WotC: Character Builder's effect on Third Party Publishers

[ggroy]

Heh. Thread necromancy.

Looking at how things turned out over the last year since this thread had previously started and ended back in May 2009, it appears the hegemony of the DDI character builder on the 3PP market is almost decisive. For most practical purposes, the DDI character builder (as we know it) has cut off at the knees the market for many 4E 3pp player's options crunch heavy type supplement books.

In hindsight, what's amazing is how fast this actually happened over 2009. One could speculate that if WotC had produced a functional working character builder for 3E back in y2k, would the d20 glut had ever happened?

 

[IronWolf]

In hindsight, what's amazing is how fast this actually happened over 2009. One could speculate that if WotC had produced a functional working character builder for 3E back in y2k, would the d20 glut had ever happened?

Is this due to the character builder or the change in license between 3.5 materials and 4e? I am inclined to think the license change had more to do with it than the character builder.

 

[wayne62682]

Even in the 3E/3.5 days, I knew of NOBODY who allowed any 3PP material into their games. It was either PHB only, or later any WotC book, but ALL third-party books were forbidden. Every group I talked to was the same way - "We don't allow any 3PP books, only Wizards books"

 

[IronWolf]

Even in the 3E/3.5 days, I knew of NOBODY who allowed any 3PP material into their games. It was either PHB only, or later any WotC book, but ALL third-party books were forbidden. Every group I talked to was the same way - "We don't allow any 3PP books, only Wizards books"

It was certainly allowed in our gaming group. One DM pretty much allowed most of what we ran by him, he was the more experienced one and the one most likely to be able to maintain game balance even if something a little over the top was approved. Really though, the players in the game aren't out to break the game with 3PP material, just add some flavor to their character that might not be possible with the core books.

The others of us typically started with the core books only (including completes) and everything else required approval for use in the game. Most of us were flexible though and would allow things once reviewed. I think I was the only one to outright say no and that was to some Dragon magazine crunch.

 

[Mark]

Looking at how things turned out over the last year since this thread had previously started and ended back in May 2009, it appears the hegemony of the DDI character builder on the 3PP market is almost decisive. For most practical purposes, the DDI character builder (as we know it) has cut off at the knees the market for many 4E 3pp player's options crunch heavy type supplement books.

In hindsight, what's amazing is how fast this actually happened over 2009. One could speculate that if WotC had produced a functional working character builder for 3E back in y2k, would the d20 glut had ever happened?

It also required that a new game be created different enough from the old game to close off compatibility channels, and issuing a new license with greater restrictions on its openness.

 

[ggroy]

Is this due to the character builder or the change in license between 3.5 materials and 4e? I am inclined to think the license change had more to do with it than the character builder.

I would be inclined to think it was a combination of the two, and the turn of events which happened.

The draconian first version of the 4E GSL wasn't particularly appealing to many 3PP companies, which most likely put many of them out of the running. By the time the less draconian second version of the 4E GSL was released, it was probably too little too late anyways. The companies which initially opted out, already had other plans without 4E D&D. (ie. Paizo, Green Ronin, etc ...)

So initially, the 4E GSL license probably prevented a huge flood of 4E 3PP supplement books being released back in mid-late 2008 to early 2009. At the time, I don't remember the DDI character builder having a huge hegemony at first. In my 4E games and others I was aware of, I noticed the players were starting to really use the character builder a lot more sometime in early 2009. By the time it was Gencon 2009, it was clear to me that the DDI character builder was very popular and was the "hegemon". Even in my own 4E games back in early-mid 2009, I allowed the players to use any 4E 3PP books for their player characters. But none of them took up my offer, and preferred to use the DDI character builder. Other 4E DMs I knew of locally, mentioned the same thing in their groups.

Fast forward to today, there doesn't seem to be much of a market left for non-WotC player's option 4E crunch. I suspect even if WotC suddenly today made the 4E license into something as liberal as the OGL, I doubt there will be many more 3PP companies signing up to crank out more 4E 3PP supplement books.

Going back a decade to 3E D&D, a lot of the initial 3E 3PP stuff was DM stuff like modules and monster type supplements. (I imagine this is what Ryan Dancey et al were originally thinking of, when it came to making the 3E license relatively liberal and the types of books they wanted 3PP companies to produce).

The player's options crunch heavy stuff didn't seem to take off until sometime in late-2001/early-2002, with titles like Malhavoc's "Book of Eldritch Might", Mongoose's "Quintessential Fighter", etc ...

Mongoose Publishing : For All Your Gaming Needs ...

The conjecture is whether titles like "Book of Eldritch Might" or "Quintessential Fighter" would have sold like hotcakes if there was a fully functional 3E D&D character builder done back in y2k. (ie. Not the bug ridden one from back then).

 

[El Mahdi]

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