D&D 5E Hypothetical: WotC goes under and Hasbro vaults D&D. Now What?

[Faolyn]

Coeurls and Displacer Beasts ultimately have the same origin in a really old sci-fi story that might be public domain by now

Yeah, I know. I was just amused that they used the old name.

 

[Imaro]

The new ToV starter set looks very good. If WotC wasn't trying to up its game with Heroes of the Borderland, the new ToV boxed set looks like a strong contender for the best 5E starter set of all time.

That said, having it be a big onramp for RPG newbies requires getting it in front of mass market customers, which is challenging. We'll see!

It's more than getting it in front of people... its getting awareness of what TotV even is to most people... even those who play D&D.

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

Probably shrink to some extent up to potentially 80-90%.

I think so too - and some of the overall TTRPG market with it I would guess

 

[mamba]

I have not seen ToV advertised anywhere other than TTRPG spaces, unlike D&D 5e which has had significant money and time invested in it in mainstream media and areas where new potential players can be drawn in.

I don’t know, I don’t really see D&D advertising anywhere, the only thing I saw was for the movie specifically

 

[Swarmkeeper]

I don’t know, I don’t really see D&D advertising anywhere, the only thing I saw was for the movie specifically

What? You missed these?

 

[MGibster]

I don’t know, I don’t really see D&D advertising anywhere, the only thing I saw was for the movie specifically

A few days ago I came across an ad from the early 1990s for the boardgame Space Crusade, a collaboration between Milton Bradley and Games Workshop similar to HeroQuest. What struck me immediately was that I couldn't recall the last time I had seen a board game advertised on television. I used to see AD&D and Star Frontier advertisements in comic books back in the 1980s, but I can't remember the last time I saw an RPG advertised outside of a gaming context (FLGS, game publication, etc., etc.).

 

[Micah Sweet]

No. The copyright is still owned, it is just not being used. They can sue you for infringement even if they have no intention of putting Melf back in print.

The worst part of copyright law IMO.

 

[TiQuinn]

I am not convinced Pathfinder is really a model in this situation. It served players of a specific version of D&D in the context of D&D still being a going concern. And I think we are all aware that the idea that 4E "failed" is overblown.

While cutting off the greater community from contributing to it and bolstering the standing of its competitor that was continuing to make its product under the previous license.

 

[Reynard]

While cutting off the greater community from contributing to it

I think we should remember that this was a relatively new and short lived thing at the time. You really can't fault WotC for thinking maybe they could get that genie back in the bottle.

and bolstering the standing of its competitor that was continuing to make its product under the previous license.

If the terms of the GSL had been better,Pathfinder probably would not have been a thing. Lisa Stevens said they did not like 4E as it was,but I bet they would have followed the money anyway.

 

[Micah Sweet]

While cutting off the greater community from contributing to it and bolstering the standing of its competitor that was continuing to make its product under the previous license.

Never mind.