D&D 5e sure, but that's not really enough. For me the big draw is the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.
One of the issues I have with trying to pull something like this off outside the Realms is that I just don't care nearly as much when it's an 'original' IP, and I'm way too precious with the other official D&D settings.
FR is my preferred knock-off setting. It's already a knock off of a knock off anyway, but it's the massive back catalog and the kitchen sink aspect that appeals to me here.
It's like you spend all this time to familiarize with the lore, and excavating the various layers there, over years and years, and it's fun when everything kinda stitches together that way, and has that sort of payoff.
They could probably have made a nearly identical game set in Rivellon with bespoke game systems, but then I probably wouldn't have known to care, and doubt highly that I'd have spent 3 years in an EA for that.
If their next game is also set in the Realms, I think there will be a pretty high level of player retention for that. If they go another direction I'm sure plenty of people will stick around, but it's not going to get anywhere near this kind of reception. People show out for the Dungeons & Dragons, FR and BG, in a way that they just wouldn't for other stuff. This game totally pulled me out of the woodwork on that alone, so I think that's a key component of the traction and a big part of the secret sauce on this one.
ps. It can't be overstated, just how satisfying it is to learn how to play D&D for the first time. Meaning that, after playing a couple hundred hours in a computer game, if someone were to ask "Have you ever played D&D?" that you could basically answer "Yes - why yes I have!" and that's certainly something right there. Dungeons & Dragons is not a particularly easy thing to get your head around, even in 5e, and first impressions are important. I think there's a real sense of satisfaction that comes from having that experience which just can't be overlooked. It allows players access to the broader D&D culture in a meaningful way, and that remains, even after the credits roll.
Last edited by Black_Elk; 28/11/23 08:03 AM.
