Surveys are only as accurate as those that take the time to complete them - or some such.
Anyhow, WotC has a D&D Survey posted which even asks what edition(s) of D&D you are / will be playing. Goes back to White Box, 1E, etc. If you play a clone just pick your closest edition.
It also asks which classic settings you'd like to see have new material. I of course voted Greyhawk, Dark Sun and Spelljammer ;)
Its a fairly short survey so what are you waiting for?
Birthright. Best setting in the D&D legacy.
ReplyDeleteI'm gratified to learn at least one other person wrote in Birthright!
DeleteI just started reading Birthright. So far, it's pretty wicked.
DeleteWrath of the immortals and the plot butchering most settings underwent for 4e... do you really want that for greyhawk?
ReplyDeleteFor the Forgotten Realms they essentially rolled back all 4e changes. That would probably happen for other settings as well - if they ever had a 4e release that is.
DeleteBesides, 5e just strives to imitate old stuff in feel. There won't be any fundamental changes, just some updates, new artwork, 5e stats... Nothing earth-shattering.
WOTC has let multiple campaigns settings languish and I don't understand it. The low overhead costs of digital material seem perfect to test the sale of new Greyhawk, Birthright, Spelljammer and Dark Sun (to name a few of my favorites). Pretending that 5E is the only edition of D&D in existence also leaves money on the table.
ReplyDeleteLow overhead cost? Yes, no one has to invest in a print run, but releasing even a digital only version of something is a major investment in art, primarily. Low cost production values would probably harm WotC.
DeleteIn fact, low production values are the mark of many indies (who would beat WotC on sheer output, they don't want to be in that pool, margins are miserable) and of the Adventure League.
Outshining these will cost a fair deal. Might throw in a print run or preorder print run like most KS to make some coin anyway. For the big ones, PDF only would be likely a loss - as you have to sell cheap and invest nearly as much as if the book has to go print.
I chose the setting I am least likely to play because I think WotC will diminish anything they touch. There is zero chance they improve any existing IP.
ReplyDeleteWow, a lot of negativity! May not be as bad as all that, chaps. Will take the survey tonight... probably Dark Sun.
ReplyDeleteYou get to answer up to three settings. Including other. So home brew is an option.
ReplyDeleteDone...now to sit back and watch for the flood of spam email I get...
ReplyDeleteThe D&D team at WoTC (Hasbro) is too small to work on other editions. 5e is their current business and they are running it well.
ReplyDeleteI picked Greyhawk, as it is where I started and I would like more material for it or older material redone to current rules and production standards.
I told them flat out they've lost me until they can produce a product that's an improvement over Pathfinder.
Delete1974 White Box is an improvement over Pathfinder. When run with 2/3 books. In a language you don't understand. With only shreds of toilet paper to use for dice.
DeleteIndeed, Pathfinder is not the ideal. It's the opposite, in fact.
DeleteGreyhawk certainly deserves an update - but I would also like to see setting-neutral and new settings!
ReplyDeleteIt looks a lot like a re-release is the best we can expect... I mean, considering how the survey was worded.
DeletePage 10/10 Other comments: OSR FTW
ReplyDeleteI wrote in Mystara/Known World. It's where I started my D&D journey, and where it returns to this day.
ReplyDeleteI also wrote in that Print On Demand options for all the rulebooks should be a thing - '74, Holmes, B/X, BECMI, RC... It wouldn't cost them much to set up besides cleaning up the PDFs. It's free money for them, and workable copies of classics for us.