Mike Mearls Talks (er, Tweets) About the Industry

I think history has proven Mike wrong. The problem is that D&D isn't a game. D&D is a framework that allows 5 players to make a game.

So if you like boardgames, you got lots of different games to choose from. If you like RPGs, you got lots of games to choose from. But those games are the things GMs do with D&D. My campaign is my own game I've developed. Your campaign is yours.

I think there's a market for lots of different RPGs in that sense. Because each gaming group playing D&D is running its own unique game, in their own homebrew setting with their own house rules.

But I don't think there's a market for different *frameworks*. I think there's demand for *a* framework, that players use to develop lots of different games.

 

[Remathilis]

From a media perpsecive, it looks like we're all playing PotA over here in pen-and-paper land. If PotA should take a normal table nearly a year to go through, why would things look boarded-up? We're playing the game. Our svirfneblin and our goliaths are unearthing the deception as we speak.

But we're not. And WotC needs to address the fact we're all not. Some of us want more support than a 200 page modules twice per year. Not everyone is going to want to fight Tiamat, then stop the elemental cults, and then go hang out with Drizz't and Grazz't. There should be something for us too.

 

[I'm A Banana]

But we're not. And WotC needs to address the fact we're all not. Some of us want more support than a 200 page modules twice per year. Not everyone is going to want to fight Tiamat, then stop the elemental cults, and then go hang out with Drizz't and Grazz't. There should be something for us too.

Makes me want an OGL, personally.

But even those of us who aren't - it's not like we're consuming things any faster than those who are. I haven't seen what levels 10-20 have to offer for any charater and that's half the game. I haven't played even a fraction of the races or classes. I'm not unearthing the deception, but I am doing other things, and I still don't need another 5 classes and 4 races - more than likely, they will not get used until 2016, despite my two games and rather high rate of character turn-over.

I haven't used any of the races from PotA, or any of the rules, classes, or races from any of the UA articles, and it's not from not having the option, it's just because I have SO MANY OTHER OPTIONS. My gnome wild sorcerer picked up one spell from PotA and I think that's the extent of it.

I am not even close to the bottom of this well.

 

[Mistwell]

I don't understand what 'media sphere' Mike is referring to here. D&D has zero presence in the general media.

I disagree. I think maybe you've missed some important mainstream coverage.

 

[Corpsetaker]

I disagree. I think maybe you've missed some important mainstream coverage.

Like???

 

[Corpsetaker]

I think there's a lot to be said for being able to kind of dominate the media sphere for a while - a lot of folks pay attention when you have a BIG CROSS-PLATFORM TRANSMEDIA RELEASE EVENT that wouldn't give two fig leaves about the next month's newest splat. That's another opportunity to blast to the people who don't have a weekly game "Hey! Remember this pretty cool thing? It's still pretty cool, you should check out what's going on there!"

Media moves fast these days, which is why something big and meaty can stick in the pipes for a bit longer than "Oh, they're releasing another book like they've been doing, NEXT."

Dominate the media where exactly??? I would say that I am pretty up to date with regards to gaming and the media and I don't remember 5th edition D&D dominating the media so could you refresh my memory when this happened?

Let's break a few things down here because I don't see anything specific that D&D 5th edition has done that previous editions and other games hasn't done.

1: Forbes and USA Today- Okay so D&D get's a mention in these two. How many gamers read Forbes magazine exactly and what about the rest of the world and parts of the US that don't read USA Today?

2: New York Times Best Seller list: How long has Bob been a part of this list? Years and years so what makes D&D 5th edition any more special with regards to this? 4th edition actually made this list as well.

3: Playing Princes of the Apoc: Not everyone is playing this AP or any of the other APs. I would bet more people are playing homebrew games than these APs. Sounds a bit like smoke and mirrors to me if they are reporting everyone is playing these APs when in actual fact they aren't.

