[WotC] Product Info and Release Schedule for Sept to Dec 03

[Arnwyn]

Just out of curiosity what kind of books would you be interested in?

Since you (foolishly ) asked, here are the products I would buy in a second:
- mass combat rules (that aren't reliant on miniatures)
- kingdom-running/management rules
- modules/adventures
- epic-level support

Here is my (current, subject to change and new product additions) buy-list from now until December to give you a baseline of my buying habits (acc = accessory, mod - module):

April:
- Airships (Bastion Press, acc.) - for my Halruuan skyships
- Raise the Dead (Necro. Games, mod.)
- Tales of Freeport (Green Ronin, ?) - add details to Freeport, which is *easily* insertable into my FR campaign
- Guilds & Adventurers (MEG, acc.) - rules for guilds! Freakin' finally!

May:
- Unapproachable East (WotC, acc.) - for my FR campaign
- Morrick Mansion (Necro, mod.)

June:
- Secrets of the Crab (AEG, acc.) - for my FR campaign (modified Kara-Tur using Rokugan)
- Aberrations (NG, mod.)
- Vampires & Liches (NG, mod.)
- Bloodspeakers (Paradigm, acc.) - another Rokugan accessory for my FR campaign

July:
- Fields of Blood (Eden, acc.) - mass combat and kingdom-management!

August:
- Lost City of Barakus (NG, mod.)

September:
- Vindication! (NG, mod.)

October:
- Underdark (WotC, acc.) - for my FR campaign

Nov, Dec: Nothing.

 

[Gez]

Feh. I would have been interested in prepainted minis... If they weren't random. I'm not interested in having to buy 24 "starters" in order to get a female gnome wizard mini for my PC, or that damn shield guardian mini for the campaign I DM.

I think it's a major error. D&D can't be played like Magic, you don't draw random minis on the table and have the PCs fight them. You do have an adventure prepared, and most of the encounters, if not all, are pre-planed.

Anyway, I can't imagine myself saying "so, for this new campaign, you'd better munchkinize well your 1st-level characters, because, you see, I've got more illithid miniatures than orc miniatures, so the first combats will be a bit harsh, I think..."

 

[MeepoTheMighty]

Feh. I would have been interested in prepainted minis... If they weren't random. I'm not interested in having to buy 24 "starters" in order to get a female gnome wizard mini for my PC, or that damn shield guardian mini for the campaign I DM.

I think it's a major error. D&D can't be played like Magic, you don't draw random minis on the table and have the PCs fight them. You do have an adventure prepared, and most of the encounters, if not all, are pre-planed.

Anyway, I can't imagine myself saying "so, for this new campaign, you'd better munchkinize well your 1st-level characters, because, you see, I've got more illithid miniatures than orc miniatures, so the first combats will be a bit harsh, I think..."

Or you could just go to the minis bin at your FLGS and buy a dozen orcs for 10 cents apiece...

 

[Darrin Drader]

Or you could just go to the minis bin at your FLGS and buy a dozen orcs for 10 cents apiece...

I strongly suspect that gaming stores will have open packages. Under such an arrangement you may end up having to pay them slightly more per mini (or less if they're obscenely common), but I think it will make sense for them to do this in limited quantities. If not, there's always trading.

Also, note that even though they are randomized, you still only end up paying a little over $1 each, which IMHO is pretty good compared to the $3 to $5 you pay for ordinary unpainted pewter minis.

Still, I do know people that actually enjoy painting minis and aren't so keen on the fact that these will already be painted. The ones I've talked to will still buy pewter or even buy the prepainted plastic ones and give them a new coat of paint.

 

[TalonComics]

Since you (foolishly ) asked, here are the products I would buy in a second:
- mass combat rules (that aren't reliant on miniatures)
- kingdom-running/management rules
- modules/adventures
- epic-level support

Here is my (current, subject to change and new product additions) buy-list from now until December to give you a baseline of my buying habits (acc = accessory, mod - module):

April:
- Airships (Bastion Press, acc.) - for my Halruuan skyships
- Raise the Dead (Necro. Games, mod.)
- Tales of Freeport (Green Ronin, ?) - add details to Freeport, which is *easily* insertable into my FR campaign
- Guilds & Adventurers (MEG, acc.) - rules for guilds! Freakin' finally!

May:
- Unapproachable East (WotC, acc.) - for my FR campaign
- Morrick Mansion (Necro, mod.)

June:
- Secrets of the Crab (AEG, acc.) - for my FR campaign (modified Kara-Tur using Rokugan)
- Aberrations (NG, mod.)
- Vampires & Liches (NG, mod.)
- Bloodspeakers (Paradigm, acc.) - another Rokugan accessory for my FR campaign

July:
- Fields of Blood (Eden, acc.) - mass combat and kingdom-management!

August:
- Lost City of Barakus (NG, mod.)

September:
- Vindication! (NG, mod.)

October:
- Underdark (WotC, acc.) - for my FR campaign

Nov, Dec: Nothing.

Thanks, Arnwyn! You answered my question and more. I wouldn't be surprised though if Fields of Blood doesn't come out in July though. It's only 2 plus years late.

~D

 

[JeffB]

I have no use for anything but possibly the Underdark book & the BoED.

I'm looking forward to the Dragonlance book & the Star Wars campaign book more than anything this year (other than the revised core books).

[mild rant] As someone who has for 25 years not been a mini's fan (just too time consuming & I'd rather spend my money & time on other stuff), I was REALLY looking forward to the prepainted minis. I'd have bought plenty. Now that is some kind of friggin Collectable thing, I won't be dropping a penny on 'em. If I need "X" mini, I want to go and be able to buy it just like that, not in some kind of friggin Crackerjack box, where I don't know what my prize is gonna be. Talk about totally friggin lame for your average D&D player who couldn't give a rats A$$ whether his Bugbear Chieftan is Rare or Uncommon. Thank God for Fiery Dragon and their Counter Collections.[end mild rant] Whew I feel better now

 

[Olive]

so you won't be spending mony on the minis even if there is a secondary market, and you CAN go into a store and buy whatever you want?

 

[JeffB]

so you won't be spending mony on the minis even if there is a secondary market, and you CAN go into a store and buy whatever you want?

Olive,

In all probability, that won't happen for me. Reasons?

1) Highly doubtful my small local store will do such a thing (since they don't do it with any of the other collectable mini's stuff they sell..Heroclix, mechwarrior, MK, etc)

and even if they did

2) No way in H-E-double hockeysticks I'm gonna pay a premium price for "X" just cause it's "rare" or "uncommon" compared to Y(assuming they would even have it).

I won't begrudge WOTC doing whatever they need to do to make a market/profit, but this whole new D&D minis thing just totally rubs me the wrong way.

 

[beta-ray]

Hmmm...I really dig the description of the Menace Manual. Sounds like a book I'm gonna check out for sure.

Agreed... Wonder if there are Phantoms there? Muhahahaha!

 

[beta-ray]

No, sorry, Colonel.

~D

Darn! For me those Kidd books are worth reading... Almost the only ones in the current lineup IMO. It seems like Kidd kind of disappeared? Anyone know what happened to him?