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The Red Walker
Great Reader

USA
3567 Posts

Posted - 20 Aug 2012 :  19:56:22  Show Profile Send The Red Walker a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by JamesLowder

quote:
Originally posted by FaraerInteresting insight from Jim Lowder above about how he tried to moderate the RSE effect in the Empires Trilogy.


As I have heard the six-book Sundering series described, it reminded me of Empires: an epic event, but told through stories focused on individual characters and tighter points of view. This approach allows the authors to control the stories and makes the books much easier to manage.



Man I'm going to have to start the conversation on how we get you back in the realms

A little nonsense now and then, relished by the wisest men - Willy Wonka

"We need men who can dream of things that never were." -

John F. Kennedy, speech in Dublin, Ireland, June 28, 1963
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Caolin
Senior Scribe

769 Posts

Posted - 20 Aug 2012 :  20:15:49  Show Profile Send Caolin a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by The Red Walker

quote:
Originally posted by JamesLowder

quote:
Originally posted by FaraerInteresting insight from Jim Lowder above about how he tried to moderate the RSE effect in the Empires Trilogy.


As I have heard the six-book Sundering series described, it reminded me of Empires: an epic event, but told through stories focused on individual characters and tighter points of view. This approach allows the authors to control the stories and makes the books much easier to manage.



Man I'm going to have to start the conversation on how we get you back in the realms



Second!
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JamesLowder
Forgotten Realms Author & Game Designer

USA
310 Posts

Posted - 20 Aug 2012 :  20:29:37  Show Profile  Visit JamesLowder's Homepage Send JamesLowder a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Caolin

quote:
Originally posted by The Red Walker
Man I'm going to have to start the conversation on how we get you back in the realms



Second!



Thanks very much for the compliments--and I do see that kind of comment from people who care about the Realms as a compliment--but it's not terribly likely to come about, for a variety of reason. (I know better than to say never, but I think it safe to say really, really unlikely.) On the other hand, I am really heartened to see Wizards giving Ed a much bigger role. I know we agree on a lot of the fundamental points.
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Erik Scott de Bie
Forgotten Realms Author

USA
4598 Posts

Posted - 20 Aug 2012 :  20:45:15  Show Profile  Visit Erik Scott de Bie's Homepage Send Erik Scott de Bie a Private Message  Reply with Quote
You will always be welcome at the Candlekeep Seminar, Jim. Your presence, insight, and wisdom made my night.

Cheers

Erik Scott de Bie

'Tis easier to destroy than to create.

Author of a number of Realms novels (GHOSTWALKER, DEPTHS OF MADNESS, and the SHADOWBANE series), contributor to the NEVERWINTER CAMPAIGN GUIDE and SHADOWFELL: GLOOMWROUGHT AND BEYOND, Twitch DM of the Dungeon Scrawlers, currently playing "The Westgate Irregulars"
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Arcanus
Senior Scribe

485 Posts

Posted - 20 Aug 2012 :  20:53:18  Show Profile  Visit Arcanus's Homepage Send Arcanus a Private Message  Reply with Quote
It would be great to have you back Jim, after all, WOTC are trying to bring back the "old feel" to the Realms. Who better to do that than the original team who brought us that feeling in the first place.
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The Red Walker
Great Reader

USA
3567 Posts

Posted - 20 Aug 2012 :  21:02:12  Show Profile Send The Red Walker a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Erik Scott de Bie

You will always be welcome at the Candlekeep Seminar, Jim. Your presence, insight, and wisdom made my night.

Cheers



Erik , your Mission should you choose to accept it: get an old beat up "blues brothers" car and take off accross the continent "getting the band back together", with their new contemporaries riding shotgun of course

A little nonsense now and then, relished by the wisest men - Willy Wonka

"We need men who can dream of things that never were." -

John F. Kennedy, speech in Dublin, Ireland, June 28, 1963
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Faraer
Great Reader

3308 Posts

Posted - 20 Aug 2012 :  21:25:05  Show Profile  Visit Faraer's Homepage Send Faraer a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Realms of Optimism

In Paul Kemp's blog entry about the Sundering (thanks, Delwa), he says of the Realms, 'It is, in the end, optimistic.' And I'd add, kind, uncynical, compassionate, opposed to cruelty -- in its construction, and in holding out hope for these virtues to survive and prevail. It doesn't dismiss, disdain, subordinate, or -- as we found in Elminster in Hell -- forget. The kitten scene in Spellfire, end of chapter 19, is an emblem of this.
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Erik Scott de Bie
Forgotten Realms Author

USA
4598 Posts

Posted - 20 Aug 2012 :  21:48:13  Show Profile  Visit Erik Scott de Bie's Homepage Send Erik Scott de Bie a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by The Red Walker

Erik , your Mission should you choose to accept it: get an old beat up "blues brothers" car and take off accross the continent "getting the band back together", with their new contemporaries riding shotgun of course
I can see it now:

Erik de Bie: "It's 2 years to Forgotten Realms Next, we have a full tank of gas, we're wearing sunglasses, and it's night."