What I am seeing here is a lot of spin and smoke and mirrors. There is nothing there that is unique to the current edition of D&D so trying to paint 5th edition as some ground breaking edition that has taken the media by storm is just flat out false and heavy wishful thinking.

Have you seen D&D in the following:

1: Ads on TV.
2: Ads in cinemas.
3: Displays in video game shops such as Gamestop. (With SCL coming out you would think we would see some displays in these shops along with TV ads.)
4: Ads in comic books or magazines.
5: Ads on gaming sites. (Only one I've seen is for Fantasy Grounds).

Where is this media storm from D&D that has dominated the scene?

 

[Corpsetaker]

I haven't used any of the races from PotA, or any of the rules, classes, or races from any of the UA articles, and it's not from not having the option, it's just because I have SO MANY OTHER OPTIONS. My gnome wild sorcerer picked up one spell from PotA and I think that's the extent of it.

Or maybe it could be you just don't like most of them which could be a lot of other people's thoughts.

 

[GobiWon]

Other than the speed of release, I can't see why they would change the way they have done things. Generic books covering martials, arcane, and divine always sell well. Setting specific books also do well if the setting is popular. Extra monster books do well. Extra magic item books. I can see a slower release schedule, but I think we'll get similar books to previous editions. Generic material works for everyone and can be integrated into any setting including homebrew settings.

I figured they're planning their release schedule. We'll get plenty of usable material for everyone in due time.

I like the idea that they keep rule expansion limited and mostly setting specific so that the game is not over-burdened with bloat. I don't want to feel pressured to allow some psionically-infused, pixie vampire at my table because a player has just bought the newest splat book. Keeping the core rules self-contained is important. It allows traditional fantasy characters to shine without being over shadowed by the newest, latest fad. With that said ... two APs per year is pathetic. There are a lot of us who don't like prepackaged adventures, but would like to see setting specific gazetteers to spark our imagination and serve as springboards for our own adventures.

 

[Corpsetaker]

I like the idea that they keep rule expansion limited and mostly setting specific so that the game is not over-burdened with bloat. I don't want to feel pressured to allow some psionically-infused, pixie vampire at my table because a player has just bought the newest splat book. Keeping the core rules self-contained is important. It allows traditional fantasy characters to shine without being over shadowed by the newest, latest fad. With that said ... two APs per year is pathetic. There are a lot of us who don't like prepackaged adventures, but would like to see setting specific gazetteers to spark our imagination and serve as springboards for our own adventures.

Just say "no".

 

[Mistwell]

Like???

I am not going to go back through the last year and list all the mainstream media coverage for the game. Some of it's been posted here. But there's been a lot. You're free to disagree, but are you implying Mearls is lying or mistaken about the coverage about his company? Also, you seem to be mistaking paid advertisements for mass media coverage. Those are different things.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Or maybe it could be you just don't like most of them which could be a lot of other people's thoughts.

I've got no issues with 'em. I'm a PS fan from wayback, so genasi are an easy sell, I'm partial to gnomes over halflings so svirfneblin are neat, I love the idea of a flying PC so I can't wait to try out aarakocra, and goliaths scratch my "big race" itch in ways that half-orcs and dwarves never did.

Dominate the media where exactly???

"Dominated the media" would be what the ideal scenario is. D&D dominates as much as D&D can, which mostly means articles in places people can pay attention. Forbes, USA Today, Escapist, and Boing Boing are all places where I've seen a lot of coverage of the tabletop game specifically in a place where I wouldn't necessarily expect it. Just today I read about the Baldur's Gate interquel on a videogame site (and E3 just finished, so I've heard a bit about Sword Coast Legends there, too). And I couldn't get away from the Sundering jazz at launch with the new book series.

It's a fair sight above "nothing."

And it's much bigger than "Random Splatbook #6" ever got - which is part of the point. Consolidate the releases into bigger events and you make a big announcement once every few months/years rather than a steady trickle.