My experience with working in an organization that has stars in it is that if one is leaving, then something is pretty bad and there's been a break down. As a leader and manager, I know that if I was losing a Todd, I would have tried to work something out and see if we could make his time in our organization more meaningful for him. I hate to blame management without knowing the facts, but the trend for losing people typically does lay there. It's usually the fault of poor management or poor leadership. Having more than one star leave, that usually indicates a really systemically bad management problem.
That's only an educated speculation though. <perception check = 19> Who knows, maybe these top tier people are all just leaving for no good reason other than they just don't want to work at DDB. It sort of seems odd that Todd didn't let DDB off the hook in his announcement and that DDB is doing a form of damage control and forcing the exit talks to all happen at once, with obvious control. </perception check = 19>
Regardless, all good things come to an end. Best of luck to those leaving and may you find a treasure trove of many happy thoughts.
My experience with working in an organization that has stars in it is that if one is leaving, then something is pretty bad and there's been a break down. As a leader and manager, I know that if I was losing a Todd, I would have tried to work something out and see if we could make his time in our organization more meaningful for him. I hate to blame management without knowing the facts, but the trend for losing people typically does lay there. It's usually the fault of poor management or poor leadership. Having more than one star leave, that usually indicates a really systemically bad management problem.
That's only an educated speculation though. <perception check = 19> Who knows, maybe these top tier people are all just leaving for no good reason other than they just don't want to work at DDB. It sort of seems odd that Todd didn't let DDB off the hook in his announcement and that DDB is doing a form of damage control and forcing the exit talks to all happen at once, with obvious control. </perception check = 19>
Regardless, all good things come to an end. Best of luck to those leaving and may you find a treasure trove of many happy thoughts.
It could also be that they got better offers that Fandom couldn't match.
My experience with working in an organization that has stars in it is that if one is leaving, then something is pretty bad and there's been a break down. As a leader and manager, I know that if I was losing a Todd, I would have tried to work something out and see if we could make his time in our organization more meaningful for him. I hate to blame management without knowing the facts, but the trend for losing people typically does lay there. It's usually the fault of poor management or poor leadership. Having more than one star leave, that usually indicates a really systemically bad management problem.
That's only an educated speculation though. <perception check = 19> Who knows, maybe these top tier people are all just leaving for no good reason other than they just don't want to work at DDB. It sort of seems odd that Todd didn't let DDB off the hook in his announcement and that DDB is doing a form of damage control and forcing the exit talks to all happen at once, with obvious control. </perception check = 19>
Regardless, all good things come to an end. Best of luck to those leaving and may you find a treasure trove of many happy thoughts.
It could also be that they got better offers that Fandom couldn't match.
I was waiting to see about what DDB's reaction would be to that tweet was. If Lauren is leaving for other opportunities why would she need to be hired? It kinda looks like DDB axed their community/social arm staff, and Adam didn't like it and left -- but that is all just speculation.
I also feel trying to become a VTT is bad destination goal for DDB. I feel more like they could do more being a platform and opening up an API for logged in users to leverage their content in other services. Sorta like how some VTTs have plugins to leverage DDB's content. I know I'd love to build a note\world building tool that lets you pull in the "shortcodes" for spells, magic items, mosters and even make one for characters... I'd love to see it, and it was on the roadmap, but feature releases have slowed as they spent more time on virtual dice and such that is leaning more and more toward DDB becoming just another VTT.
That is weird because the official statement from DDB OboeLauren was they all got offers they couldn't refuse. It was on the first page of this thread on the 4th and he is saying that today on the 6th. Something fishy going on then.
I know that hearing the news today can be a bit of a shock, but I want to reassure everyone that the reason y'all love this site is because of the hard work the Developers do to make things better every day. There are so many excellent people who work on D&D Beyond who are never on camera, who are the beating heart of this site, and that heart is still there and strong.
Also there is nothing nefarious going on, we all just have had opportunities that we're excited to peruse! It made sense to make the announcements all at once, but it's not happening exactly at the same time. I believe Todd leaves tomorrow, but I'm still around for another week and Adam a bit more than that. And we're all excited to tell you what we're doing next, but not until after we've completed the DDB adventure.
As my cleric likes to say, one job at a time. ;)
As for me, the amazing Mellie will be taking over my role as the new Community Manager! She's been working with the DDB community for years, has already been instrumental in helping with our social media, and is frankly way more knowledgeable about homebrew than I am! You are all in excellent hands!
