Referring to RPG box sets as "board games" is neither new nor original to WotC. It's been going on for the better part of the last decade and coincides with retailers like Walmart and Target starting to pick up said box sets, because they sell board games but not roleplaying games.
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Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
It demonstrates lack of faith in the material. They are their own thing.
It’s a tiny bit of boilerplate to make the products more accessible under search engines from places like Target and Amazon. This is not some grand conspiracy to change the paradigm of D&D, it’s just a marketing move to increase visibility.
It demonstrates lack of faith in the material. They are their own thing.
I still remember back in the 80's when the books were available very widespread. Not only a LOT more game stores, but department stores and regular book stores carried them too.
But then with each new version, they would get stuck with the old version inventory, which became very hard to sell. There are purchasing agents who remember those days, too. Board games are much more stand alone. They don't really have that problem. So... to the extent you are marketing to such 3rd party distributors (which is actually arguably the best way to lure in new players, i.e. those who are less likely to think to look for WotC's site directly), it is those purchasing agents you are marketing directly to.
All this 'principle' muck only really matters if it actually gets more sales.
Not crazy about the newest product descriptions using the word "Board Game." First noticed it with the Borderlands Boxed Set, now this Stranger Things tie-in. Maybe I've just never noticed it before, but it sure seems to me that Hasbro's boardgame division is trying to push synergy on the D&D marketing folks. I think it's a mistake, if only because it strips what is unique about roleplaying games - the fact that you don't need much to play other than paper, dice and a pen (yeah, and three books, don't come at me.) WotC/Hasbro, come on now. You've been building a strong community and customer base for over a decade now. Why ruin it with this? Embrace the differences, stop trying to homogenize something that thrives in its uniqueness as a storytelling medium.
I'd say it's more competing with the recent Daggerheart product that contains cards etc. WOTC is a trading card company, as well as the D&D book publisher, so they're probably seeing an opportunity to expand.
Part of the "Franchise Model" of putting all the assets in the one place maybe.
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Referring to RPG box sets as "board games" is neither new nor original to WotC. It's been going on for the better part of the last decade and coincides with retailers like Walmart and Target starting to pick up said box sets, because they sell board games but not roleplaying games.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
It demonstrates lack of faith in the material. They are their own thing.
It’s a tiny bit of boilerplate to make the products more accessible under search engines from places like Target and Amazon. This is not some grand conspiracy to change the paradigm of D&D, it’s just a marketing move to increase visibility.
I still remember back in the 80's when the books were available very widespread. Not only a LOT more game stores, but department stores and regular book stores carried them too.
But then with each new version, they would get stuck with the old version inventory, which became very hard to sell. There are purchasing agents who remember those days, too. Board games are much more stand alone. They don't really have that problem. So... to the extent you are marketing to such 3rd party distributors (which is actually arguably the best way to lure in new players, i.e. those who are less likely to think to look for WotC's site directly), it is those purchasing agents you are marketing directly to.
All this 'principle' muck only really matters if it actually gets more sales.
Getting two of the largest retailers in the world to start carrying your material IS having faith in the material.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
I'd say it's more competing with the recent Daggerheart product that contains cards etc. WOTC is a trading card company, as well as the D&D book publisher, so they're probably seeing an opportunity to expand.
Part of the "Franchise Model" of putting all the assets in the one place maybe.