Would you Swap 3.5e for Exalted?

[Jürgen Hubert]

Whatever you might think of this marketing scheme, in my experience Exalted is a fun game.

And it might also give you a few things to think about for your next high- or epic-level D&D campaigns so that they aren't just "like low-level adventures, only with tougher monsters".

 

[moritheil]

Two wrongs don't make a right.

Or, more appropriately, just because someone else does something ten times worse than what you're doing, it doesn't make something wrong that you're doing any better.

I strongly disapprove of all corporate policies that lead to that kind of waste. I do not condone or support Wizards destroying their own product, and the fact that they destroy more than WW does not change the fact that I don't approve of WW doing it either.

More to the point, if I turn my PHB in for a 2E Exalted, I'm participating in the corporate waste culture, which would be entirely contrary to my values.

The real question here is, do more posts about the perceived moral inferiority of a practice that has little impact next to the (virtually unquestioned) more widespread form of it make the discussion more legitimate?

(If so, hey, I'm contributing!)

 

[Woas]

Oh sweet. I might do this now that Pathfinder RPG has been announced. Is it still going on? I'll even rip the pages out of my PHB myself to help my local game shop owner the trouble as I have no qualms about doing that. Actually its sort of fun!

 

[Lord Mhoram]

Well, I don't play much 3.5 anymore, and we have two 3.5 PHs, and one of them is pretty ratty. I'd trade that in for an Exalted core book.

 

[Psion]

I used to weep that I had no Players Handbook, until I met a man with no SRD.

 

[Brennin Magalus]

I used to weep that I had no Players Handbook, until I met a man with no SRD.

LOL!

 

[Achan hiArusa]

I am saying I like 4e better and I have no reason to go back and play 3.5. If I want to get nostalgic I'll go play AD&D or Gamma World.

Which edition of GW? 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, Alternity, or Sword & Sorcery. They all have their charms (and I have them all, a-hahaha!). 1st is the original, 2nd was the first to be systematic, 3rd took it all and made a wonderful amount of detail, 4th streamlined the game and was the d20 precursor, Alternity was a neat spin on it, and Sword & Sorcery, well it was okay and updated the holocaust to something that made more sense for today's world.

Anyway, I already have Exalted 2nd Edition (I only bought it because I had invested heavily into 1st Edition and I have the corebook and all the fatsplats, though I do have the Scavenger Lands which I won from Justin Achilli in an A-kon trivia game and Scroll of the Monk) and if I gave away my hardback PHB then all I would have is my softback and there would be a hole in my collection since I have the OD&D boxed set, the blue book, the BE sets, the BECMI sets, the Cyclopedia, all the 1st edition hardbacks, all the 2nd edition hardbacks (along with most of the Complete Series, all the Historical Series, most of the FR books, etc.), all the 3.0 books (minus the adventures), and the few 3.5 books corebook and beyond before I got tired of being a D&D completist (though I love my ToB: Bo9S).

 

[dirkformica]

As far as I can tell, the objections are:

1. You're destroying a book! Response: So? You didn't want it any more.
2. This is a marketing stunt! Response: Yes, and?
3. This requires a personal sacrifice! Response: So does trading in your old car. And?

Am I missing anything here?

Cheers,
Cam

Looks about right to me. I say:
1.) Exactly, and both companies will be destroying thousands more in the not too distant future (as has been discussed in the thread.) I personally don't see a problem with it (although evidently some do, which is their right.)
2.) Yes, and I think it's a very amusing and clever one. I'd never heard of Exalted, and I checked out their website and have looked into the game, so their marketing has worked to a certain extent. It seems to have worked on several people in this thread as well.
3.) I don't really think the car analogy or the Mona Lisa analogies are good ones here. It's just a symbolic, non-monetary barter system. The symbolic aspect is most important and bolsters their PR stunt, which I still feel is an entertaining one.

One thing additional thing is that WW is more than likely having the books destroyed for more than just the reasons stated (symbolic PR stunt, to reduce their own storage/shipping costs, forcing those costs on the retailers, or by spreading their competitor's brand through donations.) There is also probably a legal issue. If a corporation buys up the product of a competitor (and even though this is a barter, there would still probably be a monetary value placed on the items) and then turned around and sold them on the secondary market this could probably raise legal concerns. Even though WW would now own those products, they could theoretically use them to undermine the intellectual property on the secondary market. This is pure speculation on my part with zero legal background, but I'm sure WW is just ensuring their is no avenue of legal retaliation if the larger publishing power of WoTC decided to get lititious.

I'm glad I stumbled on this thread because it's been entertaining.

 

[HeinorNY]

I find it spiteful and a grandstanding attempt to jump on anti D&D (4e) sentiment.

All I know is that it awakened my dormant anti-WW sentiment.

 

[escaflowne777]

no.

Maybe WW is giving all the DnD books to society's undesirables so that people will associate DnD with.... Wait.... Nevermind.