Charles Dunwoody
Man on the Silver Mountain
I do not own my own RPG business and I do not have a job in marketing. However, I’ve been following Wizards business changes for the last few months (cancel magazines, pull in licenses, go Gleemax, publish coffee table books) trying to figure out what they are up to.
And I have a theory, finally. In two parts.
Part one. Coffee table books. I believe my demographic (thirties, married, kids) which used to be ‘market D&D RPG books to him’ is now being changed to ‘market these coffee table books to him’. The theory being that many of us don’t have to game anyway, so why not just buy nice shiny books with good art that we can look at and talk about the good old days with. What do we need rules for if we aren’t playing, right?
To transition us over, we had a year of lots of modules old school (Ravenloft, Demonweb Pits, Undermountain, heck even Greyhawk). While we might still see another one or two of these released, I think we hit the wall when Dragon and Dungeon were cancelled.
Part two. Star Wars and Gleemax. The first Star Wars RPG supports the land-based mini line. The second supplement supports the ship-based mini line. Then some character sheets. And finally the third supplement supports a huge computer game release.
The new rpg will support mini sales but also tie in with new releases of huge multi-media products like a new computer game. The marketing is actually brilliant, even as I mourn the loss of games based on novels or even movies rather than video games.
I believe that coffee table books, popular fiction (not all game related anymore), and rpgs that support and are supported by sales of minis and computer initiatives are the new wave of the future for Wizards.
And I think Wizards will win big. I can now see how the cutting loose of 30,000 readers of two magazines is a drop in the bucket compared to the number of mini and computer game players they may net.
And I can always buy a coffee table book and think about the good old days.
The question about D&D 4th edition coming soon or being Open Content may not be the biggest question now. I wonder, if Star Wars sales rocket up, if D&D might be allowed to lie fallow for a few years, just like Star Wars. No new edition for a year or two.
Three months ago I would have thought this idea absurd. Today? It actually might make sense, from a profit point of view, to concentrate on D&D minis, support D&D rpg online, and come back with a new edition a year or so later perhaps tied in to a computer or digital release of some kind.
I don’t have a crystal ball (excuse me a brain in a jar that can predict future events) so I’m just speculating. I wouldn’t mind hearing what other gamers think. Maybe I’m way off in my thinking. I’ll be curious to see what comes next.
And I have a theory, finally. In two parts.
Part one. Coffee table books. I believe my demographic (thirties, married, kids) which used to be ‘market D&D RPG books to him’ is now being changed to ‘market these coffee table books to him’. The theory being that many of us don’t have to game anyway, so why not just buy nice shiny books with good art that we can look at and talk about the good old days with. What do we need rules for if we aren’t playing, right?
To transition us over, we had a year of lots of modules old school (Ravenloft, Demonweb Pits, Undermountain, heck even Greyhawk). While we might still see another one or two of these released, I think we hit the wall when Dragon and Dungeon were cancelled.
Part two. Star Wars and Gleemax. The first Star Wars RPG supports the land-based mini line. The second supplement supports the ship-based mini line. Then some character sheets. And finally the third supplement supports a huge computer game release.
The new rpg will support mini sales but also tie in with new releases of huge multi-media products like a new computer game. The marketing is actually brilliant, even as I mourn the loss of games based on novels or even movies rather than video games.
I believe that coffee table books, popular fiction (not all game related anymore), and rpgs that support and are supported by sales of minis and computer initiatives are the new wave of the future for Wizards.
And I think Wizards will win big. I can now see how the cutting loose of 30,000 readers of two magazines is a drop in the bucket compared to the number of mini and computer game players they may net.
And I can always buy a coffee table book and think about the good old days.
The question about D&D 4th edition coming soon or being Open Content may not be the biggest question now. I wonder, if Star Wars sales rocket up, if D&D might be allowed to lie fallow for a few years, just like Star Wars. No new edition for a year or two.
Three months ago I would have thought this idea absurd. Today? It actually might make sense, from a profit point of view, to concentrate on D&D minis, support D&D rpg online, and come back with a new edition a year or so later perhaps tied in to a computer or digital release of some kind.
I don’t have a crystal ball (excuse me a brain in a jar that can predict future events) so I’m just speculating. I wouldn’t mind hearing what other gamers think. Maybe I’m way off in my thinking. I’ll be curious to see what comes next.
