>
> I also realize that there are also people that buy every item that comes
> out. They are called collectors. TSR needs to decide: 'what business are
> we in, games or collectibles?'
>
> I'm biased. I'm a gamer. Five out of the seven people in my gaming group
> are also collectors. If that is typical, then TSR *IS* in the
> collectibles business. Does that mean they should produce games that
> only collectors can enjoy?
>
A lot of gamers are also collectors of game materiel. I live in the back of
beyond, so I don't often have a chance to pen n paper game anymore. But
even when I did a lot of gaming, I often bought stuff that never saw
(direct) use in any of our campaigns, just for the backround, or to get
some insight or ideas, whatever. A portion of a long response to a simmiar
question:

"There are at least two constituencies. . .which I will call 'players' and
'collectors.' Naturally there is extensive overlap between these two
groups, so the division is perhaps best thought of as two poles of
interest, between which all gamers are streached to varying degrees of
agony. . .thouse who gravitate more toward the collector pole get their
primary enjoyment out of being immersed in the large mass of interesting
pseudo-reality source materiel [backrounds, histories, ideas, stuff that
makes you think. I.E. just like a good novel, but more open-ended, IMO.]
"Neither pole, player or collector, is better or worse than the other.
However, material targeted more toward one pole than the other will not be
wholly satisfactory to the untargeted group*. . ."

I.E. player-types want more adventure materiel, and sourcebooks that are
useful directly in their *own* campaign. Collector-types (or, if you
prefer, reader-types) don't mind; they want stuff packed with information
describing anything (if it's well written).
By the inherent nature of Birthright, though, I think it will always have
a tendancy towards the latter. Why? Because of the very nature of the
campaign; a continent, with gamers scattered (clustered in their own
campaigns, but otherwise scattered) among many cultures, ruling realms of
diverse nature. So, while any kind of adventure can be easily designed to
fit just about any group in the Misbegotten Realms, it is harder in BR
(take King of the Giantdowns; *great* adventure for thouse who want to
forge their own realms. "Worthless" for a group of players ruling Medoere,
Illien, Roesone et al. . .except as a "collectable" and source of ideas.)

*(oh, btw, that quote is from a *long* response to a long letter, published
in Challenge #77 & written by Dave Nilsen. Of course, that company, GDW,
*also* went bankrupt. . .)