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When does D&D stop becoming D&D?
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<blockquote data-quote="BluSponge" data-source="post: 4084652" data-attributes="member: 916"><p>Well, technically, Dungeons and Dragons is a brand. And so long as that brand exists, any game published with that on the cover will have the weight of the brand behind it, regardless of whether it plays like Monopoly or GURPS. I suspect TSR sold enough copies of the updated "Dungeons and Dragons" (the one that came in the huge board game boxes) to have satisfied the profit margin of many smaller companies for years. In this respect, the question you should ask yourself is, "does WotC have what it takes to manage the brand." (IMNSHO: Yes, they do.)</p><p></p><p>This can't be entirely removed from your more subjective question. Certainly 4e can play very different from DnD and still "feel" like DnD because of the way the brand is managed. The trade dressings are all there. Dungeons? Check! Classes and hit points? Check! Dragons? Check! That these things do not function at all like they did in 1st, 2nd, even 3rd edition is not necessarily important. A lot of people have a great deal of attachment that only goes as deep as the name itself. That's not to say that the bulk of DnD players are sheep, only that they find value in the brand itself: when they see "Dungeons and Dragons" on the cover, they can expect a certain style and quality of play. As long as the designers understand this and don't stray too far from those expectations, they can do almost anything they want. You could republish Earthdawn under the DnD brand and a lot of folks will accept it at face value -- until it doesn't deliver their expectation of play. For the record, Alignment and Fire and Forget magic do not affect play nearly as much as other factors (such as the general understanding of what a 1st level fighter is and the class's role in the game).</p><p></p><p>That's the technical marketing department answer to the question.</p><p></p><p>On a more personal note, ask yourself when you read about the game: if this was not DnD 4th edition, would I play it? Would I make the necessary investment to run the game? Would my friends/players agree to make the investment and play it? If the answer to those questions is yes, than no worries. If the answer is no, well that could be the best lesson on the power of branding and marketing one can get. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p>Tom</p><p>who for the record thinks 4th sounds like an interesting RPG, but only vaguely resemble the D&D he grew up with or wants to play.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="BluSponge, post: 4084652, member: 916"] Well, technically, Dungeons and Dragons is a brand. And so long as that brand exists, any game published with that on the cover will have the weight of the brand behind it, regardless of whether it plays like Monopoly or GURPS. I suspect TSR sold enough copies of the updated "Dungeons and Dragons" (the one that came in the huge board game boxes) to have satisfied the profit margin of many smaller companies for years. In this respect, the question you should ask yourself is, "does WotC have what it takes to manage the brand." (IMNSHO: Yes, they do.) This can't be entirely removed from your more subjective question. Certainly 4e can play very different from DnD and still "feel" like DnD because of the way the brand is managed. The trade dressings are all there. Dungeons? Check! Classes and hit points? Check! Dragons? Check! That these things do not function at all like they did in 1st, 2nd, even 3rd edition is not necessarily important. A lot of people have a great deal of attachment that only goes as deep as the name itself. That's not to say that the bulk of DnD players are sheep, only that they find value in the brand itself: when they see "Dungeons and Dragons" on the cover, they can expect a certain style and quality of play. As long as the designers understand this and don't stray too far from those expectations, they can do almost anything they want. You could republish Earthdawn under the DnD brand and a lot of folks will accept it at face value -- until it doesn't deliver their expectation of play. For the record, Alignment and Fire and Forget magic do not affect play nearly as much as other factors (such as the general understanding of what a 1st level fighter is and the class's role in the game). That's the technical marketing department answer to the question. On a more personal note, ask yourself when you read about the game: if this was not DnD 4th edition, would I play it? Would I make the necessary investment to run the game? Would my friends/players agree to make the investment and play it? If the answer to those questions is yes, than no worries. If the answer is no, well that could be the best lesson on the power of branding and marketing one can get. :) Tom who for the record thinks 4th sounds like an interesting RPG, but only vaguely resemble the D&D he grew up with or wants to play. [/QUOTE]
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