D&D will never disappear, not completely. There will always be people who play. But I think the popularity that we have seen in the last few years is going to wane.
It is painfully obvious that there is a fundamental lack of understanding of how TTRPGs are played and of the TTRPG community as a whole by those who are driving the OGL changes and the responses from WotC. This manifests in a few primary failures:
TTRPGs are not video games played with paper and pencils. I would think WotC would have learned this from the failure of 4E, but I guess not. They do not play the same way, they do not function the same way, and being on paper or on a computer or any other device does not change this in any way. You can add whatever bells and whistles or cool graphics or animations to VTTs you want, but it will never be a video game. The defining factor is really simple: the interplay between the DM and players. Everything else is just fluff.
The TTRPG Community is not the D&D Community, nor is it beholden in any way to the current iterations of D&D. The D&D Community is merely a subsection of the TTRGP Community that tends to play D&D. Even within the D&D Community the vast majority are not dedicated to any single game, much less a specific edition of a game. This is not a new development – it has been this way since the late 1980s.
Executives have no concept how WotC benefitted and continues to benefit from OGL 1.0A with respect to the strength and popularity of the D&D brand. 3rd party content creators are partly responsible for the initial success of 5E after the disappointment of 4E. Understanding why is key to understanding the relationship between WotC, 3rd party creators, and the TTRPG Community at large.
How WotC proceeds will determine how much market share they will cede to other TTRPG games. All this whining about how WotC deserves money too is ridiculous. The popularity of 5E is not because of the awesome products WotC has produced, it's because of the multitude of options and additional content produced by 3rd party creators. People play D&D out of convenience, not dedication. The more they make options more restrictive (by limiting 3rd party content) or expensive, the more likely they’ll lose more players.
There will always be D&D games going on somewhere. The question is if it will be an active game with newly published options and content or a legacy game played from old tomes. Games with an active creator community, like Pathfinder is gaining, will become the default fantasy option. I'm becoming at peace with the realization that D&D may not be one of those games.
D&D will never disappear, not completely. There will always be people who play. But I think the popularity that we have seen in the last few years is going to wane.
Is it going to dip because of all this drama? Yes. Is it going to fade? Potentially. I believe (I don't know the numbers) - that 4th Edition suffered greatly. Only because the people around me (most of whom all play D&D) - all played 2ndE, then 3rd, then 3.5... in 4th, I played a game, but it's the sole version I never owned any books for... which was a first. And no one around me really talked about 4th Edition. As a matter of fact, most veered off into Pathfinder or Dungeon Crawl Classics (I believe it's called). So I feel like 4th Edition took a hard hit. 5th Edition sailed in popularity - and drew a lot of attention.
So that said, yes, the drama may dip it's popularity and usage. But at the same time, I do think that a lot of people who bought the physical books will continue to play; and not everyone (because you can never assume everyone!) - but a lot of people already invested in D&D 5e (whether on D&D Beyond or Roll20 or whatever) will probably continue to use it. I will, for sure, continue to use it. It's unfortunate what happened, by my weekly game is the highlight of my week. And I don't have the time, energy or even finances to learn/purchase Pathfinder or anything else. So I am riding the 5e train.
D&D will never disappear, not completely. There will always be people who play. But I think the popularity that we have seen in the last few years is going to wane.
Is it going to dip because of all this drama? Yes. Is it going to fade? Potentially. I believe (I don't know the numbers) - that 4th Edition suffered greatly. Only because the people around me (most of whom all play D&D) - all played 2ndE, then 3rd, then 3.5... in 4th, I played a game, but it's the sole version I never owned any books for... which was a first. And no one around me really talked about 4th Edition. As a matter of fact, most veered off into Pathfinder or Dungeon Crawl Classics (I believe it's called). So I feel like 4th Edition took a hard hit. 5th Edition sailed in popularity - and drew a lot of attention.
So that said, yes, the drama may dip it's popularity and usage. But at the same time, I do think that a lot of people who bought the physical books will continue to play; and not everyone (because you can never assume everyone!) - but a lot of people already invested in D&D 5e (whether on D&D Beyond or Roll20 or whatever) will probably continue to use it. I will, for sure, continue to use it. It's unfortunate what happened, by my weekly game is the highlight of my week. And I don't have the time, energy or even finances to learn/purchase Pathfinder or anything else. So I am riding the 5e train.
