Mercurius
Legend
Nicely balanced post Evenglare. I think one thing you are saying is that it is OK to be critical of the game if it doesn't veer too far into negativity, and that we are only critical because we love the game so much - and this could be better remembered and more frequently explicated by all of us.
My sense is that there is far less "wounding" with 5E, or at least with the game itself. I may be missing it, but I'm not seeing a lot of vituperative vitriolic cries of "I can't believe they did this!!!" Some, sure, but compared to the past it is like comparing the Korean War to World War 2.
That said, there are wounds, or rather there is a solid body of disgruntlement which may be gradually growing - and this largely has to do with how WotC is handling the game, their communication (or lack thereof), the lack of certain key elements such as a gaming license and digital tools, not to mention setting supplements and adventure modules. So the recent version of disgruntlement is a strange brew, because a lot of folks that love the game itself are unhappy with how the game is being handled. In the past it seemed like those that were unhappy were unhappy with both elements.
Excellent point - one that should be reiterated again and again. None of us (presumably) know what is really going on, what is in the minds of Mearls & Co, what the pressures they receive from above, what their plans are, or why they're doing what they're doing, etc etc. And in a vacuum of knowledge we get rampant speculation, some of it quite nasty and in bad faith. Thus the internet.
I almost wonder, though, if WotC would be well served in having Mearls or someone write a monthly column that gives us a sense of what they're working on, what the plan is going forward, how the game is doing, etc. Maybe that is too revealing, and they clearly prefer to not show their cards until they're ready to play them, but again, in the absence of any solid information we're left to speculate. Some communication would be a good thing, no? If only, "Hey, we've got something really cool for GenCon - a major product release!" And then in later columns they could gradually roll out hints and previews - build the excitement. Isn't that what they used to do in Dragon? Was there something wrong with that approach? Given the fan-base, or at least the online forum community, I'm just not so certain that "mum's the word" is the best approach to take.
The edition is also new and there's a lot of bruised feelings over the changes. The wounds are still fresh.
My sense is that there is far less "wounding" with 5E, or at least with the game itself. I may be missing it, but I'm not seeing a lot of vituperative vitriolic cries of "I can't believe they did this!!!" Some, sure, but compared to the past it is like comparing the Korean War to World War 2.
That said, there are wounds, or rather there is a solid body of disgruntlement which may be gradually growing - and this largely has to do with how WotC is handling the game, their communication (or lack thereof), the lack of certain key elements such as a gaming license and digital tools, not to mention setting supplements and adventure modules. So the recent version of disgruntlement is a strange brew, because a lot of folks that love the game itself are unhappy with how the game is being handled. In the past it seemed like those that were unhappy were unhappy with both elements.
We could talk about it with a more proper level of doubt in our own assessments, but we don't.
Excellent point - one that should be reiterated again and again. None of us (presumably) know what is really going on, what is in the minds of Mearls & Co, what the pressures they receive from above, what their plans are, or why they're doing what they're doing, etc etc. And in a vacuum of knowledge we get rampant speculation, some of it quite nasty and in bad faith. Thus the internet.
I almost wonder, though, if WotC would be well served in having Mearls or someone write a monthly column that gives us a sense of what they're working on, what the plan is going forward, how the game is doing, etc. Maybe that is too revealing, and they clearly prefer to not show their cards until they're ready to play them, but again, in the absence of any solid information we're left to speculate. Some communication would be a good thing, no? If only, "Hey, we've got something really cool for GenCon - a major product release!" And then in later columns they could gradually roll out hints and previews - build the excitement. Isn't that what they used to do in Dragon? Was there something wrong with that approach? Given the fan-base, or at least the online forum community, I'm just not so certain that "mum's the word" is the best approach to take.
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