Whizbang Dustyboots
Gnometown Hero
I was listening to the Lazy RPG Podcast (@SlyFlourish's renamed Lazy DM Podcast) and Mike pointed out that, in light of 5E being added to Creative Commons, Wizards of the Coast is "just" another 5E publisher and will have to compete in the marketplace against other such publishers.
Obviously, this was effectively true before, but the changes in the licensing mean that a large portion of the competitive advantage WotC enjoyed is gone.
That said, they still have enormous advantages over other 5E publishers, which they should leverage, rather than their now-abandoned legalistic sneak attack.
1) They still own the brand "Dungeons & Dragons." While there's already plenty of other D&D-compatible stuff out there and likely a lot more to come after Friday's decision, the only company that can put the most famous name in the roleplaying game space on their products is Wizards of the Coast. I expect to see them leverage the brand like crazy, including in new cover treatments, potentially even for 5E books, that says that right up front. Instead of the "D&D Players Handbook" on the front cover of the 5E PHB, any reprints this year should probably say "Dungeons & Dragons Players Handbook," to make sure book store displays always show that brand to the customers. I expect the 1D&D cover treatment to do the same.
2) They almost certainly have the largest pot of money and probably the largest number of full-time employees. (And if they don't, I expect them to staff up accordingly.) That means producing more books at a higher level of polish is more achievable than it would be for a small company that will have to work much harder with freelancers (who, as a category, are more of a mixed bag than full-timers, since they have other demands on their attention.) I would expect to see products in future years than we see in 2023, which itself is a jump up from previous 5E production rates. They can also have a higher average quality of production quality, if they choose to. I don't expect it, but I would love to see WotC adopt what my favorite Kickstarter projects do, and add bound-in ribbon bookmarks, especially in the 2024 anniversary special edition books.
3) Only they can do Honor Among Thieves tie-in products. I've previously ranted about them not having any movie tie-in books or boxed sets scheduled. (If Golden Vault was a movie tie-in, they would have told retailers that, so they can order accordingly.) For whatever reason they chose not to do so before, I expect that -- unless they know that the movie is just god-awful -- there will be pressure to get some movie stuff added to the release schedule ASAP. They can get something turned around on D&D Beyond relatively quickly, with a print release after that, if it comes to it.
4) Leverage that IP! Not only does WotC have the sole rights to slap "Dungeons & Dragons" on their cover, they have the sole rights to the Forgotten Realms, the World of Greyhawk, Dark Sun and Gamma World. I think Friday's decision means they will be more likely to release these as products in the coming years, as player-facing splatbooks and bestiaries put them on the same playing fields with Kobold Press and the like, and they're not a playing field where they always win, to put it mildly. (And yeah, Gamma World can and should be a D&D setting. Most versions of the game, going back to the very beginning, have been fairly easy to combine with D&D, and creating a post-apocalyptic setting, possibly with more fantasy elements than previously, seems like a no-brainer product, either as a single book or as a slipcase set.)
5) They are the best-known company in the space. Next year, the natural tendency of the media will be to give a lot of attention to the company on its 50th anniversary. WotC should talk up D&D everywhere possible. They will likely try to make D&D synonymous with RPGs in the public's mind, even as everyone else in the RPG space tries to do the reverse. (Every gaming journalist in the world will get pitches of "here's 50 more RPGs to consider during D&D's 50th anniversary" and the like.)
And except for the last point, these are all good things. Out-compete everyone else by putting out more and better products! Use the brand and the movie to bring in more new and returning players, some of whom will spill over to a larger, more vibrant RPG scene than we had a month ago. WotC can remain dominant -- become even more dominant -- by being the company their biggest fans believe them to be. And producing a ton of great, hard to argue with books is also the best way to win back fans whom corporate shenanigans have driven away.
Obviously, this was effectively true before, but the changes in the licensing mean that a large portion of the competitive advantage WotC enjoyed is gone.
That said, they still have enormous advantages over other 5E publishers, which they should leverage, rather than their now-abandoned legalistic sneak attack.
1) They still own the brand "Dungeons & Dragons." While there's already plenty of other D&D-compatible stuff out there and likely a lot more to come after Friday's decision, the only company that can put the most famous name in the roleplaying game space on their products is Wizards of the Coast. I expect to see them leverage the brand like crazy, including in new cover treatments, potentially even for 5E books, that says that right up front. Instead of the "D&D Players Handbook" on the front cover of the 5E PHB, any reprints this year should probably say "Dungeons & Dragons Players Handbook," to make sure book store displays always show that brand to the customers. I expect the 1D&D cover treatment to do the same.
2) They almost certainly have the largest pot of money and probably the largest number of full-time employees. (And if they don't, I expect them to staff up accordingly.) That means producing more books at a higher level of polish is more achievable than it would be for a small company that will have to work much harder with freelancers (who, as a category, are more of a mixed bag than full-timers, since they have other demands on their attention.) I would expect to see products in future years than we see in 2023, which itself is a jump up from previous 5E production rates. They can also have a higher average quality of production quality, if they choose to. I don't expect it, but I would love to see WotC adopt what my favorite Kickstarter projects do, and add bound-in ribbon bookmarks, especially in the 2024 anniversary special edition books.
3) Only they can do Honor Among Thieves tie-in products. I've previously ranted about them not having any movie tie-in books or boxed sets scheduled. (If Golden Vault was a movie tie-in, they would have told retailers that, so they can order accordingly.) For whatever reason they chose not to do so before, I expect that -- unless they know that the movie is just god-awful -- there will be pressure to get some movie stuff added to the release schedule ASAP. They can get something turned around on D&D Beyond relatively quickly, with a print release after that, if it comes to it.
4) Leverage that IP! Not only does WotC have the sole rights to slap "Dungeons & Dragons" on their cover, they have the sole rights to the Forgotten Realms, the World of Greyhawk, Dark Sun and Gamma World. I think Friday's decision means they will be more likely to release these as products in the coming years, as player-facing splatbooks and bestiaries put them on the same playing fields with Kobold Press and the like, and they're not a playing field where they always win, to put it mildly. (And yeah, Gamma World can and should be a D&D setting. Most versions of the game, going back to the very beginning, have been fairly easy to combine with D&D, and creating a post-apocalyptic setting, possibly with more fantasy elements than previously, seems like a no-brainer product, either as a single book or as a slipcase set.)
5) They are the best-known company in the space. Next year, the natural tendency of the media will be to give a lot of attention to the company on its 50th anniversary. WotC should talk up D&D everywhere possible. They will likely try to make D&D synonymous with RPGs in the public's mind, even as everyone else in the RPG space tries to do the reverse. (Every gaming journalist in the world will get pitches of "here's 50 more RPGs to consider during D&D's 50th anniversary" and the like.)
And except for the last point, these are all good things. Out-compete everyone else by putting out more and better products! Use the brand and the movie to bring in more new and returning players, some of whom will spill over to a larger, more vibrant RPG scene than we had a month ago. WotC can remain dominant -- become even more dominant -- by being the company their biggest fans believe them to be. And producing a ton of great, hard to argue with books is also the best way to win back fans whom corporate shenanigans have driven away.