No doubt they will keep playing 5E and previous editions. The crux is that they won't play 6E and THAT will hurt WotC. They are slicing off parts of their feet to make the crystal slipper fit. The community will always have the previous editions to fall back on but humans as a whole like new and fresh content. I hope WotC is ready for the winter coming their way because its going to be a VERY cold and dark winter for them.
No doubt they will keep playing 5E and previous editions. The crux is that they won't play 6E and THAT will hurt WotC. They are slicing off parts of their feet to make the crystal slipper fit. The community will always have the previous editions to fall back on but humans as a whole like new and fresh content. I hope WotC is ready for the winter coming their way because its going to be a VERY cold and dark winter for them.
I don't know that they're doing a 6E, more so than planning new things with "updated rules" that will "continue to work with 5e."
I thought that was the point of the "One D&D" that they were promoting for the new UA stuff.
No doubt they will keep playing 5E and previous editions. The crux is that they won't play 6E and THAT will hurt WotC. They are slicing off parts of their feet to make the crystal slipper fit. The community will always have the previous editions to fall back on but humans as a whole like new and fresh content. I hope WotC is ready for the winter coming their way because its going to be a VERY cold and dark winter for them.
I don't know that they're doing a 6E, more so than planning new things with "updated rules" that will "continue to work with 5e."
I thought that was the point of the "One D&D" that they were promoting for the new UA stuff.
I could be wrong, however.
I mean... yeah, they say that they are doing this whole One D&D thing but lets see how well that works. I am willing to bet we are going into another 4E escapade and before you know it 7E will be on the horizon with WotC trying to downplay any mention of 6E. Companies love saying crap like that. Look at the whole Microsoft/Windows 10 being the last edition. Some engineer mentioned that and it blew up. Did MS try to clear the air? No, because it brought a lot of people over thinking they wouldn't have to worry about upgrading again. WotC may be saying that One D&D is the final version, but recent events should show that they cant be trusted to ever tell the truth.
In five years, after OneD&D sinks and the suits responsible have abandoned ship, WotC will release 7e and try to rebuild the goodwill that they lost - just like they did after 4e sank and they released 5e.
My strategy for OneD&D is literally to buy enough 5e material from third party publishers (before WotC comes after them) to last me for the next five years.
WotC may be saying that One D&D is the final version, but recent events should show that they cant be trusted to ever tell the truth.
I mean, unless I am talking to someone who has never lied to their parents... I am not sure any one of us should be judging someone for "lying." I know I've lied more times than I can count to my parents. :D
That said, they said this One D&D UA stuff was geared for 5e. They may have (I don't remember to be honest) said that 5e was the final version. I don't recall reading that.
Regardless, that'd be foolish to think it is. Something will eventually come along that will need them to adjust and make a 6e, 7e, whatever edition.
It's like all those bands that do "this is our final tour."
And three years later, "We're doing a special tour around the world to celebrate our third album's 20th anniversary!"
There is every indication that Wizards of the Coast is going down the TSR route. TSR too had phenomenal success, making more money than anyone ever dreamed of and instead of simply enjoying its success and continuing on doing what they were good at, it got greedy and self-destructed in a vein effort to expand. That is pretty much what is happening right now with Wizards of the Coast. Grant it, I don't think they will go bankrupt because they have deep pockets, but a few months to a year from now, D&D will no longer control the bulk of the market share they enjoy today.
I'm also pretty ok with that. They have gotten waaaay to big and they believe themselves to be an unsinkable ship that can dictate the terms to its community... they are wrong about that... I think the community will sink them just to prove that they can.
Its sad in a way, but at this stage I don't really see an out for them.
Clearly, it no longer matters what they say or do, the community simply doesn't believe anything they say and they are not just unwilling but likely unable to meet the community demands.
There is only one possible outcome here and that is the slow but inevitable demise of Wizards of the Coast D&D.
There is only one possible outcome here and that is the slow but inevitable demise of Wizards of the Coast D&D.
I don't think it's "demise" is ever going to happen. There's going to be people who continue to play D&D. For too many people, this is an escape. And something many of us have invested not only time developing plots, stories, worlds, etc., but also money in purchasing the books (whether digital or physical). And we've found ways to make things work remotely when the pandemic hit (for those who, like myself, played in person) so that the flow of the game never stops. We did what all geeks and nerds tend to do - we adopted and overcame whatever was in our way.
