The whole Joe/report thing aside, I still find it kind of odd that Hasbro, who owns WotC and the D&D line, doesn't even offer their own current products on their website. IMO it's a stupid, preventable missing opportunity and pretty sloppy/lazy on their part. If WotC and D&D are so far beneath their notice they can't be bothered to even promote their stuff, why own them at all? Very shoddy IMO.

Perspective, people, perspective.

I think it's funny (ha-ha funny) that D&D is so utterly low on the totem pole for Hasbro; and it is so low because the pen and paper RPG-hobby-as-industry is moribund and has been for a long time.

If this were 1983 and the Blumes had succeeded and sold TSR to Hasbro or Ideal or Milton Bradley or whomever and then there was no mention of D&D from that point forward, and Hasbro wasn't pushing it in the toy section lineups of catalogs then it'd be a showstopper.  Now that RPGs have fallen off the social radar for the majority of the world, I doubt if Hasbro's investors care about D&D one way or the other, and consequently the BOD at Hasbro doesn't really care about D&D.  

Compared to - as mentioned above - My Little Pony or anything else it's just a few additional shekels.  There might be some folks at Hasbro who recall how tantalizing TSR/D&D was back nearly 30 years ago and grabbing them at the doubtlessly discount price that they did was a nice little footnote in history for those of the body corporate who still do recall.  It's like...remember back in the 90s when "pre-made collectible" comics were such a huge rage?  There'd be books from Dark Horse and Image and so on with autographs already on them, or foil covers, or they'd come straight from Diamond already in a poly bag with a holograph trading card, lapel button and so on?  Remember people buying those up like crazy thinking they'd be millionaires by now based on those alone?  Now most of that shit (and I mean that in the near literal root-word sense: shit - cast off, cut away, needless) is valueless, and you can find it in comic shops and used bookstores for about cover price.  You take a guy who missed out on whatever Rob Liefield puked up during a given month, now that the roar has settled, he goes in and buys that junk "just because" it gives him a warm fuzzy to have it - for completeness' sake.  That's Hasbro and D&D.

Quote from: Peregrin;460540Why?  I don't think that's a reliable indicator of anything, given how niche D&D is compared to Hasbro's other toy lines.

Hell, My Little Pony probably sells exponentially more than D&D.

To be fair, I personally have purchased more My Little Pony products in the last three years than D&D 4e products.

My daughter is three.  She'll be needing more Ponies.

On the other hand, I won't be needing more 4e.

Quote from: RPGPundit;460866Really, the debate to be had here is: How much does it matter, if the owner of D&D doesn't really give a fuck about it? Is that bad? Very bad? Could it be good?

RPGPundit

Guys the answer could be much, much simpler than what you are all assuming and thinkinbg here.

HASBRO owns WotC.

They both have seperate warehouses and possibly some warehouses that they 'share'.  At some point in the past year or so, one of more warehouises had an inventory done or the shelves re-arranged. As a result Wizards Of The Coast discovered they had leftover 3rd edition D&D products (miniatures included).
Their parent company just switched that product to a warehouse that was designated for web or internet sales.

No big mystery.

A big company is 'burning off' or selling off excess product from one its subsidiary companies.

- Ed C.

Quote from: RPGPundit;460866How much does it matter, if the owner of D&D doesn't really give a fuck about it?

I don't really give a fuck about it, either, so it doesn't bother me.  The "D&D brand" and the current game bearing the D&D brand name has zero relevance to my D&D gaming.

I'm okay with that.

Quote from: Blackhand;460906To be fair, I personally have purchased more My Little Pony products in the last three years than D&D 4e products.

My daughter is three.  She'll be needing more Ponies.

On the other hand, I won't be needing more 4e.

Maybe Hasbro should combine MLP and 4e.

Quote from: Peregrin;460919Maybe Hasbro should combine MLP and 4e.

They already did.  Did you see the online supplement about mounts for paladins?

Pokemounts.

Quote from: Benoist;460936Pokemounts.

wait. is this still the year 2000?

Don't tell me you're not missing the Pokemount debates with Raven Crowking on ENWorld!

Quote from: misterguignolThey already did. Did you see the online supplement about mounts for paladins?

I did not.  But now I have to find them.  Not that I'd actually use MLP inspired mounts in a game or anything...nope...never...

Quote from: ICFTI;460937wait. is this still the year 2000?

Hey now, Pokemon still sells gangbusters.

And I still play it.

Quote from: Peregrin;460939Hey now, Pokemon still sells gangbusters.

And I still play it.

i was referring to the "pokemount" comment. i heard that term applied to 3rd edition paladins back in the year 2000. constantly.

Quote from: Peregrin;460939I did not.  But now I have to find them.  Not that I'd actually use MLP inspired mounts in a game or anything...nope...never...

It was an April Fools thing, if that helps your search.  And it looked totally playable.

Quote from: ICFTI;460940i was referring to the "pokemount" comment. i heard that term applied to 3rd edition paladins back in the year 2000. constantly.

I didn't think the summonable mount even existed until 3.5