D&D 4E How many gamers even know there will be a 4e?

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I was reading the thread "Your habits, considering 4e is coming" when I started to wonder: Has WotC done anything yet to let the majority of players/groups who don't hang out on message boards know that there is gonna be a 4e?

I didn't know it until about two or three days ago when I popped on here again just on a whim to see what was up on Eeee Ennn World.

I think the majority of 3.x gamers either know or will know soon; May is about eight months away, I think. Many groups have one or more people who visit sites like this; in my group, at least four people regularly visit such sites (and at least two regularly visit DnD sites). Then again, my group might be odd (we're all either university students or recent graduates).

WotC does lots of market research - or so I'm told. Personally I have my doubts on that, but maybe they just do their market research in the US. Maybe they just looked at the number of people who bought DnD books off of Amazon and went "woah!" I'm pretty sure they wouldn't be risking money on the digital initiative if they didn't think a large number of gamers had access to the internet, and they would need some source of information to tell them this.

 

[The Little Raven]

I'm pretty sure they wouldn't be risking money on the digital initiative if they didn't think a large number of gamers had access to the internet, and they would need some source of information to tell them this.

Well, part of the digital initiative seems to be aimed at getting offline gamers to get onto the internet and keep up with news and the community by putting the codes and such in each physical book.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

I'd say that most do know! I mean, you know and looc at your user name



Seriously, though: I don't know. How many players visit wizards.com? They know, and the guys who play with them might know, too. Then there's those who shop in stores that have clerks/owners who know about D&D and talk about it. And the players who play with those store shoppers.

 

[delericho]

I was reading the thread "Your habits, considering 4e is coming" when I started to wonder: Has WotC done anything yet to let the majority of players/groups who don't hang out on message boards know that there is gonna be a 4e?

I'm sure they'll find out through Dragon magazine...

oh, wait.

Seriously, though, I'm not sure how much more Wizards could have done. Everyone who attends Gen Con knows, everyone active here, Wizards.com, or similar sites knows, and most likely (almost) everyone in their network of gamer contacts knows. The rest will know in a while, once the advertising push proper comes, but I doubt Wizards are at that point just yet.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I'm sure they'll find out through Dragon magazine...

oh, wait.

I agree. I wasn't even a fan of Dragon Magazine, but IMO (in hindsight, now that we know 4e is coming) they should have kept running it until GenCon and put a big announcement in it.

 

[w_earle_wheeler]

In most cases, I seem to be the person carrying the news of 4e.

The scenario was much different last night, however. At a party full of nerds, the coming of 4e was common knowledge, along with many of the proposed changes. It was also fairly well known that Star Wars SE is an unofficial preview of 4e.

 

[BASHMAN]

I was reading the thread "Your habits, considering 4e is coming" when I started to wonder: Has WotC done anything yet to let the majority of players/groups who don't hang out on message boards know that there is gonna be a 4e?

I didn't know it until about two or three days ago when I popped on here again just on a whim to see what was up on Eeee Ennn World.

Oh, I hope there are some who don't know. That way I'll get more money selling my PH2, Book of 9 Swords, etc that I just bought on ebay.

 

[Gundark]

"Hey, it's cute that they're making a harcover for OD&D" I said to myself, and picked up some 2e material. No one even said to me "Hey, there's a new edition out".

It wasn't until a few weeks later that a friend showed up at my house with the book (and the fast play rules) that I realized there was a new edition, and it was SWEET.

Gee that was nice of your "FLGS" to tell you.

 

[Glyfair]

How many players visit wizards.com? They know, and the guys who play with them might know, too. Then there's those who shop in stores that have clerks/owners who know about D&D and talk about it. And the players who play with those store shoppers.

Apparently they reached a key segment of the market by announcing it at a couple of game conventions that a lot of hardcore gamers visit as well. Contrary to the opinion of some, all gamers (even hardcore gamers) don't hang out on the internet on gaming sites.

I suspect that anyone with ties to the gaming community knows about 4E. In addition, those that browse the internet have a very good chance of stumbling on the information if they even occasionally visit sites that would have that information. Finally, even some of the remaining gamers might have stumbled on the info when they dropped by a gaming store, or part of their gaming group might have.

 

[Doc_Klueless]

Now that I think more about it, I'm sure there will be posters and such at the bookstores/gamestores and those stand alone cardboard bookrack thingies.