Some of the more notable D&D staff that have been laid off:
Dan Dillon, amazing game designer since 2019. Worked on rules heavy books like Theros, Eberron, Tasha’s, Fizban’s, Van Richten, Monsters of the Multiverse, and Bigby’s.
Bree Heiss, graphic designer since 2013 and art director since 2017.
Dixon Dubow, associate influencer manager since 2022. In his tweet it sounds like the layoffs in the D&D side is extensive.
Eytan Bernstein, senior development editor since 2022. Knows 4 others that were laid off including art, design, editorial, and product management departments.
Mike Mearls, director of game design, co-designer of 5e, and was with the company since 2005. Although he had nothing to do with D&D since at least 2019, working on MtG instead.
Amy Dallen, DDB host and content producer since 2022.
Others include; Trystan Falcone (Graphic designer), Larry Frum (Senior communications manager), David McDarby (MtG game designer), Chris Lindsay (creator of DMs Guild), Natalie Egan (community manager), Mike Vaillancourt (Art director), Liz Schuh, and Jesse Hill.
Some of the more notable D&D staff that have been laid off:
Dan Dillon, amazing game designer since 2019. Worked on rules heavy books like Theros, Eberron, Tasha’s, Fizban’s, Van Richten, Monsters of the Multiverse, and Bigby’s.
Bree Heiss, graphic designer since 2013 and art director since 2017.
Dixon Dubow, associate influencer manager since 2022. In his tweet it sounds like the layoffs in the D&D side is extensive.
Eytan Bernstein, senior development editor since 2022. Knows 4 others that were laid off including art, design, editorial, and product management departments.
Mike Mearls, director of game design, co-designer of 5e, and was with the company since 2005. Although he had nothing to do with D&D since at least 2019, working on MtG instead.
Amy Dallen, DDB host and content producer since 2022.
Others include; Trystan Falcone (Graphic designer), Larry Frum (Senior communications manager), David McDarby (MtG game designer), Chris Lindsay (creator of DMs Guild), Natalie Egan (community manager), Mike Vaillancourt (Art director), Liz Schuh, and Jesse Hill.
Absolutely brutal, and definitely not "bloat" being cut away. Hate it.
I dont see how i can honestly express surprise or outrage. Corporate gonna corporate. I knew what i was buying into when i finally came back from OGL hiatus. But hey, that MCDM Kickstarter looking promising.
A new vibrant ttrpg golden age divested from corporate tendencies might be upon us. Just look around.
I dont see how i can honestly express surprise or outrage. Corporate gonna corporate. I knew what i was buying into when i finally came back from OGL hiatus. But hey, that MCDM Kickstarter looking promising.
A new vibrant ttrpg golden age divested from corporate tendencies might be upon us. Just look around.
I hope Amy finds a good landing spot
MCDM is a hair under 3 million, and should crack that by end of week. Now, that is over only 16,700 backers. But to me, that is 3 million that won't be going to wotc, as one of the reasons MCDM was created was in response to the loving manner wotc handled its customers and 3rd party creators a year ago. Maybe wotc is firing people because those people's job of designing is winding down, as most of 6e should be locked down by now. Or, maybe, it is because D&D is not the river of income some say it is.
For what it's worth, I think we are in a new golden age of TTRPGs, there's certainly way easier access to participate and try various systems.
WOTC/Hasbro's actions aren't a surprise and my heart goes out the anyone being laid off. If I were working under that leadership umbrella, I'd very much be looking to jump ship sooner than later. Maybe that speaks to the long-term vision for D&D - it's very hard to know without having been privy to the decision making process, but personally I'll continue to be cynical and my impression isn't one of good stewardship of/for the hobby. I don't know if that bodes well and let's face it, these are strange economic times.
With D&Done upcoming it seems to be business as usual for a new edition - turmoil at the company and a disgruntled fanbase - is that cannon now?
For what it's worth, I think we are in a new golden age of TTRPGs, there's certainly way easier access to participate and try various systems.
WOTC/Hasbro's actions aren't a surprise and my heart goes out the anyone being laid off. If I were working under that leadership umbrella, I'd very much be looking to jump ship sooner than later. Maybe that speaks to the long-term vision for D&D - it's very hard to know without having been privy to the decision making process, but personally I'll continue to be cynical and my impression isn't one of good stewardship of/for the hobby. I don't know if that bodes well and let's face it, these are strange economic times.
With D&Done upcoming it seems to be business as usual for a new edition - turmoil at the company and a a disgruntled fanbase - is that cannon now?
Well put, unfortunately this is very on brand for WotC post acquisition and has become their tradition. Any good faith the people might've once had with this company is now long gone, so your cynicism is more than justified at this point.
