So you hit the lottery tomorrow...

[TheDungeonDelver]

Not some puny local lottery, but a big powerball jackpot. The payout after taxes is $175,000,000.00. You're now effectively automatically in Forbes magazine, etc.

You figure that you can wrest the D&D properties from Hasbro for a cool $30,000,000.00 and thus you take your lump sum payout. Surprise, surprise, you do it.

The IP is transferred to your name. The resources are moved to the offices of whatever corporate front you created to negotiate the deal with.

You're now sitting on the keys to the kingdom.

Because you're not stupid, you want to keep this thing profitable, and you can make your $30m back in a few years if the hobby keeps rolling along like it did when you made the buy.

Now you - whomever is reading this - are like me I'd wager: 1e fan to the core. So what do you do?

Do you trash 3e, reintroduce 1e, start printing the old rules again and say to hell with the established fanbase?

Keep 3e, but strip it of the "D&D" moniker, call it "D20 Fantasy" and start printing the old rules again?

Change nothing, just ocassionally go to the property vault and roll around in a giant pile of old TSR memerobilia?

Hire back all of the old TSR luminaries and start producing 1e stuff again as well as printing the AD&D books, while keeping "3e" in print?

Same as previous, but have said folks (Gary, Rob, Frank, etc.) produce what the original vision of 2e was to have been?

Just curious if anyone else had this fantasy.

[Semaj The Silent]

Actually, no I've never really had this fantasy. Strange.

But my answer is firm. I'd acquire the IP, have legal papers drawn up handing it all over to Gary, hop in my SUV, drive up to Lake Geneva, show up on Gary's doorstep, and hand it over to him. He deserves it.

Dead serious.

Edit to add: I might also shuck him a spare $10 million for his own projects...depending if he fed me well while visiting him.

[foster1941]

What are you, kidding? Who here hasn't had this fantasy. Her's what I would do. I'd release single-volume "collector's editions" of both the OD&D white-box and the 4 core AD&D books. These would be essentially replica editions of the originals, perhaps with typos fixed and maybe with some new cover art (but only if the new art captured the original spirit and didn't suck). Alongside these I would release a pair of 'companion' volumes -- the D&D companion and the AD&D companion. Hopefully I'd be able to convince Gary to at least oversee, if not actually write/edit, either or both of these. They would consist of the 'best of' material from the various rules supplements and later editions, as well as whatever additions/clarifications/changes Gary would like to make now that never saw print in the 70s-80s. These would be big, thick, books -- thicker than the actual core books, most likely. And that would be all I'd release, ever. I'd license somebody to sell official pdfs and print-on-demand reprints of the old stuff, and I'd have some d20-type license to allow 3rd parties to produce new supplementary material, but I wouldn't do any of it myself. These 4 products, the 2 collector's editions and the 2 companion volumes, would be my sole releases in the "pen & paper" rpg market.

All of my other efforts would be in exploiting the D&D trademarks and IP in other media -- D&D-branded video games, CRPGs, clicky minis, card-games, boardgames, and so on (you know, the kinds of games that kids today actually play). I'd try to get a D&D-branded movie made that didn't suck (perhaps trying to resurrect Gary's ill-fated D&D movie script from the 80s if it still exists), a new D&D-branded tv series along the lines of the old D&D cartoon from the 80s but better, a line of D&D-branded fiction that didn't suck (perhaps re-releasing some of the great s&s fiction of the past in new editions) and so on. The idea would be to make the D&D brand (trademark, IP) a full-on force in the cultural mainstream, not just a punchline or as a bit of "wacky" nostalgia. You'd all hate me for selling out and mercilessly whoring the brand and the IP, but you wouldn't hate me too much because I'd keep the core rules perenially in print and would allow 3rd parties to produce and distribute their own derivative material, and I'd have the money to actually do this because I'd be getting it in areas that are actually profitable instead of trying to bleed more and more cash out of just you guys.

[AxeMental]

I'd republish the 3 core books and monster manuals (all original covers) in 2 sets and make them collectables with silver lettering or something (but keep the original covers...they can't be improved). I'd then hire the kids from Napolean Dynomite to push it to youngsters as totally cool (imagine t-shirt sales). Maybe bring back the old gang and publish a new game a 4E. The 3E material would accidently be deleted as would all the present sucktard employees and independents working on it.

[TheDungeonDelver]

axemental said:

I'd republish the 3 core books and monster manuals (all original covers) in 2 sets and make them collectables with silver lettering or something (but keep the original covers...they can't be improved). I'd then hire the kids from Napolean Dynomite to push it to youngsters as totally cool (imagine t-shirt sales). Maybe bring back the old gang and publish a new game a 4E. The 3E material would accidently be deleted as would all the present sucktard employees and independents working on it.

