D&D 5E A Board Game style Release Schedule

Jester David · Mar 7, 2015

There's been a lot of talk of the release schedule for 5e and how it has been slower than any edition in recent memory.
While looking at a board game on Kickstarter and hearing the designers talk about a planned expansion, I wondered if it's better to think about D&D's accessories like board game expansions.

Even popular board games limit their expansions, which tend to be major updates to the game adding a lot of new option, but they come out rarely, and eventually stop. Catan has been out for 20 years but there's only 4 expansion.

One expansion per year is far more than most board games see.

Thoughts?

Jeff Carlsen · Mar 7, 2015

That's pretty much exactly my thoughts. At least where rules are concerned.

HobbitFan · Mar 7, 2015

You guys may be correct.

Two things:
1. If this is the new model, WOTC needs to communicate this to the fans. Not hint at. Tell.
2. I think fans would be onboard for this kind of release schedule for rules heavy books. I don't think they want this slow a schedule for all the RPG products. I think fans want adventures and campaign settings still.

Shiroiken · Mar 7, 2015

There's several types of BG expansions, so it's a bit hard to compare. Power Grid, for example, has many expansions, because they are just a new board with special rules for that board. If they screw something up, it just hurts that expansion (as they don't interact). Catan has 4 expansions (actually more if you count the Fisherman and Great River mini-expansions), and I don't know of anyone who plays with more than 1 at a time (if any), because they cause such a massive change to the game. Battlestar Galatica has 3 expansions, but the expansions include modular options that you can mix and match to find the best setup for your group. I've found that most BG expansions need to either fix a problem in the game or add a new element that is wildly enjoyed, or else they seldom see use.

If D&D wanted to take this idea, they could put out each cycle:
1 Rules Expansion (Catan level major expansion)
1 Setting (BSG level modular expansion)
1-2 Adventures (PG level board expansion)

Zardnaar · Mar 7, 2015

D&D is not a board game though.

DaveDash · Mar 7, 2015

Zardnaar said:
D&D is not a board game though.

Seconded. D&D is not a board game.

Let's think about it however we like, but ultimately WoTC (or Hasbro) have decided they cannot make money off D&D by selling books. That's ultimately why the release schedule is what it is.

DEFCON 1 · Mar 7, 2015

HobbitFan said:
You guys may be correct.

1. If this is the new model, WOTC needs to communicate this to the fans. Not hint at. Tell.

Why? Why do they have to spell it out for people rather than just let them intuit it from the fact that it is happening?

All that happens by "stating" or "defining" what they are doing means people get pissed off whenever they do something that happens differently that what they said they were doing. If they choose for a particular set of products that they want to switch things up and end up releasing 3 products in 3 months at some point, we'll never hear the end of it from many people who will complain about how they "don't have the money" to buy this much stuff this quickly and how "WotC LIED to us!" or any other ridiculous claim.

WotC can easily just do what they're doing... announce products when they have something to announce, and let the public come to whatever conclusions they need to about WotC's "plans". Like anybody actually NEEDS those plans for anything other than sating their own curiosity anyway.

DEFCON 1 · Mar 7, 2015

DaveDash said:
Seconded. D&D is not a board game.

Let's think about it however we like, but ultimately WoTC (or Hasbro) have decided they cannot make money off D&D by selling books. That's ultimately why the release schedule is what it is.

Or, that they have an idea of the *amount* of money they can expect to earn from selling books and are choosing to spread that money out over many more years, rather than front-loading all of the money in the first couple by blasting all the relevant "money-making" products past the Core 3 in Years One and Two.

BryonD · Mar 7, 2015

DEFCON 1 said:
Or, that they have an idea of the *amount* of money they can expect to earn from selling books and are choosing to spread that money out over many more years, rather than front-loading all of the money in the first couple by blasting all the relevant "money-making" products past the Core 3 in Years One and Two.

Why would a business choose to delay income?

BryonD · Mar 7, 2015

DEFCON 1 said:
Why? Why do they have to spell it out for people rather than just let them intuit it from the fact that it is happening?

All that happens by "stating" or "defining" what they are doing means people get pissed off whenever they do something that happens differently that what they said they were doing. If they choose for a particular set of products that they want to switch things up and end up releasing 3 products in 3 months at some point, we'll never hear the end of it from many people who will complain about how they "don't have the money" to buy this much stuff this quickly and how "WotC LIED to us!" or any other ridiculous claim.

WotC can easily just do what they're doing... announce products when they have something to announce, and let the public come to whatever conclusions they need to about WotC's "plans". Like anybody actually NEEDS those plans for anything other than sating their own curiosity anyway.

Keeping customers happy can be the hardest part of any business. Just because it is hard doesn't make it any less critical.

If they control their communication better and do a better job of actually following through, they will get less complaints.
Going radio silent on the other hand won't get them less complaints (at least not until fewer people are paying attention)

D&D 5E A Board Game style Release Schedule

Jester David

Hero

Jeff Carlsen

Adventurer

HobbitFan

Explorer

Shiroiken

Legend

Zardnaar

Legend

DaveDash

Explorer

DEFCON 1

Legend

DEFCON 1

Legend

BryonD

Hero

BryonD

Hero

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