D&D 5E Initial D&D Next Releases Showing Up on Barnes & Noble Website

[Agamon]

I'd rather see it the other way around. A $30 book and a $40 box set, with the box set being akin to PF's. At the $20 price point, I expect something along the lines of the 4e box set, which was sad.

Still, we don't have an official announcement or more than a couple titles and prices, which isn't much to speculate with.

 

[Shadowsoul]

D&D doesn't even really compete with any other game out there, not even Pathfinder, in both brand recognition and customer loyalty. They are going to print big, beautiful, expensive books and charge a fair price for them ($50) because they can, all the internet grumbling aside.

Where have you been for the past few years? Internet grumbling aside, D&D is in competition with Pathfinder.

 

[Dire Bare]

Where have you been for the past few years? Internet grumbling aside, D&D is in competition with Pathfinder.

Not really. Pathfinder is a great game that sells well, and of course, it is a direct version of D&D. But once D&D gets to publishing the actual game actively again, Pathfinder will not be a major competitor. IMO, of course.

 

[Dire Bare]

I'd rather see it the other way around. A $30 book and a $40 box set, with the box set being akin to PF's. At the $20 price point, I expect something along the lines of the 4e box set, which was sad.

Still, we don't have an official announcement or more than a couple titles and prices, which isn't much to speculate with.

I would love to see a "Starter Set" that looked a lot like the board games WotC put out a few years ago, Wrath of Ahardalon, Castle Ravenloft, and The Legend of Drizzt games. A huge box filled with dungeon tiles, miniatures, and the "basic" D&D rulebook and an adventure to go along with the tiles and minis. That would rock! There's no reason they can't do both, and who knows, maybe they will!

 

[Jester David]

"Failed?" Really? WotC already let us know the new game would be out over the summer, and long-time fans know that means in-and-around GenCon.

Except both 3.5e and 4e came out prior to GenCon. And IIRC, only the 3e PHB was released for its GenCon.
So WotC letting us know "summer 2014" meant nothing.

While the news from B&N is certainly more specific, if even accurate, it's not exactly ground-breaking news. Just because WotC isn't delivering news on your timetable doesn't make their marketing a failure at all.

WotC didn't tell us the price, the release date, the format of the books, or officially clarify the name of the editon. B&N did. Thus, any fanfare planned for those announcements now falls flat. Any planned build-up is wasted. Their next big press release is either going to tell us stuff we already know or they'll have to reveal more to keep us interested. More than likely they'll just rush out some confirmation this week or next, so rather than something big or memorable we get something forgettable. Like what they did for the 40th Anniversary.

After being burned by fans in the past, WotC is careful to only release information if it is rock solid.

Burned by their fans?
And if they're telling their distributor and stores those dates and prices, it's likely pretty solid. B&N isn't going to put up something for spits 'n' giggles. This isn't the latest George Martin or Rowlings book that needs a placeholder ASAP.

 

[Dire Bare]

Has anyone considered whether the "starter set" might actually be a miniatures product rather than a basic game product? Just a thought ...

It's a good thought, but WotC has decided to license out miniatures this time around. Gale Force 9 is releasing the "Collector's Series" of resin D&D minis, and WizKids is releasing pre-painted collectible soft plastic minis. Gale Force 9 is already well into their own release cycle, check them out!

http://www.gf9-dnd.com/home.aspx

 

[Jester David]

Not really. Pathfinder is a great game that sells well, and of course, it is a direct version of D&D. But once D&D gets to publishing the actual game actively again, Pathfinder will not be a major competitor. IMO, of course.

WotC was actively publishing D&D in 2010 and 2011, when Pathfinder started doing quite well.

 

[Warunsun]

It cost four of us £50 to see Robocop the other night. It lasted under two hours.

That is not bad. It cost me the equivalent of £19 to see Robocop here in the states for one person. That is not counting the cost of the gasoline to drive to the nearest IMAX theater.
PS: The movie is a totally different take from the original and I enjoyed it. I will probably rent it when it hits the Redbox and see it again.

 

[Dire Bare]

Except both 3.5e and 4e came out prior to GenCon. And IIRC, only the 3e PHB was released for its GenCon.
So WotC letting us know "summer 2014" meant nothing.

Sure, it meant nothing. Other than "Summer 2014".

WotC didn't tell us the price, the release date, the format of the books, or officially clarify the name of the editon. B&N did. Thus, any fanfare planned for those announcements now falls flat. Any planned build-up is wasted. Their next big press release is either going to tell us stuff we already know or they'll have to reveal more to keep us interested. More than likely they'll just rush out some confirmation this week or next, so rather than something big or memorable we get something forgettable. Like what they did for the 40th Anniversary.

Meh. You and I obviously have very different ideas of marketing failure and the importance of the above details you mention, and when they are released.

Burned by their fans? And if they're telling their distributor and stores those dates and prices, it's likely pretty solid. B&N isn't going to put up something for spits 'n' giggles. This isn't the latest George Martin or Rowlings book that needs a placeholder ASAP.

Burned by their fans in the "damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don't" sense. It's my opinion that there is nothing WotC can do that won't elicit internet rage on the forums. The less info they release that might get changed down the road, the better for them.

And D&D products have actually quite often had placeholders on Amazon, B&N, and other internet retailers, and the information in those placeholders has most certainly changed in the past. Release dates, prices, and even product details have all changed from their initial placeholders. The prices and dates on B&N might change, or they might not. Both prices and dates listed make sense, but stranger things have happened.

 

[Gareman]

But once D&D gets to publishing the actual game actively again, Pathfinder will not be a major competitor. IMO, of course.

It's going to be interesting to learn if the traditional wisdom that once a market leader, always a market leader will stand. By common marketing wisdom, D&D *could not* lose it's position in the marketplace. It could not become the number two game. It was called the Law of Exclusivity by marketing guys Ries and Trout. It just couldn't and won't happen in such a mature market.

However, opening up the D&D license has allowed anyone to compete with their version, which was impossible before open source, and that flies in the face of the common business wisdom. Pathfinder has become Dungeons & Dragons, or it hasn't. We'll see.

I wrote a blog post a couple years ago about why I think logically, Pathfinder is immovable in it's marketing position. Not that it should have a bearing on the enjoyment of either game.