Another example - I used to play EverQuest the MMO. I was certain nothing could sink that ship. Along comes World of Warcraft - and boom. A massive exodus of EverQuest. And I mean, massive. You know what's still available to play? And from the same company (I don't mean Project 1999) - EverQuest. Is it still the massive community it used to be? Not even close. But it still exists. Because people invested time, effort, and cared about the game.
I believe D&D will always exist (well, not always, but for as long as I am on the Earth - which I hope is for a good long while), for those of us who care deeply for it (despite whatever politics happen).
I dont think D&D is going anywhere. Wizards version my disappear if they keep up this mess. Ill just continue to play 5e for as long as I can. Hell people still play advanced and 3rd pre pathfinder, even 4e groups can be found. Its not hard to look around the net and see this. I think That 5e will continue to thrive for a good while considering how popular it has gotten and the massive amount of 3rd party content that there is or was depending how you look at it. If anything concerns me is will Wizards start going after those who are looking for on the various forums, or even this one that is not related to ONE. Slim chance but I would not put it past them at this point.
D&D will definitely lose some market share to other fantasy RPGs due to other publishers focusing on competing products instead of 3rd party D&D stuff. (And I will never figure out how WOTC/Hasbro failed to understand this, or not see it coming.) It's just a question of how much? I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that Hasbro's goal of making D&D a "billion dollar IP" ain't gonna happen. No doubt the company will survive. The careers of the people responsible for this debacle probably won't.
For now I'm just watching Hasbro's stock price and getting ready for everyone else's kickstarters.
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Behind every successful Warlock, there's an angry mob.
I know Paizo has thanked people on their Facebook page and noted they were engaging new print runs to meet the current order fulfillment demand that has hit them over this mess.
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The age of OGL is over. The Time of the ORC has come!
The moment that WotC declares OGL 1.0a "de-authorized", "revoked" or any such nonsense is the moment I release as much content as possible under OGL 1.0a and say, "Sue me WotC". OGL1.0a cannot be revoked. If thousands of us do it, the countersuit will be a class action suit.
I have been playing D&D since red box 1st edition basic D&D. And I will always play some form of D&D I just have a feeling it is going to be called Pathfinder 2e. My group has already committed to Pf2e and when we finish our current 2.5 year long camping we will make the move leaving the dumpster fire of WOTC to their own vices. I guess we all feel the WOTC has burned all good with with my game group and we all feel like it is time to say good bye.
Oh I have no doubt D&D will be played forever,I have been playing 1st edition Basic/Expert and AD&D myself since the late 80's, I still play it today so I understand the longevity of the game and its community. I would never underestimate the communities commitment or attachment to the game. I do think however future-modern D&D will be sort of like free-to-play mobile MMO's. There will be lots of people playing it, the companies running those games are going to make lots of money on the whales that play it, but these people won't be members of the community, they aren't going to be crossing over and neither will the D&D players of this generation crossing over to this new age D&D. Its sort of going to be its own, separate thing and I think at some point even this community will simply get over it.
I do think however that D&D is a concept as a game and a spirit as a community that lives beyond the logo. When Pathfinder 1st edition was the number one game in the market, when people gathered to play, no one said "lets play Pathfinder"... everyone refered to what they were doing as "playing D&D".
This community doesn't now nor has it ever really needed an officially franchised/licensed D&D edition to play D&D, there are lots of D&D's out there. Pathfinder 2nd edition is D&D, Dungeon Crawl Classics is D&D, Old School Essentials is D&D, Castles and Crusades is D&D, and Forbidden Lands is D&D.... There are lots of D&D's out there and yes, 5th edition D&D is a pretty awesome version of D&D because that is what it intended to be.
I just don't think what is coming next will really qualify and like 4e, I think people will complain a lot at first, but sooner or later this community will settle collectively on something else and it will still be D&D, it just won't have the logo and like the PF1 days, it will be ok with everyone. Like, I honestly think this community will just get over Wizards of the Coast D&D and all of the drama that comes with it.
BUT and I think this is the big but, the big change that is coming, is that unlike 4e, Wizards of the Coast won't come to the conclusion that they made a mistake and revert-course correct and create something like 5e. I think their digital plans will work for an entirely new, untapped market of gamers, partially made up of people who grew up on playing online D&D exclusively and a whole new generation of online savy kids growing up right now who will see playing D&D online as the only way the game is to be played, a generation that is already accustomed to micro-transactions and paying for cosmetics and stuff like that. WotC is right, there is a market for that, its just predominantly not us.. aka the current D&D community. But there is a community waiting in the wings for this new generation of digital TTRPG's, digital gamers who will be ready to drop the coin Wizards of the Coast is looking for.
