Ok, now i'm REALLY CONFUSED. AKA, do any of you think you know what WotC is doing?

[humble minion]

I suspect that WotC could make more money by keeping hold of D&D, letting tabletop development peter off and lie fallow, winding up game design completely, and licensing out the IP to video game companies than they could by selling off the IP to a new owner. I seem to remember hearing (though I'm not sure how accurate this is) that Hasbro has something of a policy of not letting go of brandnames as well.

 

[Neonchameleon]

Additionally, three D&D RPG products have been removed from the 2011 release schedule—Class Compendium: Heroes of Sword and Spell, Mordenkainen’s Magnificent Emporium, and Hero Builder’s Handbook. While this means fewer books, we plan to deliver just as much great content for players this year through other formats, including board games, accessories, and digital offerings.

Wait, what? The Emporium?

But this ties in to a submission rejection I had for a couple of new weaponsets for the e-Assassin. "Thanks for the proposals, but we're not looking for outside submissions for new classes or builds right now." (This was in response to my proposing a couple of new weapon sets for the assassin - one based on Zorro and one on improvised weapons).

 

[Votan]

BOARDGAMES

I hope these continue to do well. First, because it's the only thing WotC is producing I have any interest in paying for. Second, because I think it's the most effective introductory product produced for D&D since TSR stopped publishing the original red box in 1991. (And, yes, that includes the dysfunctional new red box.)

With that being said, they need to fix the rulebooks so that the game can actually be played without needing to house rule 50% of the game.

I agree that the Boardgames are a really good idea for getting new players interested in the game. If nothing else, they reduce the fairly high cost to enter the hobby (although Eessential helped, the Ravenloft board game is, for a group, much less expensive than the basics from Essentials).

I was not aware that the rulebooks had issues . . . Are they worse then what we normally live with for normal games (like Axis and Allies, for example). I wonder if they could do online variations of the rules that might also patch issues?

 

[Wicht]

And since Paizo would undoubtedly make something based on the worst edition of D&D ever, it would in my opinion be the worst thing that could possibly happen.

Hrm. I think 3 billion people suddenly developing horrible mutations and painful sores as the results of radation poisoning after the moon crashes into the pacific (and thus wiping out the other 3 billion) would be much worse than WotC licensing out the D&D brand to a company you don't like. YMMV.

Not that I think it likely for the game to be licensed out anytime soon (and selling the D&D ip seems very, very unlikely barring some extraordinary effort by forces within WotC to save the brand). A 5th edition is more likely first. Only if that flops would I expect talk of licensing to bear fruit.

 

[pemerton]

they need to fix the rulebooks so that the game can actually be played without needing to house rule 50% of the game.

Up until this point I was following and mostly agreeing with your post. But you've lost me here - what have you got in mind (assuming it's not just a generic spray at 4e)?

 

[ExploderWizard]

There was an interesting suggestion on the WotC forums on the possible direction that WotC will be taking:

Translation:

WOTC has decided that subscribers will look forward to the DDI fully becoming a pay to playtest offering.

 

[Mallus]

Translation:

WOTC has decided that subscribers will look forward to the DDI fully becoming a pay to playtest offering.

OMG! 4e really is an MMO!

 

[ExploderWizard]

OMG! 4e really is an MMO!

Hardly. An MMO offers a relatively complete gaming experience.

The DDI model (if it follows that referenced proposed direction) is just a way to get players to pay for playtest drafts, do the bulk of the playtesting work, then pay for the same content again in a book format.

Since there are several cancelled books worth of material to release in small chunks we will see the DDI content quota shoot way up. Heck, those lucky subscibers may even get to see the Nentir vale gazetteer material as a regular series of articles.

 

[Azgulor]

I seriously doubt they would sell the D&D brand. The most I could see them doing is licensing the RPG rights out.

And though my first choice for that would be Paizo, I have my doubts they would want to bother licensing D&D when their own IP is doing so well on it's own.

And as a Pathfinder/Paizo fan, I wouldn't want Paizo to pick up D&D. I don't want Pathfinder to lose resources or be thrown over for the D&D brand or for 4e design philosophy to flourish within Pathfinder. That wouldn't be a mixing chocolate & peanut butter type result but rather an old sardines & rancid milk(or whatever other disgusting concoction you can think of) kind of result.

 

[Shazman]

And since Paizo would undoubtedly make something based on the worst edition of D&D ever, it would in my opinion be the worst thing that could possibly happen.

Well, there are whole lot of people that would say that 4E is the worst edition ever, so it would be good news to them.