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YRM_DM
Sergeant
901 Posts
    
 | | 12/26/2006 9:36 PM |
| IF, and only IF the 4th Edition comes out, it's going to have to offer some value over the 3rd Edition and 3.5.
If someone put a gun to my head and said, "Come up with a 4th Edition, and make it add value over 3.5!" Here's what I'd do.
Step 1 - Combine, clean-up and expand the PHB and PHB II.
Step 2 - Combine, clean-up and expand the DMG and DMG II.
Step 3 - Combine, clean-up and expand the Monster Manual.
So you start off with three larger books. They cost more, but, the expensive binding process is still a one time expense.
I'd eliminate some of the better classes better feats (like Druids casting in Wild Shape) and I'd add some Complete Series feats for the melee and Rogue type classes.
KEY STEP 4 - Each book comes with a protected LOGIN KEY that offers access to that book's content in a well built online tool (they are starting to do this now).
It's absolutely critical that, if WoTC expects to ask people to buy a new version, that they embrace a lot of what eTools SHOULD HAVE BEEN and combine it with the product.
This e-Version needs to be available when you buy your book, and should include dungeon builders for DDM size minis, save features, even format sheets to write your campaigns (like adding a side bar easily).
Make sure that it's not easy to obtain a fake login to these tools.
These tools have to be GREAT... I mean, the PC sheets have to print decent looking pages without a feat sitting by itself on page 8. You have to give PCs options to add print outs of feats descriptions or spell descriptions to a note section... things like that.
You'd have to provide support for living events, perhaps where only registered DMs can unlock and update a player's PC.
It'd also be cool to have combat assisting devices for the DM, or to be able to apply conditions on the fly... and the interface would have to be user friendly.
So, my version of 4.0 is a synergized, fully realized electronic playground for players, complete with thicker books that update certain broken 3.5 content without giving it a needless overhaul.
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How to market it so that WoTC makes money but people like you and me actually bite the bullet and buy it?
Preliminary - Offer free limited access to the web-tools to prove that they are A+ and well planned.
Step 1 - Offer considerably thicker core books supported with a host of well built online tools... this will cost more money, so, suppose the books are $45 each...
Step 2 - Offer a discount to anyone who brings in a comperable 3.5 core book to a national retailer on trade. You take a hit here, but you get people to switch, and ultimately force their whole group to switch.
Step 3 - Every time you register a book to your account, it unlocks access to all of your books information for six months or a year.
Right away, you'd probably want to register all 3 core books at once. Instead of paying to re-up your account, all you'd have to do is buy another new book & register it to start the timer over again.
I'd pay more for a book if I knew I could jump online and cut-and-paste it's content or quickly level up new monster types or add new templates. Plus, books cost less per unit if you combine the content of two books into one book and only bind it once. You charge more, but make more, and the buyer actually pays less.
I'd rather not be jumping between someone's home-made combat chart, eTools, photoshop and Microsoft Word while writing my adventures.
Something like what I described would add enough value for me to buy a new addition.
I think that WoTC is trying out some online tools in the future, which could be a slow testing and "get the money to build the foundation" path... since there really isn't any need for a revamped 4.0 content.
What are they going to do? Bring back THAC0?
Just changing the stat blocks and fixing rust monsters isn't going to make me buy a 4.0 version. Similarly, changing from D20 for no good reason won't work either. Something has to add a totally new level of value. | |
Completed good trades with Demagogue, PigSnot, DoB, and Alepulp.
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PatEllis15
Commander
4458 Posts
| | 01/02/2007 7:55 AM |
| Broadly, I like your idea's...
Sadly, I think that a high buy in cost inhibits adoption of a new game... for introductin purposes, I think they need to have the 1st printing of the core books be MORE reasonable than they are now.
Likewise, I think that your subscription service isn't aggressive enough. Likely one book = 1 month. WotC comes out with a book a month at least. If you buy in, you never pay for the service. If your "core only", and like the tools, then you pay for those at a reasonble rate ($5-10 per month).
WotC would have to staff up in new and different ways, as this approach would not work with a 3rd party vendor providng the electronic services...
Pat E | |
"Games evolve. Otherwise we'd still be pushing rocks around the dirt. What do you think the cavemen said when some dude showed up with sticks?" - Chairman7w | |
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IanB
Commander
3112 Posts
| | 01/02/2007 6:21 PM |
| Normally I don't mind subscription fees for online content, but in this case I really don't like the idea of paying an ongoing cost for access to what is essentially just an application.
I'd much prefer a model where I just shell out a one-time fee for an application. I'd even consider paying an extra $5 or so to patch in the stats from the latest book I bought, although I probably wouldn't do it for every book, since I buy stuff I don't actively use all the time just to mine it for ideas or for the enjoyment of reading it.
I would far less inclined to use any e-Tools like product that I had to pay a subscription fee for, though. This isn't a situation where they have upkeep costs for keeping a server running with thousands of users like an MMO; it would be absolutely imperative that the software be available offline if it is intended to be used during play, which means a downloaded app, not a web app. The costs would be developing the original app, developing patches, generating new data sets, and maintaining a download location for patches and probably the app itself. There's nothing in there that justifies a subscription fee or other deviation from normal software pricing. | |
Anson on WotC boards | |
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Vrecknidj
Warlord
9947 Posts
United States
| | 01/15/2007 12:02 PM |
| I understand the need for publishers to print books. Without income, there are no books at all, no 4e, no 5e, etc.
But.
I'd really like the design and development folks to put together a 5-year release plan, and then to exhaustively analyze it to the best of their ability, before they publish the 4e Players Handbook. Things like swift spells and immediate actions, and a handful of feats, and the epic SRD should all have been thought of ahead of time, and put into 3.5e's core.
