Wizard of the Coast Updated Product Listing!

[mcrow]

Well, its been a while since I have picked up any WotC stuff, but it looks like there will be @ least three sold to me this year.

 

[Troll Wizard]

Clearly there are more products coming.

....
No fiendish codex III listed (come on, they must be writing one)
....

Nope, check out Andy Collin's response (on his website's discussion board) to people asking for this book. None of the customer responses peaked my interests to buy FCIII.

 

[DaveMage]

Nope, check out Andy Collin's response (on his website's discussion board) to people asking for this book. None of the customer responses peaked my interests to buy FCIII.

Link?

 

[Sammael]

From what I can see, Andy didn't say either "yes" or "no" to FC3 - he merely asked for what people thought was a common, unifying theme for Yugoloths. Here is the relevant thread.

(for the record, my own response to his question would be "sly, manipulative turncoat mercenaries who suffer from delusions of grandeur").

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I would be greatly surprised if we ever get a book on yugoloths. I think giants, fey and elementals/genies are a lot more likely.

 

[Droogie]

Agreed. Totally understand that. I've run a business. I know how it goes. I'm not clamoring for less releases or whatnot. I've nothing against WOTC as a publisher. I like how they saved TSR and brought back D&D from the dead, yada yada yada. I'm no "hater".

I think it's time for 4th edition is what I'm getting at. Its time for a "do-over"

The game is getting too clunky when most of your adventures now feature much less content due to an increased "encounter stat block" to help you run a combat. The game is getting too clunky when a SECOND DMG, and a Rules Compendium are "needed" to make the game easier for the DM to run. The game is getting too clunky when the vast majority of stats in your books are incorrect (i.e. even the pros who get paid to do this can't get it right). A game is getting too clunky when there is 100 pages of erratta and FAQ/clarifications. The game is getting too clunky when there needs to be several weekly/monthly articles online on how to adjudicate the rules, special situations, and "save" your game.

I guess I'm just getting to where I see Treebore's line of thinking. I'm tired of doing all kinds of "work" just to play a game. I'm older and have much less free time. I have a family, and life besides gaming that uses up most of my time.

And this is a big reason why MMORPGs are making such an impact... they are nowhere near the same as playing a face to face game..but most people just want to GAME and have fun. Having the time to game/getting people together to game as can be witnessed by dozens of threads here over and over is a real issue. When you add all that WORK on top of it for a DM,and have to spend most of your precious session time just adjudicating a complex combat, its no wonder people are going to MMORPGs. Its getting to be too much hassle to play a PnP game. WOTC realizes this..hence the flood of "make it easier" products. And while I appreciate products that attempt to help me in that regard, as I said before I feel they are a band-aid..and not addressing the real problem.

I agree with everything you're saying. Of course, I'm one of the wacky ones who think a game like D&D needs to be revised every three years rather than every ten. As the most well-known rpg on the planet, you'd think it would be refined into the silky-smooth, user-friendly "ipod" of rpgs by now. Unfortunately, it still remains relatively impenetrable compared to other forms of entertainment.

I'm not worried about the death of the hobby; after all, there are still people into model trains and stamp collecting. But in these days of instant gratification, its not surprising that our work-intensive hobby is experiencing some shrinkage.

Anyway, after taking a gander at the Wotc lineup, it doesn't really look like we'll be getting a 4th ed too soon. However, I'd settle for some powerful, wotc-supported software to help take the edge off of game prep until then.



Oh, and to be more on topic, I can't wait for my next hit of plastic crack in March. I'll probably grab a copy of the Rules Comp too.

 

[Faraer]

Unfortunately, it still remains relatively impenetrable compared to other forms of entertainment.

It will remain so as long as it's aimed mainly at existing and lapsed 'gamers', and in particular those who buy lots of supplements. D&D is designed partly to enable complex fun with character-'building' and other rules-for-rules'-sake stuff, not primarily to be an easy-to-play game with transparent rules.

 

[Razz]

Mysteries of the Moonsea was a (horrible) adventure/sourcebook hybrid. I think assuming that future FR adventures would use a similar format is not unreasonable, especially when the product description reinforces that by saying it will have information on Anauroch. And PARTICULARLY given that, if the product schedule is right, TWO WHOLE FREAKING YEARS will have passed without a regional FR sourcebook.

Whereas they are publishing regional books for Eberron up the wazoo. Even for regions that were supposed to be left for the DMs to develop.

My points exactly. They suddenly stopped regional books. Why? Are they worried about rehash? Then why don't they do regional books on areas that haven't been done at all or haven't been done in a long time? I can think of many: Moonshae Isles, Old Empires, The Ride, the Tortured Land, High Ice, Great Glacier, Bloodstone Lands, Sossal, and more.

 

[jaerdaph]

Well, the Rules Compendium sounds like a useful product.

Also interesting (and welcome) to see that some of the older Ravenloft novels are being reprinted.

On another note, it looks like d20 Modern might be defunct.

 

[Ant]

Oh, dear! This is going to be a very expensive year. Best I start saving now. Take away the FR and Eberron stuff and the novels (and that "Confessions ..." thing) and that's my shopping list.

I'm tempted to buy two copies of Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk just because it has the word "Greyhawk" on the cover.