D&D 4E Ben Riggs' "What the Heck Happened with 4th Edition?" seminar at Gen Con 2023

[Reynard]

They could you know...try and grow the business instead of cutting others out. Maybe.

Novels. Supporting other approaches to D&D. Merch. Licensing. You know, growth.

Driving everyone to your digital platform is growth, too.

 

[Scribe]

Driving everyone to your digital platform is growth, too.

Of a kind, yes.

 

[Alzrius]

They could you know...try and grow the business instead of cutting others out. Maybe.

Novels. Supporting other approaches to D&D. Merch. Licensing. You know, growth.

Funny thing about licensing; one of the other seminars I attended at Gen Con was the Candlekeep meet-up, which had panelists such as Ed Greenwood and James Lowder present. When things turned to Q&A, one of the questions put forward was (paraphrasing here), "Why did WotC do so little to support the D&D movie? They didn't put out an introductory boxed set like for Rick and Morty or Stranger Things, they didn't release a tie-in adventure; it was just some character sheets on D&D Beyond. What was up with that?"

After the obligatory reminder that no one on the panel actually worked for WotC (anymore), James Lowder volunteered the idea that WotC might have been contractually obligated to leave a lot of that stuff to Paramount (or other related companies, possibly in license with Paramount). As an example, he pointed to the tie-in prequel novels not being copyright to WotC, but Randomhouse. It was interesting to consider, if for no other reason than it struck me as being highly counterintuitive to what I'd expected.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

Driving everyone to your digital platform is growth, too.

I really do not believe that this is a viable strategy. They have no effective way to compel the use of their digital platform. Their digital platform is pretty good for what it does but what about it is compelling?

 

[the Jester]

They could you know...try and grow the business instead of cutting others out. Maybe.

Novels. Supporting other approaches to D&D. Merch. Licensing. You know, growth.

Like a major motion picture and tie ins with pop culture phenomena like Stranger Things?

They have tried. They're not great at it, but they do try.

 

[Reynard]

I really do not believe that this is a viable strategy. They have no effective way to compel the use of their digital platform. Their digital platform is pretty good for what it does but what about it is compelling?

I don't know. Ask someone who uses it. I was just suggesting that if they are successful in getting more and more people on Beyond and their VTT, that counts as growth.

 

[Scribe]

Like a major motion picture and tie ins with pop culture phenomena like Stranger Things?

They have tried. They're not great at it, but they do try.

And Novels, and more games, and source books.

I looked over my 5e collection, they have left so much money on the table that I would have spent, if not for their lack of will/desire to provide me more to buy.

 

[Nikosandros]

Funny thing about licensing; one of the other seminars I attended at Gen Con was the Candlekeep meet-up, which had panelists such as Ed Greenwood and James Lowder present. When things turned to Q&A, one of the questions put forward was (paraphrasing here), "Why did WotC do so little to support the D&D movie? They didn't put out an introductory boxed set like for Rick and Morty or Stranger Things, they didn't release a tie-in adventure; it was just some character sheets on D&D Beyond. What was up with that?"

After the obligatory reminder that no one on the panel actually worked for WotC (anymore), James Lowder volunteered the idea that WotC might have been contractually obligated to leave a lot of that stuff to Paramount (or other related companies, possibly in license with Paramount). As an example, he pointed to the tie-in prequel novels not being copyright to WotC, but Randomhouse. It was interesting to consider, if for no other reason than it struck me as being highly counterintuitive to what I'd expected.

Interesting. It would explain WotC's inaction, but it seems like a weird arrangement.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

I don't know. Ask someone who uses it. I was just suggesting that if they are successful in getting more and more people on Beyond and their VTT, that counts as growth.

It counts as growth and it expands their market and I use it a bit, it is better than I thought it would be, but I would not call it compelling.

 

[eyeheartawk]

And Novels, and more games, and source books.

I looked over my 5e collection, they have left so much money on the table that I would have spent, if not for their lack of will/desire to provide me more to buy.

This is what that famous misinterpreted quote "The customer is always right" actually means. The customer knows best what they themselves want to see from you. So, you know, you should do that thing to make more money. But, I guess, people who play D&D are not the people they want to listen to when it comes to what people who play D&D would like to buy.