I am wondering where forum users heads are at with regard to staying/coming back. Given that anyone here is more likely to still have a favorable view of WotC, I figure that the answers will be extremely biased. But I'm hoping to start a discussion which clarifies our demands and sparks reasonable and polite discussion of the topic.
I plan to repost this once in awhile until they delete my account as I've requested, with updates to the questions that people suggest.
I know it's a bit snarky. I feel very disappointed, hurt, and betrayed. I was very much looking forward to trying the new vtt and playing with my friends.
They had my money so close they could probably smell it, but instead they encouraged me to spend it elsewhere.
I would come back if they left 3.5 and 5e alone and published 6e/OneDnD under whatever license they wanted, i know that it is supposed to be backward compatible with 5e, but if they scrapped that and left 5e under OGL 1.0a, I MIGHT consider coming back.
I'm not leaving. I'm also not a subscriber, I just bought a few books, and I have character sheets here.
I'm not wildly interested in the OGL. I don't make, and I don't use, any homebrew or 3rd party content. I don't watch streams, I don't read blogs or whatever. And I'm sorry to say, but I do believe I represent the vast, vast majority. If Hasbro imploded tomorrow, I'd likely still be playing 5e ten years from now.
There are some implications in that. I don't need Hasbro, or WoTC, or DNDBeyond - I just need rulebooks and friends. When Hasbro want to moneytise DND, I'm a big part of the problem. I'm part of a group of friends, and between us we own maybe two copies of the rules, and we subscribe to a grand total of nothing. I can see quite clearly why Hasbro/WoTC would want us to 'engage' more. I can see why the occasional purchase of a new rulebook doesn't feel satisfying, not least because the constant production of content is a big component in selling the rulebooks in the first place. It must be galling that we - my group and I - couldn't care less about all that additional content.
So, point being, from a money perspective, I can see why.
Looking at these forums, there's rather a lot of noise being generated. With which I sympathize, but don't really participate. It's a noble struggle, it's just not really my struggle.
I think almost everyone will come back. In part because it's already a ... 'won' struggle (the winningness, the degree of victory, may be debatable). But primarily because there isn't really anywhere else to go. It's like, back in the day I decided to quit WoW. Guess what, WoW is the only show in town. That's maybe not entirely true today, but back when I first quit WoW, there literally weren't any other halfway decent MMO's to play instead.
There are plenty of good RPG's, I've played the hell out of Earthdawn and Shadowrun, but there truly, literally isn't any other DND out there.
So while Hasbro/WoTC are certainly rethinking their approach, I'd wager they'll emerge on the other side basically without a scratch - no matter the final solution - because most players (those like me) aren't really all that interested. And because even the hardcore aren't really presented with a multitude of other options. Or rather, there are a multitude of other unattractive options. Other games, but no other DND.
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Blanket disclaimer: I only ever state opinion. But I can sound terribly dogmatic - so if you feel I'm trying to tell you what to think, I'm really not, I swear. I'm telling you what I think, that's all.
I'm not leaving. I'm also not a subscriber, I just bought a few books, and I have character sheets here.
I'm not wildly interested in the OGL. I don't make, and I don't use, any homebrew or 3rd party content. I don't watch streams, I don't read blogs or whatever. And I'm sorry to say, but I do believe I represent the vast, vast majority. If Hasbro imploded tomorrow, I'd likely still be playing 5e ten years from now.
There are some implications in that. I don't need Hasbro, or WoTC, or DNDBeyond - I just need rulebooks and friends. When Hasbro want to moneytise DND, I'm a big part of the problem. I'm part of a group of friends, and between us we own maybe two copies of the rules, and we subscribe to a grand total of nothing. I can see quite clearly why Hasbro/WoTC would want us to 'engage' more. I can see why the occasional purchase of a new rulebook doesn't feel satisfying, not least because the constant production of content is a big component in selling the rulebooks in the first place. It must be galling that we - my group and I - couldn't care less about all that additional content.
So, point being, from a money perspective, I can see why.
Looking at these forums, there's rather a lot of noise being generated. With which I sympathize, but don't really participate. It's a noble struggle, it's just not really my struggle.
I think almost everyone will come back. In part because it's already a ... 'won' struggle (the winningness, the degree of victory, may be debatable). But primarily because there isn't really anywhere else to go. It's like, back in the day I decided to quit WoW. Guess what, WoW is the only show in town. That's maybe not entirely true today, but back when I first quit WoW, there literally weren't any other halfway decent MMO's to play instead.
