D&D 5E Wizards not taking Gencon seriously?

[default_entry]

Is it just me, or did anyone else kinda get the feel that Wizards wasn't really trying with their Gencon booth? GM shortages, lots of lines, GM's not even knowing what exactly is supposed to run-combined with the lack of any kind of marketing, or even a couple nice decorations like last year, it felt like they only came because they had too. Or for some reason weren't expecting good turnout (considering the reception 5E has been getting, why wouldn't they?!)

 

[mattcolville]

I think they've discovered PAX is a better venue for them.

 

[exile]

I played only Pathfinder at GenCon, but-- out of curiosity-- popped my head into the D&D room once or twice. They had a good crowd for the allotted space. I didn't try to play any AL games at GenCon because I was with friends who favor PFS and because I had been burned by AL at Origins.

 

[Kramodlog]

WotC/Hasbro is doing a lot of changes business-wise. D&D is caught in the storm and has to adapt. GenCon is not favored anymore. Or maybe I should say for now.

It would be less of an issue if 4e had been a success, but from the Crawford interview, high ups needed convincing when it came to 5e and they put some constraints on the design team. The size of the D&D team seems like one of those constraints. How Cons and promo are handled seems to be another one. Sending a team to a Con ain't cheap.

 

[kenmarable]

I think they've discovered PAX is a better venue for them.

Although with their decreasing presence at Gen Con despite Gen Con's increasing attendance, you might wonder which is the cart and which is the horse. Do they put more effort into PAX because it's a better venue, or is it a better venue because they put more effort into it?

 

[Umbran]

Although with their decreasing presence at Gen Con despite Gen Con's increasing attendance, you might wonder which is the cart and which is the horse. Do they put more effort into PAX because it's a better venue, or is it a better venue because they put more effort into it?

If their concern is as much computer games and media, then PAX is certainly a better venue.

 

[Celtavian]

They want that video game money.

 

[Neptune]

Is it just me, or did anyone else kinda get the feel that Wizards wasn't really trying with their Gencon booth? GM shortages, lots of lines, GM's not even knowing what exactly is supposed to run-combined with the lack of any kind of marketing, or even a couple nice decorations like last year, it felt like they only came because they had too. Or for some reason weren't expecting good turnout (considering the reception 5E has been getting, why wouldn't they?!)

Excuse me for correcting your mistake. Wizards did NOT have a booth. They weren't in the exhibit hall and they outsourced the game play to Baldman Games and offered little to no support.

 

[doctorhook]

Didn't go to GenCon, but I always looked forward to news from it. Given that GenCon and D&D are from the same father (Gary Gygax) and the same womb (Lake Geneva, Wisconsin), it's certainly sad that D&D's current makers don't consider GenCon a priority.

D&D at PAX is awesome! PAX is huge, and Penny Arcade itself brought a ton of people to 4E. That said, PAX is about video games first and foremost, is it not? Despite worrying comments to the contrary, D&D is still a tabletop game with electronic tie-ins.

 

[Coredump]

According to Mearls.... the feedback they have gotten is GenCon is for playing RPG games, so WotC doesn't do much there. PAX is not for playing RPGs, so they can have lots of panels etc.

WotC did not have a booth, but they did have several folks there. Baldman Games was running the AL games, and seems to have had some definite issues. Hopefully they can adapt and improve.