The employees would be accidentally deleted. Axe you scare the hell out of me sometimes.

[AxeMental]

Not killed just fired....I'm not JPh. you know.

[PapersAndPaychecks]

I'd reprint the 1e rulebooks exactly as they were originally released.

I would probably hire Len Lakofka, who is an employee rather than a business owner in his own right, so would presumably jump ship to my venture if the price was right. I'd engage Len to do two things:-

1. Maintain a set of optional clarifications and enhancements to the original rules. These would be available on the AD&D website for free.

2. Write new material in the form of adventures.

I would also offer any interested party from the original TSR crew, plus certain selected other individuals, the opportunity to write 1e adventures and modules in return for royalties, and I'd start to create and sell a line of "approved" official AD&D lead miniatures. The objective would be to make the business profitable through the sale of adventures and miniatures at reasonable prices.

Trying to make money by selling the rules is a mug's game, imo. You can't keep tinkering with the rules, and you should be trying to get them right in the first place. Repeat sales and repeat business should come from ephemera such as adventures and minis, not from splatbooks.

[rogattny]

Hmmmm...

Honestly, I feel that my gaming preferences are so far out of the D&D mainstream right now that purchasing the D&D trademark would be an excercise in futility. Sure, I could let it go on its merry way in general while forcing out a nostolgia trip here and there, sure to fall on deaf ears among the gaming masses, but how satisfying would that be? I mean, it'd be like being a Cubs fan and buying the St. Louis Cardinals while still trying to root for the Cubs.

If I were to use the money to start a gaming corp., I'd start from scratch. I'd start with a brand new system (or systems) and make the games I want to see. I'd focus on bringing new people to the gaming market. I'd focus on making multiple games with a few supplements, rather than focus on one game with tons of supplements. I'd keep things simple and fun. I kind of like the old TSR model of an array of little feeder games (BD&D, SF, Marvel Super Heroes, Dungeon!, etc.) all leading to the slightly more complex flag-ship game (AD&D).

The key is making gaming an easy access activity, lowering the barrier to entry. I want the loved ones of my gamers to be able to walk into a toy store and buy one of my boxes and be reasonably certain that the intended recipient is getting something they want. I just see way too many parents of 12 year olds standing in gaming stores with question marks floating over their heads, that eventually say, "Screw this, I'll get him a video game."

The hard-core supplement-aholics would hate my games. Great! They're not being made for them. They're already being served and over-served. Heck, they've been the only ones served by the rpg industry for the last 10 to 15 years.

R.A.

[foster1941]

The emphasis on supplements (both by players and by publishers) is what has killed this hobby/industry. An rpg should be playable using only the material in the core rulebook (and that's book, not books) and the player should never need, or feel that he's expected, to buy another book EVER. Which isn't to say that optional supplements can't be published, but they should be completely optional, and published with the expectation that only perhaps 1 out of every 10 or 20 people who buys the core rulebook is going to buy any given supplement (these being the hardcore players, the "geek" set).

The default marketing strategy in the rpg industry over the last 20 years or so has been that everyone who buys the core rulebook should also buy every supplement, and in order to make this so the supplements have become no longer optional but rather required, either because key sections of rules were left out of the core books and can only be found in the supplements, or because the supplements introduce a bunch of new rules that will make those who don't have them feel left out or inferior (and furthermore supplements that build on other supplements, so you can't just buy supplement E, you need to buy supplements A-D as well). This feeds a collector mentality of the geek set, and even develops into a sort of semi-dysfunctional co-dependency (which you can often see expressed at places like WotC and EN World) that you have to buy these supplements even though you don't want them out of some sense of "loyalty" to the publisher -- that the players somehow "owe it" to the publishers to keep buying their stuff (and the even more pernicious "I really want supplement Q but if supplements A-P don't sell well enough they may never release supplement Q, so I have to buy A-P hoping I'll eventually be able to buy Q").

This is a terrible marketing strategy, because it (intentioanlly or otherwise) shrinks the potential audience for the game to only those people willing to buy endless supplements and essentially devote their entire lives to the game (I called it the geek set above, but WotC has another name for this segment of the audience -- "lifestyle hobbyists" -- and their explicitly stated marketing goal is to funnel as much of their audience as possible into that segment). But most people aren't interested in buying a new supplement (or 2 or 3) every month, and aren't ever going to be interested in it. They want to buy a single product and have it be complete and self-sufficient. Only that 1 out of 10 geek set is ever going to be dedicated/obsessed enough to want to buy a bunch of supplements on a regular basis. So the answer isn't "how can we raise that ratio so that it's more like 1 out of 2 or 3 people" (which as far as I can tell can ONLY be accomplished by driving away the excess casual fans -- what 2E did, and what 3E seems to be doing), but rather "how can we grow the audience enough so that even if only 1 out of 10 people buys the supplements that will still be enough to show a profit" (which is what TSR did in the 70s and early 80s -- popular modules were able to sell 100K+ copies NOT because everybody who played the game was buying them, but because MILLIONS of people were playing the game!).

