WotC and D&D

[Nightfall]

I just said I like donuts Mike! Besides I want more of your work in D&D stuff. Sue me.

 

[diaglo]

I'm with Nighttfall. I chose the OD&D(1974) is the one true game option. i don't consider it negative or positive. i consider it neutral. Whizzers of the Co$ts, a Hasbeen subsidiary will do what they want. they can't make me happy or unhappy. i would like for them to support OD&D(1974), but that's not gonna happen. there support would be to hand it over to someone else. much like T$R did to Greyhawk in the 2edADnD days and after. the hacks that butchered Greyhawk....

i vented against T$R (They Sue Regularly) back in their hayday too.

only when it was Tactical Studies Rules was i very happy.

 

[MerricB]

I did include that option just for you, Diaglo.

Cheers!

 

[WizarDru]

Oh and the mini line! Holy crap why didnt they think of this back when 3E was first printed?

They did. However, internal politics and a handful of chowderheads overrode logic and market research, and they released Chainmail, instead. And for the record, I like Chainmail...but I didn't start buying and playing it until after it started going on sale, which I guess is exactly the point.

I would also disagree that BoED is exactly the same as BoVD, in terms of quality. BoED is a player option book, and a pretty lackluster one at that. BoVD is a DM book, and provides plenty of interesting options for a campaign. BOED just gives you lots of +2/+2 and increased turning feats. It also forces a cosmology on you, and creats about fifty new 'furry' celestials. Feh.

 

[Psion]

As most of you here should be aware, I feel the 3.5 revision was too much too soon, and albeit it had some good changes, too many of the changes were over niggly reasons and too much of the guiding design principle of "make everyone at their best in the dungeon" I feel makes the game too narrow. And it seems this is not a one time thing... they will probably put out an even less necessary revision in 2 or 3 more years to spurn sales again.

Similarly, Draconomicon is the only post 3.5 book I have really like, and indeed, is probably the only book since the BoVD from WotC that I thought really was done well. Not that they didn't have their stumbles before that (DDG anyone?), but overall the books seem dryer now and based around more dubious design decisions.

That being the case, I really have to fall on the "I'm not too happy" side of the fence.

 

[trancejeremy]

Well, count me among the not too happy, solely because of 3.5

Asking people to spend $90 for revised books just a few years after 3e is just too much, at least for me (not really having a printer, the SRD is not an option for me). I also don't like many of the changes. (Of course, this is coming from someone who is still using the first version of Windows 98...)

At first I thought it wouldn't be that big a deal, but most d20 publishers have gone to 3.5, which makes their products not terribly appealing to me. So I'm mostly going to catch up on 3.0 products I missed and non D&D OGL stuff (like the Mongoose stuff and perhaps Spycraft)

 

[DaveMage]

I think the 3.5 revision was a bit soon, but since the 3.0 material still works fine with it (only a little tweaking necessary for most things), I'm okay with the revision.

I will be very unhappy, however, if the next revision occurs too soon (less than 5 years) *and* does not allow the use of 3.0/3.5 material without major conversion.

I could live with another revision if the changes were similar, although I'd prefer that WotC release a PHB/DMG with all the 3.5 errata cleaned up first.

 

[Garmorn]

Even though companies have to make money in order to survive, they have 2 options:

1- Inovate and create new things that people want to buy.
2- Recreate the same old things with a diferent name and a put a in a flashy packet.

IMHO, by releasing 3.5, wotc went the second way. I mean, if you need to improve your sales, make better products, do some research to see wat your customer's want, I don't know, but I'm sure there are a lot of ways to make money without insulting custumer's inteligence.

Wizards has already proved that they can produce awesome products(everyone has it's personal favorites, Draconomicon for me) if they want to, so why sitck to the old material?

Sorry , this is an old complain I had.

My point is, I like the produts Wotc releases, even the updated 3.5 versions like the complete warrior, but I think they'd rather spend theyr time creating orignal stuff.
One other thing, there are very few produtcs from wizards that are not combat-relatade, and even books more centred on custumization have 2 "must-have" charpters : feats and prestige classes.

Come on, who can use all those prestige classes anyway(most sucks)? And what about those feats (get +2 in a and b skills). Most of them we can create by ourselves.

Overall, I like most books(or at least the ideas), just dont like theyr way to handle custumers(WE ARE NOT DUMB) and dont like theyr ALL COMBAT way to create books

Sorry if I seem to ill-humored
I'm normally not like this

See ya

EDIT: TYPO

For most people that I have talked to 3.5 is an improvement. The improved intergation of minitures and steamlined and improved combat rules, minor as they where, help most of my group a lot.

WoTC is putting out the type of product that they should. They are aimed at the common gamer that prefer the traditional "hack and slash approach". The more intovative products are being put out by the smaller companies because they have a small consumer base. My group will never buy the Arcane Unearth, or any other of Malhovos (sp?) product because they are not the type of feel we want. Most of the smaller companies have a diffent flavor to them. WoTC is just nice bland flavor that can work with any company. I doudt that will ever change.

 

[Pants]

I would also disagree that BoED is exactly the same as BoVD, in terms of quality. BoED is a player option book, and a pretty lackluster one at that. BoVD is a DM book, and provides plenty of interesting options for a campaign. BOED just gives you lots of +2/+2 and increased turning feats. It also forces a cosmology on you, and creats about fifty new 'furry' celestials. Feh.

Really?
If anything, I'd say the two books are direct opposites. Both borrow from each other, use the same ideas, and draw upon the same mechanics. If anything, the BoVD seemed to provide a more 'dry and boring' look at evil, as in 'Look at me, I chop stuff up and have sex with Zombies, I'm eeeeeeeevil.'
Don't get me wrong, I like the BoVD, but I think the BoED does a much better job with its material. Unfortunately, it doesn't contain the Nipple Clamps of Rapturous Delight.

 

[TiQuinn]

How about an "I'm kinda ambivalent" option?

For the most part, I just haven't been impressed with WotC products the past year. They just haven't grabbed me. There wasn't anything I saw that screamed "must-have". With stuff like Midnight and AU coming out last year, my money and attention have been drawn to other publishers. Now, Draconomicon is supposed to be really good, and I'm looking forward to Eberron very much. But 3.5 came and went for me last year. Ghostwalk was a major disappointment to me. So, in general, I guess I'm a bit unhappy with WotC, though that may be a bit strong. I'm happy that there's other stuff from other publishers out there.