WotC Was just one D&D book announced at D&D Live 2020?

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

"For those who want to work at Wizards of the Coast, there's a new job opportunity opening up. Current Community Manager Satine Phoenix's contract expires this month, and the spot has opened up for applications."

Even at the time, that seemed like a weird way to staff the Community Manager position. I've been one before, for a major company, and another major company tried to poach me. Neither wanted to do it with a limited term annual contract.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

I mean, yeah, a lot of us will be excited to see some or all of those other settings be updated for 5E. But there's not a significant amount of folks sitting back and saying "yeah, I'd like to play 5E, BUT NOT IF THERE'S NO SPELLJAMMER!" (Yes, I concede right now, someone will say their cousin is that guy. I mean, other than your cousin.)

I do know a lot of players who would like D&D in space, but just don't know that Spelljammer exists. I get your point, though. Making a dragonlance book could bring new people. Making spelljammer will just make the current people happier.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

There is no significant contingent of Dragonlance fans. It was briefly popular with teens in the late 80s/early 90s, But these days none of my players under 30 have even heard of it (the have heard of Greyhawk, Dark Sun and Spelljammer).

I would imagine that the association with Mormonism would make WotC Leary of reviving it in any case.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

This industry is changing, as the music. Today you can go to the store to buy music disks, most of them compilations, but today the money is with the downloads into the mobiles and the internet.

If the digital TTRPGs are linked to internet, then the bonds with videogames will be stronger.

Dragonlance will come back, but maybe in the next phase, and then it will enter throught the front door. ( = triumphantly or very dignified). If the production is right, it will be one of the best cash-cows in the industry, but they have to know what are the keys to be pushed in the right sequence. My theory is the return will be accompanied with a cartoon serie or an AAA videogame (and maybe also Funko figures).

 

[Asgorath]

Even at the time, that seemed like a weird way to staff the Community Manager position. I've been one before, for a major company, and another major company tried to poach me. Neither wanted to do it with a limited term annual contract.

To be clear, I'm not disagreeing with you -- I had been under the impression that Satine was their full-time Community Manager and was surprised when it was announced that her 1-year contract was up.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

There is no significant contingent of Dragonlance fans. It was briefly popular with teens in the late 80s/early 90s, But these days none of my players under 30 have even heard of it (the have heard of Greyhawk, Dark Sun and Spelljammer).

There are plenty of them over 30. I have spoken to a number of people who describe themselves as Dragonlance fans, who still reread the novels, and whose involvement with D&D is to check in periodically and say "hey, are they making new Dragonlance stuff," and when they hear there's not, to check back out again for a year or so.

But I don't think either of us knows for sure. I suspect that's info that Hasbro/WotC has. The fact that they had kender in the D&D Next playtest but haven't had anything other than the word "Krynn" pop up here or there since then suggests that they don't think it's a big enough market to worry about at this time.

And here, insert my usual boilerplate about how WotC should throw up a resource doc on DMs Guild for settings they're never going to get around to touching again and let people create new material for it there. I feel pretty comfortable saying there will never be another official Jakandor product, for instance -- why not create a one-page write-up about the setting and let that (probably small) community of fans make and sell their own works on DMs Guild?

I don't particularly care about Dragonlance or Jakandor, myself, but this feels like a weird thing for them to hold back on when they've got a mechanism to roll it out and get those IPs to make them at least a steady trickle of money that they're not getting now.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

My opinion is they are very cautious after the epic fail of the cartoon movie. (and this was too violent to be seen by children). The novel was too long for only 90 minutes of movie. It's a very loved franchise to allow themself too high risks. A fabulous setting for the novels, but a horrible sandbox for PCs who aren't the famous heroes of the Dragonlance.

And if WotC adds the concept of time spheres/uchronies/parallel universes then Krynn will "suffer" a lot because many fans will create their own version, and this should be good.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

There are plenty of them over 30.

Over 40. And under 50. That's a pretty narrow range. It's popularity was brief, and it was always a juvenile embarisment to grown up D&D fans.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

The key to get more news is easy. A media production, a cartoon, or action-live. Better a serie to have more time to tell the story. Transformers is very popular now thanks to Michael Bay's movies. A action-live movie is a true challenge, and I advice CGI animation to avoid actors getting old in the time between the movies. Maybe publishing two versions, one +7 years old, more family-friendly, and other +13 with some scenes of violence. Dragonlance don't need a +18 version. This is not the Witcher.

Other way to promoting the return of the franchise could be allowing some open door to the option to create fan-art. I don't mean rule34 but amateur stories about romance with different characters.