Well...
I bought the expansions only because the modules I wanted to play required them. Heck, if the people who designed the modules didn't need the expansions, people like myself wouldn't either. I remember when the DLA was mentioning that people were going to need all three aspects of NeverWinter Nights back when it still was costly to buy the separate components. Some of the statements made back and forth were in fact pretty harsh - a little too harsh as far as I was concerned. After all, people had just finished spending $50 on the main game, then they were told in order to play this expansion (being done for free), they would have to spend another $30 to $80 (all Canadian prices at the time) for the two expansions. Let us say that really did not go over well. Now, the real benefits of the expansions are made available for people trying it out for the first time at a lower cost than what I myself paid for just the original game. Fair? Not easy to say. Progress? Perhaps, as it got more people playing online and offline - and faster.
So now the question is will those people making those individual modules be the key to the success or the failure of the game? Some people insist it is module makers (single player or multiplayer, factoring in persistent worlds) that will keep the game alive. Others think it will solely be the three-shot players. (Three different characters, same storyline, different methods to beat the game.) In the end, only time and sales will tell. I hope that the game - the single player official campaign - sells the game to the masses. If nothing else, that should inspire the people at Obsidian to release more features and functions for those who demand them. After all, if there are people who are willing to build a house in your name, why not give them the materials to do so? And if those modules made by others effectively promote the game itself, so much the better for Obsidian. They benefit from the work others do for free - sort of like an internet street team.
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There are no paths to power which are not fraught with confrontation. No matter the battle, a lesson must be won. In the end, the path shall fade into nothingness for the one walking it, but may go on for eternity for those whom choose to follow. One must know their own footsteps before taking that first step, or instead of choosing your battles, your battles will choose you.
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