It will be a new, albeit separate branch of the game. It won't so much necessarily divide this community so much as spawn a new, seperate, one.
It is too early to make predictions. It's true that D&D is in a much different position now than it was a few months ago. WoTC's footshot is worth studying. However, I don't think we are at a point of no return. True, there are many people who now swear and swear that they are not going to play / buy anything from WoTC again, but that remains to be seen. I myself will stop buying WoTC material if their policy continues to focus on dishonest and bullying practices. But in the last few days I think they are doing things well. They are taking steps in the right direction. If they follow that path, and don't try to kid the community again, they'll win back some of their fanbase. If 6e is also a good edition, and they somehow manage to fill it with enough content, they will retain/regain a lot of players. If they make a good VTT, better than any other, many people will play with their VTT.
So I reiterate that it is very soon. Nothing is hopelessly broken except for the most intransigent of the place. There is a lot left for the release of 6e. The OGL is not final yet. Etc... Right now many fans are pissed off with WoTC, but they can turn it around if they do things right.
It is too early to make predictions. It's true that D&D is in a much different position now than it was a few months ago. WoTC's footshot is worth studying. However, I don't think we are at a point of no return. True, there are many people who now swear and swear that they are not going to play / buy anything from WoTC again, but that remains to be seen. I myself will stop buying WoTC material if their policy continues to focus on dishonest and bullying practices. But in the last few days I think they are doing things well. They are taking steps in the right direction. If they follow that path, and don't try to kid the community again, they'll win back some of their fanbase. If 6e is also a good edition, and they somehow manage to fill it with enough content, they will retain/regain a lot of players. If they make a good VTT, better than any other, many people will play with their VTT.
So I reiterate that it is very soon. Nothing is hopelessly broken except for the most intransigent of the place. There is a lot left for the release of 6e. The OGL is not final yet. Etc... Right now many fans are pissed off with WoTC, but they can turn it around if they do things right.
It only appears that they are doing things "well" because they hired a PR firm to smooth things over (very obviously). If you look at it from a more pessimistic perspective, nothing about there plan has actually changed, only the words in how they describe it.
Wizards of the Coast plan to go fully digital with microtransactions and a general increase in cost of playing the game while doing everything they can to squash 3rd party creators and effectively any competitors in the market using any means necessary is still very much their core plan and the future of D&D.
If Wizards of the Coast has demonstrated anything in the last few years is that they are more than willing to say anything to appease the community and do whatever they want anyway.
Nothing has changed here at all beyond the more politically correct spin they have put on it.
I will grant you, they are being very clever all of the sudden... but nothing has changed, it's still the same plan.
I'd rather be optimistic than pessimistic, frankly. But optimistic does not mean deluded. Obviously WoTC is trying to smooth things over. And obviously language does a lot. But there are things that are changing. And I will especially highlight the issue of Creative Commons. SRD 5.1 core is going to CC. Well, it's not the same as the entire SRD 5.1, but it's something. And yes, it is basically the part of the system that is most difficult to defend in court, but it saves us court drama. However, my hope is that they include all of SRD 3.5 in CC (and so I asked for in the survey). If they do that, one of the main pillars of OGL 1.0a will still exist. That does not mean that we have to give up.
As I've said in a few threads now: WOTC seems to be under the delusional idea that they weren't already top dog of the TTRPG world. D&D 5E enjoyed an unprecedented confluence of various factors that pushed it to be bigger than it ever had been before. But; a contraction was going to come eventually.
No king rules forever; it's just a bit shocking that the apparent fall from grace was self-inflicted.
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D&D will never disappear, not completely. There will always be people who play. But I think the popularity that we have seen in the last few years is going to wane.
It is painfully obvious that there is a fundamental lack of understanding of how TTRPGs are played and of the TTRPG community as a whole by those who are driving the OGL changes and the responses from WotC. This manifests in a few primary failures:
How WotC proceeds will determine how much market share they will cede to other TTRPG games. All this whining about how WotC deserves money too is ridiculous. The popularity of 5E is not because of the awesome products WotC has produced, it's because of the multitude of options and additional content produced by 3rd party creators. People play D&D out of convenience, not dedication. The more they make options more restrictive (by limiting 3rd party content) or expensive, the more likely they’ll lose more players.