That is weird because the official statement from DDB OboeLauren was they all got offers they couldn't refuse. It was on the first page of this thread on the 4th and he is saying that today on the 6th. Something fishy going on then.
I know that hearing the news today can be a bit of a shock, but I want to reassure everyone that the reason y'all love this site is because of the hard work the Developers do to make things better every day. There are so many excellent people who work on D&D Beyond who are never on camera, who are the beating heart of this site, and that heart is still there and strong.
Also there is nothing nefarious going on, we all just have had opportunities that we're excited to peruse! It made sense to make the announcements all at once, but it's not happening exactly at the same time. I believe Todd leaves tomorrow, but I'm still around for another week and Adam a bit more than that. And we're all excited to tell you what we're doing next, but not until after we've completed the DDB adventure.
As my cleric likes to say, one job at a time. ;)
As for me, the amazing Mellie will be taking over my role as the new Community Manager! She's been working with the DDB community for years, has already been instrumental in helping with our social media, and is frankly way more knowledgeable about homebrew than I am! You are all in excellent hands!
Thanks everyone!
Opportunities, not offers. That's not quite the same thing. In Todd's case I have the impression he's going to start something of his own, for instance. Quite a few content creation gigs in the ttrpg industry are freelance as well.
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Want to start playing but don't have anyone to play with? You can try these options: [link].
From experience, when there is an exodus from a department/company, it's because something has made it a place they no longer wish to work at. A group of staff being poached isn't unheard of, but them seemingly going their seperate ways seems to suggest there were other factors at play.
But it doesn’t necessarily be the company itself. There are quite a few people claiming that California isn’t a nice place to live anymore. So i could see a scenario where one person leaving triggers a chain reaction of friends following suit. Not because of DnDBeyond but because of other reasons.
But it doesn’t necessarily be the company itself. There are quite a few people claiming that California isn’t a nice place to live anymore. So i could see a scenario where one person leaving triggers a chain reaction of friends following suit. Not because of DnDBeyond but because of other reasons.
DDB is based in Huntsville, Alabama, not California. That said, I am inclined to trust Adam, Lauren and Stormknight when they say that this is about great opportunities, and not about something being wrong at DDB.
Learned something new, cool. I thought a read San Francisco on a bill, but maybe thats just where it is registered or where one of the parent companies is.
I dunno, isn't dndbeyond more of like a startup environment, which explained why it's been bought so many times (since that's the purpose of a startup)? Because it's not uncommon for people to make a name for themselves at a startup company and then leverage their experience there to get something more lucrative down the road.
I don't know what the culture at dndbeyond is like so I can't say it's *not* because it's secretly terrible and that's why people are leaving, but it seems to me like they accomplished what they set out to do and are moving to the natural next phase careerwise.
I can't say I'm surprised by the level of paranoia this has created, because that's exactly how TTRPG players react to pretty much anything -- we look for sinister motives or portents in absolutely everything. Todd is leaving because he has enough name recognition now to drive his own content channels. The others are leaving because they're looking for, or have found, new challenges. For all you know, Lauren is leaving because she wants to focus more on her music and DDB is taking up too much of her time; the others might have other things they want to focus on too, whether those are other game systems, other types of content, or completely different careers. Maybe it just seemed like a good time because of something happening at DDB that isn't bad or sinister or actively driving them away. Maybe their decisions to leave around the same time were influenced by each other's -- maybe they thought, "Hey, you know, I want to go do this other thing too."
Keep in mind that sometimes even when you have a job that looks fun from the outside, you're not getting to do what you really want to be doing and you start looking for other options. As an example, I used to work for Maxis, and then EA Games. Awesome, right? Only what I was actually doing was writing internal documentation of in-house systems used by the actual game designers. It mostly boiled down to a lot of wiki editing. I had nothing to do with the games themselves. It wasn't what I wanted to be doing. What I enjoyed most in my career was writing manuals for installation and configuration of huge enterprise server solutions, because I felt like I was making a much more direct contribution to the success of the product.
People change jobs all the time, for all kinds of reasons. They want to move to another city, or they want to get paid more, or they're bored and looking for a new challenge. It doesn't have to be a conspiracy. Cool your jets, y'all.
In seriousness, I hope Lauren still hangs around in the forums, otherwise I'm going to miss her witty posts. (Also, Lauren, don't think I didn't notice that Giant Enemy Crab reference you made in Silver and Steel!)
