New releases - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

New releases

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
darkblade303
Feb 04, 2011 11:35:12 I don't know if this was already brought up. Dark Sun was relaunched in August 2010. They released 3 books and 1 fiction book. Nothing since then. I checked the product catalogue and the only thing I see for Dark Sun is another fiction book in June 2011.

I'm not a publisher, but I think that when you release a new gaming setting, you would release books more often than once every 10 months. Is Dark Sun heading for cancellation?
#2
Palladinae
Feb 04, 2011 12:25:47 Wizards of the Coast have policy of issuein one settin per year in three books format. That was in case of Frogotten Realms and Eberron and is in Dark Sun (although those treee books were different from previous two). 2011 is year, where Ravenloft is published, but as a stand alone game. If you look for addiditionl content, you should check Dragon and Dungeon magazines, where Athas' some aspects are covered with detail
#3
big_goon
Feb 04, 2011 13:13:34 Ravenloft has been delayed...

IF there will be additional content, it will be in the format of a new campaign (like Neverwinter for FR), or in their DDI:insider content - like Dragon or Dungeon content.

Also, the Character Builder contains Dark Sun character sheets and content. I should check whether the Monster Builder will have Creature Catalog content.
#4
darkblade303
Feb 04, 2011 16:40:16 So where can we expect new DS books?
#5
ritorix
Feb 04, 2011 17:45:20 There won't be any.

The next campaign release is Neverwinter, which is WOTC's tie-in to a new NWN videogame and a do-over of FR after mangling it so badly the first time.
#6
big_goon
Feb 04, 2011 20:46:24
There won't be any.

Nothing announced yet, so nothing for the next couple of years, I'd expect.
#7
Palladinae
Feb 05, 2011 2:42:29
Ravenloft has been delayed...

Could you explain in more detail or, as it is offtopic, guide me to source information?

#8
big_goon
Feb 06, 2011 17:56:41
Could you explain in more detail or, as it is offtopic, guide me to source information?

I wasn't there, but I read about it at from the DDXP (2011) product seminar, posted by Vanir. You can read up here.

I quote:
What about Ravenloft the campaign setting?
They shelved it, they don’t think it’s ready yet. (ARG). They’re being very experimental. They don’t want to give people the same thing they had before. Strahd is very unamused. “I wouldn’t expect it to show up soon.”
#9
darkblade303
Feb 08, 2011 9:45:41 So WotC rereleases a setting, creates demand, gets the hopes up of longtime fans, creates new fans, and then they don't plan to release any new books for many months, perhaps even years, even though there is big demand for it? Can someone explain to me their business model?
#10
majesticmoose
Feb 08, 2011 11:15:34
So WotC rereleases a setting, creates demand, gets the hopes up of longtime fans, creates new fans, and then they don't plan to release any new books for many months, perhaps even years, even though there is big demand for it? Can someone explain to me their business model?

In 4e, presumably going forward...

Make everything (as much as possible) core, so it applies to any setting, with side bars explaining how it thematically can be adapted to a specific setting.

Camp settings only get small selections of books because they don't have the broad appeal, so make the supplements more accessable.

Also, publish most setting specific things online in the DDI magazines. Actually there has been tons of DS support in that, with a new article coming out this month on Athasian Genasai.

I think that's a big part of it as I understand...

Your question might have been rhetorical though. sorry if I burst that bubble.
#11
Cyber-Dave
Feb 08, 2011 11:49:42
So WotC rereleases a setting, creates demand, gets the hopes up of longtime fans, creates new fans, and then they don't plan to release any new books for many months, perhaps even years, even though there is big demand for it? Can someone explain to me their business model?

Their business model is to make money.

As much as I love Dark Sun, and I wish we could have 100+ Dark Sun products, sales figures indicate that campaign setting specific material doesn't sell very well. Even worse, when releasing different campaign setting material the material ends up competing with each other, and driving down overall sales.

If WotC were to release only a single campaign setting, and material for a single campaign setting, that setting would not be Dark Sun. Dark Sun is not the best selling D&D setting (god how I wish it was). But to release material for multiple setting lines ends up driving down overall sales, because your different product lines compete with each other for sales instead of complementing each others sales. WotC's plan is thus to release a product line that complements itself for sales.

In other words, multiple campaign settings whose mechanics can be cannibalized for adventures in other settings (such as cannibalizing the Dark Sun desert rules for a quest that takes place in a desert found in Forgotten Realms, say; or the use of spellscars from the Forgotten Realms book to represent sun-warped mutation in Dark Sun). Meanwhile, most of the products released are not setting specific, and contain information that can be used in any setting (such as any of the power books, the heroes books, the PHBs, and so on and so forth).

