D&D General You're In Charge of D&D -- 2025 Edition

[AnotherGuy]

Put out a book of variations/custom sizable modular options which would cater to both 2014 and 2024 players.
From variant rest systems to low-magic rules dials, to subskill systems, hit point variations, hard-core rules, implementation of wound systems, age mechanics, progression variations, ritual-based magic system, death-spiral variations, player narrative options, themed-mechanics, complex/simplified combat systems, environmental influences on the 3 pillars, complex conditions (emotional), variant advantage/disadvantage, TIBF mechanics, equipment conditions/quality, economy variants, pacing mechanics...etc

 

[Reynard]

1. Again, bring in outside consultants to look at what the market will bear in terms of product released annually, who's buying it, what the market is asking for and not getting, and what non-traditional ancillary products could be pursued. Use this as a plan going forward. (It's likely that a study like this was conducted in the past, but market conditions are changing all the time and new data is often helpful.) Within two years, match output volume to apparent market demand.

I'm not sure why this one would need outside consultants. Isn't this exactly the thing WotC should have info on.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I'm not sure why this one would need outside consultants. Isn't this exactly the thing WotC should have info on.

To sanity check their in-house work.

 

[payn]

Birthright.

 

[Scribe]

Yeah, likely wont happen.

To be clear, not for the edginess, just to have celestials and fiends expanded.

For what it's worth, I'm all for it. Including the edge.

 

[Yaarel]

If in charge of D&D?

There is a difference between making what I want happen, and earning money for a business.

The D&D business must listen to its player base, making the most players happy most of the time.

Where there are areas of intersection, as there normally are, I would make sure my preferences gain a hearing.

But ultimately, I would do what D&D players want, whether I prefer it or not.


There is a difference between being in charge of D&D and being in charge of a D&D niche. If the goal is to make ones own preferences sustainable, that is doable. But it would be nonrepresentative of all D&D.

 

[delericho]

To be honest, I think they're doing almost all of the right things. I'm not keen on their content, but that's just me - and given that I'm not gaming at the moment, it would be even more insane than normal to aim products at me. (That is, it would normally be crazy to target an audience of 1 out of however many millions; it's even more insane to target an audience of 0.)

So, a couple of tweaks:

The big one: I would immediately stop trying to sell people on another D&D movie or even a live-action show. Now is just not the time. I would try to get one, or better two, animated shows under way: one aimed at the low end of the teen market (meaning it's actually for pre-teens), and one aimed at adults (and therefore actually for teens).

I would likewise go looking for the "next Larian Studios" - that is, a small but talented up-and-coming games studio, and get them to make one or two licensed CRPGs. It's obviously hard to catch lightning in a bottle, but that's probably the best bet to replicate the BG3 phenomenon.

In terms of the RPG product:

• I'd put out a compilation of low level "campaign start" adventures - 3-4 adventures of the same length, level-range, and hopefully quality of "Lost Mine of Phandelver", but written for experienced groups looking to start a second or subsequent campaign.
• The next few campaign books I'd put out would therefore start at 5th level, with guidelines on how at least one of the adventures in the above would lead into it.
• I wouldn't revisit any of the existing settings (after the already-announced books on FR and Eberron). Likewise, I wouldn't produce any new settings. But see below...
• I'd look into the possibility of doing an "Adventure Search" competition - like the previous Setting search, but with the aim of developing the next big adventure.
• Lastly, I'd look into setting up an arms'-length mature-themes licensee to produce "Birthright" and "Dark Sun" material (with BR aiming towards the GoT crowd). But only if I was sure I could safely firewall them from the main brand - if in any doubt, stay clear.

That's obviously more than a year's worth of stuff. The main ones I'm interested in are the first and the last - with that last one being very much for me (so that crazy "pitch for an audience of 0" )

 

[Zardnaar]

I would probably do a revised 5E. Would have gone in a slightly different direction.

Overhauled the classes but not more complex like 5.5. Probably go the other way more simple.

You're core demographics are 5-10 years older and with BG3 I would probably go in a more adult orientated direction.

 

[Scribe]

You're core demographics are 5-10 years older abd with BG3 I would probably go in a more adult orientated direction.

Yeah seems an interesting choice to actually push your bar to a lower age, after 5 to 10 years of experience for your current demographic.

 

[Steampunkette]

1) Use D&D24 to produce Psionics for 5e. It'd be Paranormal Power with a bigger budget and more writers adding additional content.

2) Offer official support to 3rd party publishers and content creators in the form of a minimal-effort and low-cost addition to D&D Beyond.

The first one's kinda self-explanatory, but let me explain the second one:

Set up a "Streaming Calendar" on D&D Beyond with links to various content creator Twitch, Youtube, Tiktok, Etc channels. Anyone with a viewership of a certain threshhold can get on the calendar, every stream is rated from G to R.

Doing so promotes your community in a big way, and builds good will between WotC and the D&D brand and the consumer base. It's essentially the "TV Guide" of D&D Streamers. It also ensures that those streamers will continue to use D&D going forward, rather than changing to a different system for their next campaign since they're getting free advertising for D&D materials on a website with traffic in the 5.7 million range.

Hell. To be super efficient with it: Give them access to all of D&D Beyond. Whoever's account is labeled as the DM just gets every book added to their D&DB library for free, to encourage them to use all the latest material, too, to advertise in the other direction. Sure that's a few hundred dollars worth of potential sales lost to those individual DMs, but you're advertising to their audience.

For 3rd Party publishers: Do spotlights. Once a week you spotlight a 3rd party publisher with links to their storefront on DMsGuild.

To make that extra efficient: Plan out your Spotlights two months in advance and make the Author write up their own Spotlight page (with editorial oversight before it's meant to go up, obviously). They'll probably get more sales on DMsGuild which WotC gets half of. Win-Win.

And, again, fosters good will with your 3rd party community by giving them notable advertising space on your main site for "Free" (half of all sales).