Adam Bradford has earned a reputation for honesty IMO, but hasn’t had the same successful track record for transparency. If I were a betting man (and I am), I would bet that was at least partially due to Fandom’s concerns over optics. Someone higher up the food chain was occasionally either force feeding him a script to follow and/or issuing gag orders.
At this point, the optics are that there was an “Inciting incident” that interrupted the steady state we have all been used to, Something must have happened behind the scenes at either Fandom or DDB. Whatever that was, it was the reason for this sudden change. If Vegas is going to lay odds on what that incident was, my chips would get divided among these three things I think are most plausible with the the information we currently have, ranked least to most likely:
Corporate America’s obsession with next quarter’s earnings report is about to claim its next victim. Those individuals caught wind of it and now they are out like rats fleeing a sinking ship.*
The four individuals DDB claims are leaving for greener pastures all decided they were sick of the horse poopy Fandom was shoveling at them, so they kicked Wolfman in the nards and have heading for the door. To paraphrase a great American hero, “that’s all they could stands and they can’t stands no more.”
And my top guess: They were under contract, and the contracts expired. Fandom disagreed with their individual assessments of their own worth, and told them some variation of “If you think you can do better elsewhere, you can certainly try.” The “opportunity” that came up for them was the opportunity to go find jobs that are willing to pay them what they believe they are worth. (Although, seeing as how Heck bounced first, I would also place a side bet that he was just bored and opted out of contract negotiations on his own.) DDB’s statement definitely sounds like a corporate-ese translation for it if this is what happened. This also explains why none of them can announce where they are going yet, since they’re going job hunting.
Out of those four folks, the one I am most inclined to believe is StormKnight as I have interacted with her the most. But she’s got the same corporate overlords that BadEye had. If they have issued an official company statement for the staff to parrot, she gotta do the bit or follow the Fleeing Four unto the uncertainty of apparent unemployment.
* * *
To any representative of Fandom Inc. that may read this,
I Don’t know who, if anyone, at Fandom’a home office is paying attention to this thread, but just in case someone is keeping an eye on things around here, I feel obliged to protect my investment in DDB (8 Fill Versions of Sourcebooks and I just renewed my Master Tier recently.) by pointing out that right now, this is going to hurt the company’s short term bottom line. Everyone on this side of the information divide is concerned that DDB might not be her soon. Many people I have conversed with have stated their intention to put a temporary hold on investing in DDB until they are again confident in the value of those investments. Folks can’t afford to throw away good money after bad by foolishly ignore these potential warning signs. I can’t blame them as I have also come to that same decision.
If my sinking ship theory is correct and Fandom is counting on a strong 2nd Quarter to about the reefs that threaten to sink the ship, then they need to consider doing something to boost consumer confidence, and therefore sales. And dice skins won’t cut it, it needs to be something significant. You’ve gotta “give ‘em an offer they can’t refuse” so to speak. Something like this as an example:
Insert a subscription tier between Hero and Master. Leave Master at 5 campaigns, but offer a “Hero+ Tier” that only offers sharing with 2 campaigns, but only costs $45.99 annually and $4.99 monthly. People who want to share a little, but don’t need that many, or who might be balking at the Master Tier price would eat it up all day long. Plus, they would also probably sell more Master Tier subscriptions that way too.
In addition, I strongly urge Fandom to reassess whatever policies it has that lead to its tendency for opacity. When I first became an active member here there was no end to users’ level of dissatisfaction about the limitations of the software, and the resentment that known issues had been acknowledged for years without being fixed. When Adam finally shed some light on the the whats, whys, and hows surrounding the development of the content creator and the reasons it has taken almost half a decade to finally get to the point where the Devs are starting to sort it all out. It generally seems to have made made a big difference.
Suddenly the more attentive members of the DDB comunity were informed. In a battle of optics, information is both sword and shield. Those members inclined towards being helpful around here were suddenly able to disseminate that information for yous all. I at least have noticed a dramatic reduction in the number of outraged posts in the Bugs and Feedback forums. If the ship is not sinking, and the contract negotiations just didn’t work out in a way that maintained the former status quo, tell us that. Then you will have armed us with the tools to help you calm down people’s legitimate concerns by spreading the news like we did last time. So arm us.
I’ll refer you to Sposta’s Top Tip for New DM’s, #3:
It’s okay to make mistakes, everyone makes mistakes. That’s the best way to learn how to avoid those mistakes again in future.
Edit: Sorry, it tool me a bit to find my original post with that suggestion to make sure I stayed consistent.
