D&D 5E (2014) I believe the D&D boardgames actually hinder the table top game.

[Jeff Carlsen]

For many, Hero Quest was the game that got them into D&D. For me, it was the Dragon Strike board game with its cheesy VHS. They can definitely be a bridge into the hobby.

The only D&D game I play now is Lords of Waterdeep, which I love. But it doesn't compete with D&D for my time. Sessions are regularly scheduled. Board games are something for other times I have people over.

 

[Beleriphon]

I'm not saying that it doesn't happen, but I wouldn't say it's the majority.

Maybe so, but I hardly think the "competition" aspet is really anything to worry about at all. That's kind of like saying chess is taking away time from people when could be playing D&D. The D&D board games are away to get a D&D fix when there isn't time for the RPG, or to explore a different way of experiencing a familiar setting, or in the case of Conquest of Nerath play D&D Risk.

 

[Sailor Moon]

For many, Hero Quest was the game that got them into D&D. For me, it was the Dragon Strike board game with its cheesy VHS. They can definitely be a bridge into the hobby.

The only D&D game I play now is Lords of Waterdeep, which I love. But it doesn't compete with D&D for my time. Sessions are regularly scheduled. Board games are something for other times I have people over.

The problem I see is having the same company creating two games that have a lot of similarities.

 

[Rune]

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Complimentary huh? Seems like the D&D boardgames continue to become more and more complex and have more parts. I could understand if it was a simple boardgame that took all of 5 minutes to setup but take a long look at the image of this game. If you are a die hard table top gamer then this isn't directed at you because you are going to play TTRPG's no matter what. Unfortunately I would say there is a large population who doesn't think like this and not to mention new customers.

This makes absolutely no sense. The game in your picture, Hero Quest, was put out in, what, the late 80's/early 90's by a different company? And it brought many players (my brother and I, for instance) indirectly toward D&D. It also got us into painting minis (along with Battle Masters, or whatever the related wargame was called).

And, incidentally, once the initial assembly of the furnishings had been done (a one-time endeavor), the game had almost no pre-game setup, because setup happened based on line-of-sight. That picture clearly does not depict a real game in progress; in a real game, revealed monsters would not stand idly while the players ignored them to go room to room. (Also, not all of those minis are from the game.)

 

[Shasarak]

As [MENTION=66434]ExploderWizard[/MENTION] says, that's the point. You don't make more money if you only remain in your small niche. WotC is trying to expand out of their tiny hobby and into other venues.
That means a little bit of overlap in audience, but that's not too bad since they're also not putting out waves of books at the same time.

It is not as if we have not seen Dragon Dice, Spellfire and Needlepoint kits as a way to expand the DnD brand already.

 

[Parmandur]

Yeeeaah, board games a different, if overlapping market.

The 4E-style Adventure rules I haven't played, but Lords of Waterdeep is amazing, and definitely builds up the brand fro newer players.

 

[Psikerlord#]

We live in a world where time is precious. If you are a working adult or in university, you will find that time is something you just don't have a lot of.

Now because of this limit on time, we have to choose what we what to do with in the little bit that we have. Sometimes we are forced to choose between several things we like to do but don't have the time to do. Some people try to spread it out among weeks or even months but I tell you from personal experience that gaming once a month or even once every two months is not very fun because you actually forget a lot of what went on during the last game.

Well WoTc have decided to continue the tradition from a few short years ago and focus on D&D boardgames. I for one feel this actually creates competition with in your own line which in my opinion isn't a good thing. I see fantasy boardgames as one of the many things out there that is a bane on D&D. I'm not talking about "a" boardgame here or there. I'm talking about a series of boardgames like the ones that were put out not so long ago. They tend to give you a bit of that D&D feel without all the prep time.

I have a feeling they are going to go even further than they did before with the boardgames and I feel like it's really going to hurt 5th edition D&D, especially since they don't seem to be releasing much product for the table top game. The same can be said about the MMO as well and all the focus that's going into it.

You can call me pessimist, or a doomsayer or whatever. All I am is a gamer who can't believe that WoTc decides to cut back on an edition that is a top class system that has brought back many people who were discouraged by 4th edition. Now is not the time to pull back. Maybe if the system wasn't that great, but not when you have a system that could realistically keep the game going for many years and generate a healthy product base. That would be like taking out your best player for that game winning penalty kick and replacing him with the new guy because you want him to gain that experience. It's one of those: "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" moments.

Hopefully at the end of the day I am wrong. Hopefully WoTc decides to focus a bit more on it's table top game and a little less on everything else, but at this point I'm not very hopeful.

Cheers.

I kinda agree. I think there are enough fantasy boardgames already without dnd throwing their hat in too. I would much rather they put their efforts into 5e accessories like card decks and so on.

 

[aramis erak]

I understand your fear, but I don't think it will hurt that much. If anything it will help the brand and might get more people into D&D.

People have limited time. That is true, as you say, but think of Game of Thrones. There is a television series, there are the books and there is even one video game I believe. Sure, there will always be people who won't read the books because they have limited time and prefer to only watch the television series, but I think that overall the television series has increased the number of people who sit down and start read the books.

Plus two different RPGs (ASOIF RPG, and AGOT RPG) , A card game, and a boardgame (diplomacy-like). Each of them brings people to the books, and vice versa).

 

[GMforPowergamers]

you know it's funny how many of these I have... dungeon dice, spellfire, wraith of neurath, lords of waterdeep, all 3 adventure sets, 2 editions of chainmail, and I used to have a lunch box (Got it at a yard sale used to keep my dice in it), and I had the adventure board games from the 80's... and I have the dungeon reprint... man I'm a sucker for D&D stuff...

 

[pemerton]

We live in a world where time is precious.

<snip>

Now because of this limit on time, we have to choose what we what to do with in the little bit that we have.

<snip>

I see fantasy boardgames as one of the many things out there that is a bane on D&D.

<snip>

I feel like it's really going to hurt 5th edition D&D, especially since they don't seem to be releasing much product for the table top game.

And this is what WoTc doesn't seem to want to accept. They are trying to grow a product that is a small niche, to the point of possibly having their expectations too large.

I don't understand your complaint.

Are you complaining that WotC's designers are spending too much time designing boardgames rather than RPG products?

Are you complaining that you spend too much time playing boardgames when you would rather by RPGing? (And if this is so, why don't you just change how you spend your time.)

Are you complaining that boardgames stop new players taking up RPGing? (But in that case, is it WotC or is it you who is not accepting that D&D is a niche hobby?)

Anyway, it looks simple enough to me. Presumably WotC thinks that their designers et al can better earn their salaries designing and selling boardgames. What's wrong with that?