[Lets's play] You're given total control of Dungeons & Dragons...

[megamania]

I am by no means a business major.....

I feel there are a few basic and key questions to be asked....

1) What age group are you targeting?
2) What level of cross marketing are you willing to do? (toys, movies, books)

And yes, 5e would come from answering these questions.


I would like to think at least Dragon magazine would resurface also.

 

[Aeolius]

Assuming I was not only given control of the D&D brand, but also a sizable budget and R&D staff, I would begin by ignoring 4e altogether. I would not want to alter the state of the current incarnation of the game.

Next, I would dump as much of 3.5e as I could into a revised d20/OGL System Reference Document. I would follow this with online support for d20 by partnering with the makers of such products as Dundjinni, PCGen, and MapTool. Out of print materials would be released either in ePub format or as standalone apps for the iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch. Online play would be enabled through Game Center for the same devices. Control of the World of Greyhawk campaign setting would be returned to the grognards.

Then I would sit back, watch, and wait. R&D would observe how people use this “new” influx of information, taking notes for the creation of 5e. Ideas that are well received could be incorporated into the current edition of the game.

While the first R&D team observes, a second team is busily researching and investing in augmented-reality devices and support for the Wii/Move/Kinect. These platforms would not only allow for a D&D-branded game to appease those for whom tabletop games have no appeal, but would also support tabletop play by allowing a visual medium to illustrate combat, infra/darkvision, and other visually-oriented concepts. These games would share a common campaign setting, that would also become the basis for a weekly television show on Syfy (with episodes available via iTunes).

 

[Mercurius]

Lots of great stuff here. I'm wondering if anyone at WotC will actually read this thread?

 

[DEFCON 1]

Lots of great stuff here. I'm wondering if anyone at WotC will actually read this thread?

Oh, I'm sure they will. Just as I'm sure they'll roll their eyes while reading it and pass it around the office to each other, saying "Oh, if only these kids knew..."

 

[Herschel]

I'm with Morrus on this. But first, I'd actually take the job so I could fire the idiot that would hire someone from ENWorld. I mean, Seriously! What were they thinking?!?!

You're far kinder than I.

I'd restructure and whomever the idiot that decided to hire someone from ENWorld would now be a direct report to one Mike Mearls and let him face utter, complete and total ruination.

 

[Thondor]

Well first I'd buy/aquire/merge or form some sort of solid business arrangement with both Pazio, and Troll Lords.

They'll keep all their properties and staff intacted, but now they can have rights to any 3rd edition, or pre-3rd edition stuff they desire and re-offer it as they see fit. Plus they can now put neat things like "the official revival of Advanced (d20) Dungeons&Dragons" on their covers and use all other IP. Also let them control any old settings they want that were created during there respective periods.

Yeah those deals would probably take 2 years minimum.

As for 4th edition well things would continue for awhile but slow down production while we invent a holographic table-top that can actually do most of the tactical complexity for you.

Revive paper magazine support for the three lines; possibly bringing in folks involved with the magazines Level Up, Kobold Quarterly, Fight On!, Knockspell as much as possible. Some could even keep there titles but now their 'official'.

Find ways of supporting independent retailers, including those interested in opening shops. Help in the creation of print-at-the store services in connection with rpgnow, drivethroughrpg etc

Negotiate movie deals for old licensed IP, a Drizzt flick would be reasonable. Co-operate with a new comedy show where several of the main characters play RPGs (something a la weregeek could be pretty cool).

Create a program where schools can get books, and the neat new hologram tabletop, cheap - for their libraries and gaming clubs.

Oh, and tell people to stop spending so much time on forums. Seriously call up your friends and invite them over for a game. Right now!

Hey I can dream can't I?

 

[clip]

First part of the plan is to tackle the problems in different sectors. Firstly the new players -I don't want D&D to become a nostalgia brand - so start with real incentives for OP not just at games stores, but at bookstores and libraries. Not just "you can sell Orcus if you have one OP per year", but proper support and discount structure. Stores that run the most OP will get better wholesale rates to go alongside volume – hence am FLGS will be able to compete with a huge national bookchain if they run OP. If Barnes & Noble decide to have Encounters at every store just for the discount (highly unlikely) then they laugh, but everyone wins….because there’s D&D being played everywhere.

