BioWare Online Store Offers Premium Content
http://doc.bioware.com/images/news/nwn/news_store_announce_80x60.gifBioWare has announced the launch of the BioWare Store (http://store.bioware.com/), an online marketplace that will initially offer three premium Neverwinter Nights modules developed by BioWare staff and NWN community members. The premium modules will host a wide variety of features, including engrossing storylines, professional voice-over, musical scores, brand new in-game content, and much more. Visit http://store.bioware.com/ for more information. Discuss (http://forums.bioware.com/viewtopic.html?topic=390388&forum=41).

Additionally, here are some related links:
GameSpot's Interview with BioWare CEOs (http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/10/26/news_6111408.html) Official Premium Neverwinter Nights Modules Discussion Forum (http://nwn.bioware.com/forums/viewforum.html?forum=86)Finally, here is the official press release:

BioWare launches online store
Game developer to offer premium game content for sale over Internet

EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada, October 26, 2004 – BioWare Corp. today announced the launch of the BioWare Online Store, an internet-based marketplace located at http://store.bioware.com. The store will offer premium Neverwinter Nights™ game content. Neverwinter Nights has sold more than 2 million units worldwide and received numerous RPG of the Year and Game of the Year awards. The modules will be developed by BioWare staff, as well as by prominent members of the Neverwinter Nights fan community, and will be produced by BioWare and Atari, utilizing the Dungeons & Dragons® property under license from Hasbro and its subsidiary, Wizards of the Coast.

The premium modules will host a wide variety of features, including engrossing storylines, professional voice-over and musical scores, brand new in-game content, and much more. Many features have been chosen according to fan feedback, further signifying BioWare and Atari’s commitment to the Neverwinter Nights franchise and its loyal and dedicated fanbase.

Three Neverwinter Nights¬ modules will initially be available through the BioWare Online Store when it opens for business on November 10, 2004, with a plan in place to regularly produce and release additional content in the future. The three modules available at launch are:

Neverwinter Nights: Kingmaker (Developed by BioWare designers Cori May and Dan Whiteside):
Embark on a journey that transcends the bounds of life and death with a loyal band of companions at your side. Evil lurks in a war-torn keep, and the souls of trusted companions must be sacrificed to unearth it. To uncover the truth, you must win the throne.

Neverwinter Nights: ShadowGuard (Developed by Ben “Altaris” McJunkin, developer of “Lone Wolf” series of Neverwinter Nights fan modules):
Your astonishing work at the Imperial Academy has drawn the attention of the Shadowguard, an elite group of secretive Imperial agents that know no failure. Your veil of comfort will soon be torn away and you will be left to solve the mystery of what lies ahead.

Neverwinter Nights: Witch’s Wake 1 (Developed by BioWare designer Rob Bartel):
Recently remastered to bring it up-to-date with the latest new content, this new edition of the classic Hall of Fame module lays the official groundwork for the series. In the module's opening scene, you awake on a raging battlefield to bear witness to your prince's dying words: "Tell the king that she is dead." Those seven fateful words mark the start of a journey that will propel you from the edge of a dying world into its very heart.

“BioWare is already hard at work creating the next wave of premium Neverwinter Nights modules, including the continuation of the hit Witch’s Wake series with Witch’s Wake 2: The Witch Hunters,” said Dr. Greg Zeschuk, Joint CEO of BioWare Corp. “We continue to work closely with contributors from the flourishing Neverwinter Nights fan community to create innovative products for release through the BioWare Store.”

“We really want to let our tremendous fan community know that we are committed to supporting them and listening to their needs!” added Dr. Ray Muzyka, Joint CEO of BioWare Corp. “Fans want to see more official content for Neverwinter Nights, and we are delivering just that. We’ll offer great new modules from BioWare designers, as well as prominent fan community figures, with all of the content produced and approved by BioWare.”

More information can be found at the BioWare Online Store ( http://store.bioware.com ).

Are any of you going to buy these modules?

Here's the relevant Forum News item: http://www.sorcerers.net/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?/topic/32/190.html

And I need to buy NWN first to be able to play those modules. ;)

I may well buy something. Shadowguard probably, since you get Witch's Wake with that, although Kingmaker looks good too. Although there is a lot of free custom content around the internet, I will certainly bear this in mind.

No, I didn't enjoy any of the NWN games so I surely won't enjoy any of these modules.

Actually, both Shadowguard and Kingmaker look pretty good. I really enjoyed Witch's Wake when it first came out, so when I get home and reinstall NWN, I'll probably get at least one.

The way I see it, they seem more like small expansion packs then just downloadable mods. Or at least, that's what they should aim for.

Can someone summarise for me the benefits of paying for these particular modules vs getting the dozens of other fan modules that are available for free (and are supposed to be quite good)?

From the looks of it professional voice acting appears to be the only real benefit over some of the better fan based mods.

That being said, I will probably not buy them unless I hear people start raving about them being great.

For 5 bucks? Sure, why not? It's worth it to not have to spend my time slogging through a multitude of ... other mods to find something that I'm likely to enjoy.

I'm buying them - And sorry about posting this elsewhere...There are so many places to look on SP now...