Fortune Cards: and randomized collectible cards come to D&D

[Dire Bare]

Eh, but it often boils down to someone else's enjoyment stepping on your own (either directly or indirectly) when it comes to a single company with limited resources to allocate.

In anthropology this idea is called the theory of "limited good" . . . that good things happening to others takes away from the finite pool of good things, so I get less. While there's an element of truth in it, it doesn't hold up in most circumstances.

You're assuming that if WotC decided not to make the product you like, they'd make one you'd like with those resources instead. They might, they might not. They might make another product you don't like, or nothing at all. And with things rarely being as simple as Product X substituting for Product Y, a product made that you don't care for might increase the bottom line to a point that the company can afford to make more products, maybe some you will like. And conversely, if they don't make a good product that doesn't happen to suit your tastes, they may loose money on making the thing you want. Or not.

Should WotC redirect the resources put towards Magic: The Gathering into making D&D bigger and better? If you don't play Magic and love D&D, this might sound like a great idea. But Magic is such a popular and high-selling product, chances are its loss could possibly kill the company, including D&D.

And, besides, as Scribble has pointed out, rooting for a product to fail just because you don't care for it . . . just seems mean-spirited to me.

 

[Fifth Element]

The success of these elements will determine their impact on 5E.

I don't think they'll have much effect on me, but you never know.

 

[Fifth Element]

The only thing "wrong" with this form of distribution is that no one is getting rich off it, which probably makes for better games anyway.

This is a quite a leap. You said yourself 90% of everything is crap, and that includes the amateur stuff. Yet with this quote you're saying it would be better if everything was produced by amateurs.

 

[Jeremy Ackerman-Yost]

Now if they'd just start writing decent indexes and hiring proof readers, we'd be in heaven.

I find your ideas intriguing and I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

For anyone at WotC who is reading, if you're looking to hire someone to do those jobs, I'm coming up on available. Years of academia need to eventually serve me in good stead somehow.

I can see it from a "limited resources" perspective as well as a "supplanting what I like" perspective as well.

In other words the money, resources, manpower, etc. they spend on something I don't like means less goes towards what I do like. However if it fails those resources could be allocated back to something I want.

As to the "supplanting what I like" perspective... if something does well they may decide to supplant one/some/all of the things I enjoy with this new thing I do not.

In my experience (and understanding of human cognition), that requires way too much reasoning to be responsible for the instant vitriol.

It's nothing that complicated, though subsequent rationalization lets people pretend it is. It's really Cola Wars: I drink Coke and I am smart, therefore stupid people drink Pepsi, and if someone is serving Pepsi, I'm going to whine or take my ball and go home.

 

[Aus_Snow]

I always chuckle when I see terms like "amateur" and the like being thrown around, re: TTRPGs.

Why? Because the single qualification a person needs in order to become a "game designer" (etc., etc.) is to be. . . a gamer. That's it. No more, no less.

Therefore. . .

"Professional" game designers? Bwahahahahahaha. Nice one.

 

[Dire Bare]

I always chuckle when I see terms like "amateur" and the like being thrown around, re: TTRPGs.

Why? Because the single qualification a person needs in order to become a "game designer" (etc., etc.) is to be. . . a gamer. That's it. No more, no less.

Therefore. . .

"Professional" game designers? Bwahahahahahaha. Nice one.

Really? So all of the highly successful products from Paizo, WotC, and others were made by folks hired simply because they were gamers? No other qualifications?

Nice one. LOL.

 

[Aus_Snow]

Really? So all of the highly successful products from Paizo, WotC, and others were made by folks hired simply because they were gamers? No other qualifications?

Nice one. LOL.

That's cute, but actually refute it properly, and I'll listen. Please, do so!


edit: Anecdotal, sure, but I've seen at least as much solid game design from random internet posters as I have from *snort* "industry" people.

 

[Jolly_Blackburn]

Really? So all of the highly successful products from Paizo, WotC, and others were made by folks hired simply because they were gamers? No other qualifications?

Nice one. LOL.

It's amazing how many engineering and legal degrees there are among designers in the gaming industry (a lot of Anthropologist types like myself as well).

Just in our small company we have three engineers (one being an engineer/lawyer). Not that those are qualifications to be a game designer. I find good ones come from all walks and life and backgrounds.

But yeah, JUST being a gamer who loves games doesn't = good game designer.

 

[Jolly_Blackburn]

That's cute, but actually refute it properly, and I'll listen. Please, do so!


edit: Anecdotal, sure, but I've seen at least as much solid game design from random internet posters as I have from *snort* "industry" people.

True that. While there's a LOT of crap out there some of the best rpg material I've ever encountered have been found on the internet and various RPG blogs.

 

[Jolly_Blackburn]

I didn't really care much for Torg but the Drama Deck was really fun to play with and it's usually the first thing my friends bring up when we talk about the game.

Same here. Those cards generated a LOT of excitement among my friends back in the day and it's still the one thing that comes up about Torg when the name is mentioned.

If the Fortune Cards can take that fun and build on it and take it further I'm very interested and seeing how it pans out.