D&D 5E Does WotC suck at selling games?

[Grazzt]

Having to reference other sources - namely the PHB to look its spells up.

DMs have had to do this since at least the 1e days.

 

[TheAngryDM]

I think the playtests were 5E's beta phase. The current lineup is what would be considered a "soft launch". Once all three core books are out, I expect the marketing to ramp up. This launch is for the fans, the hard launch come January will be for everyone else. That is when we are most likely to see a "Intro to D&D" product, not now.

Maybe I can write a follow up next week: Dear WotC: Why Do You Suck at Managing a Product Launch?

The problem isn't the marketing. It's the free mainstream exposure D&D is getting right now that it can't advantage of. Will New York Times be covering "D&D Launches Again: For Real This Time" in January? Will PHBs be flying out of Amazon warehouses just as fast in January? Or, with all the buzz going on right now and Christmas right around the corner, shouldn't there be something now?

See, you can frame WotC's plan however you want and dress it up with cute terms like "soft launch" and "beta," but that isn't how people are going to see it. Perception IS reality. And you have to sell games in the real world.

 

[Umbran]

So any outsider whose curiosity is peaked by the news that "this D&D thing is really super popular and now is a great time to get started" doesn't have an entry point.

But... it isn't a great time to get started. Not for a new player, unconnected to the network externalities.

That new player, right now, will have little support. Not even the Monster Manual. Not a DMG. Not a large catalog of adventures to draw from. The team just isn't large enough to have produced it yet. And no, an OGL doesn't improve that - a wash of third party content, uncurated, is a daunting wall of unintelligibility for a really new player without a guide.

No, now is not the time for the new player. Now is the time for the old player. We get on board, we start playing. We can create our own adventures without much guidance, and also consume what WotC puts out. We help hammer out any final rough spots...

And now... Hasbro hashes out movie licenses. And they get someone with a real, solid idea, to do a movie. There'll be a new rush of publicity, with all of us old network in place to receive the resulting new players. The digital tools will be up and ready. A library of adventures available. Probably some apps for mobile devices, little D&D branded adventure games. That will be the real time for the new player.

 

[Astrosicebear]

Maybe I can write a follow up next week: Dear WotC: Why Do You Suck at Managing a Product Launch?

The problem isn't the marketing. It's the free mainstream exposure D&D is getting right now that it can't advantage of. Will New York Times be covering "D&D Launches Again: For Real This Time" in January? Will PHBs be flying out of Amazon warehouses just as fast in January? Or, with all the buzz going on right now and Christmas right around the corner, shouldn't there be something now?

See, you can frame WotC's plan however you want and dress it up with cute terms like "soft launch" and "beta," but that isn't how people are going to see it. Perception IS reality. And you have to sell games in the real world.

WOTC had to meet the GenCon debut. They knew they wouldnt make all three books so they made the best of it. Launching all three books over a period of time keeps the game more relevant longer at those high-profile places. And the fact is the PHB is selling like hot cakes... and sales will spike for both the new MM and PHB... then in December you will see another spike of the DMG, MM and PHB.

WOTC's main concern come January will be how to get new players into the system without the $120 up front retail price tag on the 3 core books. At that point all core products will be out and they can point people to the free PDF which will be completed.

At that point is when your "What is D&D? How do I DM?" etc. products can make an impact. Especially when you have good solid sales numbers behind your product... "Most popular Tabletop RPG of ALL TIME" "Fastest selling RPG Game ever" "Best edition" these will be seen everywhere come January.

 

[Morrus]

Maybe I can write a follow up next week: Dear WotC: Why Do You Suck at Managing a Product Launch?

The problem isn't the marketing. It's the free mainstream exposure D&D is getting right now that it can't advantage of. Will New York Times be covering "D&D Launches Again: For Real This Time" in January? Will PHBs be flying out of Amazon warehouses just as fast in January? Or, with all the buzz going on right now and Christmas right around the corner, shouldn't there be something now?

See, you can frame WotC's plan however you want and dress it up with cute terms like "soft launch" and "beta," but that isn't how people are going to see it. Perception IS reality. And you have to sell games in the real world.

The problem is if they went after new folks right now (and, as Greg said, they can't yet), the new folks won't have all the stuff to get. They'll not have a Monster Manual, or a DMG, and very little in terms of adventures, accessories, screens, cards, etc. I actually think marketing to new people *right now* would be a mistake - early next year is the time to do it. I also assume they want some robust Adventurer's League support in place, too, first.

Then again, I freely admit I'm no marketing genius.

 

[Boarstorm]

But... it isn't a great time to get started. Not for a new player, unconnected to the network externalities.

That new player, right now, will have little support. Not even the Monster Manual. Not a DMG. Not a large catalog of adventures to draw from.

Honestly, I think that is the heart of the complaint. If those things were available right now, then WotC could be taking advantage of the current increase in awareness and leveraging it into new players and new DMs.

 

[Astrosicebear]

Honestly, I think that is the heart of the complaint. If those things were available right now, then WotC could be taking advantage of the current increase in awareness and leveraging it into new players and new DMs.

And if they were available we'd be complaining about shelling out $100 for the books.

And if they were available we'd have waited another six months and been complaining about the wait.

I think its sort of ridiculous to chastise a company for not putting out a product that tells you how to be a Dungeon Master while staring erstwhile at that same company's Dungeon Master's Guide release date and then turn around and say its not about 'sooner!' its about content, when we don't even know whats in this DMG.

 

[Parmandur]

I admit that my own observations are purely anecdotal; but I think that the reality on the ground is that the Starter Set is great for new players. I've seen it with my own eyes. That it was designed precisely to be a product for new players, sold in Target, seems unquestionable. So it is not that they aren't trying; and at least locally, they succeeded.

 

[Boarstorm]

And if they were available we'd be complaining about shelling out $100 for the books.

And if they were available we'd have waited another six months and been complaining about the wait.

Existing players' entitlement issues are a whole separate conversation.

(Mine included)

 

[TheAngryDM]

The problem is if they went after new folks right now (and, as Greg said, they can't yet), the new folks won't have all the stuff to get. They'll not have a Monster Manual, or a DMG, and very little in terms of adventures, accessories, screens, cards, etc. I actually think marketing to new people *right now* would be a mistake - early next year is the time to do it. I also assume they want some robust Adventurer's League support in place, too, first.

Then again, I freely admit I'm no marketing genius.

And who created that situation? WotC did. WotC orchestrated their release. It was their release to manage. They created this situation. The problem isn't "these products aren't here." The problem is "WotC decided not to have these products now." You can say the team is small, you can say they don't have the resources, but in the end, maybe the answer is "the game wasn't ready to come out just because the PHB was ready." Maybe this is just a symptom of a bigger problem. Maybe their release is just a mess. Or maybe WotC just can't handle D&D anymore. Are those the conclusions we need to draw here?

Because they DID manage to get four products out there: Starter Set, PHB, Hoard of the Dragon Queen, and Basic Rules (Player and Monster). They chose those products, they chose that focus, they chose their release schedule. They licensed that Starter Set from a third party, too. So it didn't eat up their resources. So why THAT Starter Set?