WotC's Nathan Stewart: "Story, Story, Story"; and IS D&D a Tabletop Game?

Forbes spoke to WotC's Brand Director & Executive Producer for Dungeons & Dragons, who talked about the 5th Edition launch and his vision for D&D's future. The interview is fairly interesting - it confirms or repeats some information we already know, and also delves a little into the topic of D&D as a wider brand, rather than as a tabletop roleplaying game.

In the interview, he reiterates previous statements that this is the biggest D&D launch ever, in terms of both money and units sold.

[lq]We are story, story, story. The story drives everything.[/lq]

He repeats WoTC's emphasis on storylines, confirming the 1-2 stories per year philosphy. "We are story, story, story. The story drives everything. The need for new rules, the new races, new classes is just based on what’s going to really make this adventure, this story, this kind kind of theme happen." He goes on to say that "We’re not interested in putting out more books for books’ sake... there’s zero plans for a Player’s Handbook 2 any time on the horizon."

As for settings, he confirms that "we’re going to stay in the Forgotten Realms for the foreseeable future." That'll disappoint some folks, I'm sure, but it is their biggest setting, commercially.

Stewart is not "a hundred percent comfortable" with the status of digital tools because he felt like "we took a great step backwards."

[lq]Dungeons and Dragons stopped being a tabletop game years or decades ago. [/lq]

His thoughts on D&D's identity are interesting, too. He mentions that "Dungeons and Dragons stopped being a tabletop game years or decades ago". I'm not sure what that means. His view for the future of the brand includes video games, movies, action figures, and more: "This is no secret for anyone here, but the big thing I want to see is just a triple-A RPG video game. I want to see Baldur’s Gate 3, I want to see a huge open-world RPG. I would love movies about Dungeons and Dragons, or better yet, serialized entertainment where we’re doing seasons of D&D stories and things like Forgotten Realms action figures… of course I’d love that, I’m the biggest geek there is. But at the end of the day, the game’s what we’re missing in the portfolio."

You can read the full interview here.

 

[Harry Dresden]

You have to look at what makes D&D, well D&D.

Let's look at what makes Lord of the Rings what it is.

Wizards with pointy hats and long beards.

Magical rings.

Elves, orcs, dwarves, halflings, dragons and other creatures.

Magic.

Regal elves who carry beautiful weapons, wear beautiful and shiny armor, and who are outstanding with a bow.

Hmmmmmm. I wonder what this sounds like as well.

 

[I'm A Banana]

You have to look at what makes D&D, well D&D.

Let's look at what makes Lord of the Rings what it is.

Wizards with pointy hats and long beards.

Magical rings.

Elves, orcs, dwarves, halflings, dragons and other creatures.

Magic.

Regal elves who carry beautiful weapons, wear beautiful and shiny armor, and who are outstanding with a bow.

Hmmmmmm. I wonder what this sounds like as well.

The reason D&D looks like that is because D&D loots liberally from other fantasy works and mashes them together to make its own gumbo.

So with that logic in place, you wanted the most essential D&D experience, we'd throw Frodo, Merlin, Conan, Harry Potter, and probably Chewbacca together and send them off on some excuse plot for action an adventure.

 

[tyrlaan]

The reason D&D looks like that is because D&D loots liberally from other fantasy works and mashes them together to make its own gumbo.

So with that logic in place, you wanted the most essential D&D experience, we'd throw Frodo, Merlin, Conan, Harry Potter, and probably Chewbacca together and send them off on some excuse plot for action an adventure.

That's a new lineup for a League of Extraordinary Gentlemen story if I've ever seen one!

 

[Harry Dresden]

The reason D&D looks like that is because D&D loots liberally from other fantasy works and mashes them together to make its own gumbo.

So with that logic in place, you wanted the most essential D&D experience, we'd throw Frodo, Merlin, Conan, Harry Potter, and probably Chewbacca together and send them off on some excuse plot for action an adventure.

Bingo!

So where does D&D take itit's unique place all this in order to sell it mainstream?

That is a he'll of an adventuring party.

So would Chewy be the bard?

 

[Beleriphon]

So would Chewy be the bard?

Obviously, he's the only one that can sing.

 

[Wicht]

One of. I said ONE OF. Jeez, people.

It was also a highly publicized reason, as their March 2008 press statements all referenced it...

Today, we have announced our decision to create the Pathfinder RPG, the flagship game system for all of our Pathfinder products. This roleplaying game will be based on the Open Game License (OGL) and the 3.5 SRD released by Wizards of the Coast. We came to this decision by listening to you, our customers, and also listening to our own hearts. Our Pathfinder Chronicles campaign setting was designed around the tropes and values of classic fantasy roleplaying, and the Pathfinder Adventure Path books were designed to provide the best gaming experience using the 3.5 system. After careful evaluation of our options, we believe that the 3.5 core will continue to be the best system to tell the stories we've got planned for Pathfinder.

