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: Why the New D&D Board Game is a Big Deal
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: 8052489" data-attributes="member: 3285"><p>Hasbro’s <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/adventure-begins-a-new-dungeons-and-dragons-boardgame.673449/page-5" target="_blank">recent announcement of new D&D board game</a> is welcome but not necessarily new—Wizards of the Coast has published several D&D-themed board games in the past. What is new is that the product is listed under Hasbro Games rather than Wizards, which might be indicative of the parent company finally putting its muscle behind the tabletop role-playing game.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH=full]124347[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 18px"><strong>D&D’s Always Been a Board Game</strong></span></p><p></p><p><strong>Dungeons & Dragons’ </strong>roots originated with tabletop play, albeit not on a board but rather a sand table with the first iteration of <a href="https://amzn.to/30oSy88" target="_blank"><strong>Chainmail</strong></a>. The game that inspired D&D, a freewheeling <strong>Braunstein </strong>campaign that featured a dungeon crawl, <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/d-d-the-board-game.665579/" target="_blank">also inspired Dave Megarry <strong>DUNGEON!</strong> board game</a>.</p><p></p><p>TSR dabbled with a variety of crossover formats for the tabletop game, returning to the concept of a “game in a box” again and again as a means of <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/when-d-d-was-a-toy.665560/" target="_blank">getting the game on toy store shelves</a> and making it more accessible to new and younger players.</p><p></p><p>Since then, Wizards of the Coast has flirted with a similar approach to introducing the game to a new audience. Wizards used the same molds for its miniature games, repurposing them for the<strong> Dungeons and Dragons Adventure System</strong> series with the launch of <a href="https://amzn.to/2BWfli6" target="_blank"><strong>Castle Ravenloft</strong></a> back in 2010. WOTC even produced <strong>Dungeons & Dragons: The Fantasy Adventure Board Game</strong> … distributed to the European market only.</p><p></p><p>One thing all these games had in common? They didn’t use the D&D rules!</p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 18px"><strong>But Not Recently</strong></span></p><p></p><p>Although <a href="https://amzn.to/3i7vvoh" target="_blank"><strong>DUNGEON</strong></a>! is much venerated as the premiere dungeon crawl board game, the most popular is <a href="https://amzn.to/2C0HCUS" target="_blank"><strong>HeroQuest</strong></a>. Created by Milton Bradley in conjunction with Games Workshop, it was in print until 1997. A worthy successor, <a href="https://amzn.to/2Po5vIV" target="_blank"><strong>Descent: Journeys in the Dark</strong></a>, from Fantasy Flight Games followed in 2005. And yet, although all three of these games feature dungeon-crawling adventures, they are not actual D&D.</p><p></p><p>Hasbro has been willing to license the D&D brand to many of its longstanding game staples, <a href="https://amzn.to/30i5WuC" target="_blank">like Clue</a>. And Wizards of the Coast has produced other board games set in D&D settings, like the Euro-style <a href="https://amzn.to/3gltkNA" target="_blank"><strong>Lords of Waterdeep</strong></a><strong>.</strong> But the last proper game in a box using D&D miniatures and rules was back in 2004 with the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Basic-Game/dp/0786934093" target="_blank"><strong>Dungeons & Dragons Basic Game</strong></a><strong>,</strong> produced by Wizards of the Coast.</p><p></p><p>Like <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/where-has-the-magic-gone.663432/" target="_blank">the invisible wall</a> that Wizards of the Coast built between <strong>Magic: The Gathering </strong>and <strong>Dungeons & Dragons</strong>, there seems to be something preventing divisions within the company from cross-pollinating. With the arrival of new CEO Chris Cocks, <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/d-d-ceos-the-wizards-of-the-coast-years.663773/" target="_blank">those obstacles were removed</a>, which is why D&D now has several <strong>Magic: The Gathering/D&D </strong>crossover supplements. With this new board game, we may see history repeating itself.</p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 18px"><strong>What’s Different This Time</strong></span></p><p></p><p>What makes this new version of the D&D board game unique? For one, it’s a D&D starter set using the full production values of Hasbro’s board game division. A quick glance of <a href="https://amzn.to/2BLvR4n" target="_blank">its listing on Amazon</a> confirms that the game is being produced by Hasbro Games, not Wizards of the Coast. Moreover, it’s listed as available on Hasbro Pulse. <a href="https://hasbropulse.com/pages/about-us" target="_blank">What’s Hasbro Pulse</a>?</p><p></p><p>[EXCERPT]Hasbro Pulse is a place where fans come first. As fans ourselves, we have an idea of what you – our fans – want. Hasbro Pulse is where you’ll find some of the best product offerings and experiences from the brands you love, a glimpse at more behind-the-scenes material and insider details that you can’t get anywhere else. We made Hasbro Pulse with you, the fans, in mind. We hope you’ll make it your first stop when you’re looking for insider info about your favorite Hasbro brands.[/EXCERPT]</p><p>Given that <strong>Dungeons & Dragons</strong> is a brand powerful enough to <a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/long-sordid-of-d-3080857" target="_blank">launch a battle over the film rights</a>, you’d think that there would be several D&D products on Hasbro Pulse. But as of today, the only product that is listed under the D&D brand <a href="https://hasbropulse.com/collections/all?page=1&rb_vendor=Dungeons+and+Dragons+Adventure+Begins" target="_blank">is this new board game</a>. Not even the <strong>My Little Pony/D&D </strong>crossover figures <a href="https://hasbropulse.com/collections/all?page=1&rb_vendor=My+Little+Pony" target="_blank">are listed under D&D</a>!