WotC's Nathan Stewart: "Story, Story, Story"; and IS D&D a Tabletop Game?

Forbes spoke to WotC's Brand Director & Executive Producer for Dungeons & Dragons, who talked about the 5th Edition launch and his vision for D&D's future. The interview is fairly interesting - it confirms or repeats some information we already know, and also delves a little into the topic of D&D as a wider brand, rather than as a tabletop roleplaying game.

In the interview, he reiterates previous statements that this is the biggest D&D launch ever, in terms of both money and units sold.

[lq]We are story, story, story. The story drives everything.[/lq]

He repeats WoTC's emphasis on storylines, confirming the 1-2 stories per year philosphy. "We are story, story, story. The story drives everything. The need for new rules, the new races, new classes is just based on what’s going to really make this adventure, this story, this kind kind of theme happen." He goes on to say that "We’re not interested in putting out more books for books’ sake... there’s zero plans for a Player’s Handbook 2 any time on the horizon."

As for settings, he confirms that "we’re going to stay in the Forgotten Realms for the foreseeable future." That'll disappoint some folks, I'm sure, but it is their biggest setting, commercially.

Stewart is not "a hundred percent comfortable" with the status of digital tools because he felt like "we took a great step backwards."

[lq]Dungeons and Dragons stopped being a tabletop game years or decades ago. [/lq]

His thoughts on D&D's identity are interesting, too. He mentions that "Dungeons and Dragons stopped being a tabletop game years or decades ago". I'm not sure what that means. His view for the future of the brand includes video games, movies, action figures, and more: "This is no secret for anyone here, but the big thing I want to see is just a triple-A RPG video game. I want to see Baldur’s Gate 3, I want to see a huge open-world RPG. I would love movies about Dungeons and Dragons, or better yet, serialized entertainment where we’re doing seasons of D&D stories and things like Forgotten Realms action figures… of course I’d love that, I’m the biggest geek there is. But at the end of the day, the game’s what we’re missing in the portfolio."

You can read the full interview here.

 

[pming]

Hiya.

I think WotC is giving a fish to someone, as opposed to teaching them how to fish for themselves. That is, the "story, story, story!" thing may work to bring in a new player or three, but it isn't going to keep them here. That is the fatal flaw I see, and I'm betting it's going to bite them in the azz in the long run.

Anyway, as far as I'm concerned, from the sound of where this "brand marketing guy" is trying to take D&D...looks like WotC is going to loose out on at least 5 new sources of income with regards to 5th edition; nobody at my table is interested in non-RPG D&D stuff. We don't care and aren't interested in "story, story, story!" stuff they put out...we create our own stories, even if they are based on someone else's core-idea (re: older, 1e style adventure modules). We've tried to play AP's... to date we've never finished one. After one or two books, everyone sees all the railroady nature of stuff and it becomes painful to play. The players can see exactly what's going on when "suddenly, NPC #14 shows up and exclaims that they need somebody to come quickly as the dock is being attacked by fish-monsters!". It's not an interesting random encounter, it's not something that happens every month or so in this location...no...it's a plot hook. And the players know it. They know that if they don't go down to the docks and fight they fish-guys, then they are going to derail the plot or the DM will have to retro-cram something else so that the "story" can continue. The players all feel obligated to go fight the fish-guys...not because they want to, but because they have to. Ergo...our AP endevours have been somewhat less than stellar. If WotC thinks the AP thing is a good move, with the pretty much exclusion to anything else, I think they are sorely mistaken.

Oh well, at least the core rules are rock solid and easy to use with other, previous editions. It's just sad that one of the things I was looking forward to ...spending money on a currently supported edition of D&D... isn't going to happen.

^_^

Paul L. Ming

 

[aramis erak]

Better product placement.

Can I buy the D&D books in a WalMart? No.
Can I buy D&D minis are Toys'R'Us? No.
Can I buy D&D video games at Best Buy? No.

You can order the D&D books at WalMart.com, and have them shipped free to your local WalMart for you to pick up. That's been true since before 4E, even. You can also get the minis that way. And the board games. Even most of 4E, still. And some late 3E stuff. And DDO points cards via email.

So, you can get just about everything but the free-to-play freemium videogames on Walmart.com and have it delivered. Thus, even the couch surfer can do it.

 

[Parmandur]

There seems to be this inferiority complex strain going on with D&D fans in regards to the potential that WOTC sees in this as a brand.

Recall that some of the biggest, successful movies of the past few years were about a quest for a dragon...ina dungeon..

 

[Halivar]

Recall that some of the biggest, successful movies of the past few years were about a quest for a dragon...ina dungeon..

