D&D Movie/TV Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves could change D&D forever

[Ruin Explorer]

One of my major criticisms of FFG's Star Wars is that there are so many separate skills and ability trees that you can't really make a good pilot/gun fighter like we see in the movies. The other is the obsession with equipment and upgrading them.

Yeah that's the sort of thing I was hearing - both are completely at-odds with how the movies (or TV shows) portray the universe/experience, and to me it's bizarre someone would think that was okay.

I mean, dumber things have happened - c.f. Witcher 3 CRPG where Geralt, a man who literally never changes equipment except out of necessity, upgrades his gear 24/7 like it's Diablo 3. But at least that was a video game so had more of an excuse.

Hogwarts Legacy is #1 on Steam and Playstation and #2 on XBox. For every person boycotting like 10 who aren't even Harry Potter fans buy the game.

#2 behind FIFA23 on Steam actually at time of writing.

And think how it would be doing if the HP legacy was unstained by naked bigotry and increasing general idiocy? ("Wizards poop in a corner and use magic to clean it up" lol for god's sake Rowling.)

Not only would the boycotting people be buying it, but tons more would too. I don't buy that any significant number of people who "aren't HP fans" are pre-ordering it though. Not before reviews, that's just people lying about who they are if they're claiming that. It's just that there's an entire generation of HP fans who've never even seen an HP game that looked good lol. That's millions and millions and millions of people. It's not like it's up against heavy competition either - the new FIFA and Football Manager are literally the only other new games in the top 10. Honestly it's more shocking that Modern Warfare 2 is at #5 despite being months old and at full price.

My point is WB would be happy if she was gone because then they'd be free of that (which is definitely having an impact, c.f. box office of the Fantastic Beasts stuff) and could freely make new stuff (which she interferes heavily with).

Wick is rated R and likely doesn't have a huge over lap in target audience, bit more over lap with Mario, but Mario skews younger I think, and I think looks to a very different audience.

Absolute hard disagree about Mario. 150% disagree. There's a massive audience crossover. This isn't 20 years ago when adults were scared to go to animated movies. Mario is just like D&D's audience + more. Wick definitely has a significant overlap but nowhere near as large (it's like 50% of D&D's potential audience). However, the core audience for D&D right now is teens and 20s, and the overlap there (and with Scream VI if it's actually good) will be the issue.

 

[Lyandelill]

.

 

[Reynard]

I'm of the opinion that the cultural footprint of D&D shrinking would be better for the game as a whole.

 

[Dioltach]

Oh, no. This means D&D is going to buy a sports car and start dating RPGS young enough to be its daughter.

Wait, is this what I have to look forward when I turn 50 next week?

Worse - hair plugs

Actually, this one's far more likely.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I take it you are not part of the minority she wants dead and gone? Ignoring don't work when she's already massively helped with turning England into TERF island.

Agreed. It's bizarre how much of the UK's TERF idiocy issue can be laid squarely at her doorstep, because she mainstreamed it, with the able help of the Tories and the BBC. It's also one of the most age-split issues in UK history, with basically no-one below 40-45 agreeing with the TERF nonsense, and relatively few people above 70 agreeing with it either, though they're mostly very confused by the whole thing. Just this weird core of mostly-Gen Xers who are maximum TERF. The Tories (and their minions the BBC - c.f. the BBC chairman "loaning" Boris £800k a few weeks before being appointed lol) tried to promote the issues in an attempt to split Labour (a tactic which worked on Brexit), but all they've managed to do is make Labour vaguely TERF-y as well, because most of its politicians are Gen Xers.

It's pretty relevant to D&D's current issues too, because it illustrates how quickly laws can change when the right people want them to. Less than 5 years ago we were looking at actively at long-overdue pro-Trans reforms. And our previous Prime Minister (well, two PMs ago, but the last one lasted like a month) was pro-Trans even a year into being PM. But as soon as it became a potential political tool, that all changed.

 

[Mercurius]

I'm of the opinion that the cultural footprint of D&D shrinking would be better for the game as a whole.

I agree with this, but that ship has sailed. D&D has gotten too big, and Hasbro will do everything they can to squeeze every last dollar out of the property. We've all been reminded that, in the end, Hasbro is no different than any other corporation, and revenue/profits is the bottom line, so everything they do will be towards that end.

That is the tragedy of D&D: it is the industry leader, but also the only game whose course is set entirely on corporate profits. Obviously all, especially bigger companies like Paizo, are directed by profits, but none--except Hasbro/WotC--make their decisions entirely and only based on profits. Paizo et al still seem at least somewhat directed by love of the game itself.

This is why people should never, imo, be happy or impressed when WotC makes this or that statement about "listening to the fans" because, in the end, they only "listen" when they feel to do otherwise negatively impacts their revenue stream. It isn't unlike a habitual liar only admitting to lying when they are caught.

 

[FrozenNorth]

Agreed. It's bizarre how much of the UK's TERF idiocy issue can be laid squarely at her doorstep, because she mainstreamed it, with the able help of the Tories and the BBC.

I’m conflicted. On the one hand, I agree with you. On the other, you called the Tories able and I think the last 3 years have demonstrated they are anything but.

 

[FrozenNorth]

I'm of the opinion that the cultural footprint of D&D shrinking would be better for the game as a whole.

…but worse for the people who make a living from 3rd party adventures and products.

 

[Reynard]

…but worse for the people who make a living from 3rd party adventures and products.

Worse than WotC burning that entire market segment to the ground?

 

[Umbran]

I’m conflicted. On the one hand, I agree with you. On the other, you called the Tories able and I think the last 3 years have demonstrated they are anything but.

Mod Note:
Politics. Please stop talking politics, folks.