D&D 5E (2024) Is 5E better because of Crawford and Perkins leaving?

[MichaelSomething]

All of this means that D&D, at least in its official form, will always be a mainstream product designed for a wide audience. And that’s why I don’t expect this to change, regardless of who is currently working on the game.

And we should be glad that's the state of things. Otherwise, we'll have to exclude people from D&D, which seems to be an unpopular idea round these parts.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I don't see the lack of a D&D warcraft as mismanagement. WotC isn't a software developer.

Warctadt dude its own thing and theres not much to be gained by paying WotC money to do an MMO

You're missing my point - D&D is the grandpappy of all CRPGs AND MMOs. They wouldn't exist without D&D. The fact that Warcraft made billions of dollars while D&D (at the time at least) remained relatively obscure is, IMO, a sign of short-sightedness when it comes to its potential. It has nothing to do with WotC being (or not being) a software developer. As everyone is well aware, the mismanagement of D&D predates WotC.

 

[Lanefan]

You're missing my point - D&D is the grandpappy of all CRPGs AND MMOs. They wouldn't exist without D&D. The fact that Warcraft made billions of dollars while D&D (at the time at least) remained relatively obscure is, IMO, a sign of short-sightedness when it comes to its potential. It has nothing to do with WotC being (or not being) a software developer. As everyone is well aware, the mismanagement of D&D predates WotC.

TSR tried putting out various D&D-adjacent pieces - boardgames, some memorabilia, etc., not sure about mugs - in the 80s and 90s and if memory serves they collectively went over like a bunch of lead balloons. Hardly surprising that WotC doesn't want to go the same route.

 

[bedir than]

Hardly surprising that WotC doesn't want to go the same route.

the D&D as a lifestyle stuff sells really well now.
I got the Converse Collab for example.
The Gen X and Young Boomers being able to spend money to remind themselves of youth is why. When I was 12 I couldn't buy that stuff.

 

[Zardnaar]

You're missing my point - D&D is the grandpappy of all CRPGs AND MMOs. They wouldn't exist without D&D. The fact that Warcraft made billions of dollars while D&D (at the time at least) remained relatively obscure is, IMO, a sign of short-sightedness when it comes to its potential. It has nothing to do with WotC being (or not being) a software developer. As everyone is well aware, the mismanagement of D&D predates WotC.

They're suitably generic enough from D&D.

Anyone with enough talent and vision to do WoW isnt going to pay WotC anything vs doing their own thing.

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

They're suitably generic enough from D&D.

Anyone with enough talent and vision to do WoW isnt going to pay WotC anything vs doing their own thing.

Ya, I think you missed the point again.

 

[Zardnaar]

Ya, I think you missed the point again.

That i don't instantly blame WotC for not having a WoW equivalent when theyre not a software developer?

 

[TiQuinn]

D&D IS undermonetised, though.

I agree that I worry that corpo-speak and myself are talking about two different things - but it has always been shocking to me that we only recently have been able to buy, say, mugs with the ampersand on it. Or how World of War craft and all the money it made (not to mention all the other CRPGs) could have been the success of a D&D game, had the brand been more sensibly managed.

So many things that have been wildly successful owe their existence to D&D. Not that D&D hasn't been successful, but I think that it's clear (ymmv) that it could (and perhaps should) have been even more successful, had it not consistently been mismanaged.

Otoh, I don't really see that changing much.

I agree there have been massively boneheaded decisions over the years. I think letting Dragonlance die on the vine was one of the biggest. There was a point that in terms of name recognition, the setting and characters were prime candidates for a movie or a tv show. But…it all came about in a time when budgets and special effects for a blockbuster fantasy movie just weren’t there. The 80s and early 90s were still the era of B grade fantasy films. But the prospect of promise is why Joe Manginello is going back to it though I wonder if the ship has sailed. Dragonlance was special — and they kinda blew that one.

I’m not completely sure what they should’ve done on the video game front. It’s not like they didn’t have video games at all and they could’ve partnered with someone to do a AAA game earlier than BG3 - but obviously doing it in house was just not going to work. They hadn’t the skill or even the budget for it.