D&D 5E (2014) Dark Sun, problematic content, and 5E…

[Scribe]

What we do know is that Stranger Things, Critical Role (and other actual plays), Ghosts, Magic tie-ins, the D&D movie helped 5e surge.

The game was surging on release, when it tried to appeal to the lapsed gamers, and was then injected with a shot of adrenaline thanks to things Wizards did not do right up to the big winner, the Covid Bubble.

The game absolutely did pivot after that point and is where (2018-2020) people point to the game going after a 'new audience'.

The new players were already coming in, 6 years of growth that was unplanned for, and they were coming in for the game that was released to appeal to the gamers who left during 4th.

The movie absolutely didnt help 5e surge, but I know thats a personal thing for you.

 

[bedir than]

The movie absolutely didnt help 5e surge, but I know thats a personal thing for you.

The evidence indicates that marketing of the game directly attributed to the movie was strong (it was even mentioned in a quarterly report, plus the search data and presence in Target was stronger than ever).
The data isn't personal. It's real.

And the evidence that 5e surged because of covid ignores that it was selling quite well before covid.

Even before covid the percentage of first time players was over 50%. The appeal to nostalgia was strong, but the actual purchases were by young people who didn't have a legacy of play.

 

[Scribe]

And the evidence that 5e surged because of covid ignores that it was selling quite well before covid.

I quite literally did not ignore that.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

I guess most of players really only want the setting to be unlocked in DMGuild.

If the adventure "Freedom" was too linear then we could start from zero with other adventure, an adaptation of the videogame Dark Sun: Shatered Lands. Here we shouldn't worry about the continuity or metaplot.

I can understand the risk of Dark Sun to become a "saga of Gor" with psionic powers. (like the sword and sorcery version of 50 shadows of gray) but that risk happens with the rest of settings. Let's remember "the Legend of Vox Machina" is not a cartoon for children.

And we know if Hasbro could it would buy the IPs by White Wolf (WoD, CoD and others) when these are for mature audiences.

Other option could be a new "plane" from "Magic: the Gathering" style "Gamma World" or "Horizon Zero Dawn" working like a spiritual succesor. Maybe there is a "planar bridge" between this world and the Athaspace but this was "conquered" by the cult of Tharizdum or hidden by Vecna's agents.

* The setting "Midnight: Legacy of Darkness" by Edge is really dark but I don't remember controversies.

 

[MGibster]

How compassionate and caring of you, this methodology applies to every customer regardless of age you know?

I suspect the bulk of those who play D&D do so for a few years and eventually age out. I don't have any problem with WotC aiming their marketing decisions towards a younger age bracket than mine. It just makes sense to me.

 

[king of the ceaders]

I suspect the bulk of those who play D&D do so for a few years and eventually age out. I don't have any problem with WotC aiming their marketing decisions towards a younger age bracket than mine. It just makes sense to me.

That would support stagnation rather than promoting change wouldn't it?
Just keep it the same and wait for the players to age.

I am not saying they shouldn't target specific groups, just that the sentiment in some of the the posts are dismissive and treat people as disposable simply because of their age.

 

[billd91]

That would support stagnation rather than promoting change wouldn't it?
Just keep it the same and wait for the players to age.

I am not saying they shouldn't target specific groups, just that the sentiment in some of the the posts are dismissive and treat people as disposable simply because of their age.

It wouldn't support stagnation unless kids were the same from generation to generation. I think it's pretty easy to see that isn't true. The zeitgeist the kids grow up in is always changing and their values and interests change with it. A game continually targeting younger players is going to have to keep up and consistently change with the times - at least in the values it incorporates, if not rules systems.

When it comes to targeting a market, any segment you're no longer prioritizing because it's shrinking isn't really a case of "disposability" of people. This is a luxury entertainment market, not a necessity, and one where participation is determined by the consumer, not the producer. Employers systematically dumping older workers because they're more expensive compared to younger ones may be an example of treating people as disposable because of their age - no longer treating older players as the main target market really isn't.

 

[king of the ceaders]

When it comes to targeting a market, any segment you're no longer prioritizing because it's shrinking isn't really a case of "disposability" of people. This is a luxury entertainment market, not a necessity, and one where participation is determined by the consumer, not the producer. Employers systematically dumping older workers because they're more expensive compared to younger ones may be an example of treating people as disposable because of their age - no longer treating older players as the main target market really isn't.

You miss my point, which is about the individual posts in this thread not the marketing practice used by businesses.

I say again some of the posts here are dismissive and treat players as disposable due to their age

 

[Paul Farquhar]

You miss my point, which is about the individual posts in this thread not the marketing practice used by businesses.

I say again some of the posts here are dismissive and treat players as disposable due to their age

We are pretty much all similar ages on this forum around (40-60).

 

[king of the ceaders]

We are pretty much all similar ages on this forum around (40-60).

That doesn't affect my observation.