D&D 5E What if the D&D Core outsells the revised D&D Core?

[Parmandur]

Yes, but all of that is true right now.
New audience.
Hit trailer and looks like a hit franchise. (OK that's still on the bubble, maybe, but it's gone from "unsure" to "well maybe"). The D&D franchise was a hit for Magic, selling a ton of Magic. (which frankly I'd never have guessed).

The only surprise about D&D plus Magic selling so well was that they waited 20 years to pull the trigger.

My point is, in terms of the lightning in a bottle, the conditions seem to be improving. New iterations of Monopoly or Settlers of Catan donslow down sales any, and D&D is entering that territory rather than a niche hobby hanging in for dear life.

 

[Umbran]

Sure yea. But what if the new core tanks? Regardless?

Then they'll make business decisions. We, not being on the inside of the business, can only make guesses.

Uninformed guesses are a dime a dozen, and worth what you pay for 'em.

 

[darjr]

Then they'll make business decisions. We, not being on the inside of the business, can only make guesses.

Uninformed guesses are a dime a dozen, and worth what you pay for 'em.

I haven't paid anything yet.

 

[MGibster]

While I have no doubt WotC does a much better job of gathering data and using it to make business decisions than TSR ever did, I don't know if the entirety of 5th edition's successes are a result of their decisions. And in regards to any market studies they do, even big companies read the data wrong and make decisons that seemed right at the time but in hindsight were wrong. How many people here remember when Coca-Cola's market research led them to New Coke in 1985?

 

[overgeeked]

Reverse coarse and put the original print core back into print?

Go back to the 3rd edition/4th edition and cycle the core rules again?

Never happen.

I'm looking for what you'd do in that situation?

If D&D were mine what would I do? I'd put the main rule books/boxed sets of every edition into print and/or POD. Leave the various supplements as POD options. Let people play what they want. Put out evergreen campaign settings with just the lore. Put out setting anthology books with the rules for every edition, POD. Make each setting's edition specific rules a PDF that people can purchase. Make all the books PDFs that people can purchase. And spend some of that Hasboro money re-typesetting the old main books/boxed sets instead of leaving them as terrible scans.

The only surprise about D&D plus Magic selling so well was that they waited 20 years to pull the trigger.

My point is, in terms of the lightning in a bottle, the conditions seem to be improving. New iterations of Monopoly or Settlers of Catan donslow down sales any, and D&D is entering that territory rather than a niche hobby hanging in for dear life.

Ugh. I hope not. I can't imagine a more bland edition of D&D to take properly mainstream.

I haven't paid anything yet.

Exactly the point.

 

[Parmandur]

Ugh. I hope not. I can't imagine a more bland edition of D&D to take properly mainstream.

Too late, this is the Forever version of D&D already, from here on out it's just variations that stay compatible.

 

[Umbran]

I haven't paid anything yet.

So you're getting bargain-bin uninformed opinions!

Be really sure to check the expiration dates before opening them, because an opinion gone bad will really stink up the place.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

What if the new books tank then? I wonder if they'll just be called the PHB DMG and MM?

They almost certainly will just be called that

 

[Parmandur]

They almost certainly will just be called that

Alternatively, they could do something like a"Rules Cyclopedia" that effectively replaces the PHB amd DMG while providing plausible deniavility if it doesn't take off.

 

[overgeeked]

Too late, this is the Forever version of D&D already, from here on out it's just variations that stay compatible.

Doubt it. Once the new fad wave dies they'll redesign again. It might take awhile, but once sales have peaked and start declining, they'll put out a properly new and different edition again.