WotC has a milking machine now (Draconomicon I)

[Derren]

While in 3E WotC milked the cash cow still by hand (hard and tirelessly working hands) they seem to have upgraded to a high powered automatic milking machine now. At least thats the only explanation I have fore splitting up the Draconomicon into 2 or more books.

The 3rd edition Draconomicon was a very good book with a good mix of art, fluff and crunch although you might argue that the sample dragons were unnecessary and could have been replaced with more content.
In 4E WotC splits the concept of the Draconimicon into several books, each with a $40 price tag. You have Draconomicon I for chromatic dragons, and probably Draconomicon II for metallics. After that there will maybe come Draconomicon III Gem Dragons, Draconomicon IV Everything else Dragons and Draconomicon V Everything else we left out in the previous book Dragons.

This doesn't look like a good strategy to me considering that a big part of the players seem to suffer from dragon fatigue after the for the most part poorly written Races of Dragon and Dragon Magic so I don't think that this spread of Draconomicons will make them interested in dragons again.
Also I wonder what they want to write in all those books? Dragons are streamlined so there is not much place to add hundreds of abilities into them again (but maybe the Draconomicons will be written to counter this lack of abilities dragon will have in the MM?).
Also in 4E the metallic dragons apparently won't be so different from chromatic dragons anymore (at least no huge good/evil split) so I have no idea why they need their own book. I have the feeling that instead of one quality book like in 3E we get several poorly balanced and edited dragon splatbooks and this method of money milking was partially responsible for a lot of problems 3.5 Ed had so I am not exactly thrilled about this approach.
Also, after 2-3 Draconomicons dragons will likely again have hundreds of abilities and options too choose from negating any form of simplifying which was done. Not that I would complain about that but I am sure a lot of people will.

 

[Jack99]

*casts Death Ward to protect himself from the negative energy pervading Derren's posts.

My dear neighbor to the south. Why is everything always a worst case scenario with you?

You base your post on the title of the book, because it includes a "I". Sure, that could mean there will be a II, a III, a IV and quite possibly a V. However, how about just a I and a II? Is that perhaps more likely, considering there are two major types of dragons, the metallic and the chromatic?

And where is this dragon-fatigue that you mention? As we say online, screenshot or it didn't happen!

But back to the content, and the multiple books issue. In Third Edition, which is, as far as I remember, your frame of reference, we had a two books in a serie, about demons and devils. If they can write two books on devils and demons, surely the dragon, which is the most iconic monster in DND, by far, can fill two books on it's own? AFAIK, they never said the dragons would be more alike, just that they wouldn't be adhering to the rigid alignment restrictions of past editions, thus making them more unpredictable. This unpredictability is maybe what they need to explore in the books, giving them more options, more interesting angles to use the dragons for.

 

[Derren]

My dear neighbor to the south. Why is everything always a worst case scenario with you?

Experience and refusing to wear pink glasses.

You base your post on the title of the book, because it includes a "I". Sure, that could mean there will be a II, a III, a IV and quite possibly a V. However, how about just a I and a II? Is that perhaps more likely, considering there are two major types of dragons, the metallic and the chromatic?

+ Gem dragons + other dragons.
How many different dragons were there in 3E? And when you look into the news there are already people asking for a Draconomicon III Gem Dragons.

And where is this dragon-fatigue that you mention? As we say online, screenshot or it didn't happen!

Search the WotC forum for the time after the release of Dragon magic and count how often you read "I am sick of dragons by now"

But back to the content, and the multiple books issue. In Third Edition, which is, as far as I remember, your frame of reference, we had a two books in a serie, about demons and devils. If they can write two books on devils and demons, surely the dragon, which is the most iconic monster in DND, by far, can fill two books on it's own? AFAIK, they never said the dragons would be more alike, just that they wouldn't be adhering to the rigid alignment restrictions of past editions, thus making them more unpredictable. This unpredictability is maybe what they need to explore in the books, giving them more options, more interesting angles to use the dragons for.

Considering that in 3E one book was enough (and it was considered a very good book by many) I don't see a reason why now they have to split this book up into 2 or more. (Except money/marketing considerations of course).

 

[Chris_Nightwing]

You don't have to buy any of the Draconomicons, Fiend Folios or Complete Basketweavers. If they choose to publish a book, they probably project a demand for it. If the first in a series flops, there may be no others.

 

[Ultimatecalibur]

Experience and refusing to wear pink glasses.

So you wear dark brown instead?

 

[Steely Dan]

As I'm dragoned out, I don't give a crap.

Obvious statement: You don't have to buy every splat-book – haven't we all learned our lesson from 2nd edition.

…No more Complete Gnome Cobbler Handbooks for my ass.

 

[Charwoman Gene]

(wah Wah Wah)

 

[Khuxan]

+ Gem dragons + other dragons.
How many different dragons were there in 3E? And when you look into the news there are already people asking for a Draconomicon III Gem Dragons.

Search the WotC forum for the time after the release of Dragon magic and count how often you read "I am sick of dragons by now"

You can't have your cake and eat it too. In one breath, you tell us a book on Gem Dragons is desired by many, and in the next you tell us many are sick of dragons. Those statements are probably both true - but no one is forcing those with dragon fatigue to buy anything. By your own admission, Gem Draconomicon would be popular - let alone Draconomicons for the two more popular breeds of dragon.

 

[Derren]

As I'm dragoned out, I don't give a crap.

Obvious statement: You don't have to buy every splat-book – haven't we all learned our lesson from 2nd edition.

…No more Complete Gnome Cobbler Handbooks for my ass.

@Jack99
Here is your screenshot.

 

[Jack99]

Experience and refusing to wear pink glasses.

I wish I could, but my wife strictly forbids me to wear pink glasses.

+ Gem dragons + other dragons.
How many different dragons were there in 3E? And when you look into the news there are already people asking for a Draconomicon III Gem Dragons.

I doubt WOTC bases their marketing and sales on a few loud-mouths on their forums. And while gem dragons (and the other gazillion variety of dragons that exist in 3.5) have their fans, I am betting that it is still a very small minority that would actually buy a book about them, and that WOTC knows this. Else it would already have been there in 3.5, along with the Book of Yugoloths etc, that a lot more people were asking for.

Search the WotC forum for the time after the release of Dragon magic and count how often you read "I am sick of dragons by now"

Yet again, a few people who spend too much times on forums, are hardly anything to go by. After those books were released, did you stop using dragons in your campaigns? Did other DMs? I know it never affected my campaigns, nor anyone I know or ever talked to. Please speak up, if the release of Dragon Magic and Races of the Dragon made you use dragons less.. If not, it's not dragon fatigue, merely whining and bitching.

Considering that in 3E one book was enough (and it was considered a very good book by many) I don't see a reason why now they have to split this book up into 2 or more. (Except money/marketing considerations of course).

Well, of course they are trying to make money, it is a business. You (I presume) and I have our day-job, DND is just a hobby for us. For WOTC, it is also their job. When that is said, do you really think that it is inconceivable that they have thought up enough material for two books, considering all the fluff and mechanical changes in 4e?