Ed Greenwood: "Hit it."

Cheers

Erik Scott de Bie

'Tis easier to destroy than to create.

Author of a number of Realms novels (GHOSTWALKER, DEPTHS OF MADNESS, and the SHADOWBANE series), contributor to the NEVERWINTER CAMPAIGN GUIDE and SHADOWFELL: GLOOMWROUGHT AND BEYOND, Twitch DM of the Dungeon Scrawlers, currently playing "The Westgate Irregulars"
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Richard Lee Byers
Forgotten Realms Author

USA
1814 Posts

Posted - 20 Aug 2012 :  23:10:58  Show Profile  Visit Richard Lee Byers's Homepage  Reply with Quote
For those who have enjoyed recent novels and may not like hearing that the stories in future novels will be "smaller," let me share my feeling that at least in some cases, they will only be RELATIVELY smaller. (I write about a whole damn mercenary army. They pretty much have to do something weightier than getting cats out of trees.) We novelists can still tell stories where powerful characters take the stage and the stakes are high, and on occasion, we likely will. But we will tell them in ways that won't pull the rugs out from under your campaigns. For example, we can make up our own Big Bads, threats and foes who come across as authentic Realms characters but who don't belong to the established roster of classic villains that your players hope to measure themselves against.
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Arcanus
Senior Scribe

485 Posts

Posted - 20 Aug 2012 :  23:26:40  Show Profile  Visit Arcanus's Homepage Send Arcanus a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Richard Lee Byers

For those who have enjoyed recent novels and may not like hearing that the stories in future novels will be "smaller," let me share my feeling that at least in some cases, they will only be RELATIVELY smaller. (I write about a whole damn mercenary army. They pretty much have to do something weightier than getting cats out of trees.) We novelists can still tell stories where powerful characters take the stage and the stakes are high, and on occasion, we likely will. But we will tell them in ways that won't pull the rugs out from under your campaigns. For example, we can make up our own Big Bads, threats and foes who come across as authentic Realms characters but who don't belong to the established roster of classic villains that your players hope to measure themselves against.



That's good to hear Richard, thank you for that. My worry was only that things would go from one extreme to the other.
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Erik Scott de Bie
Forgotten Realms Author

USA
4598 Posts

Posted - 21 Aug 2012 :  00:02:25  Show Profile  Visit Erik Scott de Bie's Homepage Send Erik Scott de Bie a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Richard articulates it very well.

It's likely you will see fiction that is self-contained, doesn't break things in the greater setting, and really hooks you into the characters there.

The idea is to release books more like Drizzt's early adventures (Icewind Dale trilogy), the Erevis Cale trilogy, and the Harpers novels. The stakes are often very high in those novels, but they don't leave the world broken, beloved characters dead, or magic radically altered. They go deeper into the characters and don't consist of casts of thousands of characters everyone knows and loves, who are at war and often die in the fighting thereof.

To pick two series I enjoyed very much (so as not to question their quality), contrast the character-focused Erevis Cale trilogy (about a guy and his allies who stop a villain from messing up the world, causing only slight disturbances to a couple of locales) to the RSE-focused Return of the Archwizards trilogy (about an invasion/war that enwraps all of Faerun and either kills or maims several prominent characters in the setting). Both stories are extremely gripping and extremely exciting, but the first one is character-focused and localized, the second sweeping and plot-focused. It's not the excitement level that's at question--it's the effect it has on the overall setting. That's the distinction I'm making.

Cheers

Erik Scott de Bie

'Tis easier to destroy than to create.

