D&D 5E I believe the D&D boardgames actually hinder the table top game.

[wedgeski]

I don't categorize my leisure time in buckets which are then filled by mutually exclusive stuff. I don't wring my hands about whether a precious few hours should be filled with EITHER roleplaying OR boardgames.

Roleplaying time is roleplaying time. Whether it's over Skype, around the table, or sitting on the sofa, those sessions are regular, booked in advance, and rarely canceled.

Boardgames and card games fill time, unexpected or otherwise. If we've got an hour to kill, we'll fire up a game that everyone knows. If more than an hour, we might try something new or just more complicated. Either way, the preparation is peanuts compared to what goes into the average D&D session.

So, no. I don't agree with you at all. The more WotC diversify the brand, the happier I am, *especially* when they're coming up with stuff as good as Waterdeep.

 

[Uchawi]

I have never played a board game that made me interested in roleplaying, or vice versa. They demand different mind sets to play. From my perspective they are mutually exclusive.

 

[Wednesday Boy]

What about new customers? If you don't know the feeling of a good table top RPG then you wouldn't know the difference between a fantasy boardgame and D&D. Especially a D&D boardgame.

My friends and I didn't know anything about RPGs when we played Hero Quest. Eventually we learned about D&D and made the transition because we were houseruling Hero Quest into an RPG. Obviously our history is anecdotal but a board game was directly influential in bringing us to RPGing. Now my gaming group plays both the D&D board games and the D&D roleplaying game, depending on what itch we want to scratch--because neither is a substitute for the other.

Sailor Moon: Isn't that image Hero Quest, that's an old Games Workshop game, right?
I'm not entirely sure how that supports your point.

Hero Quest was a Milton Bradley and GW collaboration. Milton Bradley and D&D (through WotC) are now both owned by Hasbro. I don't think this supports anyone's point but I noticed it on Wikipedia and thought it was interesting.

 

[Warmaster Horus]

I got into D&D because I found a D&D coloring book at a book shop in 1979. So alternate methods of attracting players has merit in my opinion.

 

[neobolts]

I like the board game push and video games as well. Tabletop board gaming is going through a renaissance right now. "Smarter" board games like Catan, Dominion, and Descent 2e are hot properties. The fanbase seems to crossover as well, especially as the FLGSs stock more Euro-style board games and "nerd celebrities" like the Acquisition Inc. gang hype the merits of various board games as well.

Board games make more sense to me than TSR doing a cartoon for kids. >.>

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

I'm not sure that the boardgames are why they aren't putting out a lot of splats already. Maybe but I doubt it.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Fantasy boardgames, video games, and D&D have all been around together at the same time for roughly 40 years. So basically, much ado about nothing.