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| #1CHeardFeb 10, 2011 16:51:22 | Dear WotC, In the wake of the product announcements and de-announcements coming out of D&D Experience last month, I'd like to float some reactions and requests. This post was inspired by the "What you would/wouldn't buy" thread elsewhere on the "Future Releases" forum, but I wanted to put a little more explanation into my list than seemed to be customary for that thread. So, here are some things you haven't announced that I would love to see over the next couple of years. Perhaps I should add that I tend to buy D&D products voraciously … I've even bought some Fortune Cards … so maybe I am less discriminating than many of your customers. Take that for whatever it's worth. Player option books. I don't object to the direction you seem to be going with thematic books like Heroes of Shadow and Heroes of the Feywild as opposed to, say, a Player's Handbook 4, though I strongly prefer to get new rulebooks in the traditional hardbound format, and I hope that you won't "abandon" the classic 4e classes and modes of classes moving forward. I like Essentials classes just fine, but don't want earlier, under-supported classes to get left behind. I'm not terribly excited about the new races slated for Heroes of Shadow, however; perhaps in future releases you could look more at beefing up existing monster races as PC options—for example, giving orcs, hobgoblins, gnolls, etc. (more) racial feats, racial paragon paths, and so on. I'd also like to see race books similar to the dragonborn and tiefling softcovers for shardminds, wilden, minotaurs, githzerai, and especially devas. Of course, a lot of that type of content can be delivered via DDI (to which I have subscribed since the day subscriptions went live), but I'd still like to see print offerings as well. DM books and boxed sets. I'm very much looking forward to Shadowfell and would love to see you do something similar for the Feywild in the very near future. In addition to these, I would really welcome a Dungeon Master's Guide 3 focused on epic-tier play. Dungeon Tiles. I love Dungeon Tiles and use them extensively. As mentioned above, though, I have a very large collection already. A Dungeon Tiles Master Set: Caverns could be a real hit. I really like the direction you're moving with the DN series, giving us niche environments that are also tied by name to locations in established D&D worlds. I'll probably buy any Dungeon Tiles products you publish, but after Witchlight Fens, I'd be especially interested in a "sequel" to Icewind Dale (more arctic/tundra tiles), a volcanic/lava themed set, a sea/undersea set, and more village/city exteriors and interiors. I haven't taken to the 3d elements in Harrowing Halls and Deserts of Athas as much as I thought I would; if you put out any more of those, things like complete building exteriors to pair up with The City would be of the most interest to me. Miniatures. I already own an extensive collection of miniatures, having dabbled in the first couple of sets and having gotten really serious about collecting the minis around Deathknell. Having purchased at least two cases of each of the sets from Deathknell onward, I don't really need more miniatures, but there are still holes that I would like to see filled. In particular, I'd gladly purchase one or more "limited edition" sets or botique sets filling out some of the PC races that are under-represented in DDM at present. It's easy enough to "fudge" a miniature's class, but its race—that's another story. I would jump at the chance to buy a set containing a range of PC-class miniatures for the Player's Handbook 3 races, plus devas and non-martial dragonborn. Adventures. I'm intrigued by the Gardmore Abbey adventure and plan to buy it, but I'd also be very interested in a Dungeon Delve 2. Now that you have the three Dungeon Tiles master sets in print—and theoretically will be keeping them perpetually in print—the time is ripe for another Dungeon Delve volume that uses layouts built from those tiles. Otherwise, I'm not that much in the market for adventures, although I sometimes buy them for the poster maps. Card products. As I mentioned above, I have purchased some Fortune Cards, and I'm not afraid to use them … but neither am I all that excited about using them. I'm more intrigued by the despair deck coming in Shadowfell (though why it needs to be card deck instead of a d% table I don't yet understand) and the deck of many things coming in Gardmore Abbey. Well, that's it … just one DM's idiosyncratic wish list for the future. Best wishes, Chris |
| #2The-Magic-SwordFeb 11, 2011 12:11:35 | I would like to agree with bringing back the DMG 3, i've really been looking forward to it- they could even add items from the now defunct Mordenkaien's Magical Emporium, in addition to the Epic rules/advice and miscellaneous DMing advice |
