D&D 5E Brand Vs RPG

[Cody C. Lewis]

I don't really understand why the two things stand in opposition?

The "brand" doesn't seem to me to be doing a whole lot more than it used to (yet). Books, board games, video games. In a year or two we'll have a movie. I honestly don't expect it to make much difference. Things will continue as they are now, except we'll also have a movie to talk about.

The game itself has utterly destroyed my spare time. I've connected with a half-dozen new local roleplayers. We're turning people away because I literally can't fit any more around the table. I'm running PotA, OotA, and Dragonlance in 5E. I'm playing in a mash-up of the Tiamat campaign. I have more D&D than I can possibly manage to fit into my life

It really is Christmas over here.

My current biggest hurdle I am personally having the overcome is not having enough time myself. The game is simply fantastic.

When I think brand I just wished it was strong enough to get people who aren't exposed through traditional means, interested through outside exposure (videos games, POSITIVE TV references, merchandise that has expanded beyond niche stores).

 

[Jester David]

Like Morrus I'm not sure how much "vs" there is. The other products are not coming at the expense of the RPG products for the most extent. It's unlikely too much time is being spent making things like SCL or the board games instead of the RPGs; the D&D team only has an advisory role in those products.
Even if WotC had fewer licence partners I don't believe they would be releasing too many more RPG books.

That said I'm sure it helps having the partners. When they have lots of money coming in from other places the RPG doesn't need to do as well or carry the entire brand.

It really seems like they want D&D to have fewer books. That fewer books sell better and make more money than many books. It's just that simple.
It makes sense to me. Rarer books released less often are special and thus an easier sell. And its easier to justify the purchase.

Personally, I like it. Pathfinder has a lot of crunch but any given book has an increasing chance that I'll never look twice at its contents... if I look at all. Many 3e and 4e and PF books just end up sitting on my shelf collecting dust. Rarer books mean content has a better chance of appearing in my game, of being desirable.
Really, since the content won't get used anyway, I can replace monthly splatbooks with books for other systems. It has the same rough effect on my game and can be just as insteresting to read, but there's no chance of bloat, fewer broken combos, etc. If I really need more 5e content there's 3rd Party books.

 

[Morrus]

It's kinda like asking "Star Wars Awakens vs. The Brand". A Star Wars Monopoly set or tea towel or notebook aren't pitched against the new movie.

 

[Uchawi]

I bought the players handbook, but I never based my purchase on branding. I typically take the wait and see approach. I was all gaga about Pathfinder at first glance but after I waited a few months and did my research I realized it was not the game for me.

 

[Hussar]

Well, I was recently in Taipei and saw D&D branded Kreo being prominently displayed in the toy store of the tallest building in the city (Taipei 101). So, it's certainly spreading out. I've seen numerous D&D translations of the novels, particularly Salvatore in book stores (and just standard book stores, not gaming stores or big box ones) in rural Japan. I see that the new Tyrants of the Underdark board game is rolling in at #6 at Boardgamegeek.com, so, it must be selling to someone.

I'd say the brand is doing not too badly at all.

 

[ccs]

Because successful fantasy movies see no cross-marketing branding in the modern world? Come on man, name me a successful fantasy movie in the past decade that didn't see massive cross-branding happen? It's a machine. It happens automatically. It's part of the plan for any larger genre movie. Remember this isn't even going to be run by Hasbro. It's going to be run by Warner Brothers, using a team similar to the Lego Movie. You saw all the cross-branding from the Lego Movie, right?

The machine & I are well aquainted.
I COULD be wrong. It's happened on occasion.
I won't be though. We're not going to see our favorite game explode into mainstream consciousness ala Lego Movie, Frozen, etc. Some merch, sure. Nothing that'll be remembered by the masses once the movies hit the $1 theatres.

 

[ProgBard]

But D&D is already in the "mainstream consciousness." Most people with any glimmering of pop culture have at least some idea what it's all about - even if it isn't an especially good idea, it also isn't 100% inaccurate.

Twenty years ago, if you told me Frodo Baggins was going to be on a Burger King cup, I'd've rolled to disbelieve - much less that members of the Fellowship of the Ring would someday be namechecked in mainstream popular culture pretty much indefinitely.

 

[Remathilis]

Ignoring the game-stuff for a moment, I think the "brand" stuff is kinda weak compared to what we've seen before.

I remember during the heyday of 3.5, there were some really cool D&D-branded products out there. I bought three different D&D posters from K-Mart (not the bastion of hip culture by any means), I bought a D&D-themed Clue game (still love it). I owned the D&D soundtrack by Midnight Syndicate and Scourge of Worlds on DVD. I bought D&D T-shirts at Steve and Barry's (RIP). I'd love to see more D&D themed items available in local stores (even game stores) rather than just small online venues...

 

[Mistwell]

The machine & I are well aquainted.
I COULD be wrong. It's happened on occasion.
I won't be though. We're not going to see our favorite game explode into mainstream consciousness ala Lego Movie, Frozen, etc. Some merch, sure. Nothing that'll be remembered by the masses once the movies hit the $1 theatres.

I didn't say it would be the same amount of saturation as Lego movie or Frozen (two of the biggest animated movies ever)...but nice strawman. I said they likely won't start real branding efforts until after the cross-branding of the movie happens. You don't seem to be disagreeing with that now, though your tone suggests you're reluctant to discuss it.

 

[Rhenny]

I've bought all of the hard cover books, and I've also purchased Fantasy Grounds including the Ultimate License, the 5e PHB, MM, Lost Mines of Phandelver, and Princes of the Apocalypse. I never thought I'd spend extra money on the Fantasy Grounds D&D material, but I have. That's money WotC is getting above and beyond the book purchases. Money they would not have gotten from me otherwise. I think their plan is working.