10 minutes ago, korjik said:

Especially when you take into account that some of the best books of the WEG and WOTC lines were compilation books

Some of my favorite books, in fact.

A new region book.

Coruscant

The Deep Core

Tatooine

Any will do. I love region books.

22 hours ago, Desslok said:

It wasn't the marketing model that killed WEG, it was the mismanagement from the shoe company that killed the company and took WEG down in the process. I'm less familiar with the WotC side of thing, but from what I've heard from friends who worked there, it was the high cost of the license and the onerous approval process from LFL that made Hasbro/WotC go "F it, it's not worth it" and throw in the towel. Now, neither of these two conditions means that getting a Big Book of Blasters any more (or less) likely, but it doesn't mean that it's a failed approach to releasing.

Other than Paizo, which is ~50% of the gaming sphere by replicating D&D 3.5, the few first-tier RPG publishers that remain have eschewed from the Big Book of Gear model of book publishing. The margins are so razor thin on not-D&D game books that a book that doesn't appeal to both GMs and players isn't going to get published. FFG is sticking new playable races into pre-written modules (want to play a Mandalorian? Better buy this AoR adventure) in order to get the broadest level of market saturation. I've written for Mongoose Publishing and even the adventure modules are being split into actual adventure material and sourcebook material. That way if a GM doesn't want to run the adventure as written, they still get something out of the book.

I literally cannot see why FFG would take a risk in a publishing a gear/minion/ship-only book when they can get shoppers to spend more money buying information spread across several books. They simply aren't pushing out that much material and as a far as I can tell, everything is still in print.

All that said, I want a Spy career book next because I'm running a AoR campaign and I'm selfish. To fit in the Edge line, either a good Corporate Sector or Shadowports setting book would make the most sense. Setting books seem to generate the most excitement and it's kind of frustrating that they're prioritizing getting every career book out first.

On 2017-05-24 at 1:59 PM, Desslok said:

Now, neither of these two conditions means that getting a Big Book of Blasters any more (or less) likely, but it doesn't mean that it's a failed approach to releasing.

The marketing rationale I outlined has been "common lore" since EotE was released. You won't get a Big Book of Blasters because it appeals to a smaller slice of gamers, there are enough blasters and mods in the core books to satisfy most players.

However, I'll admit I have no interest in wading through 4 years of posts to find references, so we'll just have to leave it at that.

23 hours ago, korjik said:

Especially when you take into account that some of the best books of the WEG and WOTC lines were compilation books

Best books according to whom? Best sellers, or just ones you happened to enjoy? If you don't have sales stats then the point is moot. Personally I found the compilation books uninteresting.

Even WotC has moved beyond compilation books or books focused on one thing. The latest version of DnD is only adventures or combination setting and option books.

and, because a) I can't help myself and b) the wife and I got unexpectedly tipsy and I lost all self-control, I ended up adding these to my collection!

Forged in Battle Sourcebook
Strongholds of Resistance Sourcebook
Stay on Target Sourcebook
Dangerous Covenants

woot!

WEG put out A LOT (TM) of material, without a lot of oversight from Lucasfilm, some of which were more expesive hard covers with some color interior artwork and some were soft cover with black and white interior artwork. The equipment books (of which there at least 2) that I'm aware of were the smaller/cheaper soft cover books with black and white interiors.

WEG put out so much material (and cheaply in terms of printing and i'm presuming development) that they could target specific sections of the player base with specific books. Under those conditions/that model, equipment books targetted at the segment of gamers who want actually make financial sense. That isn't the current environment, and it certainly isn't FFG's production model, so I am extremely doubtful that we will ever see an "equipment book." I would buy it if they did because I have the resources and am something of a completionist (as long as it's a quality product).

I think FFG is deliberately limiting the rate of new star wars RPG products, and ONE of the reasons is so that a lot of gamers can keep up financially/afford to be completionists. They want their customers buying EVERYTHING they make. It's the opposite (from WEG) strategy for efficient/ high profit per effort sales.

WEG: high volume cheap production/development with books targeted at sections of player base.

FFG: low volume, high quality production/development with all books targeting the whole player base.

While a true equipment book is unlikely, I'd love for some equipment decks . A weapon deck and an armor deck, at the least.

I like the idea of the equipment decks, especially for weapon and armor.

But since the question is what I would do I don't have to care about likelihoods and what not I'd like a book that compiles all equipment by chapters. A chapter for weapons, a chapter for armor and so on for the rest. Though not until after all the career books are done.

I'd also like a book on droids, or droids and cyborgs. The Gank and droid pc races can go in there, and a third race of whoever is known for making droids. It could have fluff and mechanics on droid creation, the beliefs, how they're used, droid emancipation. Specific options for cyborgs as well as a chapter (or compiled list) of the droids you can buy we've seen from other books.

I'd also like a double release of the Warrior and Mystic books, followed by any that are left from AoR.