Second, love in with the current players – give away free months on DDI for just about everything – every splatbook or every module you buy would get you a free month on DDI. Players Handbooks or starter sets bought by existing subscribers (presumably as gifts for new players) attract double bonus subscription.

Third, sort out the moaners, groaners, edition warriors and grognards – they’re not adding any revenue anyway – so just put out a public statement to the effect of : “1e, 2e, 3e, 3.5e are finished. Get over it”

Adjust the release structure of adventures and also the adventures on Dungeon – at the moment there’s loads of 1st level, and a scattergun of 8th-25th. It would seem that there is a big gap for 2-7th level adventures.

Have some better and more specific contracts with the licensees. Maybe specific licenses for different tier adventures to make sure there’s a good spread – also they have to guarantee there’s no more trainwreck 3.5e conversions.

Sort out why stuff is out of print and re-print it. Dungeon Delve has been gone almost since publication (and I happen to think it’s the best thing they did). Buy the licence to make the *&%ing Combat Pad from Paizo and put one on the back of the GM screen.

Move all that stock that sucks. Remember the power cards? Give them away free every OP game played. Got to move all that stuff.

Make D&D popular again – or at least in the public consciousness. Celebrity endorsement. Sorry guys, but Wheaton and Robot Chicken just isn’t close. How much will it cost to have a D&D patch on Roger Gracie’s butt? Remember “I Hit It With My Axe” with Sasha Grey? She wants to be playing all the time – it can come out of the marketing.

Finally, re-launch big. I’m spending 20% of the budget on champagne and hookers at Gencon and all the big distributors are welcome.

 

[megamania]

Lots of great stuff here. I'm wondering if anyone at WotC will actually read this thread?

Oh, I'm sure they will. Just as I'm sure they'll roll their eyes while reading it and pass it around the office to each other, saying "Oh, if only these kids knew..."

They will read, they will roll their eyes, they will laugh at ideas that are impossible, and concur on others.

At the very least they will share this thread amongst themselves.

 

[Lanefan]

Third, sort out the moaners, groaners, edition warriors and grognards – they’re not adding any revenue anyway – so just put out a public statement to the effect of : “1e, 2e, 3e, 3.5e are finished. Get over it”

In several ways, they sort-of already did that.

And it is costing them revenue. Every time Paizo or any of the old-school revivals sell an adventure, rule book, setting, or whatever, that's revenue WotC could have had (and, I argue, should have had) but now don't.

Lan-"will you take the same hammer to 4e when 5e comes out?"-efan

 

[eyebeams]

I am by no means a business major.....

I feel there are a few basic and key questions to be asked....

1) What age group are you targeting?

In my plan? Four distinct demographic tiers get varying levels of support starting with tweens, who get a very accessible implementation of D&D similar to the red box concept, but without the dead end aspects of prior intro sets. Extensions of this set follow gamers through high school, and comprehensive game presentations work through university level. After that, we provide a self-support framework for all editions through free/semi-free stuff in the social network, perhaps similar to GW's Specialist Games.

2) What level of cross marketing are you willing to do? (toys, movies, books).

For D&D as a thing? Next to nothing. D&D is a big brand in RPGs and a terrible brand everywhere else. D&D is meaningless; its essential attributes can be copied by anyone and if anything, will grow more popular for not being D&D. As a brand, D&D sucks.

But Dragonlance has some gas.

So does the Realms

So do other worlds.

But D&D? Outside of an RPG who cares? Hell, even as an RPG, who cares? You can steal any set of D&D rules and call it Finding Swords and Path of Wizardry and people will adopt it. You can rip off core D&D elements and use them to create a dozen MMOs that will be more popular that D&D Online.

D&D *could* be a brand in the way Marvel is a brand: a mark for a house of creative traditions and a distinct evolution in style that creates cool stuff by exploring them in RPGs.

Unfortunately, this would require creative folks making fluffy, stylish stuff. WotC has innovative mechanics designers, but no talent for anything that would make D&D broadly interesting.