Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
RPG Evolution: Looking Ahead to 2022
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="talien" data-source="post: 8468989" data-attributes="member: 3285"><p>Predicting anything is a risky business; predicting the future of the hobby business even moreso, as the ups and downs of the industry aren't necessities and therefore harder to judge. But there's some trends in 2021 that point to what we can expect in 2022.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH=full]147375[/ATTACH]</p> <p style="text-align: center"><a href="https://pixabay.com/illustrations/dragon-monster-creature-beast-3009174/" target="_blank">Picture courtesy of Pixabay.</a></p><h3>The 5.5 Edition Shuffle Begins</h3><p>The announcement of a new edition of Dungeons & Dragons by the 50th anniversary of D&D in 2024 <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/the-last-edition-of-d-d.670519/" target="_blank">wasn't necessarily a surprise</a>, but a half-edition <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/the-future-of-d-d-new-core-books-in-2024.682891/" target="_blank">may not have been what everyone expected</a>. Promises that everything will be backwards compatible (a promise similar to 5E's) will rely primarily on how transparent Wizards of the Coast is with those changes. So far, <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/a-compilation-of-all-the-race-changes-in-monsters-of-the-multiverse.685355/" target="_blank">those changes have been signaled early on</a>. There will come a turning point where signaling compatibility with the upcoming edition will matter to consumers. It's a long way off for most gamers, but not too soon for publishers, especially those with print products planned in the latter half of the year. Expect to see more of them begin showing their hand by indicating 5.5E compatibility this year.</p><h3>D&D's Digital Dominance Expands</h3><p>We've discussed in depth how Wizards struggled to develop a coherent digital strategy until finally just <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/beyond-the-digital-curse.664178/" target="_blank">outsourcing the whole business to third parties</a>. But there's a new CEO in town, and <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/a-new-digital-direction-for-wizards.664135/" target="_blank">Chris Cocks' background in digital</a> seems rooted in plans for the future of both D&D and Magic. Cocks led the creation of a Digital Games Studio and a revamped technology team, coupled with the <a href="https://techraptor.net/tabletop/news/dungeons-and-dragons-virtual-tabletop-is-coming-soon" target="_blank">curious rumblings of WOTC's plans for a virtual tabletop</a> and the registration of the digital-focused trademark of "<a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/%E2%80%9Catomic-arcade%E2%80%9D%E2%80%94-wotc%E2%80%99s-new-digital-platform.683955/" target="_blank">Atomic Arcade</a>" adds up to all of the company's digital plans for D&D and Magic coming in house.</p><h3>Unions Will Accelerate</h3><p>The ingredients that create unions (suppressed wages, economic uncertainty, industry abuse, high-risk jobs) have been percolating for some time now, but the pandemic seems to have finally pushed employees to action. The most emblematic in the industry is <a href="http://enough. https://www.enworld.org/threads/paizo-recognizes-union.683467/" target="_blank">Paizo's new union</a>, but it seems unlikely unionization will be merely confined to that one company. <a href="https://www.unionplus.org/blog/union-made/union-made-toys" target="_blank">Hasbro already has a union</a>, but it's not clear if there is representation in Wizards of the Coast. Other large companies in hobby markets may well have their own unions soon.</p><h3>We'll Learn to Live with the Pandemic</h3><p>In-person gaming is particularly vulnerable to pandemics: talking, laughing, and being in close-proximity are all considered "<a href="https://covid19risk.biosci.gatech.edu/" target="_blank">high-risk activities</a>" that can potentially spread a virus. To a certain extent, <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/vtts-feel-the-strain.671166/" target="_blank">online gaming blunted the damage</a>, but that left in-person events like conventions in a tough spot. Slowly but surely, <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/origins-game-fair-2021-%E2%80%93-after-report-part-two.683988/" target="_blank">conventions are adapting</a>. We'll probably see more of this, with digital/in-person hybrid events, testing and vaccine requirements, and attendance limits on future conventions. One thing is becoming apparent: it's no longer possible to simply delay long enough until the "pandemic is over."</p><h3>The Supply Chain Will Eventually Unclog</h3><p>As I recently discovered when I ordered a prop helmet for my son's costume a month-and-a-half before Halloween that still hasn't arrived, <a href="https://icv2.com/articles/columns/view/49721/rolling-initiative-have-we-bought-too-much-stuff-probably" target="_blank">the world is currently experiencing supply chain issues</a>. These disruptions have <a href="https://time.com/6096497/board-games-shipping-crisis/" target="_blank">impacted many tabletop gaming companies</a>, particularly during the holiday season. This is bad, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/303941853917/permalink/10158795760718918" target="_blank">bad enough to sink Dust Studios</a>, and there will surely be more. Worse, <a href="http:// https://www.wsj.com/articles/when-will-the-supply-chain-strains-finally-ease-11636106400" target="_blank">supply chain problems will continue well into 2022</a>. It should get better by the end of the year, but by then frustrated customers may have changed their buying habits and impulse buys will be a thing of the past.</p><h3>Please Be Better 2022!</h3><p>2021 was marked not so much by what it achieved but by what it didn't. 2020 set the bar low, and 2021 just didn't perform as high as we expected. Here's hoping 2022 will be incrementally better.