There are plenty of good RPG's, I've played the hell out of Earthdawn and Shadowrun, but there truly, literally isn't any other DND out there.
So while Hasbro/WoTC are certainly rethinking their approach, I'd wager they'll emerge on the other side basically without a scratch - no matter the final solution - because most players (those like me) aren't really all that interested. And because even the hardcore aren't really presented with a multitude of other options. Or rather, there are a multitude of other unattractive options. Other games, but no other DND.
That begs the question: what makes D&D "D&D", for you? What is it that you cannot find somewhere else (meaining in any other system)?
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Born in Italy, moved a bunch, living in Spain, my heart always belonged to Roleplaying Games
Have you never tried Pathfinder, Kobold Press, etc.? It's fine if you haven't, I'd just recommend them if you like dnd.
I fully expect that their Open RPG stuff will stand up to scrutiny if their lawsuit fails. If you liked 3.5 then I'd recommend Pathfinder 1e. If you prefer 5e, then 2e is probably closer to what you like.
Paizo's pathfinder always felt like an upgrade of 3.5 for me. I'd imagine that 2e will seem the same compared to 5e but I'm only even going to be buying it because of this decision by Hasbro so I guess I'll see. My understanding is that it is also simplified, just in a different manner.
Have you never tried Pathfinder, Kobold Press, etc.? It's fine if you haven't, I'd just recommend them if you like dnd.
I fully expect that their Open RPG stuff will stand up to scrutiny if their lawsuit fails. If you liked 3.5 then I'd recommend Pathfinder 1e. If you prefer 5e, then 2e is probably closer to what you like.
Paizo's pathfinder always felt like an upgrade of 3.5 for me. I'd imagine that 2e will seem the same compared to 5e but I'm only even going to be buying it because of this decision by Hasbro so I guess I'll see. My understanding is that it is also simplified, just in a different manner.
In my admittedly limited experience (for now) Pathfinder 2e is quite different from 5e, they have been developed with two different mindsets and it shows. It's crunchier than 5e, the character customization options are more varied and happen at pretty much every level, but due to the first point (the crunchiness) mathematically speaking is somewhat more demanding, similar to how 3.x was compared to 5e.
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Born in Italy, moved a bunch, living in Spain, my heart always belonged to Roleplaying Games
A poll is only as good as its methodology, and introducing bias in the responses, such as openly mocking anybody who chooses an answer you disagree with, invalidates the entire process as it dissuades contrary viewpoints from responding in the first place.
So, let’s call a spade a spade: Your poll is designed to be an echo chamber, not a survey. And, despite the fact you are asking an important question that would make for an interesting poll topic, your inability to put even a middle school understanding of polling methodology over your own anger has rendered the data completely useless. That does a disservice to everyone.
That begs the question: what makes D&D "D&D", for you? What is it that you cannot find somewhere else (meaining in any other system)?
This isn't an answer to your first question (which is pretty deep and actually fairly niche), but an answer to your second one.
My concern with other systems is that they're nowhere near as prolific. If I want a 5e adventure, I can get it. Any unique-to-the-game creatures are most likely available for me to get an STL. There is a ton of expansion material. WotC isn't amazing...but their published adventures are usually ok. If I need help understanding something or otherwise need help, there is a massive community to help, on DDB, Discord plus I'm in half a dozen other grassroots communities. It currently gives me roughly the right balance between crunch and ease of use.
Lets compare to the other TTRPG that I play, STA. I got pretty much all the adventures that are available - for like £20. Ok, they're PDFs, but there are like a dozen or two and that's it. Most of those are one-shots. There is enough material total to cover maybe 50 sessions? STLs...after several years, they're finally starting to release them. It's a limited run, so at the end of it, I'll have STLs for a few (but not all) of the main races and that's about it. Floor tiles that are appropriate to only two of those. Nothing for the.random species, which the franchise is famed for. There is a fair number of books to expand the game...but not as much as 5e. If I need help, there is a single forum, with one subsection for STA,.which has fresh posts...maybe every couple of days? Most of that is for niche projects, getting help is not a quick process. The game is harder to use than 5e, but not much more so.
I like STA and I do enjoy it. It has some advantages that 5e can't really match. However, 5e has some substantial advantages that STA just can't compete with and so could never replace.
