![]() ![]() In the TSR days, TSR was sometimes paid in advance, which is a lot like taking out a loan, and when the distributors eventually gave up and returned the product, TSR owed money. Financially, unsold books are a big problem, because they tie up capital. They end up at places like Half-Priced Books, selling at what could be a loss.įor smaller companies, unsold books eat up warehouse space (which costs rent). Them around to other places, trying to find a place with demand. ![]() ![]() Books can even be returned as unsold (less common these days)Īnd the distributor and/or company (depending on the agreement) has to move ![]() Unsold copies of the last book… they aren’t likely to order lots of copies of In the non-ideal scenario, the books don’t sell quickly, Based on how quickly they sold out, the company decides whether to reprint them. In an ideal (somewhat simplified) scenario, the company orders a print run from a printer, sends the printed books out through distributors, those distributors sell them to game stores (and online retailers sell them too), and they sell out. Understanding is that the two setting books did not sell particularly well. While the FR setting is undeniably popular, and there wasĪ large supporting organized play program called Living Forgotten Realms, my Gloomwrought / Shadowfell: A sort of boxed set with a setting book, map, and encounter book.Neverwinter: A single book, but a heralded one.Eberron: Two books, one for players and one for DMs.Forgotten Realms: Two books, one for players and one for DMs.That leaves us with just a few true 4E settings: The above products certainly don’t have any of the depth found in famed settings from the AD&D days, such as Greyhawk, Planescape, Ravenloft, Dragonlance, and Spelljammer (which were almost always boxed sets followed by a plethora of support products). This was a new 4E setting, but it was mentioned across several products rather than ever being a distinct product. Books like Menzoberranzan: City of Intrigue and Halls of Undermountainare similarly locations within a larger campaign. We have books like Manual of the Planes, Secrets of the Elemental Chaos, Secrets of the Astral Sea, and Underdark that are clearly about a location or set of locations, but they are not what a DM would likely use as a setting for a long campaign. Really cool!)Īs much as I love that book, 19 pages is not a setting. (This book is notable for ending on a sort of choose-your-own-adventure method of creating a character backstory. The rest of the book is new races, class options, and character options. It provides an overview of the Feywild, but only on the first 19 pages. This is a wonderful book, and a favorite for many. A good example is the Player’s Option: Heroes of the Feywildhardback. TSR (the company that owned D&D before Wizards) had gone bankrupt for several reasons, with one key reason being overprinting products it couldn’t sell quickly or profitably.ĤE launched several books that are arguably not settings. Settings historically had not sold well and boxed sets are expensive to print. The other high-quality maps detail the lands beyond to the north, south, and west-expanding the area of the original campaign by eight times!Īn eight-panel gatefold featuring all the tables needed to run a Dark Sun adventure, on one convenient stand-up screen.As we discussed in Part 1, 4E had a deliberate goal of releasing very limited and focused setting material. This book features new player character races such as the aarakocra and the pterran, expanded rules for wizards, and revised ability score tables.ģ2 pages detailing a new streamlined, complete-in-this-box psionics system designed specifically for Dark Sun campaigns.Ī 32-page adventure for characters of 3rd to 5th level that kicks off any new campaign in spectacular fashion. Welcome to a world where metal is scarce, gods don't exist, and psionic powers abide in all living creatures! This significantly expanded and revised set contains everything you need to adventure across the burning lands of Athas.ġ28 pages detailing the world of Athas, extending far beyond the known Tyr Region to encompass such new locations as the Jagged Cliffs, the Last Sea, the Kreen Empire, and the Dead Land.ĩ6 pages of updated rules and new mechanics designed to make combat more brutal and adventure more savage. And to the south, in the obsidian wasteland, the ground stirs with the emergence of the undead. Giant rifts pierce this once impenetrable land: far to the north, the alien thri-kreen empire quickens, sensing its opportunity to invade. The Dragon King lies dead, earthquakes rock the land, and revolution spreads like wildfire across the Tyr Region. The city of Tyr has broken free of tyranny, though turmoil still holds the world in its merciless grip. A decade has passed since the Age of Heroes began. ![]()
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