Which, unfortunately, means that the only Dark Sun specific material we are likely to receive (outside of Dragon and Dungeon magazine support, and we get quite a bit of that) is the material we have already received.
#12
angelus_obscura
Feb 08, 2011 12:14:00 Our best bets for new Dark Sun content are DDI content as mentioned above and special mentions from core accessories. ie in Psionic Power, there's a small blurb about how its contents interact with settings like Dark Sun, Eberron, and FR.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 darkblade303 Feb 04, 2011 11:35:12	I don't know if this was already brought up. Dark Sun was relaunched in August 2010. They released 3 books and 1 fiction book. Nothing since then. I checked the product catalogue and the only thing I see for Dark Sun is another fiction book in June 2011. I'm not a publisher, but I think that when you release a new gaming setting, you would release books more often than once every 10 months. Is Dark Sun heading for cancellation?
#2 Palladinae Feb 04, 2011 12:25:47	Wizards of the Coast have policy of issuein one settin per year in three books format. That was in case of Frogotten Realms and Eberron and is in Dark Sun (although those treee books were different from previous two). 2011 is year, where Ravenloft is published, but as a stand alone game. If you look for addiditionl content, you should check Dragon and Dungeon magazines, where Athas' some aspects are covered with detail
#3 big_goon Feb 04, 2011 13:13:34	Ravenloft has been delayed... IF there will be additional content, it will be in the format of a new campaign (like Neverwinter for FR), or in their DDI:insider content - like Dragon or Dungeon content. Also, the Character Builder contains Dark Sun character sheets and content. I should check whether the Monster Builder will have Creature Catalog content.
#4 darkblade303 Feb 04, 2011 16:40:16	So where can we expect new DS books?
#5 ritorix Feb 04, 2011 17:45:20	There won't be any. The next campaign release is Neverwinter, which is WOTC's tie-in to a new NWN videogame and a do-over of FR after mangling it so badly the first time.
#6 big_goon Feb 04, 2011 20:46:24	There won't be any. Nothing announced yet, so nothing for the next couple of years, I'd expect.
#7 Palladinae Feb 05, 2011 2:42:29	Ravenloft has been delayed... Could you explain in more detail or, as it is offtopic, guide me to source information?
#8 big_goon Feb 06, 2011 17:56:41	Could you explain in more detail or, as it is offtopic, guide me to source information? I wasn't there, but I read about it at from the DDXP (2011) product seminar, posted by Vanir. You can read up here. I quote: What about Ravenloft the campaign setting? They shelved it, they don’t think it’s ready yet. (ARG). They’re being very experimental. They don’t want to give people the same thing they had before. Strahd is very unamused. “I wouldn’t expect it to show up soon.”
#9 darkblade303 Feb 08, 2011 9:45:41	So WotC rereleases a setting, creates demand, gets the hopes up of longtime fans, creates new fans, and then they don't plan to release any new books for many months, perhaps even years, even though there is big demand for it? Can someone explain to me their business model?
#10 majesticmoose Feb 08, 2011 11:15:34	So WotC rereleases a setting, creates demand, gets the hopes up of longtime fans, creates new fans, and then they don't plan to release any new books for many months, perhaps even years, even though there is big demand for it? Can someone explain to me their business model? In 4e, presumably going forward... Make everything (as much as possible) core, so it applies to any setting, with side bars explaining how it thematically can be adapted to a specific setting. Camp settings only get small selections of books because they don't have the broad appeal, so make the supplements more accessable. Also, publish most setting specific things online in the DDI magazines. Actually there has been tons of DS support in that, with a new article coming out this month on Athasian Genasai. I think that's a big part of it as I understand... Your question might have been rhetorical though. sorry if I burst that bubble.
#11 Cyber-Dave Feb 08, 2011 11:49:42	So WotC rereleases a setting, creates demand, gets the hopes up of longtime fans, creates new fans, and then they don't plan to release any new books for many months, perhaps even years, even though there is big demand for it? Can someone explain to me their business model? Their business model is to make money. As much as I love Dark Sun, and I wish we could have 100+ Dark Sun products, sales figures indicate that campaign setting specific material doesn't sell very well. Even worse, when releasing different campaign setting material the material ends up competing with each other, and driving down overall sales. If WotC were to release only a single campaign setting, and material for a single campaign setting, that setting would not be Dark Sun. Dark Sun is not the best selling D&D setting (god how I wish it was). But to release material for multiple setting lines ends up driving down overall sales, because your different product lines compete with each other for sales instead of complementing each others sales. WotC's plan is thus to release a product line that complements itself for sales. In other words, multiple campaign settings whose mechanics can be cannibalized for adventures in other settings (such as cannibalizing the Dark Sun desert rules for a quest that takes place in a desert found in Forgotten Realms, say; or the use of spellscars from the Forgotten Realms book to represent sun-warped mutation in Dark Sun). Meanwhile, most of the products released are not setting specific, and contain information that can be used in any setting (such as any of the power books, the heroes books, the PHBs, and so on and so forth). Which, unfortunately, means that the only Dark Sun specific material we are likely to receive (outside of Dragon and Dungeon magazine support, and we get quite a bit of that) is the material we have already received.
#12 angelus_obscura Feb 08, 2011 12:14:00	Our best bets for new Dark Sun content are DDI content as mentioned above and special mentions from core accessories. ie in Psionic Power, there's a small blurb about how its contents interact with settings like Dark Sun, Eberron, and FR.