D&D 5E Why is WoTc still pushing AP's when the majority of gamers want something else?

[Jester David]

According to a Wizards survey, most people run their games using homebrew. Now this can mean anything from using an established setting but giving it your own stamp, or using a completely made up world.

Yup, I recall that as well.

Now Wizards always claimed they were using the surveys to give people what they want but it seems what people want doesn't align with that Wizards wants. When people say they run most of their games using homebrew then you would think they would be jumping to make more regional books, non setting books, and more DM's aids. I think this has been a product of the surveys all along but that's another topic.

I'm not sure how "regional books" work any better for homebrew DMs.

And their licence partners do most of the "DM aids".
And what DMs need to make their game better will vary greatly between individuals.

So Wizards, we have told you what we want and how we run our games and yet you still try and shove AP's down our throats.

Why?

Okay, let's go through the "whys".

Firstly, because it allows them to tell a similar story across multiple platforms. To have shared experiences and stories regardless if you're playing D&D through video games, board games, or the tabletop RPG. And to funnel fans of one into other interpretations of the brand.

Secondly, to allow a shared experience among players. So people can talk about how they experienced the adventure and how they resolved some problems. It provides an easy framework for people to talk about their games.

Third, because adventures are a great DM aid. Published adventures make the game simpler by reducing prep, making DMing less intimidating. They're the easiest way to make session planning quicker.

Fourth, because adventures allow them to provide more inspiration and adventure elements for DMs. They're a source of dungeons, NPCs, encounters, magic items, new monsters, and more.

Fifth, because published adventures help teach new DMs how to write and design adventures and encounters. They're a template.

Sixth, because published adventures are a way to release multiple books without worrying about bloat, power creep, or option paralysis. You need never worry about having to run more than one at a time, they're all optional, there's no confusion over where to start.

Seventh, because storyline adventures grow the established stories of the brand, providing a source of inspiration for potential novels, comics, and even movie adaptations.

Eighth, because adventures will still be useful after the edition is over. Stories don't expire.

Ninth, because storyline adventures support organized play and allow people to jump into an extended story, encouraging them to come back week after week.

Tenth, because storyline adventures are fun to read. Even if you don't have a gaming group you can read through a published adventure and picture a session in your head, imagining how the story might unfold. They let you play the game without actually playing the game.

 

[Jester David]

Actually, when it's the only product out there people will buy it because it may have a few bits they want.

Most people would rather have something than nothing.

Yes, it is the only product.
If you excluded the miniatures (both painted and unpainted), the board games, the novels, the comic books, classic PDFs, the delve board games, the other board games, the spellcards, the dice game, the T-shirts, the colouring book, the kid's book, the card game, the fortune telling cards, and the video games.

And that's just the official/ licensed stuff. It's not counting things like dice, dice bags/boxes, metal miniatures, character sheets, maps, tiles, tokens, a table, background music generators, 3rd party books, etc. You can spend a fortune on D&D.

or they collect D&D books.

If you collect D&D books then you don't *need* new releases. Not unless you already have all the 250+ accessories already published for past editions. (Not including campaign specific content or adventures.) There's a wealth of stuff to track down and rarities to save for.

 

[Jeff Carlsen]

I do tire of these threads, but I will say that there is a desire for some kinds of products that isn't being fulfilled. I would like a little more GM material like Cityscape or Heroes of Battle for 3.5. And I really, really want more setting books.

The rate of the big adventures (two per year) is fine. I like them. One other book per year is okay. It's a healthy rate. But I would like to see a setting book per year added to the lineup. I'll never tire of good setting material.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

I'm fine with APs. I just want one that isn't set in the Realms, doesn't default to the Realms, and isn't set somewhere other than the Realms but has plot points for Realms factions.

Curse of Strahd.

 

[Mercule]

Curse of Strahd.

Exactly. An adventure that has nothing to do with the Realms, but still had a couple pages worth of stuff like why Harpers would want. Blech.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

The hardcover adventures sell well in part because of Adventurer's League. You know all those tables in game stores and at conventions around the country/world running the adventure books? None of those DMs were given free copies of the books, they all had to buy their own copies in order to run the game. I am sure that is a good chunk, probably a majority, of sales for each adventure.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Exactly. An adventure that has nothing to do with the Realms, but still had a couple pages worth of stuff like why Harpers would want. Blech.

Man a page on realms factions ruins it for you. That is like the most minor thing ever.

 

[Henry]

It's in my interest to not have the term diluted, given the amount of time and money I've spent producing them. There's a notable difference in scope, and I wouldn't want somebody to think one of my thousand+ page 12 adventure APs was just a 200-page hardcover adventure!

I can sympathize, but I can't accurately call something like "Out of the Abyss" an 'adventure' because it takes a party through a series of goals over a long time span from something like 3rd to 15th level. That's very "Adventure Path"-y, and just "adventure" is insufficent. "Mega-Adventure" at the least.

 

[Henry]

All that said, I'm going play Devil's Advocate and say that I find more in common with Corpsetaker's position than not. Specifically, The ONLY adventure I've liked to date was OOTA, and I homebrew all of my DR1372-set Forgotten Realms campaign so far, clear to 9th level. The only reason I'm not really dissatisfied with the situation is because of DM's Guild, EN5ider, and other sources like them - they give me the extra content I've not gotten from WotC.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

The only reason I'm not really dissatisfied with the situation is because of DM's Guild, EN5ider, and other sources like them - they give me the extra content I've not gotten from WotC.

And that is not likely to change, as they have said their intention is to provide the core stuff and let 3PP and DMs Guild fill in the gaps.