When Wizards of the Coast first announced exclusive content for D&D Insider customers, I had a few choice words on the subject. This is not a surprise. After all, if I didn’t have strong opinions on this kind of thing I probably wouldn’t have a blog.
What I didn’t expect a response to my concerns. Feel free to read the entire editorial, but here is the relevant portion:
Question #2: Will content that appears as a D&D Insider exclusive ever have additional support?
Answer: Yes, and support articles will likewise be exclusive to D&D Insider. You won't see revenant feats or paragon paths, for example, appear down the road in a print product. We already have plans in the works for an article this fall that features new revenant racial feats, and we'll treat the revenant like any other race in the game. As an article warrants, we'll provide revenants with new character options.
Well, I am glad to hear that they are at least trying to address the issue of “walled off content”. I am still not sure that I am convinced. Not that I don’t expect them to put out some additional content for the revenant. The problem is that the amount of additional content needed will increase as the amount of exclusive content increases.
Right now they just have to worry about the revenant. Soon, it will be the revenant and the assassin. Eventually, once they have enough exclusive content they could fill up entire issues of Dragon just supporting the exclusive content.
Of course maybe by the time this becomes a problem they will just announce D&D 5E where the revenant is a core race.
(OK, I admit I just put that in to piss off a couple of my revenant hating friends).
In related news, it seems assassins will be tied to the new “shadow” power source. As new power sources go, I can live with it. I do wonder if we will be seeing support in Player’s Handbook 3 for other “non-exclusive” classes using the shadow power source.
(I know the cover mock-up said “Psionic, Divine, and Primal Heroes”, but it is still early enough that I don’t trust that information).
In any case, I am going to continue to watch how this exclusive content is handled with great interest. I still think it is a bad idea, despite being a D&D Insider customer myself.
So now all WOTC has to do is prove me wrong.
1 comments:
I am going to skip over the exclusive content,and revenant, on the grounds of "if you can't say anything nice." On the other hand, I will say that I like the concept of the emo power source, though it seems that it could easily be covered as a subset of arcane, just like the potential fey power source was.
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