Rich Baker on 'splat books' and other topics

[SPECTRE666]

http://forums.gleemax.com/showpost.php?p=14733077&postcount=2051

[sblock=Rich Baker]Hi, John --

I can't say too much about our product schedule beyond the middle of '08, just because it's company policy to avoid talking about products that have not yet appeared in our catalog. Speaking very broadly, you'll see a product mix that is a little heavier on adventures and a little lighter on "splat books" early on in 4e.

Regarding the "older flavor" -- no, not really. We've made a decision to make a wider thematic separation between demons and devils (for example), so we're not going to produce material showing you how to keep 'em the way they were. I don't doubt that many folks on line will come up with alternative "4e conversions" for some of these things to suit their own tastes. They're welcome to do so. As far as the Great Wheel, you can actually accommodate the outer planes within the new Astral Sea notion quite well, with very little change. Our take on the Inner Planes and the Ethereal Plane is definitely different, though.[/sblock]

 

[Rechan]

So, if Noonan is working on a Sourcebook with rangers, and supposedly we're going to get an Arcane book... how are we not going to have splatbooks soon?

 

[Khuxan]

So, if Noonan is working on a Sourcebook with rangers, and supposedly we're going to get an Arcane book... how are we not going to have splatbooks soon?

Nowhere does he say we're not going to have splatbooks soon. He says: "a product mix that is a little heavier on adventures and a little lighter on "splat books"". So instead of getting 1 splatbook a month and 1 adventure a quarter (or whatever), we might get 1 splatbook every second month and 1 adventure every second month (or whatever).

Still plenty of time for an arcane book and a book with rangers.

 

[helium3]

So, if Noonan is working on a Sourcebook with rangers, and supposedly we're going to get an Arcane book... how are we not going to have splatbooks soon?

Marketing is going to work very hard to see that they're called "Splashbooks" from now on.

 

[Imaro]

So the annual PHB's. DMG's and MM's Won't be stopping the inevitable splatbook treadmill. Yeah, I kinda suspected that even though I was hoping the people on these boards who thought otherwise were right.

 

[Stogoe]

I love splatbooks. Splatbooks keep a game (and a game company) afloat and give me more options. More splatbooks, please! I really don't understand why people are afraid of them.

 

[Brown Jenkin]

I love splatbooks. Splatbooks keep a game (and a game company) afloat and give me more options. More splatbooks, please! I really don't understand why people are afraid of them.

Because one of the reasons given for 4E was that 3.x was too complicated. A bunch of this complication came from the glut of splatbooks available.

 

[jinnetics]

Because one of the reasons given for 4E was that 3.x was too complicated. A bunch of this complication came from the glut of splatbooks available.

I think it's rather that 3.x was born complicated. It wasn't the splatbooks that made it so. Many of the 4E designers have acknowledged this.

 

[TwinBahamut]

Because one of the reasons given for 4E was that 3.x was too complicated. A bunch of this complication came from the glut of splatbooks available.

I don't think splatbooks added any complication. They added options and features, but all of the most complicated stuff in 3E was found in the PHB and DMG. The core rules themselves were too complicated, and splatbooks were nothing but good for the game.

 

[Imaro]

I don't think splatbooks added any complication. They added options and features, but all of the most complicated stuff in 3E was found in the PHB and DMG. The core rules themselves were too complicated, and splatbooks were nothing but good for the game.

Well one thing splatbooks do (that's not necessarily good for the game) with all those options and features is...create combinations that can't be tested thoroughly as far as game balance with all previous and future sourcebooks. That's just off the top of my head, but with WotC new emphasis on even more abilities, racial traits, class powers, etc. I see this as a very real possibility.