A reminder to anyone who might care, you can still play D&D without handing over a single cent to these people. I, for one, really enjoy this game and couldn't care less what the publisher's logo looks like. If you really must have access to the 'official' books, you can pay a visit to your local library, an excellent source of free books.
Y’all with your crystal balls seeing the future so clearly got any thoughts on the winning March Madness bracket? Because trying to extrapolate the state/direction/future of the company from the info we actually have is probably about as likely as putting the winning bracket together.
Y’all with your crystal balls seeing the future so clearly got any thoughts on the winning March Madness bracket? Because trying to extrapolate the state/direction/future of the company from the info we actually have is probably about as likely as putting the winning bracket together.
Y’all with your crystal balls seeing the future so clearly got any thoughts on the winning March Madness bracket? Because trying to extrapolate the state/direction/future of the company from the info we actually have is probably about as likely as putting the winning bracket together.
GO SPORTS!
Honestly, I don't even like sports, I just think lottery ticket analogies are overdone.
Some of the more notable D&D staff that have been laid off:
Dan Dillon, amazing game designer since 2019. Worked on rules heavy books like Theros, Eberron, Tasha’s, Fizban’s, Van Richten, Monsters of the Multiverse, and Bigby’s.
Bree Heiss, graphic designer since 2013 and art director since 2017.
Dixon Dubow, associate influencer manager since 2022. In his tweet it sounds like the layoffs in the D&D side is extensive.
Eytan Bernstein, senior development editor since 2022. Knows 4 others that were laid off including art, design, editorial, and product management departments.
Mike Mearls, director of game design, co-designer of 5e, and was with the company since 2005. Although he had nothing to do with D&D since at least 2019, working on MtG instead.
Amy Dallen, DDB host and content producer since 2022.
Others include; Trystan Falcone (Graphic designer), Larry Frum (Senior communications manager), David McDarby (MtG game designer), Chris Lindsay (creator of DMs Guild), Natalie Egan (community manager), Mike Vaillancourt (Art director), Liz Schuh, and Jesse Hill.
Some more names to add to the list: Paul Cheon (Talent manager), Rob Sather (D&D Art Manager), Vanessa Cuanan (Associate systems administrator), Michael Rexford (Senior data scientist), Ellie Lockhart (Analytics engineer), Jana Hodgins (Technical producer), Megan Galbraith Donahue (Director of MtG Universes Beyond creative and production), Deserae Dawn (Program manager), and Shay Pierce (Senior software engineer).
As well as; D&D Beyond's Director Software Engineer and member of the original team that built this very website: David Hartless.
I wonder what he was working on at wotc. He clearly had been re-assigned from working on this site. I don't use many features on this site, but I know a few that do, and they complain that very little work has been done recently.
I wonder what he was working on at wotc. He clearly had been re-assigned from working on this site. I don't use many features on this site, but I know a few that do, and they complain that very little work has been done recently.
Sure. But the point still stands that DDB lacks some basic functionality and post-WotC devs appear to have made little progress on correcting that. But anyway, this is a side point.
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Some of the more notable D&D staff that have been laid off:
Dan Dillon, amazing game designer since 2019. Worked on rules heavy books like Theros, Eberron, Tasha’s, Fizban’s, Van Richten, Monsters of the Multiverse, and Bigby’s.
Bree Heiss, graphic designer since 2013 and art director since 2017.
Dixon Dubow, associate influencer manager since 2022. In his tweet it sounds like the layoffs in the D&D side is extensive.
Eytan Bernstein, senior development editor since 2022. Knows 4 others that were laid off including art, design, editorial, and product management departments.
Mike Mearls, director of game design, co-designer of 5e, and was with the company since 2005. Although he had nothing to do with D&D since at least 2019, working on MtG instead.
Amy Dallen, DDB host and content producer since 2022.
Others include; Trystan Falcone (Graphic designer), Larry Frum (Senior communications manager), David McDarby (MtG game designer), Chris Lindsay (creator of DMs Guild), Natalie Egan (community manager), Mike Vaillancourt (Art director), Liz Schuh, and Jesse Hill.
Free Content: [Basic Rules],
[Phandelver],[Frozen Sick],[Acquisitions Inc.],[Vecna Dossier],[Radiant Citadel], [Spelljammer],[Dragonlance], [Prisoner 13],[Minecraft],[Star Forge], [Baldur’s Gate], [Lightning Keep], [Stormwreck Isle], [Pinebrook], [Caverns of Tsojcanth], [The Lost Horn], [Elemental Evil].Free Dice: [Frostmaiden],
[Flourishing], [Sanguine],[Themberchaud], [Baldur's Gate 3], [Lego].Wow, that's really cutting some muscle.
Absolutely brutal, and definitely not "bloat" being cut away. Hate it.
