D&D 5E Would a 5E Kickstarter Fly?

Stormonu · May 12, 2012

With several popular RPG kickstarters of late, do you think that doing a version of 5E as a kickstarter by WotC would be a good idea? Especially if the higher levels of backing allowed folks to "nominate" a rules module for inclusion in the main rules (perhaps from a pre-approved list) or otherwise have a minor say in a few monsters, items, feats, classes, races or whatnot would be in the main rules? ("At the $500 level, you can nominate to have one PC race from any previous edition added into the ruleset with full feat/ability/power support - 4 slots available").

How about if instead of the 5E ruleset itself, they did their adventure module or campaign world support through kickstarters? ("$20,000 Kickstarter to reprint a 5E compatible version of Birthright...or an Undermountain Complete Boxed Set") <edit>"At the $5,000 level, we'll fly Ed Greenwood to your house to run a 6-hour Realms game"

trancejeremy · May 12, 2012

The most successful kickstarter is what, $6 million?

WOTC/Hasbro apparently wants $50 million a year from D&D (if not a lot more).

Bedrockgames · May 12, 2012

Wotc has the money to invest in their own products, so I think a lot of people would be turned off by them kickstarting 5E (basically get customsrs to foot the production cost and buy the books so they can maximize profit margins).

Incenjucar · May 12, 2012

It would be less absurd for them to develop their own system where people basically pledged to purchase products in order for them to be written, but that's something I expect a more agile company to try first.

Stormonu · May 12, 2012

Bedrockgames said:
Wotc has the money to invest in their own products, so I think a lot of people would be turned off by them kickstarting 5E (basically get customsrs to foot the production cost and buy the books so they can maximize profit margins).

Actually, I think the opposite. When I see kickstarters, I generally think it of it as a rallying cry of "whose interested in this?" and "how dedicated to the game are you?" Like with the "add your favorite Race/Class for X", I think we'd see a lot of folks willing to put down money up-front if they feel they have some sort of hand in shaping 5E's contents (to a degree - like for example, they could offer a PDF release if it hits a certain amount, or a character builder at launch at Y amount, etc.)

CM · May 12, 2012

Not by WotC, but I would love to see some niche campaign settings farmed out to third parties under this system.

Dice4Hire · May 12, 2012

Do you really want the 1% deciding what D&D Next is gonna look like?

CM · May 12, 2012

Dice4Hire said:
Do you really want the 1% deciding what D&D Nest is gonna look like?

I can see it now, the new 4th pillar: Investment Portfolio.

Bedrockgames · May 12, 2012

Stormonu said:
Actually, I think the opposite. When I see kickstarters, I generally think it of it as a rallying cry of "whose interested in this?" and "how dedicated to the game are you?" Like with the "add your favorite Race/Class for X", I think we'd see a lot of folks willing to put down money up-front if they feel they have some sort of hand in shaping 5E's contents (to a degree - like for example, they could offer a PDF release if it hits a certain amount, or a character builder at launch at Y amount, etc.)

But this amounts to lobbying for content. All it would take is a few really obsessed gamers with loads of money to tip the direction of the edition in their favor. This seems like a terrible way for wotc to launch am edition. And the original point stands: they already have the money to invest in their products so if they laumched 5e via kickstart it basically would be them trying to get money out of customers to both fund the project and pay for it once it is out. The point of kickstarter generally is to help getprojects off the ground that don't hane that kind of support. But wizards is a company not in need of such funding to launch 5e....it would almost be unethical for them to do 5e as a kickstart.