Author of a number of Realms novels (GHOSTWALKER, DEPTHS OF MADNESS, and the SHADOWBANE series), contributor to the NEVERWINTER CAMPAIGN GUIDE and SHADOWFELL: GLOOMWROUGHT AND BEYOND, Twitch DM of the Dungeon Scrawlers, currently playing "The Westgate Irregulars"
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Arcanus
Senior Scribe

485 Posts

Posted - 21 Aug 2012 :  00:37:00  Show Profile  Visit Arcanus's Homepage Send Arcanus a Private Message  Reply with Quote
When you think about it the number of character/local effect only novels far outweigh the world changing ones anyway.
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Eilserus
Master of Realmslore

USA
1446 Posts

Posted - 21 Aug 2012 :  04:34:48  Show Profile Send Eilserus a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Let's get Elaine Cunningham back and writing about elves and Liriel. I'd really love to hear about what Liriel has been up to over the last century and if her father Gromph has found out she's alive. I'm not sure how to word it, but Mrs. Cunningham REALLY gets how to portray elves and how magic is an inherent part of their culture and life. I think we might be due for a new Evermeet novel because: Evermeet is an echo on Faerun, exists in the Feywild, the Feywild is a primordial version that matches the landscape of the Realms, yet it's not all exactly alike...completely confuses me. If Evermeet is to return for 5E, I can think of no better person to usher that most sacred of elven homes back to shores of Faerun.

At any rate, I'd love to see Mrs. Cunningham back in the Realms, showing us the magic of the elves once again. I think she's one of the peeps who "gets it" when it comes to the feel of the setting.

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Erik Scott de Bie
Forgotten Realms Author

USA
4598 Posts

Posted - 21 Aug 2012 :  15:49:56  Show Profile  Visit Erik Scott de Bie's Homepage Send Erik Scott de Bie a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I'd love to see Elaine back writing in the Realms too. She's a busy lady, but I'm hoping the stars all align at some point and we get more FR fiction from her.

Cheers

Erik Scott de Bie

'Tis easier to destroy than to create.

Author of a number of Realms novels (GHOSTWALKER, DEPTHS OF MADNESS, and the SHADOWBANE series), contributor to the NEVERWINTER CAMPAIGN GUIDE and SHADOWFELL: GLOOMWROUGHT AND BEYOND, Twitch DM of the Dungeon Scrawlers, currently playing "The Westgate Irregulars"
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Gyor
Master of Realmslore

1632 Posts

Posted - 21 Aug 2012 :  19:04:25  Show Profile Send Gyor a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I assume thier will be at least one Player resource released, for 5e Realms players with Backgrounds, Specialies, Domain rules, Spells unique to the Realms, ect... to go with this 5e compaign setting book?
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Hoondatha
Great Reader

USA
2450 Posts

Posted - 21 Aug 2012 :  19:11:02  Show Profile  Visit Hoondatha's Homepage Send Hoondatha a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I'm hoping (and expecting) they go back to the pre-4e way of doing things, with a general FR book and then regional sourcebooks that provide greater detail, as well as hopefully organizational sourcebooks about groups like the Harpers, the Zhents, the Cult, or the gods and their clergies. Only releasing two books for each campaign world is part of the problem 4e had with their campaign worlds.

Doggedly converting 3e back to what D&D should be...
Sigh... And now 4e as well.
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Gyor
Master of Realmslore

1632 Posts

Posted - 21 Aug 2012 :  19:47:08  Show Profile Send Gyor a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I still think a player's guide should be first, but,yeah seeing the regional, deity books, ect... Would be awesome. I'd love to know what the Gods were doing for the last hundred years or so and what they did during the Sundering.
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Zireael
Master of Realmslore

Poland
1190 Posts

Posted - 22 Aug 2012 :  14:33:06  Show Profile  Visit Zireael's Homepage Send Zireael a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I think it's great we're getting editionless books and support for all timelines and older material.

On the topic of novels - Cormyr and Elaine's books were the highlights for me.

SiNafay Vrinn, the daughter of Lloth, from Ched Nasad!

http://zireael07.wordpress.com/
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Erik Scott de Bie
Forgotten Realms Author

USA
4598 Posts

Posted - 22 Aug 2012 :  16:03:21  Show Profile  Visit Erik Scott de Bie's Homepage Send Erik Scott de Bie a Private Message  Reply with Quote
We have, at this time, no official announcements of products. You can be sure there will be some, but we don't know what they are yet. Those decisions are still being made.

So this is the time to advocate for what you want! WotC is listening.

Cheers

Erik Scott de Bie

'Tis easier to destroy than to create.

