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

[Nord Ronnoc]

So that's what's releasing in October. That's good to know!

 

[Arilyn]

Sales go up when Stranger Things is airing, but it's not exactly propping the game up. I think D&D will survive the lack of Stranger Things.

 

[ScYork]

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.

 

[Morrus]

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.

I mean, I don’t want to sound like an echo… but the last time they did this was 7 years ago. If your threshold of boredom spans 7 years, it might be time to look for an even slower past-time than the traditionally glacial hobby of TTRPGs! Perhaps needlecraft?

 

[Older Beholder]

Greyhawkins, lol.
This looks great.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

What anniversary? The 50th anniversary that they did nothing for?

1% effort isn't zero effort!

 

[Juomari Veren]

Looks good to me, too. Looks like they skipped over the idea of doing a mini for this one in favor of retro cardboard standees, which is probably for the best considering the gumball-machine quality of the old Stranger Things set's demogorgon.

What really caught my eye was the maps underneath everything; The product description and press release describe the setting as a fantasy take on the actual setting of Stranger Things (Small town Indiana), but whether it's that with fantasy stuff mixed in or just a fantastical recreation of it from the perspective of a nerd who plays D&D, the maps will either range from "niche real world meets D&D world" campaign or could just serve as perfectly usable set of basic maps.

 

[Von Ether]

I'm not surprised but this makes curious if the previous Stranger Things tie in was a strong seller. It could have been but evidently not gangbusters enough to do a squeal product the next year.

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.

Because part of what used to cannibalize TSR's market back in the 90s has now become a gold mine beyond nostalgia and more into FOMO for something over 20 years old now. (I fell the pull for Spelljammer was stronger on the "What if" side than nostalgia.)

Going completely original is a risk. Eberron is one of my favorites, but I rarely see it played compared to FR. Then again, "original thought/product" is subjective and vague. I might be thinking WotC should make a their own 5e Sci-Fi setting when others think the original idea should be another mega dungeon.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I'm not surprised but this makes curious if the previous Stranger Things tie in was a strong seller. It could have been but evidently not gangbusters enough to do a squeal product the next year.

Given WotC's general aversion to product tie-ins -- they didn't even do one for DADHAT, and the Baldur's Gate 3 one is in a book released years before the videogame and there's nothing on the cover to suggest it is a tie-in -- I'm not sure we can make any conclusions about how the Stranger Things starter kit sold.

 

[bedir than]

1% effort isn't zero effort!

My Converse x D&D shoes are very popular