https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/23/hasbro-ceo-dungeons--dragons-is-having-its-best-year-ever.html

He added that Hasbro's goal over time will be to build fantasy games like "Dungeons & Dragons" into esports properties "ripe for esports competition" as consumers increasingly choose digital gaming over standard board games.

LOL just what D&D needs.

Quote from: tenbones;1050279https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/23/hasbro-ceo-dungeons--dragons-is-having-its-best-year-ever.html

He added that Hasbro's goal over time will be to build fantasy games like "Dungeons & Dragons" into esports properties "ripe for esports competition" as consumers increasingly choose digital gaming over standard board games.

LOL just what D&D needs.

Yeah, I was pretty disturbed to hear the bolded part, but while it's an accurate quote from the article it's not a quote from the interview and isn't exactly accurate about what Goldner was saying.

Ugh.  So Alex Gygax was right.

By "choose digital gaming over standard board games," I doubt the author meant that in practice the majority of digital games recreate standard board games exactly because that is cheap and easy to do over thinking up a new game. Solitaire and Chess is a dime a dozen on the App Store and Tabletop Simulator is a real program that does exactly what it sounds like.

I have no idea how the heck Hasbro would turn D&D into an esports property. Does that mean they would make a video game modeled after the D&D rules? How closely would the digital rules follow the tabletop rules? How would they account for GM creativity? If anything, esports would be good for the brand since the developers would be forced to write balanced rules that make sense because otherwise the competitive scene would fall apart when casters dominate and martials are bland and boring.

Quote from: happyhermit;1050281Yeah, I was pretty disturbed to hear the bolded part, but while it's an accurate quote from the article it's not a quote from the interview and isn't exactly accurate about what Goldner was saying.

I hope not. While it wouldn't impact me, it would be wince-worthy to see WOTC shovel money into a furnace in pursuit of turning D&D into an "esport".

This is more confusing than it is surprising.

Quote from: Ratman_tf;1050296I hope not. While it wouldn't impact me, it would be wince-worthy to see WOTC shovel money into a furnace in pursuit of turning D&D into an "esport".

Is an esport an electronic competitive sport? Or a port to an electronic platform? :confused:

Quote from: BoxCrayonTales;1050294I have no idea how the heck Hasbro would turn D&D into an esports property. Does that mean they would make a video game modeled after the D&D rules? How closely would the digital rules follow the tabletop rules? How would they account for GM creativity? If anything, esports would be good for the brand since the developers would be forced to write balanced rules that make sense because otherwise the competitive scene would fall apart when casters dominate and martials are bland and boring.

Neverwinter is modeled after D&D 4E, and Dungeons & Dragons Online is modeled after 3.5E, so it's been done before.  I don't know about Dungeons & Dragons Online, but I'm told Neverwinter follows the 4E rules set pretty closely.  Of course, there is no GM creativity since the computer or video game console is the GM.

Quote from: S'mon;1050299Is an esport an electronic competitive sport? Or a port to an electronic platform? :confused:

An esport is playing a video game competitively.  Look at League of Legends or DOTA 2 or Overwatch or StarCraft 2 "sports leagues."  There's all kinds of streams of people playing video games competitively on Twitch and YouTube Games.

Kind of off topic but show of hands....

Who here thinks Mr. Goldner has ever played a game of Dungeons and Dragons? Or Magic? He was told that the fans are going to be ecstatic about this in-house cross over book by exactly which flunky?

I'm not saying it can't be good. I'm just saying get the PR department to send  out one of the hipsters to do these interviews so it doesn't look like the stuffed suit shilling the latest thing he has never even seen.

These are the times I miss Gygax the most, he knew his product.

Also...at the moment Hasbro stocks down 4.7% Way to go bro..... way to anger the spirit of The Man with your esports talk....

"I didn't leave D&D, D&D left me."

Quote from: MonsterSlayer;1050303He was told that the fans are going to be ecstatic about this in-house cross over book by exactly which flunky?

Ever since Wizards aquired D&D there have been people asking for D&D in M:tG settings.   I used to work in their retail stores and I got asked when it was going to happen often enough.  It might not have been aassive mandate from the fans depending on area, but it isn't just some flunky pushing baseless claims.

Quote from: jeff37923;1050314"I didn't leave D&D, D&D left me."

How funny. I was just asked about the article in a meeting (from a normy) and I said almost the same thing.

No worries from me. D&D stopped being D&D to me years ago. I got plenty to game with.

Quote from: Manic Modron;1050315Ever since Wizards aquired D&D there have been people asking for D&D in M:tG settings.   I used to work in their retail stores and I got asked when it was going to happen often enough.  It might not have been aassive mandate from the fans depending on area, but it isn't just some flunky pushing baseless claims.

I never said they were "baseless claims". I never said "nobody" is asking for this. In fact I did say: "I'm not saying it can't be good." Please re-read.

This might be a great campaign. It is not my cup of tea because of the "planet is one whole city" thing. The single environment planets of the Star Wars movies and such annoy me.

I'm saying the Hasbro top execs based on this video are not getting this feedback between rounds of golf like you did in the store. I also did not get the feeling the guy knew what an esports league was or how D&D would look in that format. He was handed this info in an earnings meeting/ report and I think kind of mangled it in the video by confusing D&D and MtG too much.

ohhh and Hasbro stock down 5% now.... quit angering Him.

I'm saying that too.

*Shrug* D&D and I have often had a tenuous relationship--seriously, there were long stretches where Ravenloft support was pretty much the only thing keeping me connected to the game. And WotC doesn't want me and my ilk associated with the game.

  A strong D&D is probably good for the broader hobby, a strong WotC may be less so , but beyond that ...