We know that many of our readers are looking forward to 4th Edition. We still plan to release an entire line of 4th Edition products through our partnership with Necromancer Games, including a brand new Tome of Horrors hardcover monster anthology, adventures, and other exciting products. (Much of this support will depend, of course, upon the terms of the still-in-development Game System License from Wizards of the Coast, but we remain hopeful that Paizo will be a major player in the 4th Edition arena as well.) But we believe that the 3.5 rules provide the best core system for our Pathfinder products, best allowing us to tell the kinds of stories you've come to expect from us.

Its also worth noting that plans at that time were to still support 4e via a partnership with Necromancer but the GSL killed those plans pretty dead.

 

[Trickster Spirit]

Sure, but that misses one of the biggest requirements of D&D: playing with other people. If I'm going to sit at my desk and wait for the game to come to me, I can get that with most major MMOs. Why then would I order a game that I will naturally have to go somewhere else if even only out to my living room?

That aside it's also not advertizing for the player and you're missing out on a lot of "spontaneous purchases". EX: I was in Wal-Mart a few days ago and happened across the new Megatron toy. I've been wanting one for a while but what with it being there, in my hands, the last one on the shelf I just had to buy it. The toy has been out for a couple months now, but I wasn't interested enough to buy one online.

A lot of people buy products because of that tactile interaction with them. For a game that is based on playing with real people in real life it's important for people to be able to get that and without the books being physically available at major retailers WOTC is going to miss out on a lot of that.

tl'dr: ordering online is for people who already know they want a thing and are ready to pay for it. Buying it in the stores is for people who are not yet sold on it, which is a HUGE market (see threads in this forum on that very subject).

I actually agree with everything you're saying here. We know from the front page that the Starter Sets can be found at some Wal-Marts, but it's probably hardly on their radar - just another box from Hasbro for them to put on the shelves.

A successful triple AAA video game or smash hit at the box office, however, would likely merit a big push to increase the visibility of D&D related products. Which could lead to Player's Handbooks being prominently displayed next to the Magic decks or in the book sections at Wal-Mart, Target and the like.

 

[bogmad]

The reason D&D looks like that is because D&D loots liberally from other fantasy works and mashes them together to make its own gumbo.

So with that logic in place, you wanted the most essential D&D experience, we'd throw Frodo, Merlin, Conan, Harry Potter, and probably Chewbacca together and send them off on some excuse plot for action an adventure.

Humor aside...

Well, as far as what stories to tell that Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter didn't...

How about a story where the protagonists go out looking for adventure instead of having it thrust upon them. Even in Game of Thrones most of the characters are born into some fate they don't really control.

I think the way to differentiate a D&D media property would be to just tell a story about murderhobos who then stumble upon the big epic story instead of being a story about some "Chosen One" fated to be at the forefront of history.

[Conan is kind of the odd man out exception that proves the rule]

 

[Harry Dresden]

I actually agree with everything you're saying here. We know from the front page that the Starter Sets can be found at some Wal-Marts, but it's probably hardly on their radar - just another box from Hasbro for them to put on the shelves.

A successful triple AAA video game or smash hit at the box office, however, would likely merit a big push to increase the visibility of D&D related products. Which could lead to Player's Handbooks being prominently displayed next to the Magic decks or in the book sections at Wal-Mart, Target and the like.

I wouldn't really hold my breath.

Look at the success of The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones. Where is all the merchandise, all the toys, and all the video games? Sure there is a little bit of that stuff, but there isn't a mad demand for it.

Somethings do extremely well in one area but not necessarily in others and I think D&D falls into that category.

 

[redrick]

Humor aside...

Well, as far as what stories to tell that Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter didn't...

How about a story where the protagonists go out looking for adventure instead of having it thrust upon them. Even in Game of Thrones most of the characters are born into some fate they don't really control.

I think the way to differentiate a D&D media property would be to just tell a story about murderhobos who then stumble upon the big epic story instead of being a story about some "Chosen One" fated to be at the forefront of history.

[Conan is kind of the odd man out exception that proves the rule]

Wandering a little off-topic now, but if I were to point at the most bankable part of D&D IP, it would all be in the Monster Manual. Somebody could spin a group of PCs (Protagonist Characters) that feel a little less derivative, and Faerun has definitely developed its own identity through the books and video games, but the D&D monsters have really taken on a life of their own.

Perfect fodder for a monster-of-the-week episodic series.