Author of a number of Realms novels (GHOSTWALKER, DEPTHS OF MADNESS, and the SHADOWBANE series), contributor to the NEVERWINTER CAMPAIGN GUIDE and SHADOWFELL: GLOOMWROUGHT AND BEYOND, Twitch DM of the Dungeon Scrawlers, currently playing "The Westgate Irregulars"
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Hoondatha
Great Reader

USA
2450 Posts

Posted - 22 Aug 2012 :  17:25:24  Show Profile  Visit Hoondatha's Homepage Send Hoondatha a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Obviously I'm in favor for a regional and organizational sourcebook approach like as was done in 2e. They don't all have to be hard covers; soft covers are fine and helps keep the price down.

I think Markus's idea of allowing Realms designers to come up with lore for under-utilized or obscure locations on their own, reviewing and blessing it, and then releasing it as canon via a download and perhaps print-on-demand is a really good idea. His comparison to an App Store is a good one. Price it at $1-3, split the proceeds between the designer and WotC, and use that as a way of expanding some of the corners that don't have enough demand, or are too specialized, to warrant a full, WotC-driven sourcebook.

And given how much art seems to be being created in the process of creating the design bible, you could grab some of it for illustration at no additional cost, while making the finished product more visually appealing.

Doggedly converting 3e back to what D&D should be...
Sigh... And now 4e as well.
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire

USA
15724 Posts

Posted - 22 Aug 2012 :  18:17:08  Show Profile Send Markustay a Private Message  Reply with Quote
And it has the possibility of netting more income for everyone concerned over time.

Suppose they did a sourcebook called 'The Lesser-Known realms' (A self-sabotaging title if I ever heard one), and it included all those corners of Faerūn that die-hard fans want to know more about (Shaareach, Sossal, etc). How well would a hardbound book like that sell to the general public? If they charged $30-35 for it, they would probably not make enough from sales to cover their efforts. Now take the same book and break it down and sell it as 20-30 page 'articles', selling at a dollar (99¢) each. Who wouldn't download that? Its a no-brainer. Even if you don't like what you read, what have you wasted? A buck? Who cares? THATS how you make money on the internet. A million 99¢ sales are worth far more then thousand $35 sales. People don't even think about a dollar - its 'pocket change'. And who is going to take the time to find a pirated copy of something for 99¢? Only someone who would have never paid for it in the first place.

It takes the thought out of buying decisions, which is what they need right now. The biggest anti-argument I am hearing right now is that "the new books will contain a lot of information I may not be interested in". Who the hell would use that argument for something they downloaded for a buck? The internet takes 'impulse buying' to whole 'nother level.

And if these 'mini books' are written by guys like George Krashos, Erik Boyd, Steven Schend, Ed Greenwood, etc - who's not going to like them regardless?

And they don't all have to be small books either - I'm thinking of a $1 per ten pages paradigm, roughly (depending upon author, artwork, maps, etc). There should be a top-end though, otherwise books should be broken up into smaller bites (bytes?) Its easier to sell someone three $9.99 dowloads over a couple months then one $30 Netbook (because as gamers, we balk at not having physical tomes in our hands for that kind of money). A well-written 30-page module or mini-sourcebook for around $2.99 sounds about right to me.

I also wouldn't make it part of the DDi. I am not sure what should be done with the DDi, but the "you must pay for everything whether you use it or not" system isn't the best model for the internet. They are still thinking the DDi is the old Dungeon and Dragon magazines, which they are not, and never will be. There is different mindset with those - you have a piece of physical property that you can put on a shelf forever, that you can always go back to for something useful or just for the sheer joy of nostalgia. The DDi is an 'internet thing', and falls under the category of 'instant gratification'. That means people want every last bit of it to be useful all the time. The magazine model simply does not work.

My suggestion would be to make the DDi FREE, and they could put all those web-goodies we talked about (novel maps, indexes, glossaries, etc, etc) in that, along with a few free articles (disguised advertisements for upcoming releases). That should be their showcase, and it should be FREE. They need a forum where casual parties can learn about D&D and The Realms, without having to fork over cash first. You want to get someone hooked on crack, you give them a piece for free first. Nobody gets hooked on anything until someone gives them some first. YES, and I just compared The Forgotten Realms to crack, because it is an addiction (one that causes mental duress over time, rather physical problems). Maybe a pleasant addiction, but an addiction none the less.

Then, within that framework, sell the 'extra tidbits' for $1-3 dollars. The 'expanded version' of the lore. I think that might work moving forward, and its pure win for everyone, and especially us fans. This system works for many of the Free apps (like facebook games and Diablo) - you give them the basics, and if they want the uber-kewl extras they got to fork-over real money. FB & Zynga didn't become a multi-billion dollar industry by doing things wrong. Even disney has learned to use this (in their own games, like Wizards 101 - you have to use real money to buy certain in-game items). Disney doesn't often make mistakes - WotC needs to understand how the internet works, and use it to their advantage. Unfortunately for many of us, the days of $40 hardbound books is a thing of the past - they just don't sell well. We need to embrace the new technologies moving forward, and I see WotC doing just that on many other platforms.