Whatever they do for 4e, I don't want to have to sift through 50 books to get the current definition of swift. The Fiendish Codices are nice, but, as they are, they provide me with a lot of (see book X for more). And, I understand that this will happen to some degree. But, I'd like the system to 1) build upon itself in a less ad hoc fashion, and 2) start with a really strong core.
Dave | |
Knowledge Arcana editor issues 5-9, Phoenix Lore Magazine editor, assistant editor for Rite Publishing;
My Trade Thread and My Reference Thread; Winner of WBC IV, IX and XIII; Rule #0: bshugg is always right! | |
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YRM_DM
Sergeant
901 Posts
| | 01/16/2007 8:00 AM |
| The problem with a one time fee, or downloading a full app, is that it's much easier to pirate.
An online service, where perhaps you could save a PC sheet or spreadsheets offline, update them, and upload them again, would be much harder to pirate, since the pirates would have to copy the whole site and host it somewhere without being caught. | |
Completed good trades with Demagogue, PigSnot, DoB, and Alepulp.
I know you can hear MY thoughts... Meow, Meow, Meow, Meow, Meow, Meow, Meow, Meow... | |
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Wraithborne
Commander
3427 Posts
West Virginia
| | 01/31/2007 2:34 PM |
| As far as online goes, I'd be willing to pay for a sevice as long as it was updated with every release, flexible, easy to use and cheap, which pretty much means I wouldn't be paying. I can see a new Merrick's Law forming already.
As far as what I would want 4e to do, I can't think of anything that they COULD do that would get me to buy it anytime soon. It's much to early, in my opinion, after the great 3.5 cash grab.
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Hey Woman, Hey Woman!! Listen here. Since your ol' man ain't got no heart, maybe you'd like to see a real man. I bet you stay up late every night dreamin' you had a real man, don't ya'? I tell you what, bring your pretty little self over to my apartment tonight and I'll show you a real man!
Ghouls: 1 Player Characters: 0 | |
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Bert the Troll
Commander
3754 Posts
Adelaide
| | 02/15/2007 7:19 PM |
| Posted By YRM_DM on 01/16/2007 8:00 AM
The problem with a one time fee, or downloading a full app, is that it's much easier to pirate.
An online service, where perhaps you could save a PC sheet or spreadsheets offline, update them, and upload them again, would be much harder to pirate, since the pirates would have to copy the whole site and host it somewhere without being caught.
You should treat your customers that the majority are honest though.
I'll try not to rant about DRM/TPM (Digital rights management/technological protection measures) too much as it's a pet hate of mine for Ebooks, but imo its not effective, and the more effective it tries to be, the more it annoys and inconvinences your real customers.
Offline applications are preferred by most people. Means you can run them on your laptop without being tied to a net connection, which is the more frequent use.
Having a unique code in each book to enable the download of content of that book you just purchased into the core app should be enough to prevent casual piracy, especially if the core app uses something similar to XP deriving part of it's code from the machine you run it on. Even then there is inconvenience, as I would want it on my laptop & desktop, or to be able to carry it around on my USB drive. But it would be a acceptable restriction.
It would less reasonably restrictive if you couldn't carry the book itself around ie sold as a electronic only version but I can't see that happening.
I fully agree that WoTC need to utilise technology better for next edition of D&D, and it would help initial transference to the system having such tangible benefits.
~
As to content, I like RPG system that have more than one HP total, ie one for armour, one for body. Parry/dodge style interaction in combat.
I'm not really familar enough with D&D 3.x to know what else would be radaical change 
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"Mutton yesterday, mutton today, and blimey, if it don't look like mutton again tomorrer." Bert the Troll - The Hobbit
Semi-Secret sig business: Sometimes the road less traveled is less traveled for a reason. ~ Seinfeld
Champion of Epic Lolth, Orcus, & Demogorgon and bring us Asmodeus! | |
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nijineko
Skirmisher
3 Posts
two strange quarks short of a graviton....
| | 02/28/2007 8:50 AM |
| | Having a unique code in each book to enable the download of content of that book you just purchased into the core app should be enough to prevent casual piracy, especially if the core app uses something similar to XP deriving part of it's code from the machine you run it on.
upgrade a part on your machine, kill your access. something similar to this just happened to someone over at zdnet. tried to install a game, the system was convinced that it was an attempt to alter the system license, but the built in virus/trojan/etc protection ignored this attempt to alter the system license, so it set off the "72 hour countdown" lock you out of your system, unless you manage to get online and reverify. they just managed to make it. | |
arukibito ga michi wo erabu no ka, michi ga arukibito wo erabu no deshou ka? | |
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Bert the Troll
Commander
3754 Posts
Adelaide
| | 02/28/2007 3:47 PM |
| Posted By nijineko on 02/28/2007 8:50 AM
upgrade a part on your machine, kill your access. something similar to this just happened to someone over at zdnet. tried to install a game, the system was convinced that it was an attempt to alter the system license, but the built in virus/trojan/etc protection ignored this attempt to alter the system license, so it set off the "72 hour countdown" lock you out of your system, unless you manage to get online and reverify. they just managed to make it.
Yep. And the true irony is that the bootleg pirated copies of XP dont have this issue. Punnishing the honest ones.
I don't think the XP solution for stopping widnows piracy is good.
However an rpg program not responding until you contact customer service is less important than your whole computer going down.
O'Reillys succesfully do similar thing with unique code in books for downloads (without a unique machine indentifier), and they would be targets for computer IP theft. | |
"Mutton yesterday, mutton today, and blimey, if it don't look like mutton again tomorrer." Bert the Troll - The Hobbit
Semi-Secret sig business: Sometimes the road less traveled is less traveled for a reason. ~ Seinfeld
Champion of Epic Lolth, Orcus, & Demogorgon and bring us Asmodeus! | |
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