D&D General Dan Rawson Named New Head Of D&D

Hasbro has announced a former Microsoft digital commerce is the new senior vice president in charge of Dungeons & Dragons. Dan Rawson was the COO of Microsoft Dynamics 365.

Hasbro also hired Cynthia Williams earlier this year; she too, came from Microsoft. Of Rawson, she said "We couldn’t be bringing on Dan at a better time. With the acquisition of D&D Beyond earlier this year, the digital capabilities and opportunities for Dungeons & Dragons are accelerating faster than ever. I am excited to partner with Dan to explore the global potential of the brand while maintaining Hasbro’s core value as a player-first company.”

Rawson himself says that "Leading D&D is the realization of a childhood dream. I’m excited to work with Cynthia once again, and I’m thrilled to work with a talented team to expand the global reach of D&D, a game I grew up with and now play with my own kids.”

Interestingly, Ray Wininger -- who has been running D&D for the last couple of years -- has removed mention of WotC and Hasbro from his Twitter bio.

 

[Imaro]

I personally think that still applies. They are, at this time and with the 2024 update, making 5e an evergreen edition. It is more an edition evolution than an edition change IMO.

Honestly I'd go a step further and say we got our evergreen edition in 2014 and that anyone expecting this update to drastically change 5e is in for a big disappointment. WotC didn't just buy D&D Beyond so that they could make the work already done in it null and void... at most we'll see the types of changes that can be done with relatively easy tweaks to the structure of DnD Beyond right now.

Furthermore the worst thing they could do is to have their player base thinking that they will loose out if they purchase things on DnD Beyond. Much better to show them it's all compatible and can all be used no matter what... so spend more money on those sourcebooks and adventures because you don't have to worry.

IMO these new corebooks are to address issues that are both publicly prevalent and easily fixed while generating buzz and advertisement. What I don't think we'll see is anything near a radical change to the foundation of the game.

 

[dave2008]

Honestly I'd go a step further and say we got our evergreen edition in 2014 and that anyone expecting this update to drastically change 5e is in for a big disappointment. WotC didn't just buy D&D Beyond so that they could make the work already done in it null and void... at most we'll see the types of changes that can be done with relatively easy tweaks to the structure of DnD Beyond right now.

Furthermore the worst thing they could do is to have their player base thinking that they will loose out if they purchase things on DnD Beyond. Much better to show them it's all compatible and can all be used no matter what... so spend more money on those sourcebooks and adventures because you don't have to worry.

IMO these new corebooks are to address issues that are both publicly prevalent and easily fixed while generating buzz and advertisement. What I don't think we'll see is anything near a radical change to the foundation of the game.

Yes, might point was the 2024 edition is an extension of 2014 - this is how they make 2014 evergreen.

 

[darjr]

Here’s a thread. Now mind it’s a thread about an article with statements from Ryan Dancy, and I think some of it has been shown to not be right. But I dint thing the substantive parts are incorrect.

Whither the Ultimatum?

Per Ryan Dancey's follow-up to the Escapist article, he revealed that Hasbro divided its properties into "Core" brands and "Non-Core" brands. Core brands made more than $50 million annually and had a growth path towards $100 million; Non-Core brands did not. Core brands would get financing...

www.enworld.org

Wow!

Going back to that thread, the second post is a joke/jab about how they should shore up revenue with another movie!

It’s like peering into another universe where D&D struggled and utterly failed to get to merely $50 million, as if Sauron won.

 

[Imaro]

Yes, might point was the 2024 edition is an extension of 2014 - this is how they make 2014 evergreen.

D'oh... totally failed my "get point' roll... I agree.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

3 to 3.5 was not bat initially it was one of the early splat books that broke compatibility. Can't really remember which one but there was a fair bit of power creep.

It was bad in some regards. Cover. Concealment. Miniature use. Spell butchering. Not repairing what they have done with the bard. Even made level requirements that made multiclassing even harder. Using prestige classes to fix holes... putting natural spell in the PHB.
Giving the druid perception (IIRC). Buffing animal companions to fighter level.
Should I go on?
At first it did not look that bad. Even good in parts. Some changes were good. But overall it was taking the game more away from 2e.

 

[Haplo781]

No, I have no smoking gun.

Thank you for your honesty.

 

[pukunui]

Interestingly, Ray Wininger -- who has been running D&D for the last couple of years -- has removed mention of WotC and Hasbro from his Twitter bio.

I can only presume that means he’s left the company.

 

[DarkCrisis]

It’s not. I wish they’d stop saying that, it seems deliberately antagonistic.

They can call it whatever they want, point being they believe the masses will buy all new core books and and new books will use the new core and not the old 5th ed core.

If not calling it a "new edition" helps you to buy the new books with the updated rules, then hey we (and WotC) can call it One D&D. But if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck....

 

[Charlaquin]

micro transactions... "Your wizard can recharge that spell slot for $0.99"

I hope I am joking

Not like this, but I do fully believe that their new VTT is going to be riddled with micro transactions. Charging for digital dice, digital miniatures, adventure assets, maybe character sheet skins, maybe a subscription for a character builder, etc. Wouldn’t be surprised if some of these things are sold in loot box form too.

 

[overgeeked]

Monetization is going to be the way forward for D&D. Today it's primarily DMs who are spending money on the game, and player spending on dice and miniatures mostly goes to 3rd parties rather than WotC. WotC is going to try hard to find new ways to extract money from player's wallets and credit cards.

Proprietary VTT with microtransactions for everything. You want that race? $1. You want your mini's hair longer? $1. Etc.