D&D 5E (2024) PAX WotC Dungeons and Dragons speculation thread.

[bedir than]

Based on what my wife -- an art director for a large reinsurer -- has seen, marketing is one of the first departments to fall to AI replacements. The remaining humans are overworked and over their heads.

There's no evidence that Wizards is intentionally using generative AI at this time. A handful of artists did lie.

There is evidence that the marketing by WotC is working
That's Google Trends for the four games in the image. D&D's recent spikes are product releases. It does fade late summer, which isn't a surprise because of the release cycle.

 

[SlyFlourish]

Shadowdark is right there.

I know. I love Shadowdark. But if I were WOTC, I'd consider a single volume D&D basic book that leans more heroic versus dark and dangerous.

 

[SlyFlourish]

There's no evidence that Wizards is intentionally using generative AI at this time. A handful of artists did lie.

There is evidence that the marketing by WotC is working
View attachment 422487

I think that's more evidence that its popularity is high than that it's marketing is working. Causality is hard!

 

[darjr]

I know. I love Shadowdark. But if I were WOTC, I'd consider a single volume D&D basic book that leans more heroic versus dark and dangerous.

I don’t disagree but I’m finding more and more folks running Shadowdark like that. As a simpler D&D and doing zero to hero type gaming.

A lot of 4d6 areange to taste or standard array home rules and max HP at 1st level etc.

 

[SlyFlourish]

I don’t disagree but I’m finding more and more folks running Shadowdark like that. As a simpler D&D and doing zero to hero type gaming.

A lot of 4d6 areange to taste or standard array home rules and max HP at 1st level etc.

I definitely am. I still think Shadowdark is the best gateway into D&D and RPGs.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Based on what my wife -- an art director for a large reinsurer -- has seen, marketing is one of the first departments to fall to AI replacements. The remaining humans are overworked and over their heads.

Advertising and marketing, counter-intuitively, are often the first to get the axe during an economic downturn (which tends to speed up the downward cycle for a company).

 

[Reynard]

There's no evidence that Wizards is intentionally using generative AI at this time. A handful of artists did lie.

I am talking about the marketing department doing their thing, not creative.

For example, we just saw Critical Role get burned by whatever marketing agency they used for their Holiday Sales email with an obvious genAI illustration.

 

[sevenbastard]

I know. I love Shadowdark. But if I were WOTC, I'd consider a single volume D&D basic book that leans more heroic versus dark and dangerous.

Anytime they want it I will send them my files.....

BX Complete

Early in the year I finished a project but still haven’t figured out what to do with it. I took the PDFs of the Moldvay and Cook B...

perilandplunder.blogspot.com

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I don’t disagree but I’m finding more and more folks running Shadowdark like that. As a simpler D&D and doing zero to hero type gaming.

Yeah, Shadowdark seems to have a large camp of users that just use it as a straight replacement for TSR editions of D&D and running classic adventures and settings that way.

 

[bedir than]

I am talking about the marketing department doing their thing, not creative.

For example, we just saw Critical Role get burned by whatever marketing agency they used for their Holiday Sales email with an obvious genAI illustration.

At Wizards the Marketing team is using assets originally developed by the Studios.
Original art is extremely rare in their social or video.