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If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
Fair point, I'll revise the language moving forward. That was not entirely my intent, mostly I was going for the most hyperbolic versions of things I've heard ppl say. I was also somewhat limited by the character limit. What answers would you suggest? Perhaps I should add in a what controversy type option as well.
& while I'll boldly admit that I'm biased as heck, I did want to spark conversation. So perhaps a better poll would do that. I honestly expected the bias to go the other way since I figured that a lot of the ppl who stay are still somewhat loyal.
But this isn't exactly meant to be a scientific endeavor. Skewing the poll is theoretically actually useful to me in terms of what I want long term. But since I do actually want to talk to the people who feel differently, I will be reissuing the poll again if my account is not already deleted as I requested.
If you or anyone else has specific answers to what the new questions will be, I am interested to hear them.
Honestly, this might be a me thing, but when a poll seems out to get me I usually am more likely to click on the answers so as to offset the bias of the poll. But that's anecdotal.
For me to fully come back will require for Hasbro to stop trying to cancel OGL1.0a and then spend 5 years behaving well without the sneaky, cheeky corporate bullcrap so I can rebuild my trust in the company.
How is someone who's actually left D&D Beyond supposed to respond to your polls?
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Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock) Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric) Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
How is someone who's actually left D&D Beyond supposed to respond to your polls?
That is because they are not leaving. It feels powerful to jump on the bandwagon, even if you don't know why, and stomp your feet and burn your bracers and get all hissy.
Then they jump into a game and talk about how they are never playing again.
That begs the question: what makes D&D "D&D", for you? What is it that you cannot find somewhere else (meaining in any other system)?
This isn't an answer to your first question (which is pretty deep and actually fairly niche), but an answer to your second one.
My concern with other systems is that they're nowhere near as prolific. If I want a 5e adventure, I can get it. Any unique-to-the-game creatures are most likely available for me to get an STL. There is a ton of expansion material. WotC isn't amazing...but their published adventures are usually ok. If I need help understanding something or otherwise need help, there is a massive community to help, on DDB, Discord plus I'm in half a dozen other grassroots communities. It currently gives me roughly the right balance between crunch and ease of use.
Lets compare to the other TTRPG that I play, STA. I got pretty much all the adventures that are available - for like £20. Ok, they're PDFs, but there are like a dozen or two and that's it. Most of those are one-shots. There is enough material total to cover maybe 50 sessions? STLs...after several years, they're finally starting to release them. It's a limited run, so at the end of it, I'll have STLs for a few (but not all) of the main races and that's about it. Floor tiles that are appropriate to only two of those. Nothing for the.random species, which the franchise is famed for. There is a fair number of books to expand the game...but not as much as 5e. If I need help, there is a single forum, with one subsection for STA,.which has fresh posts...maybe every couple of days? Most of that is for niche projects, getting help is not a quick process. The game is harder to use than 5e, but not much more so.
I like STA and I do enjoy it. It has some advantages that 5e can't really match. However, 5e has some substantial advantages that STA just can't compete with and so could never replace.
Fair points, and a valid concern for anyone who prefers running published adventures over creating their own (I am personally of the second kind, so the potential lack of readily made adventures or campaigns usually does not worry me).
As a counterpoint, I would point your attention to the already mentioned Pathfinder 2e. There currently are:
10 rulebooks (1 Core Rulebook, 1 GM book, 3 Bestiaries, 5 content expansions with new classes, ancestries [races], feats, items etc.) and 2 more content expansions about to be released
12 standalone adventures, some of which free of charge, of different levels
a 15 books serie on their main setting, Lost Omens, presenting a plethora of information and options (both for the players and for the GM)
7 Adventure Paths series, big campaigns divided into several adventures designed to take the characters from level 1 to 11 or 1 to 20
As far as I understand, the community is, while not of the size of the D&D one, quite substantial, and it doesn't seem too difficult to find feedback or solutions to problems or doubts one might have with the system or adventures, and the system itself, while more complex than 5e, is not that difficult to get the hang of.
What I mean is not "Your argument is invalid", I just mean to present a potential alternative you might have not considered (or maybe you did and decided it was not for you due to other factors), and that just because D&D seems like an unrecheable giant, there are other realities out there that, even if they migth not seem or be as followed as D&D, can still satisfy needs that one might think are only satiated by D&D.
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Born in Italy, moved a bunch, living in Spain, my heart always belonged to Roleplaying Games
That begs the question: what makes D&D "D&D", for you? What is it that you cannot find somewhere else (meaining in any other system)?
