D&D 5E Dmsguild and known rpg companies

[gweinel]

I wanted to open a thread regarding the relation of the dmsguild and known rpg companies.
Do you think they will embrace this "platform" to produce (FRealms and more) rpg products? Is it worth it for them? Or do you think that will be used only (or mostly) for non professionals?
It would be interesting to hear what they have to say some companies (maybe ENworld?).

With the releasing of the Forgotten Realms IP I can understand that there are really great possibilities, but is worth it for the big names? For instance a whole new campaign setting can be created for Al Qadim or Kara Tur which can be fueled with a kickstarter. Is this a project that sounds fruitful for the rpg companies or they think the margin of profit would be very small or non existent?

 

[I'm A Banana]

I think if you're deeply serious about your own company, you want to go OGL, and not the Guild. WotC and DriveThru eating up half of your pay-what-you-want revenues, controlling your storefront, and limiting your IP aren't going to make anyone filthy rich. Heck, "break even" might be a challenge.

Which isn't to say there's not professionals on there. [MENTION=82545]dnoonan[/MENTION] 's put out some stuff, for instance. Just that it's not likely to be an entire company, just some freelancing individuals with a love of the game and some stuff they want to put out. It's not even impossible for some fans to band together and crowdfund a fan project. It's just not something you'd probably tether a company to. I don't imagine it's something that will pay for the living expenses of actual employees.

But maybe! Maybe there's bank being spent out there in DM's Guild Land. The top sellers is full of free and pay-what-you-want products that would tend to indicate otherwise, but Kobold Press has a book of races for $4.00 that seems to be doin' OK!

 

[Morrus]

It's much more suited to individuals than companies. And the exclusivity requirement is very limiting. I would imagine most companies will use the OGL and SRD and sell from DTRPG directly, as well as Amazon and other places.

While there's a chance I might personally put a product up there just to see what happens, EN5ider stuff or ZEITGEIST can't go anywhere near it; neither meets the exclusivity requirements, and the latter isn't set in the Realms.

Plus I personally have no interest in writing or publishing for the Realms (or for anyone else's setting, really).

 

[MerricB]

You can hear Wolfgang Baur and Shawn Merwin talk about this on the latest Tome Show Round Table podcast: http://www.thetomeshow.com/e/round-table-102-the-ogl-srd-dms-guild-strahd-spectacular/ (They're in the 3rd segment, about 50 minutes in).

Wolfgang was quite excited at being able to do Al-Qadim stuff again, but for the most part he considered it not for professional companies, who are much better off with the OGL.

Cheers!

 

[Miladoon]

Cheers to the company that can take an opportunity and meld it into their marketing. And for those companies that are unable to do so, cheers to you, too!

 

[gweinel]

Thank you all for the replies...

Now that the DMsguild is up rekindled my hopes to see Al Qadim again (and possibly other settings in the future like Birthright), in this fine iteration of D&D. That was the thing that made me wonder if there is a good possibility to see this published.
Don't get me wrong, i think (hope) we will see some great stuff for Al Qadim in the future from non professionals, but i believe an approach from an established rpg company would be more fitting for the simple reason they will have more tools(money, personnel, experience) in order to produce a more complete work.

From the things Merric, Morrus and I'm Banana said, i see that there aren't many chances to see something like that, but at least more chances than before.

 

[delericho]

Do you think they will embrace this "platform" to produce (FRealms and more) rpg products? Is it worth it for them?

I think you'll see some existing professionals doing some stuff, but not any of the 'known' companies (at least, not much). Basically, I think you'll see 'names' if:

- They've mostly moved on from RPGs but are still interested in doing some stuff mostly as a labour of love.

or

- They're particularly interested in doing something with some specific bit of WotC IP. I could see Keith Baker maybe doing some Eberron stuff once that's opened, for example.

Otherwise, I think we'll see 'names' stay away.

Instead, what I think we may see is more like the approach taken by Mearls, Green Ronin, or even Paizo (or, heck, Bioware):

1. Someone who isn't currently a 'name' puts out high-quality material using DMguild.

2. They use the name-recognition of the Guild, of FR, or of WotC to get their material in front of many sets of eyes.

3. They build a reputation for quality.

4. They then start producing their second setting (or adventures, or game, or whatever) outside of the DMguild (OGL or not), and use the name recognition they've now built to carry them forward. ("A new setting from the maker of...")

IOW, use the DMguild to become a 'name', and then use that 'name' to become independently successful.

 

[Zardnaar]

I'm more looking at it as a way to discover new RPG talent like the old Dungeons which was where several D&D writers got their breaks (Mearls, Wolfgang, James Jacobs etc).

I do not expect anyone to make much money dircetly out of it but landing a job would be a more reliable way to make money from it.

 

[Gnarl45]

I don't know if you guys noticed but in the DM's Guild documentation, they mention that the products could benefit from WoTC's marketing.

That could really make it worth your while for larger companies.

 

[Jester David]

I imagine we'like see products like what Kobold Press did, where they take their OGL content and repackage it as a separate document that can be exclusive.

Established companies don't need the DMsGuild, unless they want to do something with WotC IP. I imagine James Jacobs might do something with the god/demon lord he sold and -as mentioned- Wolfgang Baur can do Al Qadim. But other than that, they make more money on non-exclusives they can sell on Divethru and their own web store. Plus they can use their own settings, which each known company has.