I dont see how i can honestly express surprise or outrage. Corporate gonna corporate. I knew what i was buying into when i finally came back from OGL hiatus. But hey, that MCDM Kickstarter looking promising.
A new vibrant ttrpg golden age divested from corporate tendencies might be upon us. Just look around.
I hope Amy finds a good landing spot
MCDM is a hair under 3 million, and should crack that by end of week. Now, that is over only 16,700 backers. But to me, that is 3 million that won't be going to wotc, as one of the reasons MCDM was created was in response to the loving manner wotc handled its customers and 3rd party creators a year ago. Maybe wotc is firing people because those people's job of designing is winding down, as most of 6e should be locked down by now. Or, maybe, it is because D&D is not the river of income some say it is.
Just brutal. Here's a recent article I saw that covers some of the folks who were let go: https://dungeonsanddragonsfan.com/wizards-of-the-coast-layoffs/
For what it's worth, I think we are in a new golden age of TTRPGs, there's certainly way easier access to participate and try various systems.
WOTC/Hasbro's actions aren't a surprise and my heart goes out the anyone being laid off. If I were working under that leadership umbrella, I'd very much be looking to jump ship sooner than later. Maybe that speaks to the long-term vision for D&D - it's very hard to know without having been privy to the decision making process, but personally I'll continue to be cynical and my impression isn't one of good stewardship of/for the hobby. I don't know if that bodes well and let's face it, these are strange economic times.
With D&Done upcoming it seems to be business as usual for a new edition - turmoil at the company and a disgruntled fanbase - is that cannon now?
https://wulfgold.substack.com
Blog - nerd stuff
https://deepdreamgenerator.com/u/wulfgold
A.I. art - also nerd stuff - a gallery of NPC portraits - help yourself.
Well put, unfortunately this is very on brand for WotC post acquisition and has become their tradition. Any good faith the people might've once had with this company is now long gone, so your cynicism is more than justified at this point.
A reminder to anyone who might care, you can still play D&D without handing over a single cent to these people. I, for one, really enjoy this game and couldn't care less what the publisher's logo looks like. If you really must have access to the 'official' books, you can pay a visit to your local library, an excellent source of free books.
Free Content: [Basic Rules],
[Phandelver],[Frozen Sick],[Acquisitions Inc.],[Vecna Dossier],[Radiant Citadel], [Spelljammer],[Dragonlance], [Prisoner 13],[Minecraft],[Star Forge], [Baldur’s Gate], [Lightning Keep], [Stormwreck Isle], [Pinebrook], [Caverns of Tsojcanth], [The Lost Horn], [Elemental Evil].Free Dice: [Frostmaiden],
[Flourishing], [Sanguine],[Themberchaud], [Baldur's Gate 3], [Lego].Y’all with your crystal balls seeing the future so clearly got any thoughts on the winning March Madness bracket? Because trying to extrapolate the state/direction/future of the company from the info we actually have is probably about as likely as putting the winning bracket together.
GO SPORTS!
EZD6 by DM Scotty
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/397599/EZD6-Core-Rulebook?
Honestly, I don't even like sports, I just think lottery ticket analogies are overdone.
Just saw that David Hartless was let go. Yikes.
Some more names to add to the list: Paul Cheon (Talent manager), Rob Sather (D&D Art Manager), Vanessa Cuanan (Associate systems administrator), Michael Rexford (Senior data scientist), Ellie Lockhart (Analytics engineer), Jana Hodgins (Technical producer), Megan Galbraith Donahue (Director of MtG Universes Beyond creative and production), Deserae Dawn (Program manager), and Shay Pierce (Senior software engineer).
As well as; D&D Beyond's Director Software Engineer and member of the original team that built this very website: David Hartless.
Free Content: [Basic Rules],
[Phandelver],[Frozen Sick],[Acquisitions Inc.],[Vecna Dossier],[Radiant Citadel], [Spelljammer],[Dragonlance], [Prisoner 13],[Minecraft],[Star Forge], [Baldur’s Gate], [Lightning Keep], [Stormwreck Isle], [Pinebrook], [Caverns of Tsojcanth], [The Lost Horn], [Elemental Evil].Free Dice: [Frostmaiden],
[Flourishing], [Sanguine],[Themberchaud], [Baldur's Gate 3], [Lego].I wonder what he was working on at wotc. He clearly had been re-assigned from working on this site. I don't use many features on this site, but I know a few that do, and they complain that very little work has been done recently.
The thought occurred to me as well.
Aside from the VTTs you mean? Both of them?
I mean the public roadmap from 2018-2019 was a total flop. They haven't advanced on any of those fronts in years.
The roadmap they published before getting bought out you mean?
Sure. But the point still stands that DDB lacks some basic functionality and post-WotC devs appear to have made little progress on correcting that. But anyway, this is a side point.