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.

 

[DMZ2112]

If you refuse to see that in the interview the guy that manages the brand is saying that they won't release content for the RPG aside than APs and some web articles, I can really help you. If I were the only one reading this, you might have a point, but the concensus is pretty clear when you read the other posts. Could we be wrong? Sure, but when you add the other interviews, the picture is pretty clear.

Well, first of all, I totally agree that's what Nathan is saying, because that's what everyone at Wizards has been saying. Once again, APs and web articles and nothing else = not news. Sorry, FRCS fans, for the eighty hojillionth time, /you're boned/.

But I would caution anyone from using this article to support any /theories/ about where tabletop D&D is "going." At the risk of throwing shade on Mr. Stewart (who I'm sure is a nice guy and good at his job, previous employment in EA management notwithstanding), this is a Forbes interview with a branding executive. You are not the audience of this article. This article is primarily designed to make other executives sit up and say, "Hey, I want to partner with that. That sounds like a well-oiled gravy train."

He says it himself -- D&D is not a tabletop game. Of course D&D is a tabletop game, and of course he knows that. According to his Twitter feed, he was just /dungeon mastering/ it for a bunch of industry folks a few weeks ago. But the other branding execs don't care about that. They want to know that the brand is not permanently and irretrievably bound to books. Books are 20th century. Kindle is where the money is, "everybody" knows that. As soon as he starts talking about books, they want to know if he's got a Kindle solution. And he doesn't. So he paraphrases. 'D&D is not a tabletop game.' Maybe his audience is smart enough to recognize the hyperbole; maybe they're not (I know what my money's on). Fundamentally, they don't care, and that's how you should read this article.

 

[Harry Dresden]

I have no issue with a brand focus on D&D. I don't have enough time to buy, play and use every conceivable D&D book. I do have the time to play video games, watch TV and see movies though. I'll ask a question: how many people have bought an Iron Man comic book in the last decade on a regular basis? Did you see Iron Man (and its sequels), The Avengers or plan on seeing Age of Ultron?

The difference between the The Brand and the The Game is the difference between Iron Man as a brand and Iron Man as a comic book. The Brand includes underoos, movies, video games, and more. That doesn't mean that Marvel stops making Iron Man comic books, but it does mean that they have somebody to look after those other things. And saying that Iron Man isn't a comic book anymore isn't wrong either, because if you've never interacted with an Iron Man comic book then the only thing you know about Iron Man is the movie so to you Iron Man is a movie.

Or how about Star Wars? Sure the movies are what people think of, but Star Wars isn't movies and hasn't been in decades. Star Wars is also video games, toys, comics, books, hell anything you stick Darth Vader's face on!

Wanting to apply D&D to more than just a niche game in a niche market isn't a bad thing. It does mean that some guy is going to talk about things other than the TTRPG, because that isn't all D&D is anymore. Don't get me wrong, I'd love more D&D stuff, but the people that run the game aren't stupid. They need to expansion into more than just the game, I mean don't you want to buy t-shirts, or mugs, or kiddies birthday party plates with D&D stuff on them?

Look at it this way.

Name me some iconic D&D characters that are on the same level as Darts Bader, or the Avengers?

D&D is just not as iconic in the way those are. People who read Iron Man continue to buy them to this day. The thing is, Iron Man comic books hasn't slowed down one bit. They have sense enough to keep the lines separate.

 

[Harry Dresden]

I thought the point of D&D was to make money.

How are they making money on 2 AP'S a year and telling us to go and use all our old stuff?

 

[DMZ2112]

If you have a special store near you. I couldn't find one in Montréal.

https://goo.gl/maps/By9Ze

That store looks pretty special to me.

 

[Kramodlog]

I was talking about the APs to be honest. There's tons of new monsters in those, PotA is basically a new setting, and they've given a bunch of expansion stuff for players out for free already.

The free stuff was already in the AP, exept for 4 races. It is minimal support. Funny how you see a setting. I've read other people say it is too much set at the same location.

No, but you do need permission to talk about that stuff. Do you honestly think that everyone at WotC is just sitting on their hands doing nothing?

Of course not! They are busy with meetings and answering 200 emails a day (see Chris Perkin's interview on youtube)! Seriously, read Jeremy Crawford's interview. He said a lot of people are working on other stuff (not the RPG) and some on RPG books. Which books? "Stories, stories, stories".

I agree with this as well, but I fail to understand how this is a bad thing. People have already proven that they don't want to buy splat books.

Paizo's success says otherwise.

The failure of 4E over time and the steady decline of Pathfinder has proven that.

