(a.k.a. The Post-Gen Con Tableau)
INTRODUCTION
One of the largest and influential gaming conventions, featuring TTRPGs and a host of other types (e.g. board and card games, strategy games) has come and gone in Indianapolis Indiana, with an estimated ~71,000 attendees and vendors. For context, the city of Fredericton boasts a population of ~60,000 people; only a small portion are gamers. And once again, Palladium Books made their way down I-69. This post isn’t so much a review of their activities, but a retrospective of things that came out of the event. Palladium Books did a couple of panel discussions, and several companies unveiled some major projects to the public. As one would imagine, Wizards of the Coast (WotC) was there as well, with some development for their new D&D 5E 2024 edition, hereafter called D&D 5.2E.
DISCUSSION
What is This “Gen Con” You Speak? I feel this may be preaching to the choir, LOL. For gaming and general “geek culture,” I think we cap out any expectations for massive crowds in attendance with Gen Con, Dragon Con, and Comic Con, in that all are mega-events that cater to entertainment and hobbies we all collectively enjoy. Full disclosure, I’ve never been to a Gen Con event; nor do I expect to, given the timing and limitations this would cause for family vacations. Would I like to go? Of the three I’d definitively prefer Gen Con, partly because of the more gaming-centric focus, but also timing, distance, and that Palladium Books folks actually attend this one! 😉
Palladium Books at Gen Con. So, Palladium Books was present, and there are photos aplenty with the staff and customers/game lovers alike floating around the social media. Apparently, they also brought with them a life-sized Leonardo to help promote TMNT. They also participated in a couple of panel discussions (one for TMNT, one for Rifts), neither of which was streamed or promulgated online yet (video or audio), which I think is a crying shame for an event the size and scope of Gen Con. There are some anecdotal references to the contents of the two panels, but since I wasn’t there, I’ll refrain from any commentary other than my disappointment for missing the opportunity. What I would finish this segment with is a request/shot in the dark:
If Sean and/or Kevin want to have a chat to rehash/expand on what was discussed, I’m game!
UPDATE: Thanks to Through Gamer Goggles (Matthew Lemke) for just uploading a short 20-minute clip from the Rifts panel (Link to his video).
Elephant Doing Elephant Things. This year’s Gen Con marked the release of D&D 5.2E Player’s Handbook (PHB). Anecdotal reference from industry insiders and reviewers were that the press events and WotC events were well run, but are now marred in an utterly incomprehensible series of mishaps. Not quite the Pinkertons 2.0 [See The Bazaar #41: Gaming Company / Consumer Interactions), but this is apparently something only a $4 Billion dollar could have mucked up so well:
Pre-Release Reviews. As is industry standard, pre-released product was sent to influencers to allow them a chance to develop and promulgate content on the PHB. Any time these things are sent, there is a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), along with a series of restrictions for what specific parts can be covered, parts to refrain from displaying (e.g. index; pages X, Y or Z; images A, B, or C; new formats and mechanics), when they can release their content (an embargo date), pre-selected images to include, that kind of thing. This drives the buzz for the product, and can be a terribly effective marketing tool, especially with a reach “D&D Tubers” have. Sign the NDA, get a PDF to review and physical copy forthcoming if you commit to a video/review. What complicated this dynamic? Well, several of these folks that refused the initial offer and to sign the NDA were still sent copies.
What’s In a Review? Pretty simple, one would think. Follow the directions from the outreach teams contacting these social media entities, right? Seems pretty pedantic, no? Well, the first and most commonly discussed culprit of failing to follow directions was Jorphdan, who apparently did not elect to sign the NDA, meaning they didn’t get the restrictions. They got a physical copy and then covered over a hundred pages in a flip through fashion. This eventually led to a copyright strike notice; one of several reasons I’m not doing YouTube. Apparently, weeks ahead of commercial release, WotC is worried about a pirated compilation of the PHB from video/image sources. There are several others, like Sly Flourish (See Sly Flourish explain), who put out a video about his efforts to promote the PHB to find out after the fact about the restrictions (he also claims not to have signed the NDA). Several issues have surfaced:
o Not signing the NDA does not absolve a reviewer from copyright infringement. Providing a page-by-page read through is a surefire way to get a copyright strike. When in doubt, ask for permission, instead of a lawyer.
o A largely professional roll-out by WotC has been stymied by a fairly predictive problem that could have been solved by simply tagging the restrictions/NDA with each and every single product distributed. Sly Flourish had to repost a video with blurred out pages.
o What about the ~3000 copies of the PHB sold at Gen Con? What’s to stop someone selling a copy on Ebay from $200, or stripping it from the binding and creating their own PDF? Hint: Someone probably has/is processing one. Some of the reaction by WotC is just (way) too litigious.
o What possible revenue loss could WotC possibly predict based on the few (likely) crappy pirated PDFs floating around? Let me assure you, it is a fraction of a fraction of a very small percentage.