| #3vodacceFeb 11, 2011 13:09:52 | my 2 cents: Dragonlance super-adventure: a boxed set with 64 page book with options for players. New races, paragon paths, feats, etc 160 page book with the first 4 modules of the classic adventure path map of ansalon A die-cut card stock sheet of monster tokens A die-cut card stock sheet of dungeon tiles
128 page book with a epic adventure. The invasion of the material world by the creatures of the far realm (for level 21-30)
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| #4Obvious_NinjaFeb 11, 2011 13:10:11 | Dear WotC, Ditto to all of this. I would also add a Book/Box of Skill Challenges. Fantasy Flight Games has a new board game out, Mansion of Madness: www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_minisite... Check out the video. They have a need mechanic for solving puzzles. Real quick, the example used a set of cards with illustration that can create a circuit. they cards are arranged by the Keeper (their GM) and the players have to use their intelligence score to turn the cards to complete a connected circuit. This same idea ould be used to create a neat set of puzzles for a mega adventure, and as a push for a more elaborate rule set for Skill Challenges... Just a thought. |
| #5CHeardFeb 11, 2011 15:22:57 | The Far realm: I'm not terribly interested in Dragonlance or Nerath, though I'd probably buy those products. I would jump at the chance to buy a Far Realm box, though. Should've thought of that one myself. Great suggestion. Ditto to all of this. I would also add a Book/Box of Skill Challenges. I could definitely go for that, too. |
| #6mercaiusFeb 11, 2011 16:49:23 | Things I'd buy? #5 - Another class book. It may seem anal in a lot of ways, but I'm the kind of collector who really goes nuts over new and interesting class and race ideas, especially if they provide new and balanced mechanics / flavorful themes. I myself have a handful of class ideas I want to find some time to develop and write out in the future that haven't even been mentioned on these forums, dev or gamer, so I'm sure you can come up with even better material if we let you! #4 - The return of Nerull! Somewhere in the middle of 3rd Edition, Nerull became my inexplicable favorite evil god. 4E has only escalated that, even though the setting begins with his death at the hands of the Raven Queen. I don't begrudge the Queen for her role to player choices, but there was something about Nerull that set him apart from the likes of Vecna, Tharizduun, or Orcus--especially now that he's deceased. I get really stoked imagining the Lord of the Dead crawling crawling his way out of an oblivion that even the other gods thought was final. A shade of his formal self, existing on the fringes of reality, bereft of his power and yet all the more powerful for his return, like some dark ur-god. I really connect the idea with ghostly, ectoplasmic necromancy; wicked experiments with the souls of the dead and unborn. Nerull is the specter of all that was long dead and destroyed, and his minions are obsessed with controlling the very traffic of souls as a means to his true resurrection, even if it turns the universe inside-out. Of everything on my list here, this is definitely the most self-driven and fanboyish. #3 - A codex for the Court of Stars, in line with the Draconomicons and the like. I really like the Court of Stars. Not as allies so much as a new breed of Big Bads. From the Prince of Frost and the Winter Witch to the Bramble Queen, there's just something about the way the fey lords mix madness, mystery, beauty, and passion into a perverse exaggeration of mortal ideals and natural elements that I just love to implement. 4E gave me the kind of fey I prefer, and I love WotC for it. It will be a hoot to see the threats of the Feywild explored further in upcoming books, and I hope they really put the fey lords under the lense of scrutiny, even if it raises more questions about them than it answers. #2 - A supplement with playable options for most of the common "savage races" -- kobolds, the Big 3 goblins, orcs, duergar, etc. I'm not someone that believes WotC owes it to me to implement every single idea I like. But there is a lot of fun to be had with some monster options, if the DM and players handle them responsibly. It's not that I believe that because of subjectivity, every race is evil. I just like savage antiheroes that have to overcome the evils of their own cultures or find ways to rationalize them in a civilized society. I'm a fan of the reptilian lizardfolk, the vengeful trapmaster kobolds, and the "evil military complex" culture of the hobgoblins. But monster races on the whole expose you to their culture in ways that civilized races can't, as adventuring parties interact with them directly through combat and espionage. It's the act of "show, don't tell," hard at work. And that kind of unintentional advertising has a strong effect on players like me. #1 - Cheaper supplements! Yeah, not a popular option, considering the fate of PHB Races. But I'm a poor sap. It's hard for me to justify $40 purchases these days. The cheap paperback books aren't as sturdy or expansive as hardcover options, but it's so much easier to carry out with me when I go browsing at the Barnes & Noble. I'm not saying that I want the hardcover books to go away! But I loved how the PHB Races series offered something I could collect and use in my online games, without making me wonder how I'd afford rent. EDIT: Just tried to clean up some of the sentences. |
