Making DnDN Popular

[Simplicity]

One of the main things that the Pathfinder RPG had going for it in the early days at least was cost. You could download the beta ruleset for free. And they eventually came out with the printed version which cost money. This encouraged a lot of players. I think Wizards has learned from this lesson and I think that's why we're having this "open" initiative for playtesting.

That said. I think Wizards could learn another lesson that would be of great value to them.

1) Give away the digital base rulebook. (Physical should be made at cost).
2) Make money on all the rest.

This is essentially what Pathfinder did, and because of the quality of that team, they wound up immediately becoming a serious competing system.

I've DM'ed for a long time. And there's *always* *always* some guy who comes around with the pirated, printed out "versions" of the rulebooks. Not much I or Wizards are going to be able to do to stop such players other than make stabby eyes at them.

The word free is a magic word. Grab it and use it to your advantage. Make the core system simple, make it well, and then make it free. And the players will *flock* back to DnDN.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

I dunno -- In the D&D business model, what are the razors and what are the razor blades? You charge for the blades and give the razors away. Since you have to keep buying razor blades and use them up quickly, that's where you make your money. Same with printers and ink.

 

[Reynard]

Let's assume for sake of argument that WotC can't or won't beat Lazio at their own game: adventure paths. So, what then can WotC take the lead in and make their signature product type.

Given the "modularity" vibe we're getting from 5E, maybe WorD's focus can be small and specific rules modules, from BECMI-esque Domain rules to Exalted-esque epic play rules. Even better if these rules modules are easily adaptable to Pathfinder, selling to PF fans the same way the APs sell to 4E fans.

 

[Spinachcat]

The free PDF corebook is a good idea...until e-readers become the normal way for people to read books (aka 5-10 years). But its a good idea for 2013.

4e failed because WotC did not market the game aggressively to new players. Their hope with the open beta is that they will get a bunch of free marketing via word of mouth. Of course, the word of mouth will only be from existing gamer to existing gamer.

WotC forgets that teens and young adults who have a FAR stronger word of mouth chain than adults. Kids network to a greater extent because of the crucible of a shared school. Adults don't share much at work because of the perceived social concerns of being a TTRPG gamer.

Yes I know you tell everyone at work that you play D&D, but you may be surprised that's uncommon among gamers.

So the result will be the same whether 5e is awesome or not. It will fail utterly without a huge advertising and marketing push to draw in teens and young adults.

No fresh blood = failed edition

 

[Ratinyourwalls]

WotC will have to kill Pathfinder in order to make DnDN to succeed. For every 4E player that makes the leap to 5E, there will be one who makes the leap to Pathfinder. And most Pathfinder fans (judging by their forums) won't be switching over either.

 

[Zireael]

I'd suggest doing the opposite of what the OP suggested.
1) make people pay a bit for the core
2) make splats and modules free

 

[grimslade]

The core rule book(s) will not be free. They will not be massively discounted. The majority of splats and modular options will not either. There may be a few releases that are free, an updated Beyond the Crystal Caves, or options for running Spelljammers 5e, but WotC is in this to make money.
To make D&DNext popular, they need to make D&D a good game that is adaptable to as many styles as possible from the start. They don't need to kill Pathfinder, they need to sell PF players options and mods. They need to be able to demonstrate the flexibility of the new system to create a game you want to play. Paizo has a very loyal core of players but it is not the total of fantasy rpgers.
I hope that WotC comes with its top game and I hope it keeps Paizo producing top product. They can both make each other popular.

 

[Khaalis]

I agree with Grimslade. "Free" isn't going to make D&D popular. Free has never made any RPG popular. In most cases, free meant lower quality. Pathfinder did so well by offering a way for 3E fans to stay with 3E even after its "death". Not because it was free.

D&D needs to enter the 21st century if it truly wants to succeed. That entails 3 major things:
* Creating a truly awesome game engine that people will want to play vs. the dozens of other options available.
* Entering the digital age with digital support for the game.
* Advertising

The first major step involves creating a strong game that will draw New and Old players back to the fold. By bringing back Old players, that doesn't just mean older system grognards. This primarily includes people like my game group that moved on from D&D to other systems that gave us what we wanted. These are the people D&D needs to get back. There are a LOT more RPGs out there other than D&D, and a lot of them bring a lot of good ideas to the table. If D&D wants to really succeed it needs to bring all of the best gaming mechanics form the last 40 years to the table and figure out how to make them into a viable and attractive system. The problem is, there can never be one RPG to rule them all. There are simply too many drastic variations. Without even getting into the separation of systems like d20 vs. Fate vs. Age vs. Shadowrun, etc., you simply have too many differences just among the d20 systems (3E, 4E, True20, Fantasy Craft, Saga, Modern, etc.). This is going to be THE biggest stumbling block to the new edition. I do look forward to seeing what they come up with, but I hold my breath that it will ever get back the popularity that D&D had during its hayday.

The second thing they need to do, is to step up and provide digital support. This is a new age and the old "pen & paper" is a dying breed. Books can still be print, but they need to have a decent PDF plan. For instance including a free PDF download with each physical copy, just like movies do. Buy a blu-ray and get a digital copy for the same price. They also need digital tools like character generators, among others. Moving into the App sphere would be tremendously beneficial as well. More and more people have smart phones, tablets/e-readers, and that trend will only increase exponentially over the next few years. Digital also ties in with getting younger blood.

Thirdly, as also mentioned previously, is advertise hard to bring in new people and new generations. Most "hard core" TTRPGers have been in the hobby since our teens. We're getting older and life weeds us out of the gaming field. Younger people simply have more time in most cases to game. They also don't have to bend to societal pressures and stigmas against gaming as much as older players who have to "grow up". Which is another area really good advertising will be needed for. D&D/TTRPG still has a major societal stigma that needs to be overcome. Look at WoW. Only a few years ago, MMORPGs had a pretty bad stigma as well, but now WoW has gone completely mainstream due to some amazing marketing strategies - from good TV ads, to celebrity "players" to even getting their name dropped in many prime-time TV shows. To become "popular" the game needs to be given more validity in the mainstream.

JMHO. YMMV.

 

[Zireael]

The core rule book(s) will not be free. They will not be massively discounted. The majority of splats and modular options will not either..

I agree that the core will not be free, but then the modules should be. The people shouldn't have to pay more than once for what is in essence a single game. Or make the cost of modules minimal. Otherwise, people will stop buying D&D because it's just 'marketing same thing several times to get money'.

 

[DonTadow]

A strong focus on electronic products should be a vitale component of the market. Ipads, Tablets and computers are regulars at many game tables. It's a way to lower the cost for the user (paizo's 10 buck books are great) .