I got a lot of good ideas from the first d20 WoW sourcebook.
Come to think of it, the D&D material that got turned into video games and had some new stuff created just for those games translated back into tabletop D&D nicely. If that counts.
Greetings!
Interesting! Jeff, what are the things that you really liked about the WOW RPG sourcebook? What elements do you think are especially cool for using in a D&D game?
Semper Fidelis,
SHARK
First, let me preface by saying that I don't like video games.
A computer program cannot be nearly as creative or thoughtful as a human being, because once the game program is finished and you buy it there can be no action or reaction except what is already programmed into the game, which I find far too limiting to be fun. Now I understand that some games have expansions (usually for a price) but everything is still limited by the program of the game itself. I also understand that there are PvP servers and places to meet other gamers using that particular game - but even then the choices of actions and possibilities is still limited by the game's programming.
I do love the artwork and settings of some video games. I don't know how many times I've cribbed some artwork from Halo to show Players what a piece of equipment or character looks like in Traveller or d6 Star Wars.
The first WoW book captured my attention with not just new Feats, new Spells, and new Prestige Classes, but with the rich background history of the setting and how these were woven together into the History of the setting. The formatting of the geography gave me a good example on how to do my own in the future. It was not just utilitarian, it was inspiring. Kalimdor became real to me, who had never played the video game.
I know that is half-assed answer, but it is the best way for me to convey the value to me of that book. It wasn't just one thing, it was a lot of little things, and more importantly it was how all of those things fit together to make the whole. I felt that a lot of love went into Warcraft.