Who to Believe. I’m not suggesting this story is over, nor that everything has come to the fore – but there is a whole lot of speculation. What I will suggest though is one of the more well connected, industry-savvy and educated YouTubers likely covering this issue: Stephen Glicker (Roll For Combat). The linked video does a good initial review and provides some context.
D&D Future Is Online. It appears WotC is all-in on the virtual way forward; the irony that a fantasy setting is going virtual is not lost on me. They have committed to continue with book releases, but I envision this becoming a secondary element in the future: they’ll be after GMs/Players to ‘rent’ their content and provide micro-transactions aplenty (e.g. skins, avatars, spells, unlock levels), all of which provides meta-data to WotC. They themselves have avowed 50% of their current revenue comes from D&D Beyond and several key management positions coming from Blizzard and online gaming enterprises, the exploitable, manipulative and subscription dynamic is upon us.
POST GEN CON TABLEAU FOR PALLADIUM
TMNT Kickstarter. The biggest news and greatest hurdle for Palladium Books appears the finalization and distribution of the TMNT Kickstarter. All indications lead me to believe this is well in hand, giving them a massive boost in terms of industry exposure, consumer market buzz, and cash-in-hand. There is a list of projects currently being finalized, essentially freeing up the logjam of projects before moving forward. I’ll be honest, it’s this future dynamic I’m keenly interested in.
Suggested Solution Space. There’s a fair amount we could leverage from the trials and tribulations from the D&D Content Creator Relations Teams in the last couple of years. I’m just a guy with an MBA who enjoys creating content, both online and for submission to Palladium Books. I’d like to propose a few of these to Kevin and Sean:
Quality Content Wins. Create value for the consumer and they will buy the product. This isn’t something I can accuse Palladium Books of failing; I’ve disliked a few of their books, but they always maintained a high-quality threshold. I think the largest hurdle to success has been the throughput capacity, something I imagine they will rectify in the near future.
Provide PDF with Physical Product. As a method of driving value, provide codes for in-house developed PDFs along with any purchase of physical product. The PDFs presented with the Titan Robotics/Cyberworks Kickstarter were top-notch and definitively something to be continued. Giving a physical purchaser the option to get a PDF as extra just places a negative influence on the pirated PDF market.
Core Rules System. Yeah, Sean is rolling his eyes again, LOL. Just thought I’d keep plugging this one. As WotC moves D&D over to the digital venue, with physical books looking like an increasingly marginalized segment, this presents an opportunity for Palladium Books.
Value Added for Physical Product. While I suggest providing PDFs with physical copies, I also am an ardent proponent for giving physical book buyers a bonus. Give the buyer of any new Core Rules Set (yeah, I laced it in there again!) a GM screen, adventure module, a discount code for models, a surprise sketch from Kevin, or some other add-ons.
Third-Party Content Engagement. Kevin and Sean have done a good job with interview outreach with Youtubers and podcasters. What I would love to see are pre-release reviews something like 4-6 weeks prior to retail launch. There are only a few of “us” out there to coordinate with, likely with a reach that extends the current, corporate lines of communications. I’m not saying this just so they give me a free PDF and print copy; I don’t do this for the money. I have a passion for the company’s products and sharing them with GMs and Players.
CONCLUSION
Product reviews by third-party content creators are now a solid element of any marketing strategy; be it games, mass market electronics, automobiles, you name it. In the case of the TTRPG market, Game Masters and Players are actively looking for these reviews to better inform their purchasing decisions and reinforce their love for the game. We want to see our “new shiny” promoted online.
Like most, I’ve got ideas I’d love to share with Palladium Books on the way forward. Last I checked though, I’m not an officer of the company, nor foreseeably one 😉. I don’t know what I don’t know about their current balance sheet position, state of affairs, project status benchmarks, or what’s on the design table. Sure, with my education (master’s in business administration) and background both in military and commercial enterprise management, I like to think I know a thing or two. Something that is for damned sure though, this is Kevin and Sean’s company. I’m just a guy with lots of ideas and a passion to see the company continue to make lucrative and quality creative publications.
What I envision as more important at this junction though is the promotion of their current library and those works in production/post-production. From that perspective, I am just putting it out there for Kevin and Sean: we’re out here, looking to help promote you and your products. Cheers.
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