I ... don't think it does. That's not what it's about.
An example: After WoW, I played Warhammer Online. Warhammer Online was awesome, gameplay and mechanics wise, and a billion times better graphically than WoW. It failed miserably, though? Why? Because WoW still had 12 million players, and Warhammer only ever crested one. So WoW simply had the community that Warhammer lacked.
Same for DND. It wins not by being a better system - by and large, it isn't, there are mechanically much better alternatives. No, it wins by being DND. And no other system get's that advantage.
I mean, look at Pathfinder. It's basically just 3.5 - but even so, it's a mere fraction of what 3.5 was.
(as an aside, I've no idea what PF2 is like)
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Blanket disclaimer: I only ever state opinion. But I can sound terribly dogmatic - so if you feel I'm trying to tell you what to think, I'm really not, I swear. I'm telling you what I think, that's all.
I canceled my subscription even though I have multiple campaigns and groups, and characters here. I've purchased well over $600 of digital content here. I'm not throwing that out the window by deleting my account (Unless they lock out my purchases... but then they can't do that.... or can they? We once thought they'd never rescind the current OGL either).
That said, I just purchased the Beginner Box for Pathfinder. Does it mean I'll never play D&D again... nope, I have all the 5e physical books too. I have all I need. Just means that I'm going to explore other RPGs and probably convert my group over to one if I find one I'm happy with something else. D&D used to be the one and only in my eyes, now I'm exploring others and enjoying the journey.
As far as WOTC and HASBRO care, I am just a single consumer who won't be spending much, if any, further money with them for the time being. They only care if there are lots of 'us'. If you want to stay, enjoy, even the worst companies have some customers.
In order for me to resubb, I would need only 1 thing. Sign the ORC. They can charge whatever they wish whenever. Doesn't mean squat if all they have is their own content due to their frankly brain-dead decisions.
They have to fully reverse all their cease and desists on every Dungeons & Dragons character creation tool ever released.
They have to accept that magic cards are not the same as Magic the Gathering cards so anything body is allowed to make magic cards.
They fully fire everybody who was trying to force through the bad deals with those getting fired this way losing all paid for hurting the company reparation and treating the public like endless sacrifices.
And they need to pay everybody else for wasting their time and insulting their respective intelligence.
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I am wondering where forum users heads are at with regard to staying/coming back. Given that anyone here is more likely to still have a favorable view of WotC, I figure that the answers will be extremely biased. But I'm hoping to start a discussion which clarifies our demands and sparks reasonable and polite discussion of the topic.
I plan to repost this once in awhile until they delete my account as I've requested, with updates to the questions that people suggest.
I know it's a bit snarky. I feel very disappointed, hurt, and betrayed. I was very much looking forward to trying the new vtt and playing with my friends.
They had my money so close they could probably smell it, but instead they encouraged me to spend it elsewhere.
I would come back if they left 3.5 and 5e alone and published 6e/OneDnD under whatever license they wanted, i know that it is supposed to be backward compatible with 5e, but if they scrapped that and left 5e under OGL 1.0a, I MIGHT consider coming back.
I'd want to have confidence that the WotC hierachy is not composed with bad actors, but the evidence showing is of duplicity and lies.
I'm not leaving. I'm also not a subscriber, I just bought a few books, and I have character sheets here.
I'm not wildly interested in the OGL. I don't make, and I don't use, any homebrew or 3rd party content. I don't watch streams, I don't read blogs or whatever. And I'm sorry to say, but I do believe I represent the vast, vast majority. If Hasbro imploded tomorrow, I'd likely still be playing 5e ten years from now.
There are some implications in that. I don't need Hasbro, or WoTC, or DNDBeyond - I just need rulebooks and friends. When Hasbro want to moneytise DND, I'm a big part of the problem. I'm part of a group of friends, and between us we own maybe two copies of the rules, and we subscribe to a grand total of nothing. I can see quite clearly why Hasbro/WoTC would want us to 'engage' more. I can see why the occasional purchase of a new rulebook doesn't feel satisfying, not least because the constant production of content is a big component in selling the rulebooks in the first place. It must be galling that we - my group and I - couldn't care less about all that additional content.
So, point being, from a money perspective, I can see why.
Looking at these forums, there's rather a lot of noise being generated. With which I sympathize, but don't really participate. It's a noble struggle, it's just not really my struggle.