</p><p></p><p>In short, something changed, and from the looks of it, Hasbro is finally embracing D&D as a brand worthy of the parent company’s publishing muscle. Here’s hoping the board game is just the beginning.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="talien, post: 8052489, member: 3285"] Hasbro’s [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/adventure-begins-a-new-dungeons-and-dragons-boardgame.673449/page-5']recent announcement of new D&D board game[/URL] is welcome but not necessarily new—Wizards of the Coast has published several D&D-themed board games in the past. What is new is that the product is listed under Hasbro Games rather than Wizards, which might be indicative of the parent company finally putting its muscle behind the tabletop role-playing game. [CENTER][ATTACH type="full" alt="dnd_advbegins_header.jpg"]124347[/ATTACH][/CENTER] [SIZE=5][B]D&D’s Always Been a Board Game[/B][/SIZE] [B]Dungeons & Dragons’ [/B]roots originated with tabletop play, albeit not on a board but rather a sand table with the first iteration of [URL='https://amzn.to/30oSy88'][B]Chainmail[/B][/URL]. The game that inspired D&D, a freewheeling [B]Braunstein [/B]campaign that featured a dungeon crawl, [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/d-d-the-board-game.665579/']also inspired Dave Megarry [B]DUNGEON![/B] board game[/URL]. TSR dabbled with a variety of crossover formats for the tabletop game, returning to the concept of a “game in a box” again and again as a means of [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/when-d-d-was-a-toy.665560/']getting the game on toy store shelves[/URL] and making it more accessible to new and younger players. Since then, Wizards of the Coast has flirted with a similar approach to introducing the game to a new audience. Wizards used the same molds for its miniature games, repurposing them for the[B] Dungeons and Dragons Adventure System[/B] series with the launch of [URL='https://amzn.to/2BWfli6'][B]Castle Ravenloft[/B][/URL] back in 2010. WOTC even produced [B]Dungeons & Dragons: The Fantasy Adventure Board Game[/B] … distributed to the European market only. One thing all these games had in common? They didn’t use the D&D rules! [SIZE=5][B]But Not Recently[/B][/SIZE] Although [URL='https://amzn.to/3i7vvoh'][B]DUNGEON[/B][/URL]! is much venerated as the premiere dungeon crawl board game, the most popular is [URL='https://amzn.to/2C0HCUS'][B]HeroQuest[/B][/URL]. Created by Milton Bradley in conjunction with Games Workshop, it was in print until 1997. A worthy successor, [URL='https://amzn.to/2Po5vIV'][B]Descent: Journeys in the Dark[/B][/URL], from Fantasy Flight Games followed in 2005. And yet, although all three of these games feature dungeon-crawling adventures, they are not actual D&D. Hasbro has been willing to license the D&D brand to many of its longstanding game staples, [URL='https://amzn.to/30i5WuC']like Clue[/URL]. And Wizards of the Coast has produced other board games set in D&D settings, like the Euro-style [URL='https://amzn.to/3gltkNA'][B]Lords of Waterdeep[/B][/URL][B].[/B] But the last proper game in a box using D&D miniatures and rules was back in 2004 with the [URL='https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Basic-Game/dp/0786934093'][B]Dungeons & Dragons Basic Game[/B][/URL][B],[/B] produced by Wizards of the Coast. Like [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/where-has-the-magic-gone.663432/']the invisible wall[/URL] that Wizards of the Coast built between [B]Magic: The Gathering [/B]and [B]Dungeons & Dragons[/B], there seems to be something preventing divisions within the company from cross-pollinating. With the arrival of new CEO Chris Cocks, [URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/d-d-ceos-the-wizards-of-the-coast-years.663773/']those obstacles were removed[/URL], which is why D&D now has several [B]Magic: The Gathering/D&D [/B]crossover supplements. With this new board game, we may see history repeating itself. [SIZE=5][B]What’s Different This Time[/B][/SIZE] What makes this new version of the D&D board game unique? For one, it’s a D&D starter set using the full production values of Hasbro’s board game division. A quick glance of [URL='https://amzn.to/2BLvR4n']its listing on Amazon[/URL] confirms that the game is being produced by Hasbro Games, not Wizards of the Coast. Moreover, it’s listed as available on Hasbro Pulse. [URL='https://hasbropulse.com/pages/about-us']What’s Hasbro Pulse[/URL]? [EXCERPT]Hasbro Pulse is a place where fans come first. As fans ourselves, we have an idea of what you – our fans – want. Hasbro Pulse is where you’ll find some of the best product offerings and experiences from the brands you love, a glimpse at more behind-the-scenes material and insider details that you can’t get anywhere else. We made Hasbro Pulse with you, the fans, in mind. We hope you’ll make it your first stop when you’re looking for insider info about your favorite Hasbro brands.[/EXCERPT] Given that [B]Dungeons & Dragons[/B] is a brand powerful enough to [URL='https://www.patreon.com/posts/long-sordid-of-d-3080857']launch a battle over the film rights[/URL], you’d think that there would be several D&D products on Hasbro Pulse. But as of today, the only product that is listed under the D&D brand [URL='https://hasbropulse.com/collections/all?page=1&rb_vendor=Dungeons+and+Dragons+Adventure+Begins']is this new board game[/URL]. Not even the [B]My Little Pony/D&D [/B]crossover figures [URL='https://hasbropulse.com/collections/all?page=1&rb_vendor=My+Little+Pony']are listed under D&D[/URL]! In short, something changed, and from the looks of it, Hasbro is finally embracing D&D as a brand worthy of the parent company’s publishing muscle. Here’s hoping the board game is just the beginning. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
RPG Evolution: Why the New D&D Board Game is a Big Deal
Top