Teaching RPGs

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Cool thx, we are looking for something to make us laugh while we drive across the country, much appreciated. Would also be happy to take any other recommendations you might have.

Not Another D&D Podcast is more College Humor alumni, in their own stable foursome. It's much sillier than Dimension 20, but great if that's what you like. They also do special episodes giving out advice to D&D players and DMs and collectively reading Choose Your Own Adventure style books.

Also silly but great is Nerd Poker, which is almost entirely professional stand up comedians, most notably Brian Posehn. It's a pretty traditional D&D campaign (the various seasons all take place in the same world, years or decades later, usually with new characters), but since everyone on the show is very funny, the table talk and pop culture references are fantastic.

 

[PJ Coffey]

I don't think players are, or will be, dependent on Beyond.

Well, I guess that this is where running a club for roleplayers helps me see more of the situation because I have met these people.

shrugs People having problems with math weren't unknown before.

Guess I'll just go with my experience of meeting people rather than your theories about them.

 

[PJ Coffey]

What if WOTC is focusing on online play?

What are you gonna do about it?

I'm going to create a character sheet that works for 5e and A5e with good design that is verified to work.

I'm going to teach people how to empower themselves by learning the mechanics.

I'm going to write and post about why you'd want to do this and how to effectively do it.

See OP.

 

[PJ Coffey]

This posting feels very 2008.

This is actually the most insightful comment. Despite being intended as a dunk, you've inadvertently hit upon the truth of the matter.

It is very 2008. MegaCorp D&D is on top of the world, its earnings affected in no way by the rescinding of the OGL and climbdown.

What has changed structurally since 2008?

• The hobby is bigger. Beyond easy grasp. 3 year old kids are now college age. It is possible, even likely, that 3 generations in the same family are RPG players.
• Technology is better. What OS were you using 15 years ago? When was the last time your computer crashing wasn't your fault for fiddling with it?
• The Internet is better. Broadband used to be a special treat that I went to a café for. Now I pout because I can only obtain a symmetrical 900Mbps by plugging into a router with a filthy cable.
• Technology is better. People who don't own PCs can use a handheld device to access D&D Beyond.
• Online gaming is wildly popular as demonstrated by comments on this post

And you know what? I really like all of that. It's living in the future! Woo!

So why did you say this felt 2008? Hmm? What happened then that reminded you of that? Has anything significant changed? Apart from the above, and the wild amounts of money that can be thrown at the problem?

The sheer naivety of some of the comments here is delightful to me. please, let me know which of these statements best fits y'alls personal beliefs.

- A large corporation will always have our best interests at heart.

- Large corporations believe in the free market, they don't want to keep customers in walled Gardens.

- Microsoft executives don't actually like microtransactions.

- Paper copies of books are easily "monetized".

- A corporation will not seek extra profit, it will just sell merchandise which can be knocked off. It certainly won't attempt to retain its core audience.

Please let me know which of the above you personally disagree with, not about WotC, just in principle.

 

[payn]

This is actually the most insightful comment. Despite being intended as a dunk, you've inadvertently hit upon the truth of the matter.

It is very 2008. MegaCorp D&D is on top of the world, its earnings affected in no way by the rescinding of the OGL and climbdown.

What has changed structurally since 2008?

• The hobby is bigger. Beyond easy grasp. 3 year old kids are now college age. It is possible, even likely, that 3 generations in the same family are RPG players.
• Technology is better. What OS were you using 15 years ago? When was the last time your computer crashing wasn't your fault for fiddling with it?
• The Internet is better. Broadband used to be a special treat that I went to a café for. Now I pout because I can only obtain a symmetrical 900Mbps by plugging into a router with a filthy cable.
• Technology is better. People who don't own PCs can use a handheld device to access D&D Beyond.
• Online gaming is wildly popular as demonstrated by comments on this post

And you know what? I really like all of that. It's living in the future! Woo!

So why did you say this felt 2008? Hmm? What happened then that reminded you of that? Has anything significant changed? Apart from the above, and the wild amounts of money that can be thrown at the problem?

The sheer naivety of some of the comments here is delightful to me. please, let me know which of these statements best fits y'alls personal beliefs.

- A large corporation will always have our best interests at heart.

- Large corporations believe in the free market, they don't want to keep customers in walled Gardens.

- Microsoft executives don't actually like microtransactions.

- Paper copies of books are easily "monetized".

- A corporation will not seek extra profit, it will just sell merchandise which can be knocked off. It certainly won't attempt to retain its core audience.

Please let me know which of the above you personally disagree with, not about WotC, just in principle.

No, no you're doing so great I wont stop you until you figure it out.

 

[Umbran]

The sheer naivety of some of the comments here is delightful to me.

Your adherence to assertions that don't have factual evidence behind them is less delightful.

 

[PJ Coffey]

Your adherence to assertions that don't have factual evidence behind them is less delightful.

My adherence to things I've seen in person?

To the trends that are clearly visible in the news and the events of earlier this year?

Perhaps as a moderator you could recuse yourself from your persistent, hostile comments towards me?

Or send me a link to the moderation guidelines lest I fall foul of them due to their invisibility again?

 

[PJ Coffey]

No, no you're doing so great I wont stop you until you figure it out.

Glad you are in agreement with my points.

 

[dragoner]

I saw a younger designer post that if you don't have online tools, vtt support, you'll lose the younger players.

 

[PJ Coffey]

I saw a younger designer post that if you don't have online tools, vtt support, you'll lose the younger players.

nods I wouldn't go that far. But I believe that we can't cost along on keeping games inaccessible.

The absolute pushback against this concept and the realities of the situation is wild and quite funny to me TBPH.