D&D 5E Am I no longer WoTC's target audience?

[Tony Vargas]

This I kind of wish the Setting books for Magic the Gathering were written inclusively.

How so?

 

[Garthanos]

How so?

One way would be having "monsters" and races and similar crunch components written up in a way which would be useful in earlier editions or a link to them online (actually to keep page count down)

Magic the Gathering settings are pretty cool

 

[billd91]

When I question why Wildemount instead of an update of GH or DS or FR, I get various ad hominems in response ranging from "be patient" to "people really want CR stuff" to "why are you saying CR is a flash in the pan, it's been around at least 5 years" to "ok boomer."

You're not questioning why Wildemount instead of an update, you're casting aspersions about the decision to do Wildemount. So of course you're getting personal blowback - because you're being an asshat.

 

[Xenonnonex]

 

[teitan]

I'm reading about Mercer's new campaign sourcebook coming out from WoTC, and I've decided that I'm no longer WoTC's target audience. Maybe that puts me in the minority of gamers, and I would imagine that WoTC knows exactly what they're doing with some of the books and supplements they've come out with recently.

I've been gaming since high school, like many people here, and high school for me was around the late 80s. So, that puts me starting with 1st as a player, GM'ing 2nd edition, and then moving (gladly!) into 3rd, skipping 4th, and absolutely loving 5th. I make my own campaigns, so campaign modules are not of interest to me. I'm also a huge fan of the Wilderlands of High Fantasy. It's literally more campaign world than I could ever possibly use, so I don't need any more. I loved Xanathar's Guide, and I LOVED Volo's guide. One of the best books WoTC's ever created. I was lukewarm on Mordenkainen's, since many of the monsters I'd never use (and really, who needs a dozen demon lords, anyway?).

But I keeping seeing things like Acquisitions Incorporated, and a Rick and Morty module, and I can't help but think those are probably popular products - for someone... but not for me. I've no interest in that stuff. Meanwhile, I'm sitting here anxiously awaiting a follow-up to Volo's so I can snatch that, maybe a Monster Manual II, or something that gives me a ton more magical items that I can use, or something else that will add value to my game. I'd even settle for a version of Tales of the Yawning Portal that didn't actually suck (I wanted to like it, I really did, I just couldn't).

Am I alone?

I get your feeling, it's how I felt late in the 3.5 life cycle when it really got away from classic style D&D and into just plain weird classes and magic systems, wonky races etc. Imagine when it was every sourcebook for months rather than a handful of products. Like literally the last year or so of 3.5 leading up to the anouncement of 4e I was meh on aside from a small handful. Still love Dungeonscape! But when a few products in a row seem to not target you it can be disappointing.

But in this case you're looking at a very small set of products that do not indicate the future of D&D, little one shot products that are designed to appeal to a certain fanbase. I don't understand the Acq Inc book myself but the R&M set seems to be designed to appeal to R&M fans and get them into the hobby and the Wildemount book is pretty targeted at Critical Role fans to maybe grab a few more players. R&M is kinda like the Stranger Things set, it's there to get new people, not you or me. I think it's a good thing because all three bring in new players. The Stranger Things & R&M set are available in outlets that other D&D products, besides the Starter and Essentials Kit, do not show up in. Wildemount will be like Ravnica, a cool product but we didn't see D&D supplements all of a sudden change into MtG supplements.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Do you remember the controversies among the fandom about the last Star Wars movies? A lot of people said "This is not my SW". I guess WotC is afair about the complains with a possible "jump the shark". My suggestion is to recover the chronomancers and the concept of the time spheres where you can change the D&D how you want.

I miss Greyhawk because only Forgotten Realms is too boring for me. It is like everybody liked Fas West movies in the past decades and now they don't want any more. I miss the heroes of Dragonlance because they are my favorite D&D characters. They are as old friends for me, or a old memory from my youth years.

I am sure WotC is working, there are plans for those lines, but sometimes I worry about this silence. I am a collector, I don't want neither modules nor more FR gazeteers but monster compendiums, and new PC races and base classes (not only subclasses). And I would rather to buy the translated version. Xanathar guide isn't yet published in Spanish languange, nor Volo Monsters...

I suppose the return of the old lines will be after of the media projects, and we will have to await to see the success or failure of the first season of the serie of Magic: the Gathering.

* I have read "the adventure zone", based in the game-live show podcast (and adapted to comic) will also have got a cartoon. Will we see more cartoons based in RPG podcasts?

* OK, WotC isn't publishing new sourcebooks with lot of crunch for players, but there are many 3PP and homebred creations to fed up. I wonder about WotC buying some 3PP because these had got some good ideas...for example Pugmire by Onyx Path, perfect for a kid-friendly shonen cartoon, and action figures.

 

[QuentinGeorge]

You're not questioning why Wildemount instead of an update, you're casting aspersions about the decision to do Wildemount. So of course you're getting personal blowback - because you're being an asshat.

"Why are we getting this Wildemount nonsense?"

"It's popular, and people want it."

"Yes, but why are we getting it? It must be a conspiracy against me. I must dig deeper..."

 

[Xenonnonex]

We are such a fickle lot. Wanting everything and never pleased. And the older we get the worse we get. Can’t blame millennials for this one.

Which is why Wizards or any other company for that matter should never be designing to please every fan. Else they would be making a completely muddled mess that will please no one.

 

[Coroc]

The primary audiences for a luxury hobby are the ones with little to no disposable income? Interesting business model; not sure you could get a loan for that, though.

Well but those are the ones who have most time for the hobby. Otoh, groups of them might buy stuff only once. But again still those got parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts etc. who have enough money to buy the stuff for this "luxury" hobby.

The greatest luxury of the hobby for me is to have the time, there are hobbies much more expensive than even buy all of the published stuff. Back then when I really had not much money I still managed somehow to buy loads of the 2e stuff. I do not know exactly anymore how I managed to do that but I did, at least my cabinet full of books says so

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Bill Cosby said once:

"I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody".

Have you played the sims? When a new edition is published players start to ask: when the expansion about pets, holydays, seasons, university, magic, jobs..? And now WotC's candence is slower. Good titles, true best-sellers in Amazon, but most of the is rehash of modules and fluff. Some players want more crunch (although 3.5 had got too many feats, spells, magic item and prestige classes). Only one new class from the first player handbook. And almost all novels, comics and videogames, from the last years are set in FR.

Sometimes there are news or mentions to other settings, but theses arrive drop by drop. In DM Guild there are lots of titles with crunch, and some 3PPs have created really cool new settings. But sometimes we miss our "old friends".