D&D General Interview with D&D VP Jess Lanzillo on Comicbook.com

[TiQuinn]

If WotCs new digital tabletop turns out to be super successful and rakes in those MTX dollars, that will inevitably result in focus shifting to digital D&D, publishing books will become an afterthought.

If they focus on digital D&D, but still print books, do I care as long as I get mine?

 

[Imaro]

(edit: ah, sarcasm... I get jokes!)

It's totally cool, but you and I have very different opinions on what's best for the RPG hobby I think. I don't know why it would be better for DDB to have better incentives than other platforms. Do we not want healthy competition to drive innovation?

OK, now I'm kind of confused...

Isn't DDB having better incentives part of healthy competition?

If they want to better support online play, create an authenticated API so you can pull D&D Beyond material directly into your favorite online platform of choice.

OK, even more confused...

You want there to be healthy competition but you also want WotC to spend time, money and effort helping their competitiion... compete with them. Huh??

 

[Reynard]

The magazines and slim adventures were all TSR products. weren't they? So who knows if they were ever profitable. That and all the content that goes into a magazine needs to be created for each issue. For books, all the content is already needed for online tools anyway. Magazines are one and done, books can be sold with minimal changes for years on end.

This is a bunch of assumptions meant to support a belief.

First of all, WotC produced slim adventures for 15 years up until 5e.

Magazine content is cheaper to make because it is sourced from lower paid freelancers.

And there is nothing about a 200 page hardback that makes it easier to convert to Beyond than any other prose print material.

Like Marvel canceling profitable comics that were not profitable enough, WotC has decided only to publish those kinds of materials that have a high return.

Claiming otherwise feels like trying to defend WotC from simple facts.

 

[Reynard]

Streamlining their offerings is not the same as eliminating all physical books and doesn’t leave them vulnerable in the market place like abandoning written material altogether would. And many of the splat books and magazines lost money for TSR. Part of the reason they are gone.

You were the one that tried to propose "a small profit" as a motivating factor. I merely pointed out that you were demonstrably wrong

 

[SlyFlourish]

Yet.

That changes if-when AL and other official organized play stops counting for rewards etc. unless played online through DDB.

If-when this happens, folks, remember - you heard it here first.

I'd bet against that.

 

[jerryrice4949]

You were the one that tried to propose "a small profit" as a motivating factor. I merely pointed out that you were demonstrably wrong

I appreciate false equivalency as much as anyone so well done.

 

[SlyFlourish]

Good thing you have 3 other digital platforms you can use besides DDB. Some of which work offline and are perpetual and irrevocable.

Exactly. Jess Lanzillo could have talked about that as well.

 

[Oofta]

This is a bunch of assumptions meant to support a belief.

First of all, WotC produced slim adventures for 15 years up until 5e.

Magazine content is cheaper to make because it is sourced from lower paid freelancers.

And there is nothing about a 200 page hardback that makes it easier to convert to Beyond than any other prose print material.

Like Marvel canceling profitable comics that were not profitable enough, WotC has decided only to publish those kinds of materials that have a high return.

Claiming otherwise feels like trying to defend WotC from simple facts.

Or ... we don't know whether or not they were profitable. If we're talking fan submissions for magazine content, that's now covered by bloggers. It's not going to justify purchasing magazines for many people.

That and the publishing frequency has greatly slowed down meaning the books they do sell will be on the shelves and prominent for years.

Kind if sounds lyoy trying to defend your opinion by ignoring some basic facts.

 

[SlyFlourish]

Jess has the ability and agency to use that fandom to make substantive changes, or not, in the subject on which we are speaking, unlike your example.

Maybe she does and maybe she doesn't. That was the actual question that they asked her. She decided to not answer it and misdirect to a false idea that those worried about a future digital D&D were "gatekeeping".

 

[SlyFlourish]

OK, now I'm kind of confused...

Isn't DDB having better incentives part of healthy competition?

OK, even more confused...

You want there to be healthy competition but you also want WotC to spend time, money and effort helping their competitiion... compete with them. Huh??

Should they not license the game out to Roll20 or Fantasy Grounds or Foundry?

If Jess is sincere that they want to expand online gaming, an authenticated API so material can be used on other platforms is a great way to do it. And it doesn't hurt WOTC's business either – you'd still have to rent the material from them. You'd just get to use it where you want to.