LuisCarlos17f
Legend
My suggestion is a retro-vintage edition. The rules of 5th Ed with the necessary updated and errata fixed, and the art and layout of the edition of 1989.
D&D General You're Hasbro/WotC Marketing - What Do You Do for the 50-year Anniversary in 2024?
Horwath
Legend
yeah, I know.
However, never underestimate goal for profit or good marketing opportunity that is 50th anniversary.
What I expect them to do:
What I would do:
- Revised 5E core rulebooks that reflect the design and philosophical shifts in evidence since last year, to include overhauling character races, integrating Tasha's new class options as default, de-emphasizing or removing alignment, rewriting various monsters, and possibly more. They may also add some popular non-core options to the core rules, and quietly remove some that are just too much trouble. There might even be some brand-new-to-5E options drawn from D&D's history, to fit the anniversary theme, like draconians or such, to encourages sales from older folks grumpy about the upgrade. This will essentially be what 2E was to 1E, or 3.5 was to 3E, but they won't actually call it a new edition or half-edition. ("Anniversary Edition" or "Gold Edition", as alluded to upthread, seem possible.) These core rulebooks will be released in both standard and fancy deluxe editions.
- A mega-adventure that's spun as an anniversary event, probably bringing in Vecna as the big bad, but mostly centered around the Forgotten Realms (maybe with some side trips/allusions to Greyhawk, Ravenloft, Planescape, Exandria, etc.). Nothing to the scale of Die Vecna Die, alas.
- There will be some kind of reprint product, but I'm not sure what, since they did the "reprint all the core rules" marathon before 5E came out, and they handed Goodman Games a lot of the best candidates for anniversary-apropos adventure releases. Maybe they'll just release the original boxed set again, or something.
- Some kind of 50th anniversary retrospective, a book and/or a documentary.
- Adventurers League might get some anniversary-themed adventures/events, maybe 5E updates of some classic modules.
- Assorted other 50th anniversary merchandise, maybe some re-releases of retro merchandise from the 80s (like T-shirts, action figures, or the like).
What I would do:
- I'd do all of the above, but with the following additions.
- The core rulebooks would still get changed to reflect the post-Tasha's paradigm, because even though I don't like some of those changes, there's no putting that genie back in the bottle. However, I would insist that all the pre-Tasha's 5E options remain available as well, so no one feels left out. Anniversary content would also be threaded throughout all three core books from every edition and every major setting - a minimum of one per edition or setting, be it a race/subrace, class/subclass, spell, monster, or magic item/artifact.
- The Monster Manual would feature some of D&D's most famous villains, not just general monsters. And an appendix of monstrous PC races (updated reprints are fine).
- The DMG would have more optional rules reflecting older editions, including 4E-style play. Maybe even THAC0.
- Instead of just one anniversary mega-adventure, I'd do a big cross-media anniversary storyline crossing into every major campaign setting. I'd model it after the Time Lord Victorious event they've been doing for Doctor Who, have loose or strong tie-ins with novels, comics, the MMOs, the mobile games, and of course RPG products. Maybe even get Critical Role and other streamers in on the act. Vecna is still a pretty good choice for the big bad, but maybe feature an alliance of some of the other greatest villains in D&D history.
- A big Adventurers League storyline/event at Gen Con, tied in with the above.
- Something that's basically Tales from the Yawning Portal II (as discussed in another thread).
- Some kind of "Worlds of D&D" RPG product that makes it possible for 5E players to play in every major campaign setting from an older edition that hasn't already gotten a campaign setting book by that point, from Greyhawk to Nentir Vale. Each chapter would feature notes on the tone and defining features, the major locales, character options, NPCs, and other flavorful rules bits needed to play in each setting. Tie it all together with a final chapter (Spelljammer?) that emphasizes travel between the worlds. (This would basically be overflow from the more generic anniversary content in the core rules.)
- Get Goodman Games to do a Castle Greyhawk mega-product, similar to the Temple of Elemental Evil two-book set they're working on now, that's as authentic to Gygax's original as possible. Pull in as many living veterans of the original campaign as you can to work on it.
- Release a new D&D cartoon - something in the vein of Avatar, family-friendly but with depth - on Netflix or Disney+ or something. Even a single-season mini-series would be fine. Maybe even just an update/sequel to the 1980s cartoon (make sure to market this to Brazil, where that was even bigger).
What Lanefan said. And then celebrate the fact that I've been playing D&D for 50 years... which brings the horrifying realization that I'm old. Really old (65).
On the other hand, I'll be retired then and I can game like it's 1974! Until I fall asleep...
teitan
Legend
I like the idea of a Gygax Greyhawk but that would require working with Gail Gygax who is, at this point, notoriously difficult and has already alienated quite a few reputable publishers and sued her own family. A history or anniversary book would be very little outside of an update of Art & Arcana. Essentially it's got a definitive version that is the right information for a celebration and updating it for 3-7 years of art & let's face it, D&D history is more tied up in the art than anything else really as anything else.
Does WOTC own the D&D cartoon from the 80s or is it still with Disney? Be sweet if they could do an update of that with modern art and storytelling, same characters and stuff with a more developed world setting.
Does WOTC own the D&D cartoon from the 80s or is it still with Disney? Be sweet if they could do an update of that with modern art and storytelling, same characters and stuff with a more developed world setting.
You could potentially route around Gail Gygax and try to reconstruct it from information published during the TSR era and recollections from Gygax's co-DMs/players, but admittedly that's a tough project.
According to this rpg.net thread, looks like the rights are jointly owned by Wizards and Disney. (Disney's involvement is why I figured it could be on Disney+.)
akr71
Hero
I would release the PHB & DMG, with all the errata & the content from XGtE & TCoE (& any others to be released, or I'm forgetting) put into their respective books (PHB or DMG). This would be an opportunity to fully implement the race/ancestry/background changes WotC has been working on.
Also, I would compile all the 'gazetteer' material from the adventures, and the lore from VGtM, MTF & SCAG into one Setting book/box.
Also, I would compile all the 'gazetteer' material from the adventures, and the lore from VGtM, MTF & SCAG into one Setting book/box.
teitan
Legend
The cost would be really high for that. While D&D is dollar to hour very cheap entertainment, it still requires a buy in and you can price yourself out of a customer base by having multiple required books of 60+ price tags just to start playing.