There will always be D&D games going on somewhere. The question is if it will be an active game with newly published options and content or a legacy game played from old tomes. Games with an active creator community, like Pathfinder is gaining, will become the default fantasy option. I'm becoming at peace with the realization that D&D may not be one of those games.
Is it going to dip because of all this drama? Yes. Is it going to fade? Potentially. I believe (I don't know the numbers) - that 4th Edition suffered greatly. Only because the people around me (most of whom all play D&D) - all played 2ndE, then 3rd, then 3.5... in 4th, I played a game, but it's the sole version I never owned any books for... which was a first. And no one around me really talked about 4th Edition. As a matter of fact, most veered off into Pathfinder or Dungeon Crawl Classics (I believe it's called). So I feel like 4th Edition took a hard hit. 5th Edition sailed in popularity - and drew a lot of attention.
So that said, yes, the drama may dip it's popularity and usage. But at the same time, I do think that a lot of people who bought the physical books will continue to play; and not everyone (because you can never assume everyone!) - but a lot of people already invested in D&D 5e (whether on D&D Beyond or Roll20 or whatever) will probably continue to use it. I will, for sure, continue to use it. It's unfortunate what happened, by my weekly game is the highlight of my week. And I don't have the time, energy or even finances to learn/purchase Pathfinder or anything else. So I am riding the 5e train.
Check out my publication on DMs Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?author=Tawmis%20Logue
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No doubt they will keep playing 5E and previous editions. The crux is that they won't play 6E and THAT will hurt WotC. They are slicing off parts of their feet to make the crystal slipper fit. The community will always have the previous editions to fall back on but humans as a whole like new and fresh content. I hope WotC is ready for the winter coming their way because its going to be a VERY cold and dark winter for them.
I don't know that they're doing a 6E, more so than planning new things with "updated rules" that will "continue to work with 5e."
I thought that was the point of the "One D&D" that they were promoting for the new UA stuff.
I could be wrong, however.
Check out my publication on DMs Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?author=Tawmis%20Logue
Check out my comedy web series - Neverending Nights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wr4-u9-zw0&list=PLbRG7dzFI-u3EJd0usasgDrrFO3mZ1lOZ
Need a character story/background written up? I do it for free (but also take donations!) - https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?591882-Need-a-character-background-written-up
I mean... yeah, they say that they are doing this whole One D&D thing but lets see how well that works. I am willing to bet we are going into another 4E escapade and before you know it 7E will be on the horizon with WotC trying to downplay any mention of 6E. Companies love saying crap like that. Look at the whole Microsoft/Windows 10 being the last edition. Some engineer mentioned that and it blew up. Did MS try to clear the air? No, because it brought a lot of people over thinking they wouldn't have to worry about upgrading again. WotC may be saying that One D&D is the final version, but recent events should show that they cant be trusted to ever tell the truth.
Looking forward to Dnd 7e :)
In five years, after OneD&D sinks and the suits responsible have abandoned ship, WotC will release 7e and try to rebuild the goodwill that they lost - just like they did after 4e sank and they released 5e.
My strategy for OneD&D is literally to buy enough 5e material from third party publishers (before WotC comes after them) to last me for the next five years.
I mean, unless I am talking to someone who has never lied to their parents... I am not sure any one of us should be judging someone for "lying." I know I've lied more times than I can count to my parents. :D
That said, they said this One D&D UA stuff was geared for 5e. They may have (I don't remember to be honest) said that 5e was the final version. I don't recall reading that.
Regardless, that'd be foolish to think it is. Something will eventually come along that will need them to adjust and make a 6e, 7e, whatever edition.
It's like all those bands that do "this is our final tour."
And three years later, "We're doing a special tour around the world to celebrate our third album's 20th anniversary!"
Check out my publication on DMs Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?author=Tawmis%20Logue
Check out my comedy web series - Neverending Nights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wr4-u9-zw0&list=PLbRG7dzFI-u3EJd0usasgDrrFO3mZ1lOZ
Need a character story/background written up? I do it for free (but also take donations!) - https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?591882-Need-a-character-background-written-up
There is every indication that Wizards of the Coast is going down the TSR route. TSR too had phenomenal success, making more money than anyone ever dreamed of and instead of simply enjoying its success and continuing on doing what they were good at, it got greedy and self-destructed in a vein effort to expand. That is pretty much what is happening right now with Wizards of the Coast. Grant it, I don't think they will go bankrupt because they have deep pockets, but a few months to a year from now, D&D will no longer control the bulk of the market share they enjoy today.
