D&D's October Product Revealed to Be Stranger Things Tie-In

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

My Converse x D&D shoes are very popular

2%!

I am a big fan of fun shoes -- not you, Crocs -- as a general rule. I fully endorse your D&D shoes.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

When they don't do tie-ins, they get pilloried for being stupid by throwing away easy money (and creating easy on-ramps for potential new fans). There are plenty of threads on this very forum criticizing them for not doing BG3 tie-ins at the time the game was released. The same for the D&D movie.

Hey, I'm already in this thread! You don't need to summon me by saying "tie-in" three times.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

I guess we are surprised because there was a previous D&D-Stranger Things collab and then we couldn't imagine a second attempt in the future.

Do you imagine Netflix producing the reimagination of any classic D&D setting? Maybe they could try "pilot episodes", for example a short-cartoon of Dark Sun or Dragonlance, or Birthright like a rip-off of Game of Thrones. Other option could be Netflix starting from zero its own fantasy franchise and after this being licenced to D&D. Or the characters from a fiction work start to play the Dragonlance campaign but they rewritte the plot totally (why should they follow the canon and original story?).

Let's remember there is an upcoming Stranger Things spin-off "Tales of the 95", the same main characters but facing a new and different menace in an animaed serie.

* How would be a "my little pony"+"Witchlight" crossover? Maybe the ponies would become antropomorphic, bipeal but with equine heads.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

Booorrring! I'm tired of movie tie-ins, prequels, sequels, can't WOTC have a new original thought/product to deliver to ttrpg gamers?! Instead of rehashing the same old same old.

This is hilarious, given the amount of snarking here about the lack of tie-ins by WoTC in the past and its inability to coordinate with the movie or BG3 or even the 50th anniversary.

 

[Remathilis]

2%!

I am a big fan of fun shoes -- not you, Crocs -- as a general rule. I fully endorse your D&D shoes.

Found the Hobbit!

 

[sevenbastard]

Eddie Munson, the D&D-loving head of the Hellfire Club

It would be cool if they did a series of How To Videos with Eddie in charachter in a 80s basement explaining how to play D&D.

 

[Nord Ronnoc]

It would be cool if they did a series of How To Videos with Eddie in charachter in a 80s basement explaining how to play D&D.

That might have some weird anachronisms.

 

[Stormonu]

I'm going to laugh so hard if this ends up eclipsing the Borderlands starter set. This is a starter set itself, right? At the very least, this seems to fall into the "cannibalizing sales" arena they've railed against so much in the past.

I never did pick up the last Stranger Things starter set though, not sure about this one either though I applaud the effort.

 

[SlyFlourish]

Too much to unpack there. That’s a very reductive view though.

Wouldn't know. I don’t watch clickbait YouTube.

I think WOTC themselves said they saw a surge in popularity in D&D due to Stranger Things. Their focus on this product is a good indicator of that belief.

Google Trends shows about a 10 to 15% bump in the search for Dungeons & Dragons (as a brand, so this includes multiple query types).

D&D and RPGs overall seemed to have about a 10% to 20% bump. I know many Kickstarters seemed to do about 30% better than they had previously and who dropped by about the same amount in the last couple of years post Covid.

Will D&D rise and fall on Stranger Things? No. But I think its safe to say that both Stranger Things and COVID led to an increase in popularity of D&D.

 

[SlyFlourish]

Nope never said every product was for me, but it just smacks of another cash grab based on a formula tried and true, why push the envelope of new ideas, new worlds to explore and/or more NEW story adventures to tell when you can just reheat leftovers. Variety is the spice of life...and maybe, just maybe you might draw even more people into the hobby, thats all I'm saying. Peace!

Good thing we have the whole rest of the RPG industry for new ideas, new worlds, and new story adventures!

We need not depend on WOTC for our happiness with RPGs.