I think almost everyone will come back. In part because it's already a ... 'won' struggle (the winningness, the degree of victory, may be debatable). But primarily because there isn't really anywhere else to go. It's like, back in the day I decided to quit WoW. Guess what, WoW is the only show in town. That's maybe not entirely true today, but back when I first quit WoW, there literally weren't any other halfway decent MMO's to play instead.
There are plenty of good RPG's, I've played the hell out of Earthdawn and Shadowrun, but there truly, literally isn't any other DND out there.
So while Hasbro/WoTC are certainly rethinking their approach, I'd wager they'll emerge on the other side basically without a scratch - no matter the final solution - because most players (those like me) aren't really all that interested. And because even the hardcore aren't really presented with a multitude of other options. Or rather, there are a multitude of other unattractive options. Other games, but no other DND.
Blanket disclaimer: I only ever state opinion. But I can sound terribly dogmatic - so if you feel I'm trying to tell you what to think, I'm really not, I swear. I'm telling you what I think, that's all.
That begs the question: what makes D&D "D&D", for you? What is it that you cannot find somewhere else (meaining in any other system)?
Born in Italy, moved a bunch, living in Spain, my heart always belonged to Roleplaying Games
Have you never tried Pathfinder, Kobold Press, etc.? It's fine if you haven't, I'd just recommend them if you like dnd.
I fully expect that their Open RPG stuff will stand up to scrutiny if their lawsuit fails. If you liked 3.5 then I'd recommend Pathfinder 1e. If you prefer 5e, then 2e is probably closer to what you like.
Paizo's pathfinder always felt like an upgrade of 3.5 for me. I'd imagine that 2e will seem the same compared to 5e but I'm only even going to be buying it because of this decision by Hasbro so I guess I'll see. My understanding is that it is also simplified, just in a different manner.
In my admittedly limited experience (for now) Pathfinder 2e is quite different from 5e, they have been developed with two different mindsets and it shows.
It's crunchier than 5e, the character customization options are more varied and happen at pretty much every level, but due to the first point (the crunchiness) mathematically speaking is somewhat more demanding, similar to how 3.x was compared to 5e.
Born in Italy, moved a bunch, living in Spain, my heart always belonged to Roleplaying Games
A poll is only as good as its methodology, and introducing bias in the responses, such as openly mocking anybody who chooses an answer you disagree with, invalidates the entire process as it dissuades contrary viewpoints from responding in the first place.
So, let’s call a spade a spade: Your poll is designed to be an echo chamber, not a survey. And, despite the fact you are asking an important question that would make for an interesting poll topic, your inability to put even a middle school understanding of polling methodology over your own anger has rendered the data completely useless. That does a disservice to everyone.
This isn't an answer to your first question (which is pretty deep and actually fairly niche), but an answer to your second one.
My concern with other systems is that they're nowhere near as prolific. If I want a 5e adventure, I can get it. Any unique-to-the-game creatures are most likely available for me to get an STL. There is a ton of expansion material. WotC isn't amazing...but their published adventures are usually ok. If I need help understanding something or otherwise need help, there is a massive community to help, on DDB, Discord plus I'm in half a dozen other grassroots communities. It currently gives me roughly the right balance between crunch and ease of use.
Lets compare to the other TTRPG that I play, STA. I got pretty much all the adventures that are available - for like £20. Ok, they're PDFs, but there are like a dozen or two and that's it. Most of those are one-shots. There is enough material total to cover maybe 50 sessions? STLs...after several years, they're finally starting to release them. It's a limited run, so at the end of it, I'll have STLs for a few (but not all) of the main races and that's about it. Floor tiles that are appropriate to only two of those. Nothing for the.random species, which the franchise is famed for. There is a fair number of books to expand the game...but not as much as 5e. If I need help, there is a single forum, with one subsection for STA,.which has fresh posts...maybe every couple of days? Most of that is for niche projects, getting help is not a quick process. The game is harder to use than 5e, but not much more so.
I like STA and I do enjoy it. It has some advantages that 5e can't really match. However, 5e has some substantial advantages that STA just can't compete with and so could never replace.
If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
Fair point, I'll revise the language moving forward. That was not entirely my intent, mostly I was going for the most hyperbolic versions of things I've heard ppl say. I was also somewhat limited by the character limit.
What answers would you suggest?
Perhaps I should add in a what controversy type option as well.
