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7 months ago ::
Oct 30, 2012 - 9:28AM
#21
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Date Joined:
Dec 12, 2005
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Just stopping by to voice my support for having the adventures distributed. I've read the concerns that Teos posted and I don't think they are valid, especially the worries that any bad content would reflect badly on WotC. After all, they already have that potential scenario now with convention play. Illegal distribution? That can happen already too.
My LFR Modules: Spoiler:
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EAST1-3 Unbidden (H3)
EAST2-3 Nightmares (P1)
NETH3-1 Secrets and Shadows (Paragon Tier) (Author)
ELTU3-6 True Blue (Heroic Tier) (Author)
EPIC3-3 The Tangled Skein of Destiny (Co-Author)
ABER4-3 A Little Rebellion (Paragon Tier) (Author)
WATE4-1 Paying the Piper (Heroic Tier) (Co-Author)
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7 months ago ::
Oct 30, 2012 - 9:33AM
#22
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Date Joined:
Jun 18, 2003
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I have a lot of local players who are huge Dark Sun fans but cannot attend conventions because of family and work schedules. I would love to run Ashes of Athas for them, but the convention-only restrictions and then the removal of the ability to play at home makes it impossible for me to do that. I would love to get home access to the AoA campaign adventures!
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7 months ago ::
Oct 30, 2012 - 9:50AM
#23
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Date Joined:
Mar 24, 2004
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I am a big fan of the Dark Sun setting and the Ashes of Athas campaign. My ability to attend gaming conventions is limited by work and family so playing at home is very important to me. Please allow Ashes of Athas for home play so that myself and many of my friends can finish the campaign. Allowing play of these adventure is good for Wizards as it encourages people to play D&D, buy the Dark Sun books, and subscribe to DDI to read the Dark Sun articles. In addition, it's good public relations to embrace your fan community. It's a win for everyone.
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7 months ago ::
Oct 30, 2012 - 9:51AM
#24
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Date Joined:
Jun 21, 2007
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I'm greatly concerned by the sense of direction that has been displayed by the publisher. I love the game, I love the products - but by eliminating small-scale products like the Ashes of Athas campaign (which Wizards maintains only a very tiny overhead for, as the authors are unpaid) it only hampers a very viable growth sector for the product line as a whole.
I own a gamestore, and I've written some things for both LFR and Ashes of Athas. I love them both, but if a player comes into my store and asks if I can get a copy of the Dark Sun Campaign Setting so that they can be better prepared for Ashes of Athas or another homebrew game, I have to tell them no. The Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting? Great material, but one of my warehouses recently closed them out due to have too many copies left over (all from the first printing).
I can agree with the initial outlook that Wizards and the AoA admins shared when the campaign began - as a convention-only storyline. By overlapping the storylines (chapter 1 and 2 at DDXP, then 2 and 3 at the next show, then 3 and 4 after that), players were empowered to be a part of the ongoing storyline but could afford to skip a major show. The ability to download missing adventures at a later date was a great addition and outside the scope of the original vision; I was incredibly pleased when this happened.
But then nothing more happened, and there was no further communication on it. Dark Sun evokes a powerful, visceral response from gamers once the subject is explained to them. Dark Sun sells books. Providing adventure materials helps us sell books, and selling books in turn encourages the publisher to create more new materials.
I write this with no small amount of dismay, but please don't think that I'm "knocking" or "bad-mouthing" Wizards. I'm concerned that clear communication has not been given, and that we have been left to such a device as a public forum post as a plea for help.
Writing Director, Abolethic Sovereignty storyline Spoiler:
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7 months ago ::
Oct 30, 2012 - 10:04AM
#25
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I also would like to check these out, but I don't really get why they don't make these regularly available to the public. None of the excuses make any sense, to be honest. These are very niche products, and they aren't for sale in the first place, so I will just politely ask for them to make them available so that the few of us left out here that are really curious can check them out.
Waiting on Wizards to help with anything distribution-wise seems pointless. Quite frankly, they aren't doing anything of note to promote your program that you couldn't do yourself. What, are they all of a sudden going to distribute your year-old one-shot 4e convention adventures on the main site? Seems incredibly doubtful. That Wizards mentioned you in a podcast one day a year ago, or wore a t-shirt one afternoon does not seem a very good reason not to make these available to the few people that even care. So, my fear is that you guys entered into some sort of contractual agreement with them. I hope you didn't, but I fear you did.
It sounds like you guys were hoping for a bigger partnership that involved Wizards doing more to promote your stuff. I am sorry that didn't work out. I still want to check out your adventures; maybe one day I will be able to. But to imply that anyone reading it would somehow confuse it with a Wizards product is, I'm sorry, laughable. We are not knuckle-dragging Cro-Magnons, and can certainly fathom the production credits of an adventure.
