WotC 2020 Was The Best Year Ever For Dungeons & Dragons

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

My dad never played D&D when we were kids. He bought us the Mentzer boxed set, ran it for us once and then let use loose. But he was a lifelong CRPG gamer.

After he retired he joined a tabletop group and discovered the joy of "real" D&D for the first time. If he had not been on the opposite coast I would have loved to finally run D&D for him. (this was before I embraced VTT play).

He passed away from lung cancer a few years ago. He left me all of his D&D stuff (much of it 4E material) and his dice.

I'm not sure why I am sharing that story. It's not really relevant, and it doesn't have a point or a happy ending. But here we are.

It was a similar story with my dad. He brought home photocopies of all the OD&D booklets but Blackmoor (which I've still never read, to this day) and happily bought us BD&D and AD&D books. We played for decades and, I'm ashamed to say, it wasn't until only a few years ago that I finally realized that he probably wanted to play all along, even if he didn't necessarily have time.

He's been playing for years now, when we're together during vacations or over Zoom. He's psyching himself up to DM in his senior citizen-rich town, which makes me incredibly proud. (In addition to the Starter Box, core books and Saltmarsh, he's also got The Monsters Know What They're Doing and Return of the Lazy DM, so he's off to a good start.)

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Was Goodman Games given a complete list? I thought it was a short list they keep updating as Goodman Games finishes them.

I don't know. I don't recall ever hearing. Given how long a lead time both companies need before releasing a product, there's likely at least some direction given to Goodman about what they can and can't use.

I suppose it's possible that WotC just decides as they go along, but that would surprise me, since big companies like to have at least loose plans for multiple quarters into the future. I bet that, at least internally, there's a document of which old school properties they don't intend to license out to Goodman.

 

[ART!]

In a lot of ways, TTRPGs are an ideal activity for elderly folks.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

In a lot of ways, TTRPGs are an ideal activity for elderly folks.

Well, assuming they have their reading glasses.

 

[Parmandur]

The whole reason for Dungeon Crawl Classics (both the 3E adventures and later the game system) is specifically to recapture the feel of early D&D, but with a system that doubles-down on all the old schoolisms. (Random tables! All the time! Weird monsters you've never seen before! And so much player death!)

Folks who don't like 5E, or feel that it's for them, could really do a lot worse than to check out Goodman Games' work.

I love 5E pretty hard, but DCC is an awesome game for a different vibe. As the weirdo Millenial who was haunting the library and reading Appendiz N material as a teenager (though unconsciously, just reading what was on the shelf), it's a fantastic simulation of that kind of narrative.

 

[CleverNickName]

Well, assuming they have their reading glasses.

My eyesight is already terrible and I'm still in my 40s. I predict that by the time I retire, I'll need a character sheet the size of a Denny's menu, and dice the size of grapefruit.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

My eyesight is already terrible and I'm still in my 40s. I predict that by the time I retire, I'll need a character sheet the size of a Denny's menu, and dice the size of grapefruit.

We accidentally printed out our character sheets on 11 by 17" paper one time, and everyone loved it.

 

[Parmandur]

Dungeonland/Land Beyond the Magic Mirror? WotC could do Fizban's Bumper Fun Book of Parody Adventures.

Oh, hey, obvious possibility: the DL series. I don't think we are going to see this around the corner necessarily, but I think WotC will want to repurpose the original War of the alone modules at some point themselves. Particularly if the new novels actually work out.

 

[darjr]

My dad never played D&D when we were kids. He bought us the Mentzer boxed set, ran it for us once and then let use loose. But he was a lifelong CRPG gamer.

After he retired he joined a tabletop group and discovered the joy of "real" D&D for the first time. If he had not been on the opposite coast I would have loved to finally run D&D for him. (this was before I embraced VTT play).

He passed away from lung cancer a few years ago. He left me all of his D&D stuff (much of it 4E material) and his dice.

I'm not sure why I am sharing that story. It's not really relevant, and it doesn't have a point or a happy ending. But here we are.

You and your Dad shared something you loved, even if it wasn’t together. And he knew it. He also knew he introduced you to this marvelous magic. That’s pretty good in my book.

 

[Cadence]

Well, assuming they have their reading glasses.

Elderly started at 47 for me :-(