This words hit like a magic missile straight into the hearts of players of the popular tabletop RPG around the world. “Dungeons & Dragons is more popular than ever,” Cynthia Williams, former CEO of D&D publisher Wizards of the Coast, said in a December 2022 “For Investor” webinar. “For investor,” she added, “we have really great fan and engagement.” Williams also highlighted that “But this brand is really under-monetized.”
Ahead of D&D’s 50th birthday this year, branded tattoos have been circulating like wildfire. As the celebrations continued, Williams’ comments took on the ring of a dire prophecy that would come true in the most tasteless way imaginable. D&D is more “monetized” than ever before, and it’s brutal to watch.
GaryCon celebrates Gary Gygax, one of the main creators of Dungeons & Dragons, in March. Photo: Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast (part of the Hasbro toy empire) has announced a Dungeons & Dragons LEGO set with dragon-sized prizes. They have also partnered with sneaker brand Converse to create a design inspired by the original D&D handbook from half a century ago. These products are just part of the many merchandise items flooding the market.
Merchandise is an important part of the 21st-century geek world. Legos, sneakers, and table lamps are exactly the kind of products you would expect to come with a new Avengers or Star Wars movie. This is part of the so-called “Baby Groot economy.”
But D&D is not Marvel. Wizards made a terrible mistake in trying to “monetize the brand.” In that infamous webinar, Williams revealed that while Dungeon Masters (players who referee game sessions) make up 20% of the user base, they account for the lion’s share of spending, meaning they don’t buy all the expensive rulebooks. Hasbro CEO Chris Cox also participated in the call, announcing plans to transform D&D into a “four-quadrant” brand “with similar recognition to The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter.”
What neither of them seems to understand is that D&D will never be the next Harry Potter. That’s because D&D is not a franchise, lifestyle brand, or marketing opportunity. It’s primarily a community of people who create their own adventures themselves. And you can’t monetize it. Despite all the recent fuss about the game, the D&D experience has remained fundamentally unchanged since it first crawled out of co-creators Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson’s basement in 1974.
Friends come together every week. They hang out, throw dice, and share the thrill of exploring an abandoned dwarven mine or rescuing the cousin of one of the party from a fanatic who has set up camp in the woods outside of town. You can’t put a price on that. It’s like trying to turn friendship into money.
This new D&D Lego set is an example of how little Wizards and Hasbro understand their player base. At first glance, the “Red Dragon’s Tale” box looks promising. Featuring brick fortresses, giant dragons, square-headed adventurers, and his iconic D&D monsters such as owlbears, displacer beasts, and beholders. There are also tie-up adventures using the included figures.
Oh, I think D&D Lego. A great way to get kids involved in the hobby. The problem is, this luxury box costs £314. That’s about the same price as six D&D Player’s Handbooks.
Wizards’ problems have already burned away much of its userbase’s goodwill after last year’s controversy over plans to reverse a policy dating back to 2000, allowing independent creators to use D&D’s rules to their own convenience. It’s taking away their freedom to do what they want. According to the leaked proposal, Wizards intends to require creators with annual sales of more than $750,000 to receive a 25% royalty on their revenue and reserve the right to reuse content created under the license. The “big game” has come to this little guy.
This story created a huge rift between publishers and players. Many in the community now perceive Wizards not as the custodian of the game he acquired in 1997, but as a capitalist necromancer trying to flog D&D for all it’s worth.
Rose Harden, 34, is a dungeon master who runs weekly games at Sydney’s Fortress. She handcrafts her D&D paraphernalia as part of the story. Photo: The Guardian
There was an outcry, and Wizards stepped down. Twelve months later, his 50th anniversary of D&D is here, and it feels telling how Wizards is commemorating it with Legos and sneakers. Yes, a commemorative book is also in the works, along with an updated ruleset that Wizards has dubbed “One D&D.” But few people want a new edition of D&D, and for many it feels like a money-making activity.
Tabletop role-playing is all the rage these days. From the folk-horror steampunk of Free League's Vaesen to the “rules-lite” systems of Mausritter and Mörk Borg, games have never been so diverse. What the publishers of these titles understand is that it takes time to develop a player base, and the relationship is an ongoing one.
Compare that to the onslaught of cheap D&D merchandise and you should be worried. Forget about monetization. An important currency in the tabletop hobby is the goodwill of the players. In a blizzard of junk, the Wizards seem determined to sacrifice 50 years of legacy on the altar of unbridled corporate greed.
Source: www.theguardian.com
