Dungeon's Master talks about it, that the Scourge of the Sword Coast module will be the February kick-off for D&D Encounters and apparently will be in PDF only (no link provided to the source, though he may be referring to this release notice). If this is PDF only....and it's the official third module in line for the Sundering series that started with Murder in Baldur's Gate....then I am concerned that WotC is about to make yet another silly mistake in it's attempt to bring D&D back into relevancy.
The idea of a PDF-only release for the only current lineup of D&D modules prior to 5E's arrival seems weird to me, especially when you already released the first two modules in print. The likelihood it will be priced reasonably is also in question; $35 for a print book was acceptable if pushing it slightly given that these weren't even hardcover books. If this module goes for more than $12 in PDF I will be interested to see if that many people are really desperate for new official D&D content to cough up.
The idea of publishing PDF only also flies in the face of the current dominant competition: Pathfinder offers all its books in both print and PDF format, which is honestly the best way to do it (imo). You can pick and choose your medium, or mix and match as needed.
Another thing: someone tell me what game store is going to want to keep supporting D&D Encounters if the only way to get the module to run games is to bypass the retail store entirely? Where's the product on the shelf that's going to help generate sales for the game store? I see no incentive here to get stores to participate in this event.
"...what game store is going to want to keep supporting D&D Encounters if the only way to get the module to run games is to bypass the retail store entirely?"
ReplyDeleteThis is an excellent point that I hadn't even considered. If the DMs need to buy the adventure from dndclassics and the players need to buy the rules from them as well why would a store give up space for us to play there? This seems like it could become a huge problem for public play.
The folio format of the Sundering modules is also a bit unconventional by modern standards. I'm not sure if they cost more to print, but if they do, then perhaps they should switch to a softcover perfect-bound like Pathfinder Modules.
ReplyDeleteThe Pathfinder formats at least have sturdy covers. I think the new screen+booklet format is a bit flimsy.
DeleteYou nailed it on the head what store would want to support something that generates them no sales? It seems WotC understands the lessons, but then turns around and does something as dumb.
ReplyDeleteMeh.
I will continue to see as many 5e event in my local store as 4e. (none)