D&D General You're Hasbro/WotC Marketing - What Do You Do for the 50-year Anniversary in 2024?

[akr71]

The cost would be really high for that. While D&D is dollar to hour very cheap entertainment, it still requires a buy in and you can price yourself out of a customer base by having multiple required books of 60+ price tags just to start playing.

You wouldn't need these to start playing - they'd be "collector's editions" and could be priced accordingly. Besides the thread is about "What would I do" and that's what I would do.

 

[Richards]

Genetically engineering a beholder seems a bit far-reaching, considering all of the magical effects built into the creature's design: not only the magical flight but the various effects of its central eye and the other ten eyes it has on its eyestalks.

Probably best to go with an owlbear.

Johnathan

 

[jmartkdr2]

Obviously it's time to blow up the Forgotten Realms again.

But seriously, the first thing:

50th anniversary deluxe dice. In a fancy case. Two versions. One has the usual suite of dice (d20, d12, d10, d%, d8, d6, d4). The other is the masterpiece set, which has all the dice you'd ever need for 5e. It comes with 8d20 (two each of four colors, for four fighter attacks using advantage/disadvantage), 4d12 (for high-level poison spray), 5d10 (four for high-level cantrips, one as a d%), 4d8 (for high-level cantrips), 8d6 (for fireballs), and 5d4 (for magic missiles).

As someone who likes paladins: you'd need at least 12d8.

 

[OB1]

• Updated Core 3 Rulebooks replace current version, adding most popular options from existing source books, but no new material - Available in regular and 50th anniversary collectors editions
• Greyhawk Campaign Setting with rule options to make the game feel more old school
• New Campaign setting designed from open contest (like Eberron)
• Best of the DMs Guild One Shot Adventures - Collection of 15-20 short adventures from the DMs guild

My overall strategy would be to continue to focus on a new generation of players with the Update Core, celebrate D&D's 50 year history with the Greyhawk setting, engage the community by highlighting the creative efforts of DMs through the setting and one shot adventure contests. These should have Next Playtest level of community feedback in deciding what will be printed.

 

[Laurefindel]

My money is on...

• Various art anthologies of different settings, as well as a few "The Evolution of X from '74 to '24" retrospective books.
• Interviews with some of the major players (ha!) over each period of D&D (and anthologies of interviews of those who have deceased)
• "Deluxe" versions of many books of the current and previous editions, with maps, cards, and all the usual paraphernalia.
• The "D&D 50 anniversary Edition" of Monopoly. (inevitable)
• The public or open content release of some settings. (hum, maybe not)
• Hints and announcements about the products and directions to come, including but not limited to the upcoming edition (be it 6e or 5.1)

In other words, enough to satisfy the nostalgic, and enough to entice the new generations

 

[M.L. Martin]

What I'd like: Reprint the Rules Cyclopedia.

What I expect: 6th Edition

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Get Goodman Games to do a Castle Greyhawk mega-product, similar to the Temple of Elemental Evil two-book set they're working on now, that's as authentic to Gygax's original as possible. Pull in as many living veterans of the original campaign as you can to work on it.

Gail Gygax is the stumbling block here, as covered even in mainstream press a few years ago. It seems like a pretty complicated situation, to put it mildly.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

It feels like a lot of people in this thread don't realize that Art & Arcana isn't "just" an art book -- it's an incredibly comprehensive and clear-eyed history of Dungeons & Dragons, both in the TSR and WotC eras. Anyone wanting a comprehensive history of the game should pick it up.

 

[delericho]

7e. For one reason or another, every even-numbered edition seems to end badly, so let's skip one.

But how about this: An Open Adventure Search - operates much like the Setting Search that brought us Eberron, but the end product is a deluxe adventure path/storyline, with lots of lovely supporting materials. Gets the community really excited, gets us all what should be a great product, and opens up a new pool for WotC and other companies to recruit good people - a win/win/win.

 

[Lanefan]

7e. For one reason or another, every even-numbered edition seems to end badly, so let's skip one.

But how about this: An Open Adventure Search - operates much like the Setting Search that brought us Eberron, but the end product is a deluxe adventure path/storyline, with lots of lovely supporting materials. Gets the community really excited, gets us all what should be a great product, and opens up a new pool for WotC and other companies to recruit good people - a win/win/win.

Sounds good in principle but what worries me is that while sure there'd be one winner, there'd also be dozens if not hundreds of other good ideas submitted; and would WotC expect or demand as a condition of entry the signing away of rights to do anything else with said ideas - e.g. publish them elsewhere - if they don't win the WotC prize? If yes, WotC never have to write another adventure.

Also, would the adventure have to be for 5e or could it be for any edition?