I'm also pretty ok with that. They have gotten waaaay to big and they believe themselves to be an unsinkable ship that can dictate the terms to its community... they are wrong about that... I think the community will sink them just to prove that they can.
Its sad in a way, but at this stage I don't really see an out for them.
Clearly, it no longer matters what they say or do, the community simply doesn't believe anything they say and they are not just unwilling but likely unable to meet the community demands.
There is only one possible outcome here and that is the slow but inevitable demise of Wizards of the Coast D&D.
I don't think it's "demise" is ever going to happen. There's going to be people who continue to play D&D. For too many people, this is an escape. And something many of us have invested not only time developing plots, stories, worlds, etc., but also money in purchasing the books (whether digital or physical). And we've found ways to make things work remotely when the pandemic hit (for those who, like myself, played in person) so that the flow of the game never stops. We did what all geeks and nerds tend to do - we adopted and overcame whatever was in our way.
Another example - I used to play EverQuest the MMO. I was certain nothing could sink that ship. Along comes World of Warcraft - and boom. A massive exodus of EverQuest. And I mean, massive. You know what's still available to play? And from the same company (I don't mean Project 1999) - EverQuest. Is it still the massive community it used to be? Not even close. But it still exists. Because people invested time, effort, and cared about the game.
I believe D&D will always exist (well, not always, but for as long as I am on the Earth - which I hope is for a good long while), for those of us who care deeply for it (despite whatever politics happen).
Check out my publication on DMs Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?author=Tawmis%20Logue
Check out my comedy web series - Neverending Nights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wr4-u9-zw0&list=PLbRG7dzFI-u3EJd0usasgDrrFO3mZ1lOZ
Need a character story/background written up? I do it for free (but also take donations!) - https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?591882-Need-a-character-background-written-up
I dont think D&D is going anywhere. Wizards version my disappear if they keep up this mess. Ill just continue to play 5e for as long as I can. Hell people still play advanced and 3rd pre pathfinder, even 4e groups can be found. Its not hard to look around the net and see this. I think That 5e will continue to thrive for a good while considering how popular it has gotten and the massive amount of 3rd party content that there is or was depending how you look at it. If anything concerns me is will Wizards start going after those who are looking for on the various forums, or even this one that is not related to ONE. Slim chance but I would not put it past them at this point.
D&D will definitely lose some market share to other fantasy RPGs due to other publishers focusing on competing products instead of 3rd party D&D stuff. (And I will never figure out how WOTC/Hasbro failed to understand this, or not see it coming.) It's just a question of how much? I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that Hasbro's goal of making D&D a "billion dollar IP" ain't gonna happen. No doubt the company will survive. The careers of the people responsible for this debacle probably won't.
For now I'm just watching Hasbro's stock price and getting ready for everyone else's kickstarters.
Behind every successful Warlock, there's an angry mob.
I know Paizo has thanked people on their Facebook page and noted they were engaging new print runs to meet the current order fulfillment demand that has hit them over this mess.
The age of OGL is over. The Time of the ORC has come!
The moment that WotC declares OGL 1.0a "de-authorized", "revoked" or any such nonsense is the moment I release as much content as possible under OGL 1.0a and say, "Sue me WotC". OGL1.0a cannot be revoked. If thousands of us do it, the countersuit will be a class action suit.
I have been playing D&D since red box 1st edition basic D&D. And I will always play some form of D&D I just have a feeling it is going to be called Pathfinder 2e. My group has already committed to Pf2e and when we finish our current 2.5 year long camping we will make the move leaving the dumpster fire of WOTC to their own vices. I guess we all feel the WOTC has burned all good with with my game group and we all feel like it is time to say good bye.
In large part to see how many people cry that the game has been RUINED FOREVER by changing 6E.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Oh I have no doubt D&D will be played forever,I have been playing 1st edition Basic/Expert and AD&D myself since the late 80's, I still play it today so I understand the longevity of the game and its community. I would never underestimate the communities commitment or attachment to the game. I do think however future-modern D&D will be sort of like free-to-play mobile MMO's. There will be lots of people playing it, the companies running those games are going to make lots of money on the whales that play it, but these people won't be members of the community, they aren't going to be crossing over and neither will the D&D players of this generation crossing over to this new age D&D. Its sort of going to be its own, separate thing and I think at some point even this community will simply get over it.