Yeah, but if you suggest we cast Orlando Bloom as Driz'zt we're gonna have to roll for initiative.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Thanks for all the personal insults in the pre-deleted version.

You are more than welcome to put me on your ignore list if I offend you so greatly with my opinion.

You're welcome! Happy to help!

And nope, I don't put anyone on the Ignore list, because I always want to see exactly who I believe is being unreasonable and thus be able to call them out on it as need be. I chose to delete the last one because I did see I was being more harsh than was necessary to make my point. But needless to say... the repetitive refrain I see in your posts does draw it out of me.

 

[Sunseeker]

You can order the D&D books at WalMart.com, and have them shipped free to your local WalMart for you to pick up. That's been true since before 4E, even. You can also get the minis that way. And the board games. Even most of 4E, still. And some late 3E stuff. And DDO points cards via email.

So, you can get just about everything but the free-to-play freemium videogames on Walmart.com and have it delivered. Thus, even the couch surfer can do it.

Sure, but that misses one of the biggest requirements of D&D: playing with other people. If I'm going to sit at my desk and wait for the game to come to me, I can get that with most major MMOs. Why then would I order a game that I will naturally have to go somewhere else if even only out to my living room?

That aside it's also not advertizing for the player and you're missing out on a lot of "spontaneous purchases". EX: I was in Wal-Mart a few days ago and happened across the new Megatron toy. I've been wanting one for a while but what with it being there, in my hands, the last one on the shelf I just had to buy it. The toy has been out for a couple months now, but I wasn't interested enough to buy one online.

A lot of people buy products because of that tactile interaction with them. For a game that is based on playing with real people in real life it's important for people to be able to get that and without the books being physically available at major retailers WOTC is going to miss out on a lot of that.

tl'dr: ordering online is for people who already know they want a thing and are ready to pay for it. Buying it in the stores is for people who are not yet sold on it, which is a HUGE market (see threads in this forum on that very subject).

 

[SilverfireSage]

Hiya.

I think WotC is giving a fish to someone, as opposed to teaching them how to fish for themselves. That is, the "story, story, story!" thing may work to bring in a new player or three, but it isn't going to keep them here. That is the fatal flaw I see, and I'm betting it's going to bite them in the azz in the long run.

Unfortunately, if you teach a man to fish, they're going to stop buying your fish... and WotC needs people to buy their fish or their dead in the water.

 

[DMZ2112]

Unfortunately, if you teach a man to fish, they're going to stop buying your fish... and WotC needs people to buy their fish or their dead in the water.

Just about the only statement that surprised me in this interview is when Nathan says that the feedback they are getting /now/ suggests that people are more interested in homebrewing than adventure paths, so they might even drop to one AP a year.

I mean, that's not news, as I understand it. We've always been a homebrewing community by a massive margin.

In context I guess it's a claim that divorces the brand even more completely from the (unsexy, 20th-Century) books, so he might just be pandering to his corporate executive customer base, but giving him the benefit of the doubt that he isn't just making it up out of whole cloth -- it seems really blind.

It does illustrate, however, the very important point that Hasbro does not care if you buy their fish; they care about how many millions of people buy tickets to see their fishing documentary.

EDIT: Wizards absolutely cares if you buy their fish. They put a lot of work into them and they care about them and they are delicious.

 

[Imaro]

There seems to be this inferiority complex strain going on with D&D fans in regards to the potential that WOTC sees in this as a brand.

Recall that some of the biggest, successful movies of the past few years were about a quest for a dragon...ina dungeon..

The problem is that for some reason... D&D has not been able to shake the stigma that's been attached to it... even though numerous other geek related things have successfully done so. I honestly am not sure why but that's where I think the first steps in utilizing the brand should begin... some kind of mainstream PR campaign... IMO, of course.

 

[HonorBoundSamurai632]

There is something odd in your position. First you lament a lack of old dnd campaign setting Support, then you announce you move to pathfinder. I believe that would be far more rational if you use 5th edition rules with old campaign material...

I apologize Stefano ..... what I mean is, I will continue to meet every other Saturday with the group I'm in that plays using 5th Edition. I will continue to run my PC with that group. When it comes time for me personally to get behind the screen though, I will be doing it with Pathfinder and Golarion. I actually am one of the few who prefer the whole "kitchen sink" approach to the Inner Sea region. That was one of the things that I miss about the D&D Multi-verse. I loved DM-ing in Greyhawk and having my players stumble upon a Spelljamming vessel, or accidentally walk into the Mists of Ravenloft, or travel the outer planes by first visiting Sigil.

I will still support 5th Edition as a player. But unfortunately, only as a player. When I DM, I'll be doing that with Pathfinder. This is what I meant.