7 Years of D&D Stories? And a "Big Reveal" Coming?

When asked what he was working on, WotC's Chris Perkins revealed a couple of juicy tidbits. They're not much, but they're certainly tantalizing. Initially, he said that "Our marketing team has a big reveal in the works", and followed that up separately with "Right now I'm working on the next seven years of D&D stories". What all that might mean is anybody's guess, but it sounds like there are plans for D&D stretching into the foreseeable future! Thanks to Barantor for the scoop!

 

[BryonD]

I would have guessed than an animated Dragonlance film starring Lucy Lawless and Keifer Sutherland would have been a huge success and catapulted DL back into the mainstream, maybe even paving the way for a live action trilogy. We know how that turned out, right?

We are only looking at examples that worked out here. Get with the program.

 

[Jester David]

I would have guessed than an animated Dragonlance film starring Lucy Lawless and Keifer Sutherland would have been a huge success and catapulted DL back into the mainstream, maybe even paving the way for a live action trilogy. We know how that turned out, right?

I'm not sure how much say Hasbro had in that. It's a good example of poor quality and low budget sinking something with potential.

And they made a Oujia movie last year.
How is the Battleship game doing a couple years after that movie?

These things can happen.
These things can also NOT happen.
Just because they have happened does not mean they will happen reliably.

Doing things to create opportunity for them to happen is a VERY good plan.

Undermining things that are working well in order to advance things that *might* happen is not a good plan.
If it comes down to that, they can do both.

I think a D&D movie could go over very well. But I don't see that guaranteeing the success of the RPG. There's not always a lot of crossover support. But I think there's at least a chance for a good D&D movie that would really bring some attention to the brand and hobby. It's not worth gambling the game on, but it's worth being optimistic.

Again, WotC assumed just a few years ago that they could afford to lose a large portion of their existing fanbase because their new game was going to replace them many time over from the MMO market. Only one part of that equation actually happened. Assuming they can lose fans again because *this time* the movie will make up for it, is far more likely to be the same mistake over again.
The pot odds may be worth it.
But cherry picking examples doesn't lead to good planning.

Sacrificing an actual audience for a potential audience is always a bad idea. I don't see them currently making that mistake or catering to a possible movie or TV show, and hopefully that doesn't change.

 

[BryonD]

I think a D&D movie could go over very well. But I don't see that guaranteeing the success of the RPG. There's not always a lot of crossover support. But I think there's at least a chance for a good D&D movie that would really bring some attention to the brand and hobby. It's not worth gambling the game on, but it's worth being optimistic.

It could go over well. But there have been examples already and no evidence to support a lot of optimism.

But, most importantly, I agree with you that they should not gamble the game.

That they are gambling the game on a movie is a popular assumption right now. But that may not be it. But what they are doing certainly doesn;t seem to be focused on driving the game itself.

Sacrificing an actual audience for a potential audience is always a bad idea. I don't see them currently making that mistake or catering to a possible movie or TV show, and hopefully that doesn't change.

They already did it once.

I hope you are right.

 

[Reynard]

I'm not sure how much say Hasbro had in that.

Hasbro is not a film production company. They won't likely have much of a hand in whatever mythical D&D blockbuster happens.

 

[Jester David]

Hasbro is not a film production company. They won't likely have much of a hand in whatever mythical D&D blockbuster happens.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasbro_Studios

 

[Jester David]

It could go over well. But there have been examples already and no evidence to support a lot of optimism.

But, most importantly, I agree with you that they should not gamble the game.

That they are gambling the game on a movie is a popular assumption right now. But that may not be it. But what they are doing certainly doesn;t seem to be focused on driving the game itself.

Hasbro owns its own production company, so they can work to oversee quality and exercise creative control.
And it'll be a different studio in charge, who will hopefully be more liberal with budget and get better writers.

Assuming doom now is like assuming the Daredevil series will be bad because Fox failed to do a good job with the property.

They already did it once.

I hope you are right.

I hope they learned their lesson, and it stays learned.

 

[Umbran]

I would have guessed than an animated Dragonlance film starring Lucy Lawless and Keifer Sutherland would have been a huge success and catapulted DL back into the mainstream, maybe even paving the way for a live action trilogy. We know how that turned out, right?

There is a small difference in the cases.

For the Dragonlance movie, they went with "Commotion Pictures" for the production company.

For the current D&D movie rights, the wrangling is between Warner Brothers and Universal. Somewhat bigger guns are involved.

Not that these studios don't make bombs. But one can expect somewhat greater production quality, at least.

 

[gweinel]

I think you are overestimate the surplus value of a DnD movie and the impact to the PnP rpg. Take as an example Lord of the Rings and Hobbit. They have produced two rpgs, one from Decipher and one from Cubicle 7 (which is imo is the best adaptation of Tolkien), but I can't see these to influenced in the tolkien-themed rpg industry. And have in mind that Cubicle 7 adaptation is top notch. The movies helped the fantasy genre but i doubt had so big influence to the rpgs.

The same goes to the dnd movies. I don't think we will see great differance in the rpg. I doubt that even some of the profits of the hypothetical movie will go to the rpg department.
Just my thoughts ofc.

 

[Mercule]

There is a small difference in the cases.

For the Dragonlance movie, they went with "Commotion Pictures" for the production company.

For the current D&D movie rights, the wrangling is between Warner Brothers and Universal. Somewhat bigger guns are involved.

Not that these studios don't make bombs. But one can expect somewhat greater production quality, at least.

My concern isn't with the production quality (alone). It's that D&D, as a brand, means little more than "pseudo-medieval roleplaying". Forgotten Realms or Dragonlance mean something tangible, from a story/movie/etc. perspective. I have no problem with Hasbro making a "Forgotten Realms" movie and honestly wish them the best and would go see it. All the hubbub around "expanding the impact" of D&D, coupled with the semi-official statement that Forgotten Realms is getting all their attention, right now, really has me worried that D&D is about to become synonymous with the Realms. The day that happens, is the day I walk away from the system -- I may continue to use my old stuff, but won't be buying anything new. The same would happen, whether it was the Realms, Krynn, Eberron, or even Greyhawk.

D&D isn't about any specific setting and never should be; if anything, it's about the tabletop action and, maybe, each DM's homebrew. Hasbro could take any/all of the D&D settings and make stellar products in other media. Those products could drive interest in the tabletop experience. D&D, itself, can't be made into a book or a movie. D&D is another medium, in its own right. Ignoring that endangers both the products made for other media as well as the RPG.

 

[Umbran]

I think you are overestimate the surplus value of a DnD movie and the impact to the PnP rpg.

I don't think I do.

The same goes to the dnd movies. I don't think we will see great differance in the rpg. I doubt that even some of the profits of the hypothetical movie will go to the rpg department.

No direct profits would go to them no. That's not the point. And the analogy to the LotR RPGs isn't solid, because those RPGs were not made by people hooked into the movie production. But, note that there were lots of toys, and computer games, surrounding the LotR movies. And, let's face it, LotR is not known outside gaming circles as an RPG - D&D is known as an RPG, even to people who don't play RPGs.

The point is that if there is a movie, you'd see a general uptick in *all* the merchandise under the D&D Brand. Toys, boardgames, the RPG, electronic games, and all. And, since they may be all under the same roof (depending how that court case comes out), the makers of the RPG would likely want to follow under the same banner - In the business world, they'd be called "all in alignment". So, settings and adventures in the same world as the movie, for example.