I watched D&D Direct this week. I always find myself drawn into these D&D shows that Wizards of the Coast uses to engage with the D&D community. This is despite the fact that I play D&D very infrequently. While I was surprised by the 30-minute length of D&D Direct, as other implementations of this concept have been day(s) long, it was as slick and well-produced as these things usually are.
It also exemplifies why Dungeons & Dragons is different.
Watch D&D Direct
There was a video here but sadly it has been removed from YouTube. I have no idea why.
D&D or DC Fandome?
There are numerous media properties that do on-site conventions or streamed events to promote their up and coming products and get their community of fans excited. These tend to be orientated around key film studio brands with events such as DC Fandome or Star Wars Celebration, or the big videogame brands like BlizzCon. The community of fans for these media properties is so large it’s worthwhile engaging with them in this very expensive way.
D&D is different because it is the only ttrpg that comes close to that.
Gary Gygax started Gencon and now Hasbro owns Gencon so while the branding isn’t as clear D&D does have its own 2-3 day on-site convention and make no mistake, while not as grand and as expensive, these streamed events are the equivalent of online displays like DC Fandome.
This is because D&D has a community of sufficient size and fever to make these events worthwhile and this is what makes it different.
Who is the competition?
I tell you what probably isn’t the competition these days? Other role-playing games. When people sit around the meeting table and discuss strategies for D&D other role-playing games will rarely come up. The D&D strategy will be focused on other media that takes attention and time away from the holistic engagement with the D&D brand. It will also be focused on different ways to increase brand strength and engagement with the community.
This means D&D doesn’t operate like any other role-playing game in terms of its decisions it operates more like the strong brands you might see associated with videogames branching out into other markets to hold their customers’ attention.
They are looking for ways to make it easier to make it part of your lifestyle.
The lifestyle brand
D&D has definitely transitioned into being a lifestyle brand. The true genius of D&D is that being in the community of D&D is almost as important as playing D&D and this creates a tremendous stickiness. Some might say being in the community of D&D is more important than actually playing it. As while other role-playing games exist, adopting those games would mean you’re out of the community lifestyle of D&D.
Basically, not playing D&D puts you out in the cold and it just doesn’t feel the same as being in that community and the lifestyle elements that give people a sense of belonging.
D&D Direct felt like it was pushing that lifestyle community significantly more this year than previous streaming events have. It did this in many ways, some familiar and some new.
Create your Wizards account. This was a call to action numerous times combined with reasons to do so. This was the first time one of these events has pushed signing up to a digital account. At least to the degree I have consciously noticed. At the time of writing this first thing you’re hit with when going to the D&D website is ‘sign-up now’ for digital stuff. This is undoubtedly the start of a focus to bring the community into the Wizard’s digital fold, keep them focused on a steady stream of content and then combine it with D&D Beyond which they now own.
A dimensional experience. This year they specifically called out how engaging with D&D does not have to have anything to do with playing it. It was mentioned at least once how the D&D community was spread across people who engaged with D&D through playing, watching and/or reading. This is another push to it being a lifestyle brand all of which keeps attention on D&D in some shape or form. It recognises that some people may just be watching D&D via streaming shows, TV shows or even the future D&D film.
Lifestyle tools. If D&D has proved anything there is a market for the tools associated with D&D, many of which previous generations of gamers decided they just didn’t need. Merchandise is important as merch is key to any lifestyle brand. You feel part of the community by wearing the t-shirt, using the made from moon rock dice and whatever else. This time we got the fancy tokens and landscape tiles that come supplied with briefcase storage so DM’s can rock up and create highly visual games. It’s the D&D equivalent to an All Rolled Up and a few wipe clean plastic index cards.
The shared MMO experience. It’s always interesting that people like to differentiate D&D from an MMO. It makes sense, as it is different in many ways, but its sales model is like that of an MMO. This is going to become even more true when they switch to a subscription model for content through D&D Beyond which is going to happen. D&D is also like an MMO in that they are definitely going to drift D&D’s rules via MMO-like patches (different book releases) rather than grandly announcing a 5.5. It’s also similar in that D&D constantly releases new shared experiences in the form of adventure modules. Very few other role-playing games have shared experience after shared experience allowing it to become part of the lifestyle to have ran or played Rise of the Frost Maiden, etc. The tweaking of the game and the shared experiences fosters community like it does in an MMO.
A creative market. Few other games support the content creator lifestyle branding of D&D. Yes, people create content for other role-playing games all the time, but there is only really one market big enough to even delude yourself into thinking you’re going to make a living out of it. The D&D content creator then becomes another lifestyle brand alongside the Dungeon Master and the Player.
It is diverse content. It is diverse in terms of what interests and content you can address under the D&D umbrella or so tangential to it that it grabs a wide net. We have people pushing and succeeding at the content creator and fame thing via streaming games, doing cosplay, talking about dice, and doing guides. There is direct content and three degrees of separation content but it all falls within the umbrella of D&D. D&D is not only a content creator’s dream it’s a wide net that allows people to leverage success in one area to success in another if they’re capable and clever. This isn’t just Critical Role becoming a cartoon, but cosplayers transitioning into D&D and growing as a result.
And, Finally…
D&D Direct was certainly that, direct, a sort of concentrated deluge of information focused on further developing Dungeons & Dragons as a lifestyle brand that people would engage with across playing, reading and watching. It showed how the brand was engaging across those three dimensions creating a shared experience of Dungeons & Dragons that people can consume and create within.
This is why Dungeons & Dragons is different, as it’s the only ttrpg that can make you feel like you are as out in the cold as living in Ten Towns should you break with the brand, the community and the lifestyle and start dedicating your time to other games…
…and people like to be in the warm embrace of a community of mutuals, and no one likes to be out in the cold.