Ouch. Yeah, that sounds like lay offs and something I didn't imagine. Damn, sorry to hear that if it's the case. That's stressful.
Just speaking to the wall at this point....
I've sort of assumed that DDB business would be going pretty well since people have so much more downtime. I know the nostalgia toy collector market is going through the roof when they can keep up with product demand and sort of figured this segment might be seeing growth too. TBH though, I've not given much thought to D&D beyond my own group games.
FWIW, as a DM who likes the layout, look and feel of DDB, and content I do have to admit, there is not a hook that's bringing me into a subscription or entice me into being a repeatable revenue stream. I don't buy digital content and would prefer to have tangible/physical things for my games. In the COVID era though I find that I have to hobble together a collection of varied tools to run a game online and it just feels like there is a void where a VTT should be at the DDB site. If/When they do show up with one then I feel like it can't just be a reskin of Roll20 and needs to be something a little more 3D or includes augmented reality. Also, it seems like they really missed an opportunity to have a service like Hero Forge for people to enhance their tabletop and collector itch. The D&D die cast stuff that they sell at retail is okay, but not as sharp as what I can 3D print in my workshop at home. Again, it just seems like a void that is there that should be available to bridge the digital and physical realms.
I can see some of that stuff maybe being on the horizon, but really am concerned to see that they're letting go of valued ambassadors. It's hard to grow when you don't have champions on the field.
Ouch. Yeah, that sounds like lay offs and something I didn't imagine. Damn, sorry to hear that if it's the case. That's stressful.
Just speaking to the wall at this point....
I've sort of assumed that DDB business would be going pretty well since people have so much more downtime. I know the nostalgia toy collector market is going through the roof when they can keep up with product demand and sort of figured this segment might be seeing growth too. TBH though, I've not given much thought to D&D beyond my own group games.
FWIW, as a DM who likes the layout, look and feel of DDB, and content I do have to admit, there is not a hook that's bringing me into a subscription or entice me into being a repeatable revenue stream. I don't buy digital content and would prefer to have tangible/physical things for my games. In the COVID era though I find that I have to hobble together a collection of varied tools to run a game online and it just feels like there is a void where a VTT should be at the DDB site. If/When they do show up with one then I feel like it can't just be a reskin of Roll20 and needs to be something a little more 3D or includes augmented reality. Also, it seems like they really missed an opportunity to have a service like Hero Forge for people to enhance their tabletop and collector itch. The D&D die cast stuff that they sell at retail is okay, but not as sharp as what I can 3D print in my workshop at home. Again, it just seems like a void that is there that should be available to bridge the digital and physical realms.
I can see some of that stuff maybe being on the horizon, but really am concerned to see that they're letting go of valued ambassadors. It's hard to grow when you don't have champions on the field.
I think it's probably that DDB doesn't want to pay a bunch of people to create content, when the content isn't driving income. There's clearly a HUGE bottleneck in the development department, so the company could just be reallocating funds from one function (social, community, articles, streams, etc.) to another (product development).
FWIW, as a DM who likes the layout, look and feel of DDB, and content I do have to admit, there is not a hook that's bringing me into a subscription or entice me into being a repeatable revenue stream. I don't buy digital content and would prefer to have tangible/physical things for my games. In the COVID era though I find that I have to hobble together a collection of varied tools to run a game online and it just feels like there is a void where a VTT should be at the DDB site. If/When they do show up with one then I feel like it can't just be a reskin of Roll20 and needs to be something a little more 3D or includes augmented reality. Also, it seems like they really missed an opportunity to have a service like Hero Forge for people to enhance their tabletop and collector itch. The D&D die cast stuff that they sell at retail is okay, but not as sharp as what I can 3D print in my workshop at home. Again, it just seems like a void that is there that should be available to bridge the digital and physical realms.
So D&D Beyond produces digital texts and tools under a license with WotC. If they entertained a Hero Forge route, and I don't think they ever would, they'd be running afoul with the WotC licensees for miniatures production. Hero Forge itself has to work within "generic" parameters which is why you won't see D&D branded creatures like Tabaxi or Dragonborn offered, but instead designs and names adjacent like "catfolk". Hero Forge's more recent move into virtual game pieces for VTT, maybe harnessed with a broader design suite for illustrations for character sheets hand outs etc has its appeal ... but that doesn't seem to be in DDB Beyond's niche either, as they seem more focused on producing the best they can tools essential for play. Character sheets and character building tools, an encounter builder (that could be integrated into adventure notes) that make ready reference to rules and dice rolling, those are essential functions to the game. Artwork, and I'd say the bells and whistles provided by VTTs, just aren't, unless the VTT would give the DM better control over campaign notes so they can better incorporate maps etc into that "campaign" blank that's really the only frustrating thing about my experience with DDB (sure I'd like to play around with an unlocked optional class features set as homebrew, but that's not as essential for me).
