D&D (2024) Have we potentially seen the end of the OneD&D Playtest?

[Clint_L]

I could definitely keep my opinions about the company out of my opinions about new rules. I'm a teacher - I pretty used to separating the product from the producer.

I'm just not super inclined to help WotC make a new product at the moment.

 

[Malmuria]

One thing I can't see are all the youtube channels talking about and evaluating the playtest in the way they used to. Could be wrong, as it will still drive clicks, but they must be wondering if it is time to pivot away from dnd talk for a while and toward other games.

 

[delericho]

I'm starting to get the feeling we might be seeing the end of D&D, at least as a TTRPG. Every time it seems they've reached rock bottom, something else comes out to bite them. And everything they do, and even things they don't do, makes it worse.

And if they're betting big on D&D and have screwed up this badly, maybe they'll cut their losses and run.

Which is an absurd take, I know, and if I read this post from anyone else I'd say "surely not!" And yet...

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

I think it is a mistake to assume that most D&D players care enough about this to stop playing D&D, stop using Beyond, and stope engaging with 1D&D.

People who "don't care" are nowadays likely to let others care for them. If the whole influencer class starts bombing on D&D then that will diffuse down to casual players, who will then start to think about switching to another game, or more likely stopping playing RPGs alltogether.

I don't know if there are enough dedicated WotC fans who will stick with the D&D anyway to get anywhere close to Hasbro's financial goals.

 

[DMZ2112]

I am worried about this. I see so many people saying they will bomb those surveys... either that or just they have to adjust for "if someone just down votes everything and/or mentions the OGL throw that one out"

I can only speak for myself, but I'm a half ogre for whom D&D is a substantial part of my identity, and I'd still have to be incomprehensibly furious for that anger to carry me through completing even one whole oneD&D playtest survey while thinking about it critically enough to make sure my responses were damaging, whatever that even means.

I'm far more worried about people just not participating. Heck, some of the people "bombing" the results are probably voting for things I want.

I'm just not super inclined to help WotC make a new product at the moment.

But are you helping? I think at best the activity could be described as "describing to WotC a product that you, personally, will like more, in the process making their job substantially harder than it would be without having to sift through survey response data."

Your time is your own, and I respect that this may simply be an activity you do not wish to spend it on, but I personally think that at worst the playtest is just north of neutral in terms of 'supporting WotC.' It's a free, complicated, non-binding vote, not necessarily even in favor.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I hope not. So far, I personally quite like 1D&D. I mean, it's not perfect, but neither is any D&D.

 

[tetrasodium]

I've been wondering if I'd do a breakdown of the next packet like I did for the three we have so far but ultimately I decided on reasons why I will. Even though I'm currently more enthusiastic about a couple rpgs we know little about it seems almost certain that at some point in the future I will ultimately play/run one or more games of 6e or something influenced by it. The next playtest happened when a big chunk of the gaming community was happily ignoring it to play pathfinder and that gave players turned off by pathfinder for whatever reason outsized clout in shaping what ultimately became 5e. Ignoring the playtest invites a repeat of that problem.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I've been wondering if I'd do a breakdown of the next packet like I did for the three we have so far but ultimately I decided on reasons why I will. Even though I'm currently more enthusiastic about a couple rpgs we know little about it seems almost certain that at some point in the future I will ultimately play/run one or more games of 6e or something influenced by it. The next playtest happened when a big chunk of the gaming community was happily ignoring it to play pathfinder and that gave players turned off by pathfinder for whatever reason outsized clout in shaping what ultimately became 5e. Ignoring the playtest invites a repeat of that problem.

That assumes any interest in what 6e turns out to be. That's not where I am.

 

[Osgood]

If WotC backs down from their current plan, which I think is increasingly likely (but by no means guaranteed), I think the best thing would be to hold off on a play test release to let tempers cool.

 

[Azzy]

At some point, there will be a generation of players which comes into the game and 1.1 OGL and sees it as normal.

I hope not. Even completely ignoring the issue of trying to revoke the OGL 1.0a or not even comparing it to the OGL 1.0a, the nOGL 1.1 is an objectively very bad license for a potential licensee and something that no one in their right minds (even those that still support WotC) should ever agree to.