I do think however that D&D is a concept as a game and a spirit as a community that lives beyond the logo. When Pathfinder 1st edition was the number one game in the market, when people gathered to play, no one said "lets play Pathfinder"... everyone refered to what they were doing as "playing D&D".
This community doesn't now nor has it ever really needed an officially franchised/licensed D&D edition to play D&D, there are lots of D&D's out there. Pathfinder 2nd edition is D&D, Dungeon Crawl Classics is D&D, Old School Essentials is D&D, Castles and Crusades is D&D, and Forbidden Lands is D&D.... There are lots of D&D's out there and yes, 5th edition D&D is a pretty awesome version of D&D because that is what it intended to be.
I just don't think what is coming next will really qualify and like 4e, I think people will complain a lot at first, but sooner or later this community will settle collectively on something else and it will still be D&D, it just won't have the logo and like the PF1 days, it will be ok with everyone. Like, I honestly think this community will just get over Wizards of the Coast D&D and all of the drama that comes with it.
BUT and I think this is the big but, the big change that is coming, is that unlike 4e, Wizards of the Coast won't come to the conclusion that they made a mistake and revert-course correct and create something like 5e. I think their digital plans will work for an entirely new, untapped market of gamers, partially made up of people who grew up on playing online D&D exclusively and a whole new generation of online savy kids growing up right now who will see playing D&D online as the only way the game is to be played, a generation that is already accustomed to micro-transactions and paying for cosmetics and stuff like that. WotC is right, there is a market for that, its just predominantly not us.. aka the current D&D community. But there is a community waiting in the wings for this new generation of digital TTRPG's, digital gamers who will be ready to drop the coin Wizards of the Coast is looking for.
It will be a new, albeit separate branch of the game. It won't so much necessarily divide this community so much as spawn a new, seperate, one.
It is too early to make predictions. It's true that D&D is in a much different position now than it was a few months ago. WoTC's footshot is worth studying. However, I don't think we are at a point of no return. True, there are many people who now swear and swear that they are not going to play / buy anything from WoTC again, but that remains to be seen. I myself will stop buying WoTC material if their policy continues to focus on dishonest and bullying practices. But in the last few days I think they are doing things well. They are taking steps in the right direction. If they follow that path, and don't try to kid the community again, they'll win back some of their fanbase. If 6e is also a good edition, and they somehow manage to fill it with enough content, they will retain/regain a lot of players. If they make a good VTT, better than any other, many people will play with their VTT.
So I reiterate that it is very soon. Nothing is hopelessly broken except for the most intransigent of the place. There is a lot left for the release of 6e. The OGL is not final yet. Etc... Right now many fans are pissed off with WoTC, but they can turn it around if they do things right.
It only appears that they are doing things "well" because they hired a PR firm to smooth things over (very obviously). If you look at it from a more pessimistic perspective, nothing about there plan has actually changed, only the words in how they describe it.
Wizards of the Coast plan to go fully digital with microtransactions and a general increase in cost of playing the game while doing everything they can to squash 3rd party creators and effectively any competitors in the market using any means necessary is still very much their core plan and the future of D&D.
If Wizards of the Coast has demonstrated anything in the last few years is that they are more than willing to say anything to appease the community and do whatever they want anyway.
Nothing has changed here at all beyond the more politically correct spin they have put on it.
I will grant you, they are being very clever all of the sudden... but nothing has changed, it's still the same plan.
I'd rather be optimistic than pessimistic, frankly. But optimistic does not mean deluded.
Obviously WoTC is trying to smooth things over. And obviously language does a lot. But there are things that are changing. And I will especially highlight the issue of Creative Commons. SRD 5.1 core is going to CC. Well, it's not the same as the entire SRD 5.1, but it's something. And yes, it is basically the part of the system that is most difficult to defend in court, but it saves us court drama.
However, my hope is that they include all of SRD 3.5 in CC (and so I asked for in the survey). If they do that, one of the main pillars of OGL 1.0a will still exist.
That does not mean that we have to give up.
As I've said in a few threads now: WOTC seems to be under the delusional idea that they weren't already top dog of the TTRPG world. D&D 5E enjoyed an unprecedented confluence of various factors that pushed it to be bigger than it ever had been before. But; a contraction was going to come eventually.
No king rules forever; it's just a bit shocking that the apparent fall from grace was self-inflicted.