D&D 5E Monte Cook Leaves WotC - No Longer working on D&D Next [updated]

Jack99 · Apr 26, 2012

talok55 said:
I doubt that the playtesting is going to be as open and inclusive as we were first led to believe. It seems only a handful of people plus some more that went to cons have got to playtest 5E so far. So unless the next round of playtesting doesn't make the testers sign NDAs, most of us will still be just as in the dark a month from now as we are now.

According to WotC and Mearls, the Friends and Family Playtest, which is what has been running for the last 3 months or so, is made up of 1100+ playtesters. I am guessing you are either wrong, or that you have some freakishly huge hands

DaveMage · Apr 26, 2012

ExploderWizard said:
Sure the total encompasses all things D&D but the rpg is at the heart of brand and central to its identity. If Hasbro tries to maginalize investment into the rpg aspect of the brand then they will find the the entire brand worthless soon after.

But the tabletop RPG doesn't have to be central going forward. They've already started using the brand to sell board games. They could (and, IMO should) transition the brand to online gaming or some other emerging platform.

I love tabletop RPGs, but I just don't see Hasbro ever being happy with revenues from just the tabletop D&D brand ever again. I think it's more likely they use the brand themselves for other things and license the tabletop RPG to someone else down the road.

Li Shenron · Apr 26, 2012

Dang... this is sad news

I learned to appreciate Monte's design when I switched to 3.5 and gradually realized that 3.0 (which was largely a creature of Monte's) felt much more organic to me. I wasn't interested in his other works like Arcana Unearthed/Evolved as some of his ideas outside D&D sounded too much of a stretch for my tastes... but the man can damn design a good RPG!

talok55 · Apr 26, 2012

Jack99 said:
According to WotC and Mearls, the Friends and Family Playtest, which is what has been running for the last 3 months or so, is made up of 1100+ playtesters. I am guessing you are either wrong, or that you have some freakishly huge hands

Okay, more than a handfull, but still relatively small. Have they stated for sure if all the playtest material will be available for free online or will it just be at a handful of public events?

Vyvyan Basterd · Apr 26, 2012

ExploderWizard said:
Sure the total encompasses all things D&D but the rpg is at the heart of brand and central to its identity. If Hasbro tries to maginalize investment into the rpg aspect of the brand then they will find the the entire brand worthless soon after.

The RPG is the heart of the brand, but it doesn't have to be the current version of the RPG to earn the brand money. How many lapsed gamers would sit and watch a well-produced D&D cartoon with their kids because of fond memories of playing D&D 20 years ago? How many would drive ticket sales for a good D&D movie*?

I also agree with DaveMage that the TTRPG doesn't need to continue to be the central focus. The D&D name already has a place in our cultural lexicon outside of thiose who play the game. Building on that, feeding into the positive quirks of what the name means to people could be the new driving force of the brand.

*IMO, putting D&D in the name of the movies was a mistake. They should take a que from the WWE and go with a "D&D studios" brand and then name the movie appropriately.

Vyvyan Basterd · Apr 26, 2012

talok55 said:
Okay, more than a handfull, but still relatively small. Have they stated for sure if all the playtest material will be available for free online or will it just be at a handful of public events?

News

Piratecat · Apr 26, 2012

JediSoth said:
I thought RPGPundit being a paid consultant for D&D 5E was an April Fool's Joke. If that's a thing, then that worries me more than anyone on the design team. I never seen anything positive come out of that guy's mouth.

Actually, this is why I think hiring him was completely brilliant.

Understand that my opinion of the guy is best described by my satisfaction when we banned him from here. Not my favorite person by any stretch, and I doubt I'm his, if he even knows who I am. I have disdain for his negative pattern of ripping stuff, and people, apart. That said, even if I don't like him I recognize that he's smart.

And that's why WotC hiring him to give D&D Next a once-over is sheer out of the box genius. Corporations have a predilection for group-think; they convince themselves that their ideas are great because they start to lose perspective. We saw it with 4e's high monster hp/low monster dmg/slow combat that should never have made it to launch. Can any of you think of a better way to get instant perspective on a new game than to ask the blogging industry's most outspoken critic to criticize it?

JediSoth · Apr 26, 2012

Piratecat said:
Actually, this is why I think hiring him was completely brilliant.

Understand that my opinion of the guy is best described by my satisfaction when we banned him from here. Not my favorite person by any stretch, and I doubt I'm his, if he even knows who I am. I have disdain for his negative pattern of ripping stuff, and people, apart. That said, even if I don't like him I recognize that he's smart.

And that's why WotC hiring him to give D&D Next a once-over is sheer out of the box genius. Corporations have a predilection for group-think; they convince themselves that their ideas are great because they start to lose perspective. We saw it with 4e's high monster hp/low monster dmg/slow combat that should never have made it to launch. Can any of you think of a better way to get instant perspective on a new game than to ask the blogging industry's most outspoken critic to criticize it?

There are better ways to offer criticism than to be a contentious jerk, though. It is possible to be brutally honest and be constructive without spewing vile negativity like a guy with IBS at a Chili Pepper Eating Contest.

But I do see your point. Honestly, I just don't like seeing people I don't like getting handed opportunities I myself would like to have had. I admit it

SkidAce · Apr 26, 2012

Bedrockgames said:
...snip... (as I said on another forum people overeacted because Cook was speaking casually and didn't seem to know the current edition war landmine terms).

Just using your quote to highlight an opinion of mine [MENTION=85555]Bedrockgames[/MENTION], not directed towards you or your opinions in any manner.

I am tired of people reacting to trigger words instead of actually thinking and rationalizing their response.

Now, I have been trained on communication, interviews, counseling etc, so I know and understand how they work and how they push some people's buttons.

But you'd think that would be important in grief counseling or suicide intervention, not a game. Yes, people take their games serious and if you "trigger" their defense mechanism because they feel threatened in some way they react violently.

But. It's a game. Let it go. Is that really the highest thing in your hierarchy of needs?

Jack99 · Apr 26, 2012

talok55 said:
Okay, more than a handfull, but still relatively small. Have they stated for sure if all the playtest material will be available for free online or will it just be at a handful of public events?

As far as I have understood things, those that sign up will participate in the playtest. How exactly it's going to be distributed, I do not know.