Anson Caralya said:
So what’s wrong with my thesis? What am I missing? Are Amazon sales ranks not indicative of total sales? Are margins on books much better than those on miniatures?
Amazon sales are only statistically telling in the area of internet sales. I wouldn't say however that this isn't "generally" true of all rpg sales.
Anson Caralya said:
If you, as a fan of the game, were also an owner – the Greenbay Packers model (Greenbay Grognards?) – what would you do? If D&D had to be run as a business, with an attractive enough return to secure funding, what business model would you propose?
First, if I ran Wotc as a business, I would minimize resources spent on D&D and increase them on developing other breakthrough games in partnership with Hasbro. I'd be trying to hit the next Pokemon every 3 - 5 years.
Second, if I were a D&D shareholder (Greenbay Grognard), I would refocus the energy of my development staff to provide mass-appeal products, almost exclusively. Today, mostly DM focused products are produced. I would provide core rulebooks, and I would be very clear about doing it on a six year cycle. Two years of buzz, two years of development, and two years of exploration.
What do ALL players need to play this game? PC's require the standard rules (PH), Character Sheets, Character Development Options, Miniatures, Campaign Information, and Dice. In the two years of buzz, I would spread out the development and distribution of products such as the three to six core rulebooks, and three to six character development books. During the two years of development, I would launch a COMPLETELY fleshed out campaign. It should include dozens of pregen characters, with different tailored options, personalized minis, color-coded dice. I would market this product set completely differently, providing it essentially for free to DM's. I would include pdf's for download that would detail the what, why, and how behind all design decisions for the adventure path, for the different characters, etc. The primary marketing material would be through providing all the options to the players, with extra cool stuff including character pictures, campaign maps, specific campaign notes, that would all tie in together to the adventure path). I would put time and energy into developing a "fan site" to create and nurture shared experiences, and I would pull people in with "exclusive" events that would be played at conventions. The Adventure Path would be a simultaneous launch with cross-pollenation including books, comic books, computer based games, card games, and a board game (you could play with your kids). I would go to great lengths to tie these products together and offer rewards for brand loyalty. You could obtain information, maps, minis, customized dice, "power ups" for spells and abilities, and one-shot items by doing the "other things". Finally, during the two years of exploration, I would produce a ton of material that pushes the boundaries of the game, and really challenges everyone to think...essentially an extended playtest for the next edition of the game. I would sell of the rights to sub-license all the "existing" core products such as Eberron, FR, Dark Sun, Planescape, Ravenloft, etc. These would be great opportunities for other smaller d20 publishers to grow and develop terrific product and to leverage some of the best brands.