You guys will ultimately need to make these available for download yourselves, on your own site, in order for anyone besides convention-goers to get to read them. I know you have spent a lot of effort writing them and developing the program, so you honestly deserve to have them read by more than just a handful of people. Hopefully Wizards will release you from whatever nightmarish agreement you apparently made with them, and allow you to distribute your material.
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7 months ago ::
Oct 30, 2012 - 10:26AM
#26
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- Dragon Slayer
- If only he would apply himself
- Dammit Jim, this is Star Trek, not D&D!
Date Joined:
Jan 31, 2006
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You guys will ultimately need to make these available for download yourselves, on your own site, in order for anyone besides convention-goers to get to read them.
To clarify, we can't distribute the adventures. Dark Sun is a copyrighted setting and not part of the OGL or similar agreement. No one can publish or distribute a Dark Sun adventure without permission.
When distribution was available/allowed, there was tremendous interest. Forum posts don't capture the amount of people who downloaded and played the adventures (only chapters 1 and 2 were available for download). I don't believe I can share numbers, but the adventures have been very popular.
The campaign exists at Wizards' discretion. Their promotion and interest (such as in the May DDI editorial) has been great for us. Unfortunately, it doesn't change the issue that gamers interested in the campaign just can't attend all three conventions. As we prepare for the Winter Fantasy convention and Chapter 7, this hurts our ability to deliver on our strong story-rich focus.
Follow my blog and Twitter feed with Dark Sun campaign design and DM tips! Dark Sun's Ashes of Athas Campaign is now available for home play (PM me with your e-mail to order the campaign adventures).
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7 months ago ::
Oct 30, 2012 - 10:36AM
#27
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You guys will ultimately need to make these available for download yourselves, on your own site, in order for anyone besides convention-goers to get to read them.
To clarify, we can't distribute the adventures. Dark Sun is a copyrighted setting and not part of the OGL or similar agreement. No one can publish or distribute a Dark Sun adventure without permission.
When distribution was available/allowed, there was tremendous interest. Forum posts don't capture the amount of people who downloaded and played the adventures (only chapters 1 and 2 were available for download). I don't believe I can share numbers, but the adventures have been very popular.
The campaign exists at Wizards' discretion. Their promotion and interest (such as in the May DDI editorial) has been great for us. Unfortunately, it doesn't change the issue that gamers interested in the campaign just can't attend all three conventions. As we prepare for the Winter Fantasy convention and Chapter 7, this hurts our ability to deliver on our strong story-rich focus.
Yes, I tried to get in on the month-long dl window but was too late unfortunately; those were still released on your Baldman site though, if I recall correctly. Forgotten Realms isn't covered by the GSL either, and LFR make their adventures available for free download. I guess they have a different agreement with WOTC (I honestly have no idea)? Maybe one day they will let ya'll release the adventures to the public.
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7 months ago ::
Oct 30, 2012 - 10:49AM
#28
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Date Joined:
Mar 14, 2008
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Wizards, please allow these great modules to available to more people. I have had the great fortune to work on these modules and would love for others to be able to have access to them other than the conventions. Thanks!
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7 months ago ::
Oct 30, 2012 - 10:52AM
#29
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- Dragon Slayer
- If only he would apply himself
- Dammit Jim, this is Star Trek, not D&D!
Date Joined:
Jan 31, 2006
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Yes, I tried to get in on the month-long dl window but was too late unfortunately; those were still released on your Baldman site though, if I recall correctly. Forgotten Realms isn't covered by the GSL either, and LFR make their adventures available for free download. I guess they have a different agreement with WOTC (I honestly have no idea)? Maybe one day they will let ya'll release the adventures to the public.
The month-long window was at the Baldman site.
LFR has an agreement to distribute. What we would like is a similar ability to distribute. This thread is really people supporting that.
My hope as an admin is that Wizards sees enough people wanting distribution that they take the steps to do so. They are busy people, even while being great people. I'm hoping they see the interest and allow for distribution, because I think many would benefit (including Wizards).
Follow my blog and Twitter feed with Dark Sun campaign design and DM tips! Dark Sun's Ashes of Athas Campaign is now available for home play (PM me with your e-mail to order the campaign adventures).
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7 months ago ::
Oct 30, 2012 - 11:00AM
#30
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Date Joined:
Aug 27, 2009
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I'll add my support to getting these products into the hands of interested gamers. Our plans to play 4E Dark Sun stalled out because of the lack of support products out there, and something like this would be perfect for gamers like myself who are short on time to develop their own material for settings that don't get as much love like Dark Sun and other niche locales.
Please, make this happen Wizards!
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