As for the Gloomsinging refrain going on about departures of the creative content segment of DDB's house, I think when it comes to brass tacks it might be something like this: Think about the Tasha's rollout, or the Theros roll out before that. Do you want future roll outs better because the actual Dev section is resourced to handle the task, or do you want resources spent on an in house gamer crew (when marketing already supports Critical Role) and an in house writer/editorial team that represents how D&D can be played used DDB (which is competing with a vibrant amateur/fan space)? Was Silver and Steel or Beyond Heroes or ToddTalks in your top TTRPG streams? My Insight I'd put only in the realm of +2 proficiency, but I don't see the situation as obscure or as obscurantist product as some are entertaining. End of the day, it comes down to is it worth it for DDB to continue or increase support, and is it worth it to the particular staff member to continue working under the present or future conditions. As for consumers who want buy in to those conversations, I think their voices are actually collected exhaustively through usage of the service, media metrics, and analysis of this space.
But carry on with the wild speculation, it is very constructive...
A true champion here. ^
While I am fully aware that my impending departure also disqualifies me from a status of reliable narrator when speaking to the future of D&D Beyond and Fandom, I will personally insist upon objection to the notion that I have been anything other than a veritable beacon of company transparency in my time founding and driving the vision for DDB.
So looking into the past with full rights to reliable narrator status, I'll forever be proud of the level of authenticity and transparency I've brought into the proceedings here and to the seismic shift in sentiment that came as a result of those principles as we built this community.
From the initial announcement of D&D Beyond at PAX East in 2017 when at best we got apathy from the community and at worst downright hostility, and reading a post about us on Reddit was an exercise in mental self-harm, to the place where we are now where D&D Beyond is the top and most-beloved digital partner in the entire industry (by factors in any business or sentiment metric).
I often said in those early days when wading into the cesspool of online reaction and speculation that nothing I could say would convince people to change their attitudes towards us and that the "proof would be in the pudding." Three years later, I can say that while nothing goes perfectly and there's plenty more wood to chop, we have accomplished mighty things and succeeded at building a true digital toolset for Dungeons & Dragons where so many others have failed over the last two decades.
I and the team have earned the community's trust. And while I surely cannot speak to how things are going to go after I'm gone for the reasons I've already shared, the others that are going to be taking the reins deserve to have the chance to earn that trust...and the proof will still be in the pudding. I want them to succeed and will be cheering them on from a front row seat in the stands.
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My experience with working in an organization that has stars in it is that if one is leaving, then something is pretty bad and there's been a break down. As a leader and manager, I know that if I was losing a Todd, I would have tried to work something out and see if we could make his time in our organization more meaningful for him. I hate to blame management without knowing the facts, but the trend for losing people typically does lay there. It's usually the fault of poor management or poor leadership. Having more than one star leave, that usually indicates a really systemically bad management problem.
That's only an educated speculation though. <perception check = 19> Who knows, maybe these top tier people are all just leaving for no good reason other than they just don't want to work at DDB. It sort of seems odd that Todd didn't let DDB off the hook in his announcement and that DDB is doing a form of damage control and forcing the exit talks to all happen at once, with obvious control. </perception check = 19>
Regardless, all good things come to an end. Best of luck to those leaving and may you find a treasure trove of many happy thoughts.
It could also be that they got better offers that Fandom couldn't match.
Doesn't look like it: https://twitter.com/ToddKenreck/status/1358103558604791809
I was waiting to see about what DDB's reaction would be to that tweet was. If Lauren is leaving for other opportunities why would she need to be hired? It kinda looks like DDB axed their community/social arm staff, and Adam didn't like it and left -- but that is all just speculation.
I also feel trying to become a VTT is bad destination goal for DDB. I feel more like they could do more being a platform and opening up an API for logged in users to leverage their content in other services. Sorta like how some VTTs have plugins to leverage DDB's content. I know I'd love to build a note\world building tool that lets you pull in the "shortcodes" for spells, magic items, mosters and even make one for characters... I'd love to see it, and it was on the roadmap, but feature releases have slowed as they spent more time on virtual dice and such that is leaning more and more toward DDB becoming just another VTT.
