WotC Birthright may be opened up for DM's Guild

[Greg Benage]

It also had 25 products and 5 novels, plus a computer game. So I think it made a bigger impact than we’re giving it credit for.

Keep in mind, this was the time (leading up to the death-bed sale in 1997) when TSR was effectively borrowing money from Random House by shipping tons of product that was paid for on delivery to the distributor's warehouse. Ship more product? Get more money!

Then RH called in its markers and returned a few million dollars worth of books. I'm sure Birthright was only a few (hundred) thousand drops in the bucket, but I wouldn't take this kind of churn as any indication of success or impact on the hobby. (I'm not crapping on it, BTW: I bought the campaign setting boxed set and thought it was cool.)

 

[ccs]

You have a point on page count and font size that I hadn't considered. Probably some of those setting specific rules could be trimmed if not completely omitted.

But its those setting specific rules that serve to differentiate the settings.
Strip those out & you have.... the Forgotten Realms.

 

[R_J_K75]

But its those setting specific rules that serve to differentiate the settings.
Strip those out & you have.... the Forgotten Realms.

I said trim or eliminate "some" not all of the rules that made those settings unique. Some of the rules were superfluous and unnecessary. It shouldn't have gotten to the point to where if I wanted to play another setting I had to learn another mini rules system, which it did.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

This means there is a open door for the return of the line, and this is a good new. Why? Hasbro/WotC's plans are to use the D&D lines as multimedia franchises, not only the TTRPGs but also other products as novels, videogames and media productions. And why Birthright? One because it's a perfect setting to be adapted into a real-time-strategy videogame, even for people who don't know the D&D lore but some pieces of Games of Thrones or Lord of the Rings, and because G.R.R.Martin has been a fabulous icebreaker opening the path. Even it isn't too difficult to create an action-live teleserie for media services if the scripters writers the right work. Birthright fandom isn't so interested into dragonslayer heroes but more about palace intrigues or conflicts what need the right diplomatic skills.

Birthright is perfect for Game of Thrones fans, but it can't be a simple ersatz. And GoT wasn't a soap opera in an adult fantasy world but a story what help you to be wiser and mature when you learn some things about power.