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Enchanted Trinkets Complete--a hardcover book containing over 500 magic items for your D&D games!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Thunderfoot" data-source="post: 4410468" data-attributes="member: 34175">Unfortunately Hasbro owns most of the 'name-brand' companies already, Milton Bradley, Avalon Hill, Plaskool and Parker Brothers were all bought out by Hasbro over the years.  Currently they run a near monopoly in the games market.Possibly, but frankly, I don't see it.  Everyone is talking about Paizo this and Paizo that, but frankly, I haven't been impressed.  Goodman Games and Mongoose have much better product and Green Ronin has a consistency that is second to none.  Paizo is very quickly becoming just as heavy -handed as WotC/Hasbro (see other posts about their latest online mag) and is more a proof of success spoils the recipe. Unfortunately this scenario, though a great alternative (especially to the more liberal thinkers) just cannot happen in this situation.  Hasbro would force WotC to take corrective action against any company trying to get over on them.  They have the money and the muscle to force a settlement or wait them into bankruptcy.  (See DaGoom vs Hasbro)  Even if they have no case.I have said before that a more likely scenario would not be a wholesale shelving but more of a re-tool.   They would lower production runs of the PnP game or convert it to a strictly electronic license for video game designers.  The miniature product is more in-line with mainline games (ala Heroquest) and all of the Star Wars assets could be transfered to commercial investment by Hasbro proper.  WotC would only live on as wholly-owned subsidiary (like Milton Bradley, Avalon Hill, etc) instead of an independently operating arm of said company for the sole purpose of distribution to niche markets, such as hobby stores.  D&D gets forgotten about and R&D shuts down.  This turns the hobby back into the stagnant sesspool that it was at the beginning of the 90s.New releases come once or twice a quarter and no new source material emerges for many, many, many years.  It becomes a sustainment industry with a prayer that the latest influx of gamers will sustain it until such time that proper focus can revive the game as a mainline title, maybe even under a more kid-friendly package - such as the 80s cartoon show and merchandise, which would bring it under direct control of Hasbro and out of the hands of the 'hobby industry' once and for all.In the meantime all 3pp die a slow and agonizing death as they try to catch lightning in a bottle and fail miserably.  GenCon, LLC, goes bankrupt and sells off controlling interest and GenCon moves back into a really big convention, but no longer the MECCA (pun intended) of gaming conventions.  Also, D&D XP ceases to exist as a proving-ground/roll-out center for WotC and folds for good, leaving Origins as the only Nationally accessible gaming convention.Of course, this is all conjecture, but hey, if you're going to go for broke.....</blockquote>

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