That is weird because the official statement from
DDBOboeLauren was they all got offers they couldn't refuse. It was on the first page of this thread on the 4th and he is saying that today on the 6th. Something fishy going on then.I just want to tell everyone "happy gaming" and actually mean it. Whatever your game is, just have fun with it, it is after all, just a game.
Opportunities, not offers. That's not quite the same thing. In Todd's case I have the impression he's going to start something of his own, for instance. Quite a few content creation gigs in the ttrpg industry are freelance as well.
Want to start playing but don't have anyone to play with? You can try these options: [link].
From experience, when there is an exodus from a department/company, it's because something has made it a place they no longer wish to work at. A group of staff being poached isn't unheard of, but them seemingly going their seperate ways seems to suggest there were other factors at play.
But it doesn’t necessarily be the company itself. There are quite a few people claiming that California isn’t a nice place to live anymore. So i could see a scenario where one person leaving triggers a chain reaction of friends following suit. Not because of DnDBeyond but because of other reasons.
Attack: [roll]3d20dl2+6[/roll] Damage: [roll](if([roll:-1:critical], =0, 1d8, 2{1d8}.expand()))+4[/roll] Sneakattack: [roll](if([roll:-2:critical], =0, 2d6, 2{2d6}.expand()))[/roll]DDB is based in Huntsville, Alabama, not California. That said, I am inclined to trust Adam, Lauren and Stormknight when they say that this is about great opportunities, and not about something being wrong at DDB.
Trying to Decide if DDB is for you? A few helpful threads: A Buyer's Guide to DDB; What I/We Bought and Why; How some DMs use DDB; A Newer Thread on Using DDB to Play
Helpful threads on other topics: Homebrew FAQ by IamSposta; Accessing Content by ConalTheGreat;
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Learned something new, cool. I thought a read San Francisco on a bill, but maybe thats just where it is registered or where one of the parent companies is.
Attack: [roll]3d20dl2+6[/roll] Damage: [roll](if([roll:-1:critical], =0, 1d8, 2{1d8}.expand()))+4[/roll] Sneakattack: [roll](if([roll:-2:critical], =0, 2d6, 2{2d6}.expand()))[/roll]I dunno, isn't dndbeyond more of like a startup environment, which explained why it's been bought so many times (since that's the purpose of a startup)? Because it's not uncommon for people to make a name for themselves at a startup company and then leverage their experience there to get something more lucrative down the road.
I don't know what the culture at dndbeyond is like so I can't say it's *not* because it's secretly terrible and that's why people are leaving, but it seems to me like they accomplished what they set out to do and are moving to the natural next phase careerwise.
I can't say I'm surprised by the level of paranoia this has created, because that's exactly how TTRPG players react to pretty much anything -- we look for sinister motives or portents in absolutely everything. Todd is leaving because he has enough name recognition now to drive his own content channels. The others are leaving because they're looking for, or have found, new challenges. For all you know, Lauren is leaving because she wants to focus more on her music and DDB is taking up too much of her time; the others might have other things they want to focus on too, whether those are other game systems, other types of content, or completely different careers. Maybe it just seemed like a good time because of something happening at DDB that isn't bad or sinister or actively driving them away. Maybe their decisions to leave around the same time were influenced by each other's -- maybe they thought, "Hey, you know, I want to go do this other thing too."
Keep in mind that sometimes even when you have a job that looks fun from the outside, you're not getting to do what you really want to be doing and you start looking for other options. As an example, I used to work for Maxis, and then EA Games. Awesome, right? Only what I was actually doing was writing internal documentation of in-house systems used by the actual game designers. It mostly boiled down to a lot of wiki editing. I had nothing to do with the games themselves. It wasn't what I wanted to be doing. What I enjoyed most in my career was writing manuals for installation and configuration of huge enterprise server solutions, because I felt like I was making a much more direct contribution to the success of the product.
People change jobs all the time, for all kinds of reasons. They want to move to another city, or they want to get paid more, or they're bored and looking for a new challenge. It doesn't have to be a conspiracy. Cool your jets, y'all.
NO! WE MUST UNCOVER THE SECRET CABAL OF LIZARD PEOPLE LIVING IN THE MOVIE THEATER BASEMENT THAT'S DRIVING DDB'S STAFF AWAY!!!!!1!!!1!