I'm one of the oldest die-hard grognards here, but even a grognard has to recognize that "the times, they are a'changing". You either grow with them, or get left behind.

One last thing: My 'small stories' comment seems to have been taken a certain way, and fortunately both Richard Byers and Erik DeBie were here to extrapolate on/correct that. I do not mean stories about a single character doing a single thing in some obscure village - that is actually best served in anthologies (and I love those kinds of Realms stories). Novels should be a tad bit grander. All I meant was that the world isn't changed dramatically on a large scale by things that happen. Even a war between two 'big players' (like Sembia and Cormyr) would remain focused on a small part of the Realms. So by 'small' I mean non-RSE, not insignificant. You can still tell a very grand tale and leave the realms intact.

Also, moving forward (and judging by how the Sundering event is being handled), anything 'major' gets discussed by MANY people, and not just the ones writing it. This communal group-decision making is necessary to the Realms, and I am so glad to see that they are not writing in a vacuum, like certain FR novels (and series) were done in the past. Apparently our desire for a 'CORE" group has not fallen on deaf ears, and lots and lots of people we trust are now involved in crafting the setting we all hold so dear.

"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone


Edited by - Markustay on 22 Aug 2012 18:22:33
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Uzzy
Senior Scribe

United Kingdom
618 Posts

Posted - 22 Aug 2012 :  18:22:57  Show Profile  Visit Uzzy's Homepage Send Uzzy a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I particularly agree with Markustay's idea regarding selling PDF's. Paying a reasonably small amount for a detailed and targeted article would be very nice and appealing to me.
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Portella
Learned Scribe

United Kingdom
247 Posts

Posted - 22 Aug 2012 :  18:49:16  Show Profile  Visit Portella's Homepage Send Portella a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Markustay indeed our ideas are a good starting point for discussion it is really important to create a strategy that is build for the current market and future buyers. The world is changing constantly tomorrow who knows what will happen. But we need to prepare with as much analysis as possible, to point at least. Ultimately customers decide and if majority wants the things you have put forward they will happen.

Purple you say?!



Edited by - Portella on 22 Aug 2012 18:49:55
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Dark Wizard
Senior Scribe

USA
830 Posts

Posted - 22 Aug 2012 :  20:35:42  Show Profile Send Dark Wizard a Private Message  Reply with Quote
MarkusTay's outline about a suitable sales model on the internet is spot on and supported by previous examples in other sites and industries. It's how iTunes does it with MP3s and now videos, it's how Amazon does it with eBooks, it's how apps are sold.

More importantly, it's how Paizo is starting to do things with their short story ebooks. Most of their supplements are also smaller books, 30-60 page softcovers (and in PDF). These usually cover a single kingdom. A comparable scale for the Realms would be a 60 page book on Rashemen and not a 190 page Unapproachable East.

The Pathfinder 3pp (3rd party publishers) have eagerly embraced this model. They break up a large project (an entire psionics system, a megadungeon, a bestiary) into smaller chucks. Customers buy the pieces they like, some to try it out, some to grab a specific bit. For the fans of the entire thing, if the product line is successful enough, they do a compilation PDF. Really successful products get a print run.

Many bundle the PDF with a purchase of the print book, usually for only a dollar or two more. Giving people every reason to buy the books rather than obtain them via other means.

Paizo and Pathfinder 3pp books (and PDFs) are also available at more retails than just Paizo.com. Some buyers have accounts set up at other sites like RPGNow/DriveThruRPG. They prefer those sites and the recommendations put up based on their past browsing history or similar buyer history might help make the sale.

WotC should look into getting their digital material out to as many channels as possible while developing their own DDI offerings and their own WotC web Store.
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire

USA
15724 Posts

Posted - 22 Aug 2012 :  21:21:22  Show Profile Send Markustay a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Thanks guys. I have only taken this particular stance since I've become aware of how much Realmlore we never see, just because they don't have a medium in which to present it profitably. While most folks will think long and hard about shelling out $30 for something, no-one (these days) bats an eye at downloading 30 $1 dollar things.