The fact that only that most-dedicated 10% has stuck with the hobby and now forms the entirety of its core audience seems to have completely skewed the publishers' perspectives so that they think that THIS, the hardest-core geeks, is the audience that should be pandered to/exploited (depending on your perspective). But by doing so they miss the fact that this audience only represents the most hardcore, the lunatic fringe, and that by paying attention only (or even mostly) to them they're effectively alienating 90% of their actual potential audience! (Not to mention that by continually bleeding their dedicated geek-audience for more and more money ("3.5" anyone?) they'll eventually alienate even them, which shrinks the audience even further and requires them to bleed even more money from those that remain -- the downward spiral of the late-2E days: why sell 1 product to 500,000 people when you can sell 100 products apiece to 5,000 people?).

Make a d**n basic set that isn't designed to funnel the buyer into the "lifestyle hobbyist" demographic as quickly as possible -- ooh look, cool pre-painted plastic minis, you know you want to buy more of them at $25 a box; ooh look, cool superpowers for your characters, you know if you spend $90 on the full rulebooks you'll get even more powers (and then if you spend $40 a pop on the additional splatbooks you'll get even more!) -- but is rather simple and playable enough that it's able to appeal to people who don't have any desire to ever be part of the "lifestyle hobbyist" demographic.

How's that for a rant?

[foster1941]

A tangent from my above post -- the publishers only produce all these supplements because the fans want them, it's simple suuply and demand. Go on rpg.net or wherever and you'll see tons of posts from fans demanding that the publisher of their favorite game produce supplements X, Y, and Z. They're just giving the people what they want. Sort of. They're giving the most vocal 10% of super-geeks what they want, and in doing so driving away the other 90% of the audience. Consider this: if super-geek A desperately wants a new supplement but it's not available, he'll Bi**h and moan and send you hate-mail, but if the supplement still doesn't come out and he realizes it's never going to he'll either learn to live without it or he'll create it on his own (but either way he's still going to buy everything you release, even if he says he's not, and you know it as well as he does). But if casual-fan B walks into a store and sees that in order to 'fully' play this game he'll need not only the core rulebook, but also a dozen (or a score, or more) supplements, he's going to figure "screw that, I'll play something else that's easier/cheaper." Even if some of those supplements aren't really necessary, he's not going to stick around long enough to find out. If super-geek A thinks you're not releasing enough stuff he'll Bi**h and moan and continue to buy everything you release. If casual fan B thinks you're releasing too much stuff he'll take his money elsewhere. So why would you pander to fan A instead of fan B? Especially when fan B (at least potentially) VASTLY outnumbers fan A? Because you yourself were once fan A and are determined to "do it right" the way that the other companies never did back when you were a kid? I suspect there's more truth to that answer than many in the "rpg industry" would be willing to admit...

[AxeMental]

Good points Foster. The thing is monopoly or risk is in every home in America, and AD&D was on its way to becoming main stream before they shifted gears from marketing the existing product to creating new ones.
TSR should have turned into a stable long standing company, instead they went out in a flame ball. Sure they made alot of money fast with there ultra geek Sh*t, but in the long run they were their own doom.

It's kinda like what would have happened to clue if the company owners (pretend its a small company) started burning through the cash (controlled by two shmucktards) on parties and suddenly needed to generate a ton more money so they redevelop the game into smurf clue.

[order99]

Two words-
;D Introductory Set.
If i'm that rich,and WOTC sells me AD&D 1E...well,nothing says I can't bid on BX as well,and heck,we'll take 2E as well,if only to have the entire IP rights.
I would humbly ask for EGG's sevices on a new release of(the one and only,no versions here)AD&D-and would ask Frank Mentzer the same for Basic D&D.In addition,i'd reprint the original format for both while the project was underway,under"Classics"moniker. The BX and Advanced sets might eventually use the same ruleset entirely, just upgrading in complexity....or not,i'd leave that to the design team(assuming the Dynamic Duo took me up on the offer,otherwise i'd have to invite the K&K board for for a massive Assisted Playtest/Design yearlong session...).
Then I would release all the old supplements and modules on well-designed PDFs.ALL of them,at a low cost,just to satisfy the truly hardcore fans(and at the low investment,it would turn a modest profit for years.). I'd even release the 2E stuff in this format-it has a small fanbase-but I wouldn't do any print runs for it.A lot of nice campaign settings were 2E, so PDF time for those also...
As for 3E...i'd rip the D&D collar off the beast and let it roam free with my blessings.I have no trouble with D20 Fantasy from WOTC,as long as they didn't use my D&D IP...and I couldn't kill it if I wanted to,not with the OGL in effect-heck,WOTC couldn't stop it at this point.

