Treebore
First Post
They might license it though. Maybe.
Worst case scenario: Could WotC "break" the whole industry?
They might license it though. Maybe.
If D&D disappeared, the hobby would not collapse, but it would shrink heavily because the steady influx of people that D&D brings into the hobby would practically disappear.
Without the steady influx of people that almost all of the other companies rely on, many will close up. Consolidation will occur and 2 or 3 companies will end up controlling the RPG market...probably SJG, WW, and Paizo...just my 2 cents.
Without the steady influx of people that almost all of the other companies rely on, many will close up. Consolidation will occur and 2 or 3 companies will end up controlling the RPG market...probably SJG, WW, and Paizo...just my 2 cents.
That may depend on what you're talking about when you talk of "the industry".
To hear the various business guys (from WotC and elsewhere) tell it, in one sense WotC pretty much is "the industry". In terms of raw sales, even the closest competitor (White Wolf) is not particularly large. So, in that sense, yes WotC can kill the industry if it stops publishing D&D.
On the other hand, WotC cannot, in the short term, kill the hobby - people can play for a long time without new WotC content. Long enough for someone else using 3e OGL content, or some other system, to step up and make a name for themselves.
To hear the various business guys (from WotC and elsewhere) tell it, in one sense WotC pretty much is "the industry". In terms of raw sales, even the closest competitor (White Wolf) is not particularly large. So, in that sense, yes WotC can kill the industry if it stops publishing D&D.
On the other hand, WotC cannot, in the short term, kill the hobby - people can play for a long time without new WotC content. Long enough for someone else using 3e OGL content, or some other system, to step up and make a name for themselves.
BryonD
Hero
I think this is true. But even if they did completely screw it up (not happening now, and not looming) there would be much wailing and much chaos. And then things would settle back to some other semi-equilibrium state fairly similar to how it is now.
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WotC won't go down, it has licenses to print money that are not RPG related.
If D&D got further manhandled, the industry would survive.
But it would also splinter - everyone would go and play their favorite game. Some would stay with 3.5/4E/older versions of D&D (Just because nothing more good comes out, doesn't mean we can't play what we have) Others would find the excellent offerings of other companies.
Honestly though, the splinter effect is already happening. D20 games were sort of a utopia - everyone could play their different games but for the most part we could all easily speak each other's language. One player could invite another to play an entirely different system, and for the most part, the transition would be painless. More brainpower would be spent to understand the new world rather than the new rulesystem.
To some extent, that still exists. However, clearly the trend is to move away from that somewhat.
Will that be good or bad? Who knows?
If D&D got further manhandled, the industry would survive.
But it would also splinter - everyone would go and play their favorite game. Some would stay with 3.5/4E/older versions of D&D (Just because nothing more good comes out, doesn't mean we can't play what we have) Others would find the excellent offerings of other companies.
Honestly though, the splinter effect is already happening. D20 games were sort of a utopia - everyone could play their different games but for the most part we could all easily speak each other's language. One player could invite another to play an entirely different system, and for the most part, the transition would be painless. More brainpower would be spent to understand the new world rather than the new rulesystem.
To some extent, that still exists. However, clearly the trend is to move away from that somewhat.
Will that be good or bad? Who knows?
Grazzt
Demon Lord
Yep. Agree with this.
tomBitonti
Adventurer
Well, I was taking your question a different way: How much harm has Hasbro done to their business partners in denying them a stream of revenue?
That is: I took "the industry" as "RPG business entities other than Hashbro", and "fan driven products and utilities".
My read is that Hasbro doesn't care about the industry as a whole: They are focused on their own bottom line. I think that they think that they can weather the damage to the industry as a whole, because they are the market leader.
I think, though, that the market as a whole ought to be building bridges, not burning them: Pen and paper RPGs must survive in a market that also contains MMORPGs, and Multi-Player shooters.
(On the other hand, maybe Hasbro has seen that the only way to survive is to dramatically alter the business model: Don't compete with online games; ride in their wake. Switch to a subscription model with sales driven by power cards, miniatures, and the online character generator. But, even if that is the case, then what they seem to be doing is cutting and running, and don't intend to share the lifeboat when they reach it.)
Mistwell
Crusty Old Meatwad (he/him)
This is a basic assumption which I think is frankly silly.
It's OK if your OPINION is that you do not like the way WOTC has handled D&D with 4e. But to state it as fact in a basic assumption in your post, like it's the same as assuming the sky is blue?
I think WOTC has done a relatively good job so far with D&D and 4e. That's my opinion however, and I would not presume to tell everyone that my opinion is fact that should then be built on both others as a basic assumption.
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