Well, I would like a mystic book. But, I probably wouldn't want it to come out to close to DoH. Similar deal with the spy book. Perhaps a book about playing evil characters. Dark-siders, imperials, more ruthless criminals, etc.

Spy needs it bad, though I'm anxious for Mystic as well.

Another Regional book for AoR (Core Worlds perhaps).

A core rule book for Imperial campaigns and players.

13 hours ago, MitchPelon said:

Another Regional book for AoR (Core Worlds perhaps).

A core rule book for Imperial campaigns and players.

Just curious but why another AoR regional book and not one greared more towards FaD or EotE?

agreed on the Imperial Sourcebook, that would be delightful - if this were up to me, I would likely go with that

On 29.5.2017 at 6:53 PM, EliasWindrider said:

WEG: high volume cheap production/development with books targeted at sections of player base.

FFG: low volume, high quality production/development with all books targeting the whole player base.

I don't see the high quality. The editorial and setting is just as abysmal like all FFG products, the artwork is sparse and medium quality while high quality color illustrations are basically limited to the cover and a few in the core books. Meanwhile the prices FFG charges for books is indeed like they are selling premium products.

Now low volume is indeed true, they are constantly sold out and at least the printing and paper seems to be really decent in quality, even when the bindings are lacking … which is somewhat a trend with american publishers. I don't care, I use PDFs for the most part, but people who don't go the extra mile to scan their books would need to buy replacement books, especially the core books are not suited for looking up stuff.

8 hours ago, Bojanglez said:

Just curious but why another AoR regional book and not one greared more towards FaD or EotE?

agreed on the Imperial Sourcebook, that would be delightful - if this were up to me, I would likely go with that

FaD could use another one, though I'm not certain what it would be.

EotE already has two (Suns of Fortune and Lords of Nal Hutta).

Of course, maybe they should save that Core Worlds book and use it as a supplement for the Imperial set. Instead to a book based on various Rebel factions. That could work pretty well for the FaD supplement as well.

17 hours ago, SEApocalypse said:

I don't see the high quality. The editorial and setting is just as abysmal like all FFG products, the artwork is sparse and medium quality while high quality color illustrations are basically limited to the cover and a few in the core books. Meanwhile the prices FFG charges for books is indeed like they are selling premium products.

Wait, what? Don't see high quality? Hardcover books, glossy paper, every page full colour? That's not high quality? What do you want, hand-bound illuminated manuscripts individually handwritten on vellum?

And "sparse and medium quality artwork"? Are you insane? The FFG line has the best artwork I've ever seen in an RPG, hands down (and I've seen A LOT of them)."Basically limited to the cover and a few in the main books"... the covers are the least awesome of all the outstanding artwork; the inside stuff in outstanding in every single book.

I really want to know, if you think these books are bad then what are you comparing them to?

There is no pleasing everyone I guess but I agree some of those complaints ring quite absurd to my ears as well.

2 hours ago, Krieger22 said:

I really want to know, if you think these books are bad then what are you comparing them to?

Agone.
And I don't think they are bad.
BTW, the pages are not full color either, looks like a classic 4 color print to me for the most part, good paper too, so nothing shabby, but nothing that blows me away either. Pretty standard these days.

What really is bad is the editing, text is often unclear, there is a lot of space wasted with pointless talk (No one reads chapter 3, despite the chapter offering great and vital informations for the game, it just that badly written), a lot of mechanical meat is hidden in fluff text, etc typical FFG stuff.

4 hours ago, SEApocalypse said:

Agone.
And I don't think they are bad.
BTW, the pages are not full color either, looks like a classic 4 color print to me for the most part, good paper too, so nothing shabby, but nothing that blows me away either. Pretty standard these days.

What really is bad is the editing, text is often unclear, there is a lot of space wasted with pointless talk (No one reads chapter 3, despite the chapter offering great and vital informations for the game, it just that badly written), a lot of mechanical meat is hidden in fluff text, etc typical FFG stuff.

As someone who works in the graphics industry, 4-color process is how you produce full color prints. You don't use a different color ink for each color. The only time "spot colors" are used is for specific projects usually being printed in only 1 or 2 specific colors.

on reflection, I think I'm leaning more towards a Ship and Equipment compendium that would compile all the different items across the core, adventure and sourcebooks. I understand the arguments against that have been made in this thread but, per the original post, this is what I would choose to do, and having a handy reference tome that prevented me looking through the various tomes would be delightful.

This wouldn't be a "next release", but after all 18 Careers have their splatbooks out, I would like the see the Big Book of Character released, that just compiles all Species, Spec trees, and Force Powers into one book. Maybe with a reprint of the Core books' gear selection to make the tome a one-stop-shop for rolling up a new basic character.

I am late to this topic.... but I reckon an Imperial book maybe in the pipeline.. and they'll still throw in species

...and careers that can be used in all 3 lines. Dunno, just my thought.