WotC WotC will do what you say for 5 years. What are your instructions?

[Morrus]

What it says in the title. Somehow you have control of WotC for the next five years. They will make whatever D&D products you tell them to. What is your five-year plan?

(They will only make D&D stuff. No silly “give me a million pounds” or “turn into a law textbook company” — you get the spirit of the question.)

 

[Parmandur]

Make Spelljammer. Lots of Spelljammer.

 

[Tony Vargas]

Release all your IP into the public domain and close your doors.

Or, y'know, fork over the million.

 

[FlyingChihuahua]

Assuming a release schedule of 1 adventure a year and 1 splatbook a year:

First year: An adventure involving The Great Modron March, and Prime's Guide to the Planes (a Planescape book).

Second Year: An adventure involving Genies (presumably you get kidnapped by Efreeti and made slaves) and a Dark Sun setting book, introducing Psionics to the game.

Third Year: An adventure involving a war between Mind Flayers and Aboleths, winner gets a clutch of Kraken eggs, and a splatbook book based on Book of Exalted Deeds and Book of Vile Darkness.

Fourth Year: A Fey-themed adventure, maybe the Shadowfell is encroaching on it somehow., and a splatbook with a theme based around the natural world and the urban world (could have rules for higher tech stuff, like firearms and maybe more rules for exploration, maybe makes the Ranger better).

Fifth Year: An adventure involving Celestials, possibly them going full on Crusades on the lower planes and a PHB II-esque thing where they put the alternate class features that they've been talking about and rules for more tactical play.

and then I retire and become a pariah because I prolly did a bad job.

 

[Doc_Klueless]

Keep on doing what you've been doing. I've been digging it.

 

[Ash Mantle]

I'd open up the other most popular settings to be worked upon, this'll likely mean more Forgotten Realms, Planescape, Eberron and Ravenloft adventures for the time being. This'll likely begin in my first or second year.

I'd have Wizards focus on more setting material as well, in addition to putting out their excellent adventures. In doing this, I'd offer the original creators of those settings the design lead role. This'll likely begin in my second or third year. Ideally, these books would be similar to a GGtR or the upcoming Eberron book but more focused on specific areas and regions or races and cultures.

I'd also ensure the creation and playtesting of more classes and subclasses, enough to ensure that most of the class niches can be filled and also begin the creation and playtest of more of the niche classes and subclasses. This'll likely begin in my third or fourth year. I'd try to ensure books that are more player focused.

I'd then offer up the other popular settings, like Greyhawk, Dark Sun, Spelljammer et al to be worked upon in the form of adventures, and of course opening these settings up to the DMsGuild. This'll likely begin in my fourth or fifth year.

I'd also like to focus on other material, like another Lords of Madness, which was truly exemplary, or Libris Mortis or Heroes of Horror, or material like Magic of Incarnum or Tome of Magic or Book of Nine Swords. This'll likely begin in my fifth year. And ideally, these books would also be similar to a GGtR or the upcoming Eberron book but more focused on their specific niche.

 

[darjr]

Astral sea spell jammer and sigil! Then the iconic places never fleshed out, city of brass for instance

 

[5ekyu]

Wow - a five year mission?

I like the latter formats like we see with Ravnica and Eberron.



Honestly I would like year one to be about people "the other guys" and by that I mean to focus- a lot on patrons, divinities, cults, churches, circles etc etc etc. Obviously this would carry a lot of meat for warlocks, clerics rtc but I want more on others for each of them Note dome of thst might be coming in Ebberron, dome may exist in Ravinica and Acquisirions as well.

Year two z- focus on places - " over there" - locations and places. These should include good PC options for strongholds and such and that kind of thing. But also, exotic and mystic places and stories sroundvthrm.

Year 3 focuses on things - items and lore around them. For PCs this may include like item based backgrounds, crafting, etc. I think a major area to explore here is the case of items that change the character over time.

No idea for four to five

 

[Charlaquin]

Get cracking on 6e. Actually make it modular this time.

 

[Dausuul]

What it says in the title. Somehow you have control of WotC for the next five years. They will make whatever D&D products you tell them to. What is your five-year plan?

Depends. Do I also have control of the D&D community so that they will embrace the products I choose to have WotC make? Because if not, my orders are, "Keep doing what you're doing." They have made it very clear over the past few years that they know better than I do how to grow the D&D market.