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<blockquote data-quote="Scylla" data-source="post: 5997400" data-attributes="member: 32833">I agree with the OP, to a point anyway.Wizards is never going to get everyone under one umbrella. That ship has sailed. Many 3.5e fans have embraced Pathfinder and Paizo, never to return. Some grognards cling to their old books. Many 4e fans won't accept any new edition unless it is basically 4.5e, because they like what they're playing now.Yes, manpower and advertising dollars must be split, but it can be done. I once worked in a publishing house where a staff of 18 people supported over 70 academic journals of wildly varying styles, successfully, so with a professional editorial staff it can be done. A lot of 3rd-party RPG companies are basically 1 or 2-person shops supported by freelancers and yet they can release a lot of product, so Wizards needs to be smart about staff usage.For months I've suggested a three-fold approach: 1. supporting an old-style &quot;2.5e feel&quot; D&amp;D (for the 1e, 2e, and retroclone folks), 2. supporting a 4.5e (to keep the 4e fans happy), 3. and creating a truly new edition for those that crave something brandy new. I would abandon the pre-1e editions (too small a market share). And I would also give up on 3.5e (Paizo has largely seized that market), except for occasional adventure support (which could be handled by freelance authors and a single editor). By doing this 3-fold plan, you retain your 4e base, lure back a good number of grognards, sell adventures to the 3.5e folks, and also attract those new to D&amp;D or those that haven't fully embraced the newer editions. It makes more sense than an ice cream shop hoping everyone enjoys the same flavor.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Scylla, post: 5997400, member: 32833"] I agree with the OP, to a point anyway. Wizards is never going to get everyone under one umbrella. That ship has sailed. Many 3.5e fans have embraced Pathfinder and Paizo, never to return. Some grognards cling to their old books. Many 4e fans won't accept any new edition unless it is basically 4.5e, because they like what they're playing now. Yes, manpower and advertising dollars must be split, but it can be done. I once worked in a publishing house where a staff of 18 people supported over 70 academic journals of wildly varying styles, successfully, so with a professional editorial staff it [I]can[/I] be done. A lot of 3rd-party RPG companies are basically 1 or 2-person shops supported by freelancers and yet they can release a lot of product, so Wizards needs to be smart about staff usage. For months I've suggested a three-fold approach: 1. supporting an old-style "2.5e feel" D&D (for the 1e, 2e, and retroclone folks), 2. supporting a 4.5e (to keep the 4e fans happy), 3. and creating a truly new edition for those that crave something brandy new. I would abandon the pre-1e editions (too small a market share). And I would also give up on 3.5e (Paizo has largely seized that market), except for occasional adventure support (which could be handled by freelance authors and a single editor). By doing this 3-fold plan, you retain your 4e base, lure back a good number of grognards, sell adventures to the 3.5e folks, and also attract those new to D&D or those that haven't fully embraced the newer editions. It makes more sense than an ice cream shop hoping everyone enjoys the same flavor. [/QUOTE]

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