In seriousness, I hope Lauren still hangs around in the forums, otherwise I'm going to miss her witty posts. (Also, Lauren, don't think I didn't notice that Giant Enemy Crab reference you made in Silver and Steel!)
To whomever cares what I think,
Adam Bradford has earned a reputation for honesty IMO, but hasn’t had the same successful track record for transparency. If I were a betting man (and I am), I would bet that was at least partially due to Fandom’s concerns over optics. Someone higher up the food chain was occasionally either force feeding him a script to follow and/or issuing gag orders.
At this point, the optics are that there was an “Inciting incident” that interrupted the steady state we have all been used to, Something must have happened behind the scenes at either Fandom or DDB. Whatever that was, it was the reason for this sudden change. If Vegas is going to lay odds on what that incident was, my chips would get divided among these three things I think are most plausible with the the information we currently have, ranked least to most likely:
Out of those four folks, the one I am most inclined to believe is StormKnight as I have interacted with her the most. But she’s got the same corporate overlords that BadEye had. If they have issued an official company statement for the staff to parrot, she gotta do the bit or follow the Fleeing Four unto the uncertainty of apparent unemployment.
* * *
To any representative of Fandom Inc. that may read this,
I Don’t know who, if anyone, at Fandom’a home office is paying attention to this thread, but just in case someone is keeping an eye on things around here, I feel obliged to protect my investment in DDB (8 Fill Versions of Sourcebooks and I just renewed my Master Tier recently.) by pointing out that right now, this is going to hurt the company’s short term bottom line. Everyone on this side of the information divide is concerned that DDB might not be her soon. Many people I have conversed with have stated their intention to put a temporary hold on investing in DDB until they are again confident in the value of those investments. Folks can’t afford to throw away good money after bad by foolishly ignore these potential warning signs. I can’t blame them as I have also come to that same decision.
If my sinking ship theory is correct and Fandom is counting on a strong 2nd Quarter to about the reefs that threaten to sink the ship, then they need to consider doing something to boost consumer confidence, and therefore sales. And dice skins won’t cut it, it needs to be something significant. You’ve gotta “give ‘em an offer they can’t refuse” so to speak. Something like this as an example:
Insert a subscription tier between Hero and Master. Leave Master at 5 campaigns, but offer a “Hero+ Tier” that only offers sharing with 2 campaigns, but only costs $45.99 annually and $4.99 monthly. People who want to share a little, but don’t need that many, or who might be balking at the Master Tier price would eat it up all day long. Plus, they would also probably sell more Master Tier subscriptions that way too.
In addition, I strongly urge Fandom to reassess whatever policies it has that lead to its tendency for opacity. When I first became an active member here there was no end to users’ level of dissatisfaction about the limitations of the software, and the resentment that known issues had been acknowledged for years without being fixed. When Adam finally shed some light on the the whats, whys, and hows surrounding the development of the content creator and the reasons it has taken almost half a decade to finally get to the point where the Devs are starting to sort it all out. It generally seems to have made made a big difference.
Suddenly the more attentive members of the DDB comunity were informed. In a battle of optics, information is both sword and shield. Those members inclined towards being helpful around here were suddenly able to disseminate that information for yous all. I at least have noticed a dramatic reduction in the number of outraged posts in the Bugs and Feedback forums. If the ship is not sinking, and the contract negotiations just didn’t work out in a way that maintained the former status quo, tell us that. Then you will have armed us with the tools to help you calm down people’s legitimate concerns by spreading the news like we did last time. So arm us.
I’ll refer you to Sposta’s Top Tip for New DM’s, #3:
Edit: Sorry, it tool me a bit to find my original post with that suggestion to make sure I stayed consistent.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
Ouch. Yeah, that sounds like lay offs and something I didn't imagine. Damn, sorry to hear that if it's the case. That's stressful.
Just speaking to the wall at this point....
I've sort of assumed that DDB business would be going pretty well since people have so much more downtime. I know the nostalgia toy collector market is going through the roof when they can keep up with product demand and sort of figured this segment might be seeing growth too. TBH though, I've not given much thought to D&D beyond my own group games.