4e failed cause it was bad. As for Pathfinder, read Erik Mona's interview that says player base and sells are still growing post 5e release.

When people look back at the original D&D, or even 3.5, do they talk about how cool MM3 was, or how awesome that one random pamphlet about the Planes was? No, they talk about the Red Hand of Doom, Castle Ravenloft, Tomb of Horrors. Stories are how D&D thrives.

They also talked how the warlock was cool (a splat class that has now been in two PHB), how tome of battle was cool, how eberron was cool, how Unapproachable East and Silver March were cool...

Without trying out new splat class will we ever see new classes in the PHB?

Like I said, PotA wasn't announced until a month beforehand. Do you really think they're all just sitting on their hands?

Like I said, no, but that doesn't mean that what we'll see will be RPG content. Boardgames, comics, novels, videogames, are all stuff they can be working on too. And we know they are working on those. We've been told!

Yes, Hoard got bad reviews. Rise of Tiamat got pretty good reviews though, and PotA has gotten great reviews. This one thread does not evidence make, especially since this thread is split about 50/50 towards both sides.

Ah, but you asked for some evidence. I provided it. But like I said, no matter what I provided I couldn't meet your expectations mainly because you feel I'm attacking D&D and must defend it. What I'm doing is critiquing the support WotC is giving the RPG because I care about D&D. We are on the same side. I just think it will take a bit longer for you to see what I see and agree with me.

One of us. One of us. One of us.

Pathfinder Core Rulebook was released in August 2009. The bestiary was released in November. The next book (that wasn't part of an Adventure Path, since we're apparently disregarding those) was the Game Mastery Guide, released in July of 2010, nearly a full year later (Although to be honest, this shouldn't count because it's really just the DM's guide released much later than it should have been). Also did you actually read the full interview?

They produced player compagnions and 64 pages campaign setting gazetters too. Support is more than hardcover books. That support started in 2007 when they released their first AP.

"So it’s two stories a year right now. That might go down or up, depending on what the fan base wants." He then says that it might go down since they're seeing more homebrew stories.

Yeah, I quoted him saying that.

"A class would be another example. Mike Mearls and I always like to talk about if we do a pirate adventure, and add a sea-faring class and Swashbuckler this and that."
"I wouldn’t be surprised if we do some books here and there that pick up things that the fanbase wants in between stories, because of the feedback we’re hearing."

He's not talking about not releasing any books at all. He's talking about making sure all of the books and classes and such are tied to the stories that they're telling.

Yup, and one or two class, one race, fits well into a 256 pages book. It is support for the AP, but not for the RPG in general. Sure, you can use it in a homebrew campaign, but who would buy a 50$ book for one class or one race?

Yeah, and 4E had metric craptons of material for it. Obviously that model doesn't work.

So did 3.x and Paizo, and they both worked. 4e didn't work because it was bad. The quantity of material might not have helped, but going the other extreme is not a better solution.

Again, I would love to see some direct quotes from them saying it. Because reading between the lines or looking for the "subtext" is not how discussion works.

Discusion can work like that and in this thread I see lots of people doing it.

 

[jodyjohnson]

If you have a special store near you. I couldn't find one in Montréal.

http://locator.wizards.com/#p=H1A 0A1&a=search&brand=dnd&c=45.6524306,-73.5012086&et=&pf=

Le Chevalier and Boutique Generation Geek seem to be current.

Abyss looks to be starting in June.

 

[DongMaster]

That's what megacorps do in contrast to entrepreneurs who are passionate for an interest and think they can make a living serving it.

This megacorp has (READ THIS CAREFULLY = IMO!) created six books and a starter Set, all top notch, which got our gaming society intrested in rpgs again.

 

[Kramodlog]

https://goo.gl/maps/By9Ze

That store looks pretty special to me.

They have AL there? How did you find it?

 

[Kramodlog]

http://locator.wizards.com/#p=H1A 0A1&a=search&brand=dnd&c=45.6524306,-73.5012086&et=&pf=

Le Chevalier and Boutique Generation Geek seem to be current.

Abyss looks to be starting in June.

Outside of Montréal.

 

[DMZ2112]

They have AL there? How did you find it?

1. https://www.google.com/webhp?source...&ie=UTF-8#q=montreal+adventurers+league&pws=0
2. http://www.meetup.com/DnDMontreal/
3. http://www.meetup.com/DnDMontreal/events/220719280/
4. https://goo.gl/maps/pU37Q
5. https://goo.gl/maps/By9Ze

TL;DR: The Internet.