WotC have been bouyed by the fact Magic: Universes Beyond has turned a quick buck, at the expense of longevity (turning mtg from a unique game to just a game mechanism to shill pop culture IP).
WotC is going through it’s enshittification stage… ruled by executive bean counters, not passionate creatives…
Producing content you don’t like isn’t remotely close to “enshittification”.
Producing content entirely to gather attention in the hopes of boosting sales is exactly that
That’s literally been their business model since the beginning, it just used to be that the content was Umezawa’s Jitte or Chrome Mox and now it’s Gandalf or Doctor Who.
The real pack sellers are power creeped cards, not the IP of that set.
It really isn’t. What you’ve described is every business plan ever, not psuedo-rent seeking or lessening the product for profit. You not liking their new choices is a personal problem, not an issue with the company.
There seems to be a lot of attention on WotC actions, so I guess people are concerned that it might work to turn D&D in this dreaded “lifestyle brand?” Statements like the “it won’t work” in the title serve to convince yourself then.
I don’t care about WotC. There is no threat to anything I’m playing. If they destroy the D&D brand, so be it.
Could it still affect me negatively? Maybe indirectly. If D&D blows up, then RPG community probably shrinks and fewer people join. The most popular game is the entry game for many after all. So it will hurt the many small indie creatives too. Maybe there will be a painful correction. On the other hand, it probably results in a more healthy and resilient community afterwards. Still, I would feel sorry for the people who live on a small RPG business now which might not survive a D&D implosion.
DnD is very much NOT holding role playing together. I have no idea why people fear corporations going out of business… You can still make characters and roll dice or play MTG if the entire company goes bust!
This fear is nothing but complete ignorance and the basic fear of change. Almost as silly as thinking PC’s would die if Microsoft tanked tomorrow…
If they somehow kill D&D, Pathfinder will just take its place again.
I just left the system tbh and bought Pathfinder 2 stuff instead. WotC is not to be trusted (anymore) sadly.
I found Changeling: the Dreaming and have never looked back.
Thx I love checking out new stuff
After all the OGL drama I considered going to PF2 also, but after a little research decided if I was going to take the time to learn a new system and embrace crunch, I might as well go all the way and landed on GURPS. Got rid of all my 5e stuff and haven’t looked back
Same. Also a bunch of Powered by the Apocalypse systems.
i mean these days you don’t really need to buy the books to play- you can learn how to play from an Actual Play, reference the rules in a VTT, and have your DM learn from a youtuber. that really leaves WotC either in the business of making solid modules and supplements, or just making knick knacks- and they’ve clearly chosen the latter, at least until they can force whatever subscription model they can on the exclusive VTT they’ll have for 6e
Most folks never did need the books to learn to play. You’ve always been able to learn D&D by somebody (usually their DM) explaining it. But many people end up buying books and things once they’re engaged.
Like any hobby, people spend money on it when they want to. Those solid modules and supplements you mention would be a bit part of that, but also how people feel about the company they’d be supporting matters a lot (this is the so-called “reflective reaction” Don Norman writes about in his book Emotional Design) .
If they ever go closed source core rules they die and the 10 other systems rise to take their place.
I’ll never switch to 6e
It sounds bad to say and 5e was an expensive upgrade
It has merchandised in the past with some success.
Back when TSR was sold out from under Gygax’s clutch, Lorraine Williams tried some similar marketing, there was a beach towel with Dungeons and Dragons’ red dragon in this design:
Only as I recall it, the lettering and dragon were pink. I have never seen it posted online, and I didn’t buy one*. I don’t know that many sold.
*Of course there was this whole Satanic Panic back then, and why would anyone want to advertise they played D&D at a pool where likely everyone would have given you a bunch of crap for playing “the Devil’s game”?
After seeing Forbes write about D&D on multiple occasions, years of RPGs in video games, 50 years of RPGs being in society, a successful movie, and absurdity of the 80s situation gone, it could work now.
That DC cover immediately sent me to 90s X-Men in space stories.
Ok, but, global billions of moneys can make the shittiest things happen.
And, when in doubt, go FOSS. Not foolproof, but democracy is inherently better enforced.
Hilariously all of the third party module makers did exactly that when WOTC threatened to pull the license.
That movie was goofy and fun but im not starving for another one
