Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Transmedia D&D?

So as I've consumed the launch of DnD 5th Edition, which, Wizards has advertised as transmedia, a thought keeps coming to me as I run/play Tyranny of Dragons.

Where is the novel?

We've got the campaign books and the Neverwinter MMO "module", but before the term transmedia was coined, TSR used to have novel tie-ins with modules/campaigns.

Where is that?

We read about the Sundering, but didn't really play through it.

Now we're playing through Tyranny of Dragons, at the table and massively, but there is no novel.

I understand that the RPG division at WotC is probably smaller than ever before, but a segment of their fans like having the synergy between published material and novels.  I don't assume they don't know this, and I'm certain novel sales are down (if for no other reason than a sorely limited publishing schedule...akin to how Paizo "took over" the RPG market with little to no competition from DnD).  But this seems like a poor idea.

For me DnD 5E has brought me perilously close to the joy I felt with ADnD 2E, now give me the novels.  Give me transmedia!

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