008. Or put more concretely, Paizo would complete the first two Pathfinder series in 3.5 and move with the third Pathfinder adventure to 4e. All this depends of course on Wotc creating a d20 license or OGL that Paizo finds acceptable.

The last is an open question for Paizo and a number of 3rd party publishers to judge from Wotc's 4th Edition OGL seminar at Gencon. There was no consensus on how best to proceed, only some broad areas of general agreement. Wotc clearly seemed to WANT 3rd party publishers to support 4e and from fan reaction at Gencon and on the forums, it is not hard to imagine why. I think Wotc understands that 4e is not being greeted by fans as 3e was greeted. IMO, they are OGLing 4e because they don't want continued support for 3x from 3rd party publishers in the sense that they see 4e as more vulnerable to continued support for 3x than they would like to admit. The big news about 4e broke at Gencon but I think this story has legs, particularly with respect to the d20 licence/OGL and what the 3rd party publishers decide to do. I think there is a more than fair chance, just depending on the above, that 4e could be successful but not successful enough for Wotc.

Steel Wind's comments about the intersection of the "time is right" lines for gamers vs Wotc, I think, may ultimately tell the tale. I don't think Wotc is completely in the driver's seat with 4e as they were with 3e. And I think Wotc knows it.