FWIW, as a DM who likes the layout, look and feel of DDB, and content I do have to admit, there is not a hook that's bringing me into a subscription or entice me into being a repeatable revenue stream. I don't buy digital content and would prefer to have tangible/physical things for my games. In the COVID era though I find that I have to hobble together a collection of varied tools to run a game online and it just feels like there is a void where a VTT should be at the DDB site. If/When they do show up with one then I feel like it can't just be a reskin of Roll20 and needs to be something a little more 3D or includes augmented reality. Also, it seems like they really missed an opportunity to have a service like Hero Forge for people to enhance their tabletop and collector itch. The D&D die cast stuff that they sell at retail is okay, but not as sharp as what I can 3D print in my workshop at home. Again, it just seems like a void that is there that should be available to bridge the digital and physical realms.
I can see some of that stuff maybe being on the horizon, but really am concerned to see that they're letting go of valued ambassadors. It's hard to grow when you don't have champions on the field.
I think it's probably that DDB doesn't want to pay a bunch of people to create content, when the content isn't driving income. There's clearly a HUGE bottleneck in the development department, so the company could just be reallocating funds from one function (social, community, articles, streams, etc.) to another (product development).
So long as the content (ie books and such) I paid for continue to be available, the rest is just noise and nonsense.
But carry on with the wild speculation, it is very constructive...
So D&D Beyond produces digital texts and tools under a license with WotC. If they entertained a Hero Forge route, and I don't think they ever would, they'd be running afoul with the WotC licensees for miniatures production. Hero Forge itself has to work within "generic" parameters which is why you won't see D&D branded creatures like Tabaxi or Dragonborn offered, but instead designs and names adjacent like "catfolk". Hero Forge's more recent move into virtual game pieces for VTT, maybe harnessed with a broader design suite for illustrations for character sheets hand outs etc has its appeal ... but that doesn't seem to be in DDB Beyond's niche either, as they seem more focused on producing the best they can tools essential for play. Character sheets and character building tools, an encounter builder (that could be integrated into adventure notes) that make ready reference to rules and dice rolling, those are essential functions to the game. Artwork, and I'd say the bells and whistles provided by VTTs, just aren't, unless the VTT would give the DM better control over campaign notes so they can better incorporate maps etc into that "campaign" blank that's really the only frustrating thing about my experience with DDB (sure I'd like to play around with an unlocked optional class features set as homebrew, but that's not as essential for me).
As for the Gloomsinging refrain going on about departures of the creative content segment of DDB's house, I think when it comes to brass tacks it might be something like this: Think about the Tasha's rollout, or the Theros roll out before that. Do you want future roll outs better because the actual Dev section is resourced to handle the task, or do you want resources spent on an in house gamer crew (when marketing already supports Critical Role) and an in house writer/editorial team that represents how D&D can be played used DDB (which is competing with a vibrant amateur/fan space)? Was Silver and Steel or Beyond Heroes or ToddTalks in your top TTRPG streams? My Insight I'd put only in the realm of +2 proficiency, but I don't see the situation as obscure or as obscurantist product as some are entertaining. End of the day, it comes down to is it worth it for DDB to continue or increase support, and is it worth it to the particular staff member to continue working under the present or future conditions. As for consumers who want buy in to those conversations, I think their voices are actually collected exhaustively through usage of the service, media metrics, and analysis of this space.
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
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D&D Beyond FoundersA true champion here. ^
While I am fully aware that my impending departure also disqualifies me from a status of reliable narrator when speaking to the future of D&D Beyond and Fandom, I will personally insist upon objection to the notion that I have been anything other than a veritable beacon of company transparency in my time founding and driving the vision for DDB.
So looking into the past with full rights to reliable narrator status, I'll forever be proud of the level of authenticity and transparency I've brought into the proceedings here and to the seismic shift in sentiment that came as a result of those principles as we built this community.
From the initial announcement of D&D Beyond at PAX East in 2017 when at best we got apathy from the community and at worst downright hostility, and reading a post about us on Reddit was an exercise in mental self-harm, to the place where we are now where D&D Beyond is the top and most-beloved digital partner in the entire industry (by factors in any business or sentiment metric).
I often said in those early days when wading into the cesspool of online reaction and speculation that nothing I could say would convince people to change their attitudes towards us and that the "proof would be in the pudding." Three years later, I can say that while nothing goes perfectly and there's plenty more wood to chop, we have accomplished mighty things and succeeded at building a true digital toolset for Dungeons & Dragons where so many others have failed over the last two decades.
I and the team have earned the community's trust. And while I surely cannot speak to how things are going to go after I'm gone for the reasons I've already shared, the others that are going to be taking the reins deserve to have the chance to earn that trust...and the proof will still be in the pudding. I want them to succeed and will be cheering them on from a front row seat in the stands.