D&D 3.x What if 3.5 and 4E split the market?

[delericho]

No : in such a case they would eventually sell the license to someone else to make up for their losses. And until that happened, 3.75 would be the system.

I don't think so. Firstly, Hasbro have always been slow to release IP rights, even when they aren't using them themselves. Secondly, the 'peripheral rights' associated with D&D are huge - the electronic rights are worth much more than the tabletop RPG, and then there are movie and novel tie-ins, DDM, and a potential (or actual) D&D boardgame.

In short, if Hasbro cancel the D&D tabletop game, I wouldn't be at all surprised if that was that.

 

[DaveMage]

Supposedly, there's over 300 monsters in the new MM, and I've seen no evidence to say that it won't include the classic spread of giants, dragons, golems, etc. This is just more baseless worrying.

So...the podcast that said that frost giants are not in the first monster manual is "no evidence"?

 

[Aeolius]

What they said was they're leaving some monsters out of the first Monster Manual to expand the definition of core. This has been popularized as "to get people to buy the rest".

That doesn't sound good at all. I suppose I need to listen to that podcast. With my luck, they'll leave out 80% of the aquatic entries, making 4e even less attractive (if such a thing is possible).

 

[HatWearingFool]

No : in such a case they would eventually sell the license to someone else to make up for their losses. And until that happened, 3.75 would be the system.

I can't see Hasbro selling off the D&D Brand for one simple reason. Who can afford to pay more than they will get by continuing novels and slapping the name onto computer games?

See that's the problem this time. The Brand is still worth a lot without an RPG and unlike TSR if D&D fails for WOTC it wont be cause for a fire sale.

EDIT: sorry should have read further before responding. Delericho already covered this above.

 

[Maggan]

In short, if Hasbro cancel the D&D tabletop game, I wouldn't be at all surprised if that was that.

While I agree on the gist of your post, I'm left wondering if the D&D brand would survive without the rpg part of it?

/M

 

[HatWearingFool]

While I agree on the gist of your post, I'm left wondering if the D&D brand would survive without the rpg part of it?

/M

I'm not really sure I understand this question. It's my understanding that more people buy forgotten realms books than play the game. A lot more. So if that's true why would they care that the Forgotten Realms RPG went away? Would the brand not still exist as long as books are being made?

It's the same thing all across the line. If a D&D MMOG has a large user base that is distinct from the RPG user base why would they care if the RPG ceases?

The question really is, is the brand still most strongly associated with the RPG or do more people know of it through books, computer games, and (shudder) movies?

Lot's of companies successfully move a brand away from their core audience. Really all it takes is a strong brand image that people want to associate with. Then you can slap it on anything t-shirts, perfume, comics.

I'm betting marvel is making more off of their movies than they are the comic books. If the comic book side collapses they can probably continue to make money off their characters in other forms (t-shirts, books, movies, etc.).

 

[BlueBlackRed]

D&D is no monopoly.
If 4E tanks, something else will come along to fill the void.

Around here when Magic: the Gathering was new, AD&D 2E was already starting to wane and a lot of people played other RPG's more prevalently, especially White Wolf products.

 

[Ty]

3.5 was okay. 4th edition is not interesting me in any way. Somewhere along the line, they've lost this grognard.

I'm honestly thinking about switching back to good old AD&D with some modifications to include things I did like from the 3.0 series. I guess my point is that it's not just the market split they have to worry about (which really is probably minor). I don't plan on buying any more books from WotC about any setting for any edition. I'm not giving them the benefit of the doubt anymore. They haven't earned it.

 

[DaveMage]

3.5 was okay. 4th edition is not interesting me in any way. Somewhere along the line, they've lost this grognard.

I'm honestly thinking about switching back to good old AD&D with some modifications to include things I did like from the 3.0 series.

I don't play it, but you may want to look at the Castles and Crusades RPG. It takes some things from 3e and from AD&D (IIRC).

 

[Gwathlas]

Won't we all just buy the crap as usual, see what works- keep that, junk the rest and replace it with whatever edition of the game we started with, or feel happiest with- that's what I've been doing for... oh, actually I don't want to say how many years.

The market's shrunk before, the rise of video games and particularly FPS (and on-line MMORPG et al), new gamers are born everyday, don't worry if Wizards/Paizo goes to the wall, someone'll spot the niche, the joys of capitalism. All those Chinese people painting them miniatures by hand, have a heart, we can't let them down.

Remember, what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger, particularly when you get to level up.

Cheers Paul

Well no I won't just buy crap as usual. At this point I'm not buying any further wotc/hasbro products. I'm done with their novels even if the story lines are not part of the change. I have all the FR produtcs I need and don't need things like the grand history or the rules compendium, made it this long with out it.