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.

 

[MechaPilot]

I keep seeing the quote that they are not going to be producing books for the sake of producing books, but I just wonder if they do not have any editors on staff any more, are they going to be producing books at all?

It might mean a greater reliance on the magazines (probably in digital form) to distribute content than on physical books.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Sure. Except the old version didn't go anywhere, and was still heavily supported by the OGL.

Just another way the analogy fails.

Totally. Old coke wasn't something anyone could go make. Pepsi was still Pepsi - if you didn't like it before, you might try it, but you weren't necessarily gonna like it now.

I'm skeptical. For one thing, we've been there - there were two D&D movies, they were awful.

Just 'cuz you CAN sell to that brand-person doesn't mean you WILL. Quality plays a significant role. Brand affiliation gets people to look when they otherwise wouldn't.

For another, franchises that launch successful movies have characters. Marvel is almost nothing but a stable of characters. Star Trek re-launched with Kirk & Spock and the whole gang. LotR has the fellowship. Harry Potter is the franchise.

D&D doesn't really have that. They've got Elminster - a generic wizard - and Drizzt (and there's no way you want to wave an inherently-evil, black-skinned, matriarchal race in front of the mainstream). Dragonlance would be a Dragonlance movie, not a D&D movie.

It's true that D&D doesn't have strong characters, but it's not true that D&D media properties couldn't develop strong characters. Just going from the old 90's RPGs (which were one of the high-water marks of quality in D&D branded stuff) you have memorable characters like Minsc and The Nameless One, in well-made products that maintain high levels of respect long after their heyday. There's nothing stopping these from being developed, and there's also nothing stopping them from doing an Icewind Dale movie. People would eat that noise up, if it wasn't garbage.

If you mean us/them constructs, yeah, there was a lot of that.

Yeah, it's because brands get incorporated to identity - it becomes part of who you are, so you look for people like you - who share a brand affiliation - and then you form a group of people who all thing like you....and then this other group of people who compete directly with that brand come along and they are not like you and a risk to your group and who you are because they are in competition and...

Basically, brands can be very very very important to people.

 

[Tony Vargas]

. Just going from the old 90's RPGs (which were one of the high-water marks of quality in D&D branded stuff)

Depends on the qualities you're evaluating, I guess.

you have memorable characters like Minsc and The Nameless One, in well-made products that maintain high levels of respect long after their heyday. There's nothing stopping these from being developed,

I can't say I remember either of them, but the novels and settings didn't much capture my interest. Especially in the 90s.

Yeah, it's because brands get incorporated to identity - it becomes part of who you are, so you look for people like you - who share a brand affiliation - and then you form a group of people who all thing like you....and then this other group of people who compete directly with that brand come along and they are not like you and a risk to your group and who you are because they are in competition and...

That is mildly horrifying. :|

But it rings true.

 

[Shasarak]

It might mean a greater reliance on the magazines (probably in digital form) to distribute content than on physical books.

If they are not producing books, I think the chances of producing a magazine is very slim.

 

[MechaPilot]

If they are not producing books, I think the chances of producing a magazine is very slim.

I think the magazines are more likely in the absence of the books, especially if they are remaining digital to lower the associated costs.

 

[Wicht]

It's true that D&D doesn't have strong characters,...

Actually what DnD does have, and this would be an interesting way to develop a franchise, is strong villains: Orcus, Tiamat, Iuz, Zuggtmoy, Strahd, Lolth, etc.

It would be kinda cool, I think, to pick one of those and then write up some material where the different "episodes" are centered, not around the character of the heroes, but the machinations and character of the villain... Almost a horror movie model of a franchise, but with the tropes of Dungeons and Dragons. And it would fit the game genre too, as everyone always chooses different characters to play, but what ties us all together as gamers are the shared obstacles.

 

[Beleriphon]

Actually what DnD does have, and this would be an interesting way to develop a franchise, is strong villains: Orcus, Tiamat, Iuz, Zuggtmoy, Strahd, Lolth, etc.

That's actually pretty true, since most adventures as published material are often remembered for have a really fun antagonist to overcome. I suppose the same could be true of a movie, or TV show or whatever. I mean there's a reason Darth Vader is more awesome than Luke Skywalker.

 

[Shasarak]

D&D doesn't really have that. They've got Elminster - a generic wizard - and Drizzt (and there's no way you want to wave an inherently-evil, black-skinned, matriarchal race in front of the mainstream). Dragonlance would be a Dragonlance movie, not a D&D movie.

I do not see any inherent problems with presenting the Drow to the "mainstream"

Salvatores Drizzt novels have been top selling books for years without any noticeable blow back.

Even at the height of the Demon worshiping craze no one complained about the Drow.

 

[MechaPilot]

I do not see any inherent problems with presenting the Drow to the "mainstream"

Salvatores Drizzt novels have been top selling books for years without any noticeable blow back.

Even at the height of the Demon worshiping craze no one complained about the Drow.

It largely depends on how you are presenting it and what you mean by "mainstream." Mainstream gamers would likely not have much of an issue with the FR portrayal of the Drow in a film (though the lesbian stripper ninja attire might preclude a rating that could maximize box office potential, because boobs are so much more harmful to people than graphic violence is).

 

[Shasarak]

It largely depends on how you are presenting it and what you mean by "mainstream." Mainstream gamers would likely not have much of an issue with the FR portrayal of the Drow in a film (though the lesbian stripper ninja attire might preclude a rating that could maximize box office potential, because boobs are so much more harmful to people than graphic violence is).

That is true. Boobs are inherently anti main stream.