In short,a bigger pie for everyone,so we can all have a slice.And yes,I AM an idealist,so what?
;D

[francisca]

I'd continue the 3.5 line, as there are lots of people who enjoy playing it and are willing to keep shelling out bucks for it.

I'd call up Jolly Blackburn and David Kenzer. We'd re-edit Hackmaster, strip the funny ha-ha out, and release the AD&D Omnibus edition. PHB, DMG, cut down the monster books to 4 192 or 256 page books, give psionics it's own 96 or 128 page harccover. Kenzer would be free to keep producing Hackmaster if they wish.

I'd compile the 1e PHB, DMG, and UA into a new DMG and new PHB. I'd compile the MM, MMII, some of the FF, and bits of the D&DG into 2 monster volumes. This line would be entitled: "Classic AD&D", and recevice a limited print run, then go to PDF/print on demand.

I'd get Frank Mentzer to red-edit the RC and do a limited print run of it, then send it off to PDF/print on demand. This would be "Classic D&D"

Jim Ward would get to publish MA under TSR again, if he desired.

I'd offer a profit-sharing plan to authors who had their works published in Dungeon, then put out the Dungeon compilation CDs many of us desire. For those who could not be found, they money would be set aside and managed by and independent authority.

[TheDungeonDelver]

You know, I asked the question but never answered it myself, so here goes:

Keep the 3.5 whatever going. Killing it out of spite - while enormously entertaining - would serve no purpose. I would revoke the d20 "license" and OGL and have them done away with. Why? Because once upon a time Gary said that by and large TSR eschewed "outsiders" publishing official AD&D products because it diluted the brand and brought down the overall quality, since TSR couldn't insure that the products were to their standards. I feel that this is the hallmark of d20 and OGL products. No offense meant to anyone with their hands in an OGL/d20 license product! But just take a look at things like the "Book of Erotic Fantasy" and you've got the whole overview of why the d20 OGL thing is bad (although to their credit Wiz did rebuke that book).

I'd probably make an exception for C&C, because that's where Gary's efforts are going right now. I'd make an exception for Jim Ward if he wanted to keep MA as d20.

I'd give Greyhawk in it's total back to Gary if he wanted it. I'd track down Dave Trampier and give him the rights (back) for Wormy.

I'd release a slipcase edition of AD&D with the DMG, PHB and a MM. The cover layouts would mimic the earliest printings of the books (including red/goldenrod flyleafs) but the interiors would be error corrected up to the standard of the final printings (plus any additional fixes that needed to be done). I'd release another slipcase contaning the "big 19" modules: T1, A1-4, G1-3, D1-3, Q1, S1, S2, S3, S4, C1, C2, WG4. Both of those sets in limited numbers, like maybe 2500 of each. In the slipcase boxed set I'd probably include a Dungeon Master's Adventure Log, a DM's screen and a pack of character record sheets.

Once that sold out I'd start slowly re-releasing 1e products. DMG, PHB and MM first. Then a "block" of modules...then later sourcebooks, and so forth. But as the market dictated. Eventually all of the old stuff would be reprinted under the "Classic AD&D" line (including the excerable late 1e books...)

And speaking of market, I'd have a big push for a "classic" D&D comeback - full or multi-page ads in Dragon and Dungeon, posters sent to game stores, folks sent to conventions to press the flesh and talk up the new version and so forth.

I'd find out what were the most popular board games released by TSR and produce some runs of those again - Dungeon, Fantasy Forest, and so forth.

As to Original D&D, I'd probably do a smaller print run of the box/slipcase version like the big AD&D set. I wouldn't do much more with that since the interest is very, very small for OD&D.

To Basic D&D, another limited edition print run of the Holmes edit. Then a limited print run of the Moldvay/Cook B/E, followed later by stand alone releases of the rulebooks for same. A run of Mentzer Basic & etc. Again, what the market would bear.

No love for 2e. Ever. Folks who wailed about needing a new Maztica boxed set or why isn't Al Quadim getting support any more would be told in no uncertain terms that they had their opportunity. If they were that interested they could go digging around Wisconsin landfills - but take lots of scotch tape - as I understand most of the stuff Wiz. threw out was shredded first.

I'd file an injunction in a federal court to have Sean Reynolds forbidden from ever owning a D&D product again. Or playing the game. Or even saying "Dungeons & Dragons".

I'd hire a team of accountants (on advisement from my father-in-law, who is one) to manage the company from that point forward.

I would then sit in my office and design my modules.