D&D General IF D&D were for sale ...

[Stormonu]

With the latest hubbub of false rumors, IF someone could buy D&D, who would you like it to be? Doesn't have to be a case of they could really afford it - assume they won the lottery or somesuch and could manage to pull it off. And, once acquired, what direction would you like to see them take it in?

Spoiler

If you'd asked me a few years ago, it would have been Paizo. Though recently, I'd rather the whole of D&D went to the public domain where no one individual/company could monopolize it, you just pick and choose your favorite game maker and products.

 

[Blue]

Someone willing to be a long-term shepherd for the game, not just looking for immediate profit from it.

(The semi-balding guy in the strip is the owner, and very wealthy. He can afford to wait until next quarter to get paid.)

 

[jdrakeh]

I'd like to see Pelgrane Press acquire it. They've had fresh, innovative, takes on older gaming IP (e.g. Delta Green, Trail of Cthulhu), as well as fresh, new, takes on both original gaming IP (e.g. 13th Age, Night's Black Agents, Owl Hoot Trail) and licensed IPs (e.g. Dying Earth).

 

[aco175]

I guess if former Wizards CEO Peter Adkison had a new company with old money I would like him to shepherd the game. They did a great job, up to when it was sold. He certainly came out during the OGL with what the original intent was.

 

[MichaelSomething]

My vote would be for Morrus of course. Look at how he drove Enworld towards greatness! I'm sure he would do the same to D&D!

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Yeah, if we're gonna shoot for the moon, let's give it to ENPublishing. We could expect them to be morally respectable, pay their staff and freelancers, and be upfront with what they're doing and why.

 

[overgeeked]

No one. Let the IP die. The game mechanics are covered by two different perpetual licenses. No one company or person should control the 95+% market share WotC has with D&D 5E. Let the market flourish with hundreds of smaller companies making their own games or variants.

If the IP has to be sold, sell it to the original creators or their heirs. Ed Greenwood gets back the Forgotten Realms, Keith Baker gets back Eberron, the people who worked on in house projects get equal stakes, etc.

 

[Older Beholder]

If D&D was for sale…
it would most likely be bought by a company with more money than Hasbro, who would then want to make more money out of it to see a return on their investment.

Be careful what you wish for.

 

[Lanefan]

If D&D was for sale...

...and if I had the money, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

 

[Blue]

I'd like to see Pelgrane Press acquire it. They've had fresh, innovative, takes on older gaming IP (e.g. Delta Green, Trail of Cthulhu), as well as fresh, new, takes on both original gaming IP (e.g. 13th Age, Night's Black Agents, Owl Hoot Trail) and licensed IPs (e.g. Dying Earth).

Just to reinforce this, Pelgrane Press also had their Bits and Mortar program, that they tried to get other RPG publishers to join as well. Basically, if you bought a book from a FLGS (which Amazon and the big chains did not count as), they gave you the PDF for free.

Basically free value add for local game stores to look out for them, and a bonus to the consumer.

That's the type of mentality I was talking about when I mentioned shepherding the game.