Some people are happy with the low entry price for D&D Essentials. Some people like the D&D bus. Some people complain about the reuse of the old art. Some people don’t like the term Red Box being used for D&D 4E. Some people don’t like the many errata for D&D 4E.
What does it all mean?
I’m with Dan Proctor of Labyrinth Lord fame:
- What if “Dungeons & Dragons” were less about a product and more about an experience? What if we can dispel the entire idea of “editions” from consumers of Dungeons & Dragons? The edition angle worked for a while, but the mileage on that is running out. Is there really going to be a D&D 10e? No, it just won’t work. […] So, instead of producing a game that’s marketed as done, complete, and improved from before, we simply market D&D. The very nature of the game itself will remain in flux to facilitate a subscription-based consumption plan. This way, customers always expect to be paying money and so long as the content changes can be integrated into the subscription plan there are few problems. Customers need to be retrained to think of the game rules and character options as less fixed. That way they expect the game to keep changing and they return to the brand no matter what form it’s in. We still give them a static product – we always call it Dungeons & Dragons – but customers are loyal to the brand, not the product. – Product vs. Service and Brand Dilemmas
D&D Essentials and the current marketing campaign is the corporate answer to the edition wars. This is what It’s all D&D to me means in the corporate world. Love it or hate it… And whether it’s outrage or enthusiasm – remember, there is no such thing as bad publicity! 
Updates:
- D&D 4e: Product or Subscription Service? Welcome to the 4e Tax! This is about the decision by Wizards of the Coast to offer the Character Builder as a web application.
- Legends and Lore by Mike Mearls is all about brand loyalty: “We might print the rules for the current version of the game, or produce accessories you use at your table, but the game is what you, the community of D&D fans and players, make it. D&D is the moments in the game, the interplay within a gaming group, the memories formed that last forever.”
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