</p><p></p><p><strong>Your Turn: What are your predictions for 2022?</strong></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="talien, post: 8468989, member: 3285"] Predicting anything is a risky business; predicting the future of the hobby business even moreso, as the ups and downs of the industry aren't necessities and therefore harder to judge. But there's some trends in 2021 that point to what we can expect in 2022. [CENTER][ATTACH type="full" alt="RPG2022.png"]147375[/ATTACH] [URL='https://pixabay.com/illustrations/dragon-monster-creature-beast-3009174/']Picture courtesy of Pixabay.[/URL][/CENTER] [HEADING=2]The 5.5 Edition Shuffle Begins[/HEADING] The announcement of a new edition of Dungeons & Dragons by the 50th anniversary of D&D in 2024 [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/the-last-edition-of-d-d.670519/']wasn't necessarily a surprise[/URL], but a half-edition [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/the-future-of-d-d-new-core-books-in-2024.682891/']may not have been what everyone expected[/URL]. Promises that everything will be backwards compatible (a promise similar to 5E's) will rely primarily on how transparent Wizards of the Coast is with those changes. So far, [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/a-compilation-of-all-the-race-changes-in-monsters-of-the-multiverse.685355/']those changes have been signaled early on[/URL]. There will come a turning point where signaling compatibility with the upcoming edition will matter to consumers. It's a long way off for most gamers, but not too soon for publishers, especially those with print products planned in the latter half of the year. Expect to see more of them begin showing their hand by indicating 5.5E compatibility this year. [HEADING=2]D&D's Digital Dominance Expands[/HEADING] We've discussed in depth how Wizards struggled to develop a coherent digital strategy until finally just [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/beyond-the-digital-curse.664178/']outsourcing the whole business to third parties[/URL]. But there's a new CEO in town, and [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/a-new-digital-direction-for-wizards.664135/']Chris Cocks' background in digital[/URL] seems rooted in plans for the future of both D&D and Magic. Cocks led the creation of a Digital Games Studio and a revamped technology team, coupled with the [URL='https://techraptor.net/tabletop/news/dungeons-and-dragons-virtual-tabletop-is-coming-soon']curious rumblings of WOTC's plans for a virtual tabletop[/URL] and the registration of the digital-focused trademark of "[URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/%E2%80%9Catomic-arcade%E2%80%9D%E2%80%94-wotc%E2%80%99s-new-digital-platform.683955/']Atomic Arcade[/URL]" adds up to all of the company's digital plans for D&D and Magic coming in house. [HEADING=2]Unions Will Accelerate[/HEADING] The ingredients that create unions (suppressed wages, economic uncertainty, industry abuse, high-risk jobs) have been percolating for some time now, but the pandemic seems to have finally pushed employees to action. The most emblematic in the industry is [URL='http://enough. https://www.enworld.org/threads/paizo-recognizes-union.683467/']Paizo's new union[/URL], but it seems unlikely unionization will be merely confined to that one company. [URL='https://www.unionplus.org/blog/union-made/union-made-toys']Hasbro already has a union[/URL], but it's not clear if there is representation in Wizards of the Coast. Other large companies in hobby markets may well have their own unions soon. [HEADING=2]We'll Learn to Live with the Pandemic[/HEADING] In-person gaming is particularly vulnerable to pandemics: talking, laughing, and being in close-proximity are all considered "[URL='https://covid19risk.biosci.gatech.edu/']high-risk activities[/URL]" that can potentially spread a virus. To a certain extent, [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/vtts-feel-the-strain.671166/']online gaming blunted the damage[/URL], but that left in-person events like conventions in a tough spot. Slowly but surely, [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/origins-game-fair-2021-%E2%80%93-after-report-part-two.683988/']conventions are adapting[/URL]. We'll probably see more of this, with digital/in-person hybrid events, testing and vaccine requirements, and attendance limits on future conventions. One thing is becoming apparent: it's no longer possible to simply delay long enough until the "pandemic is over." [HEADING=2]The Supply Chain Will Eventually Unclog[/HEADING] As I recently discovered when I ordered a prop helmet for my son's costume a month-and-a-half before Halloween that still hasn't arrived, [URL='https://icv2.com/articles/columns/view/49721/rolling-initiative-have-we-bought-too-much-stuff-probably']the world is currently experiencing supply chain issues[/URL]. These disruptions have [URL='https://time.com/6096497/board-games-shipping-crisis/']impacted many tabletop gaming companies[/URL], particularly during the holiday season. This is bad, [URL='https://www.facebook.com/groups/303941853917/permalink/10158795760718918']bad enough to sink Dust Studios[/URL], and there will surely be more. Worse, [URL='http:// https://www.wsj.com/articles/when-will-the-supply-chain-strains-finally-ease-11636106400']supply chain problems will continue well into 2022[/URL]. It should get better by the end of the year, but by then frustrated customers may have changed their buying habits and impulse buys will be a thing of the past. [HEADING=2]Please Be Better 2022![/HEADING] 2021 was marked not so much by what it achieved but by what it didn't. 2020 set the bar low, and 2021 just didn't perform as high as we expected. Here's hoping 2022 will be incrementally better. [B]Your Turn: What are your predictions for 2022?[/B] [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
RPG Evolution: Looking Ahead to 2022
Top