Worried that the mistakes of the past are being repeated...

[Dr. Harry]

Edcuated? How so? I'm not even sure I'd dignify that by calling it a guess, myself. I surely wouldn't say it's educated.

Stormwrack --to use your example-- is the third environmental book. By now, they know how well that series is selling in general, and can predict with presumably some accuracy how it will do. If there were a problem with the series, i.e. not selling, it wouldn't be on its third book by now.

There is a minor correction to your second statement; since the product schedule is done so far in advance, if the first two enviroment books had tanked, I think that we still would have seen Stormwrack. The long delay (i.e., none are on the current release schedule) until any future enviroment book is a sign of how (I think) WotC are looking to see how well these have done before adding more.

For myself, I hope that they have done really well, for I quite like them, and it is something different from "And now buy the same old classbook/racebook from the last edition for the *new* edition!!!" I also hope that these have worked so that WotC has something to make money from so that they don't feel the push to come out with a new edition to boost sales.

Harry

 

[sniffles]

Speaking as someone who likes to think of herself as an "average" player, I admit I may not use 90% of the new books. I certainly won't buy them. But that's not because I think they are worthless to me. It's just that the GMs I play with don't allow everything and the kitchen sink thrown into their games, and I don't have the budget to purchase a couple of $30 or $40 books every few weeks.

If I won the lottery I'd eagerly purchase every d20 supplement on the market, and hang whether I ever used them.

I do have one GM who does purchase every new book WOTC produces. Oddly, though, he's the one who's most restrictive about what he allows in his games.

 

[Desdichado]

There is a minor correction to your second statement; since the product schedule is done so far in advance, if the first two enviroment books had tanked, I think that we still would have seen Stormwrack. The long delay (i.e., none are on the current release schedule) until any future enviroment book is a sign of how (I think) WotC are looking to see how well these have done before adding more.

There's been a fairly long delay in the three that have come out; they haven't exactly been in quick succession. If the first one (or two) had tanked, they probably would have halted development on the rest of them. Only if they had already invested considerable amount of fixed cost and investment on them would they go ahead and publish the rest of the series.

So, I see your point, and I agree with it, but I still think that if the series were tanking, they'd have scuttled it before getting this far.

But that is a guess, and not an educated one, since I don't have any idea on the cost structure WotC uses to budget for their books, or a very good one of their lead-time either.

 

[drothgery]

I don't see how putting out new material hurts the company. As long as it sells and maintains consistency from book to book, where is the problem? Is there a finite number of books they have before nobody buys more? I would doubt there is a single book they could produce at this time that would sell to more than 50% of the market, possibly not even 25% (at least until 4e). If they slow the rate of new material to only one book per month, then their sales will likely be much more volatile each month. By hitting with three or four which will appeal to different segments of the market, they have a chance at keeping sales at some predictable level and they keep different segments of the market happy by supporting them on a more regular basis.

I agree with your premise, but I'd doubt the DMG hits 50% of the market, and that anything -- even the best-selling WotC releases -- outside of the core three and maybe the FRCS breaks 10% (I'd like the Eberron CS to be up there, but I doubt it is yet). Anyone who buys gaming books regularly will have all three core books and a lot more, but I'm sure there are a lot of players out there with a Player's Handbook and maybe one or two random supplements.

 

[Dragonbait]

The numbers to fear are 4 8 15 16 23 42.

Hjorimir, you are an amazing person. I shall sing your name from the mountain tops.

 

[Charwoman Gene]

The numbers to fear are 4 8 15 16 23 42.

Dear Sir,

I am intrigued by your ideas and I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

 

[William Ronald]

I think that WotC is not repeating the mistakes of TSR. Part of the problems that TSR faced were multiple settings with competing products, power creep in the rules, and some products that were hard to work with each other. (A book on magic in the Forgotten Realms might have been hard to use outside of the Realms (or refer to prior releases for some vital detail). Many of the kits from the Complete Books did not seem balanced, and often instituted social or role-playing penalties to "balance" other abilities. Additionally, by the end of 2.0, different groups could be playing very different games depending on whether or not they used Skills and Powers.) I think that the market is far healthier than when TSR collapsed. Plus, the people running WotC appears to be in much better shape than TSR was when Wizards purchased it.

I do agree that not every DM will use every book, but many people like to have options. A good DM considers the various options, and decides what will work in each campaign. I don't think you can fairly just use everything. Good DMing is an art that requires making sure that different rules work well together. This can be done with WoTC books, as well as some third party books.

Mind you, I am glad that WotC has a delegate program and has the Worldwide D&D Game Day on November 5th. There are also some other efforts that WotC is working on. I think if WotC and other companies want to attract more gamers, there are those of us willing to step up and help.

(I do have a link to my Attracting New Games -- Ideas and Strategies in my sig, where there is some discussion of different ideas and programs to attract new people to gaming. Feel free to contribute to it.)

 

[JoeGKushner]

Well, just as an example, using Stormwrack, I don't see very many DMs using such things often enough to warrant an entire book. I like releases that have nothing but new and innovative and pertinent information, but a lot of the ones we're getting either rehash old stuff or tell us what we (should) already know or at least have enough creativity to come up with ourselves.

Plus you have third party publishers on top of the WotC products now (something TSR didn't have), and most of them have nothing really new or innovative either. I just assume that most DMs are like me: limited budget and not willing to buy books that don't have mostly new and innovative features.

Hmmm... sea faring adventure sourcebook isn't useful for many DMs? (Looks at shelf with Seas of Blood, Book of the Sea, Seafarer's Handbook, Skull & Bones, and other books of sea faring issues....) Seems someone out there disagrees with ya.

 

[diaglo]

What makes you think that 90% of all D&D gamers find these books useless?

diaglo "who is 89% of that 90%" Ooi

 

[Crothian]

diaglo "who is 89% of that 90%" Ooi

wow, you lost a percent