| #7GhostStepperFeb 11, 2011 20:13:13 | If they made Heroes of the Far Realm, i would buy 10 copies. |
| #8pogminkyFeb 14, 2011 5:13:21 | What I want to spend my money on: Downloadable Character Builder |
| #9malisteenFeb 16, 2011 9:46:36 | What I want to buy: 1) New classes for the shadow power source. Not just shadowy builds for other, non-shadow classes. If the elemental source is ever introduced, I likewise would want to see new classes, not new builds for non-elemental classes. 2) Environment box sets, with DM books on running games in such environments and cards for random environment-based encounter effects to add a thematic flair to combat. Frostfell box, sandstorm box, feywild box, etc. 3) superadventures, particularly higher level ones. 4) monster box sets with the tokens. I know many don't like pogs, but I don't mind them. 5) item box sets with an item book plus a deck of item cards for each of the items in the book that can be handed out to players as they find stuff. I do like the more thematic focus of the Heroes of Books as opposed the the more haphazard contents of the PHBs, but I cannot stress enough that I want new classes if new power sources are being introduced. If I want to play a shadow character, then I want to play a shadow character, not an arcane or divine character with shadow flavor. Likewise elemental. |
| #10excalainenFeb 16, 2011 16:34:07 | I would happily give my money to WotC if they'd give the following products to me as a counter-gift: Power books part 2 giving more support to pre-E classes. Monster Manuals 4, 5, 6, etc. containing new monsters and old favourites from previous editions that have not been converted to 4e yet (I'm looking at you, rast and ythrak!) The Plane to the Left: Secrets of the Feywild The Plane Outside: Secrets of the Far Realm More campaign settings like Mystara, Greyhawk and Planescape converted to 4e. Miniatures. Two 60 miniature sets per year would suffice. Lords of Madness is the format to follow. Speaking of which, more creature books like Lords of Madness (aberrations), devilnomicon, feynomicon, shadownomicon, etc. General purpose poster maps instead of dungeon tiles (who ever has bought them?). Good quality adventures for all tiers containing equal amounts of combat, exploration, intrigue and mystery. Non-linear plots would be nice. Book of themes. Themes are a great but sadly unexplored idea. |
| #11modern_iconoclastFeb 16, 2011 16:39:42 | I too would like to see those products, but at this point I would only ask WotC to publish their complete product catalog so that I can select what I will buy from that (like finally making a decision and go ahead and take responsibility for their choices, or is what is posted now the definitive content catalog?). |
| #12Obvious_NinjaFeb 17, 2011 22:30:27 | Since "HEro's of the Feywild" and "Hero's of Shadow" are coming out, I'd kinda like to see a "Hero's of Machine" come out as well. Something that could introduce black-powder and flint-lock guns* into the game... * Yeah, I got the idea from Pathfinder. They have a new book coming out with a gunfighter in it, and it makes me want one for 4th Ed. |
| #13arthindoleFeb 18, 2011 2:12:13 | I was disappointed at the tail-end of 3.5 that they didn't reprint Netheril and Cormanthor settings like they did in 2E. Anyways heres my dream-list: "Days of Thunder" suppliment/setting "Age of Imaskar" Supp/setting "Jammadath Empire of the Mind" "Netheril Empire of Magic" and a full setting for the time of the "Crown Wars". |
| #14rathicusFeb 18, 2011 11:28:39 | Since "HEro's of the Feywild" and "Hero's of Shadow" are coming out, I'd kinda like to see a "Hero's of Machine" come out as well. Something that could introduce black-powder and flint-lock guns* into the game... If they did it right, I'd love to see this. |
| #15Enlightened1Feb 19, 2011 13:06:11 | 4e (or Saga) Modern would be/has been on top of my list for a while now. (I'd probably spring for a black-powder setup as well). A Far Realms sourcebook/boxed set, though, that's now right up there. That's a WILL BUY if it ever happens.
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