A New DRAGON+?

You got a message from Dragon+? Via email?

 

[wasmeister]

Worse than Issue#1 if that's possible.

 

[Serrrg]

Still no second issue on my HTC... They only redeeming feature of the first issue were the two full-sized maps without secret stuff on them, which I could print out and hand to my players.

 

[Baumi]

Is there any way to read in on Windoes yet?

 

[Kramodlog]

I don'y see the point of a "magazine" that's really just a product catalog.

It isn't a magasine. It is a promotional tool. Get their ads on people's phones and get some info from those people. And it doesn't look like a good promo tool either.

I guess they were at one of their numerous meetings and someone said "Apps! Apps are cool and popular. D&D needs an app!" and everyone in the room went "Brilliant!" without asking what the app was about or if they had the resources to run one.

 

[gyor]

I thought this was going to be like Dragon Magazine, instead its just sad. They really need to add some real content.

 

[Kramodlog]

Where are all the people who were sayng the UE articles gave them all the extra content they need? They should be celebrating how designers avoided another way to bloat 5e.

 

[halfling rogue]

So this is obviously a marketing tool rather than a gaming tool, but I think folks are right. Which one is it? Let's not pretend anymore that this will aid in gaming. Why not be honest about it. Other products create a 'newsletter' of sorts which basically are one giant advertisement, but I think the issue here with Dragon is 1) an expectation based on the previous magazine and 2) WotC trying to make it both and not being very good at it.

That said, I own a Taylor guitar, and all Taylor owners get a free subscription to Taylor's quarterly 'newsletter/magazine' called Wood & Steel. Now the thing about it is that for the most part it is one giant advertisement. But they way that they've capitalized on it, the reason I don't just chuck it in the trash when it comes in the mail, is that they've taken the time to create quality articles about their product. It isn't just, "Hey check this, it's awesome!" It's more along the lines of, 'Hey, let's go real deep into this because we want to show you why we think it is awesome'. So they create a new guitar and then the whole magazine goes into depth about that particular guitar, the wood, the craft, the tone, and you get to see the trees they were cut from, hear from nearly everyone who has a hand in building their guitars, hear about their vision and history, get tips on guitar care and a huge helpful Q&A with the owner. There is a real feeling that this magazine is for people who care about Taylor guitars and not just an advertisement. In that way it actually becomes a better advertisement. And the thing is these subscriptions are for owners, not potential buyers. That is their target and they know quality stuff aimed at those who have already purchased will translate into brand loyalty and word of mouth advertisement.

So far, from what I've seen with Dragon+ is a kind of scattershot attempt at trying to push and push things beyond the TTRPG. Aside from the release of the 3 core books, the tabletop game has been taken from its pedestal and set among the rest. It appears like they aren't treating it like the crown of their product line, but almost like one of the 5 rings on their finger. Even the new adventures aren't pushed primarily at the tabletop game. Everyone was freaking out about Drizzt when they advertised the new story, but it wasn't until later that they clarified that the ad regarding Drizzt's inclusion didn't really have the same effect on the tabletop game as the other forms of media it will run on. That shows their hand a bit. Jump on the website and you have to click through links just to find it. It's not the prominent feature. I think they should start at the heart and from there show us why everything else they want us to play or see (buy) is good too. But don't dethrone it. I fear that as a marketing strategy they already have. That's why there's frustration from the fanbase. We don't care about the peripherals because they don't care enough about the main thing. I get that they think of D&D is a multiplatform brand, but in reality the heart and soul of D&D is the tabletop game. That is the essence. And I promise if you jump feet first into the tabletop then the rest will follow. It's as old as the hills, do one thing well and you will have success, do many things second-rate and you'll fail.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Aside from the release of the 3 core books, the tabletop game has been taken from its pedestal and set among the rest. It appears like they aren't treating it like the crown of their product line, but almost like one of the 5 rings on their finger.

Very good. You're catching on. It's only taken WotC almost 12 months of deliberately saying this outright that the RPG is but one facet of Dungeons & Dragons that people are now finally coming to realize they were in fact telling the truth.

 

[Kramodlog]

Very good. You're catching on. It's only taken WotC almost 12 months of deliberately saying this outright that the RPG is but one facet of Dungeons & Dragons that people are now finally coming to realize they were in fact telling the truth.

Are you sure? I've been disagreeing with you a lot and I was saying that. In fact, I was saying it way before anyone else.

Wait. Is this a hipster competition?

 

[halfling rogue]

Very good. You're catching on. It's only taken WotC almost 12 months of deliberately saying this outright that the RPG is but one facet of Dungeons & Dragons that people are now finally coming to realize they were in fact telling the truth.

But I mean, I heard them just like everyone else, so I'm not really just now catching on as much as I am just now understanding what they meant. We knew they wanted D&D to be more than just the tabletop, but what I think some of us didn't expect is that the way that they have decided to do it is to downplay the tabletop. They gave us the heads up that the tabletop would be but one facet of D&D, but they didn't tell us that it would no longer be the central facet.

I think most of us expected their strategy to look like this: There is a bus called D&D and the tabletop game is the bus driver with video games/board games/books/apps/etc along for the ride. The passengers go wherever the tabletop turns.

But what I think their strategy really looks like now that we've had a few doses is this: There is a bus called D&D. Tabletop turned the key and pushed the gas, but now all the passengers are driving the bus at the same time.