I also don't want to see 'real' (printed) sourcebooks go away - I love those. The reality is that only certain subject-material sells well enough for that format. The downloadable mini-supplements (or even short stories/articles) are good for the something-to-read-at-lunch crowd, and would appeal to the mainstream, while at the same time deliver us much of the Realmslore we never get to see.

@Portella - this is mostly my own suggestion; more of an amalgam of several ideas I heard bandied-about at Gencon. I am just trying to nail-down the needs of both WotC with the wants of the fans, and what I know from my own business experience would possibly work, utilizing today's technology to the best advantage. I am not saying "it was all my idea" - its more of a boiled-down version of what guys like Eric Boyd, James Wyatt, and Ed Greenwood were all tossing around. The pot is still being stirred, and the soup is far from done.

I have mentioned elsewhere that the gist of what I think will be happening over the next year or so is that they will be testing out several different marketing schemes, and will go with whichever ones work. This makes perfect sense - the need for 'focus groups' is no longer necessary for marketing thanks to the internet. They should be able to ascertain precisely what works and what doesn't. If my idea doesn't hold water, thats fine - they will know before they commit to it fully. This is precisely how things should work in a business (not "we are going to do everything our way, and the fans just have to learn to accept it" - that didn't work out so well for them).

In the end, two years from now, we may have something none of us are even thinking about right now. A lot can happen in that time, and technology is always changing. Paizo has learned how to adapt and grow, and this is precisely what we need moving forward.

"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone


Edited by - Markustay on 22 Aug 2012 21:24:04
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Portella
Learned Scribe

United Kingdom
247 Posts

Posted - 23 Aug 2012 :  01:04:12  Show Profile  Visit Portella's Homepage Send Portella a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Indeed I have cash give me a reason to throw it at you again wizards of the coast!!! waking first

( ^ ^ , )

Purple you say?!



Edited by - Portella on 23 Aug 2012 01:09:18
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Faraer
Great Reader

3308 Posts

Posted - 23 Aug 2012 :  01:15:38  Show Profile  Visit Faraer's Homepage Send Faraer a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Realms of Many Worlds

This is a great time to put back the element of travel between worlds that was left out of Realms books for reasons such as the 1980s media scare (and deference to Planescape?). We know that many high-level characters worldwalk, that cross-world intrigues and the struggle to control gates have much secret effect in Faerūn, that it's an important enough part of Ed's premise to have given the setting its name. Not so much links between D&D campaign settings as with a larger literary multiverse -- for me at least, a connection with, say, Nehwon or Morris's Wood Between the Worlds (and there are many public-domain possibilities) opens up imaginative vistas and makes the Realms seem less cramped and self-defined. Zelazny was a big influence here of course, and my own image of it is also shaped by C.J. Cherryh's Morgaine books. This could easily be seeded in subtly at first, then perhaps developed later with the mysterious power groups, planar nexuses, and all.
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see
Learned Scribe

235 Posts

Posted - 25 Aug 2012 :  23:02:47  Show Profile Send see a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert


I believe that Torg had some success doing something similar with the Possibility Wars.


No, it didn't. The Infiniverse didn't work, and was abandoned after a year or so.

I'm getting amazingly depressed. "Duplicating for the Realms with the Spellplague what Traveller did with the Virus didn't work any better the second time around, but we've learned from that. So now we're going to do for the Realms that which didn't work with Torg the first time around."

I'm not saying it can't succeed; maybe Torg was a failure of execution, not concept. But if WotC is going to retry 20-year-old ideas on the Realms, I wish it would retry ones that worked the first time.
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Brix
Learned Scribe

147 Posts

Posted - 27 Aug 2012 :  18:33:14  Show Profile Send Brix a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I'd prefer even smaller breakdowns.
For example a sourcebook that deals with the city of Phlan. 32 Pages for less than 10$


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Erik Scott de Bie
Forgotten Realms Author

USA
4598 Posts

Posted - 27 Aug 2012 :  18:50:40  Show Profile  Visit Erik Scott de Bie's Homepage Send Erik Scott de Bie a Private Message  Reply with Quote
That's a good idea, Brix. I'd love to see something like that implemented as well.

Small products for $10 print, $3 digital would be pretty rock.

Cheers

Erik Scott de Bie

'Tis easier to destroy than to create.

Author of a number of Realms novels (GHOSTWALKER, DEPTHS OF MADNESS, and the SHADOWBANE series), contributor to the NEVERWINTER CAMPAIGN GUIDE and SHADOWFELL: GLOOMWROUGHT AND BEYOND, Twitch DM of the Dungeon Scrawlers, currently playing "The Westgate Irregulars"
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