& while I'll boldly admit that I'm biased as heck, I did want to spark conversation. So perhaps a better poll would do that. I honestly expected the bias to go the other way since I figured that a lot of the ppl who stay are still somewhat loyal.
But this isn't exactly meant to be a scientific endeavor. Skewing the poll is theoretically actually useful to me in terms of what I want long term. But since I do actually want to talk to the people who feel differently, I will be reissuing the poll again if my account is not already deleted as I requested.
If you or anyone else has specific answers to what the new questions will be, I am interested to hear them.
Honestly, this might be a me thing, but when a poll seems out to get me I usually am more likely to click on the answers so as to offset the bias of the poll. But that's anecdotal.
For me to fully come back will require for Hasbro to stop trying to cancel OGL1.0a and then spend 5 years behaving well without the sneaky, cheeky corporate bullcrap so I can rebuild my trust in the company.
How is someone who's actually left D&D Beyond supposed to respond to your polls?
Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock)
Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric)
Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
I think it would be best for the community that anyone who is making their socks wet over this if they would just leave and be done with us.
That is because they are not leaving. It feels powerful to jump on the bandwagon, even if you don't know why, and stomp your feet and burn your bracers and get all hissy.
Then they jump into a game and talk about how they are never playing again.
Fair points, and a valid concern for anyone who prefers running published adventures over creating their own (I am personally of the second kind, so the potential lack of readily made adventures or campaigns usually does not worry me).
As a counterpoint, I would point your attention to the already mentioned Pathfinder 2e.
There currently are:
As far as I understand, the community is, while not of the size of the D&D one, quite substantial, and it doesn't seem too difficult to find feedback or solutions to problems or doubts one might have with the system or adventures, and the system itself, while more complex than 5e, is not that difficult to get the hang of.
What I mean is not "Your argument is invalid", I just mean to present a potential alternative you might have not considered (or maybe you did and decided it was not for you due to other factors), and that just because D&D seems like an unrecheable giant, there are other realities out there that, even if they migth not seem or be as followed as D&D, can still satisfy needs that one might think are only satiated by D&D.
Born in Italy, moved a bunch, living in Spain, my heart always belonged to Roleplaying Games
I ... don't think it does. That's not what it's about.
An example: After WoW, I played Warhammer Online. Warhammer Online was awesome, gameplay and mechanics wise, and a billion times better graphically than WoW. It failed miserably, though? Why? Because WoW still had 12 million players, and Warhammer only ever crested one. So WoW simply had the community that Warhammer lacked.
Same for DND. It wins not by being a better system - by and large, it isn't, there are mechanically much better alternatives. No, it wins by being DND. And no other system get's that advantage.
I mean, look at Pathfinder. It's basically just 3.5 - but even so, it's a mere fraction of what 3.5 was.
(as an aside, I've no idea what PF2 is like)
Blanket disclaimer: I only ever state opinion. But I can sound terribly dogmatic - so if you feel I'm trying to tell you what to think, I'm really not, I swear. I'm telling you what I think, that's all.
All of the above...
I canceled my subscription even though I have multiple campaigns and groups, and characters here. I've purchased well over $600 of digital content here. I'm not throwing that out the window by deleting my account (Unless they lock out my purchases... but then they can't do that.... or can they? We once thought they'd never rescind the current OGL either).
That said, I just purchased the Beginner Box for Pathfinder. Does it mean I'll never play D&D again... nope, I have all the 5e physical books too. I have all I need. Just means that I'm going to explore other RPGs and probably convert my group over to one if I find one I'm happy with something else. D&D used to be the one and only in my eyes, now I'm exploring others and enjoying the journey.
As far as WOTC and HASBRO care, I am just a single consumer who won't be spending much, if any, further money with them for the time being. They only care if there are lots of 'us'. If you want to stay, enjoy, even the worst companies have some customers.
In order for me to resubb, I would need only 1 thing. Sign the ORC. They can charge whatever they wish whenever. Doesn't mean squat if all they have is their own content due to their frankly brain-dead decisions.
They have to fully reverse all their cease and desists on every Dungeons & Dragons character creation tool ever released.
They have to accept that magic cards are not the same as Magic the Gathering cards so anything body is allowed to make magic cards.
They fully fire everybody who was trying to force through the bad deals with those getting fired this way losing all paid for hurting the company reparation and treating the public like endless sacrifices.
And they need to pay everybody else for wasting their time and insulting their respective intelligence.