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WotC Ray Winninger Is Head of D&D RPG Team; Mike Mearls No Longer Works on RPG

People have been wondering where Mike Mearls has gone for quite some time. It seems that he has not been working on the D&D tabletop RPG since some time last year, and the new head of the team and Executive Producer is Ray Winninger. Winninger is an RPG industry veteran. Amongst other things, he was co-designer of DC Heroes and Torg, and wrote the Dungeoncraft column for Dragon Magazine. He...

People have been wondering where Mike Mearls has gone for quite some time. It seems that he has not been working on the D&D tabletop RPG since some time last year, and the new head of the team and Executive Producer is Ray Winninger.

Winninger is an RPG industry veteran. Amongst other things, he was co-designer of DC Heroes and Torg, and wrote the Dungeoncraft column for Dragon Magazine. He has worked at a number of RPG companies including TSR, Mayfair Games, West End Games, and more.

Ray_Winninger_at_MIX08_2_crop.jpg



Winninger is Chris Perkins' and Jeremy Crawford's boss. And in further comments, Chris Perkins says that Mike Mearls has not been part of the tabletop RPG team since some time last year.


That explains why Mearls' Twitch shows, like Happy Fun Hour, have disappeared. Although he's made a couple of retweets since, his last tweet on Twitter was February 13th, 2019. He still works at WotC on the D&D brand in some capacity, but not the tabletop RPG itself (he did an interview about Baldur's Gate 3 on Polygon last year).

Ray Winninger introduces himself in the latest issue of Dragon+, WotC's online magazine. "My name is Ray Winninger and I’m the new Executive Producer in charge of the Dungeons & Dragons studio at Wizards of the Coast. In just a few months on the job, I’ve already been impressed by the skills and the passion of the designers, artists, editors, and production staff who bring you our terrific D&D products. They are a uniquely talented group, and it is an honor to work alongside them."
 

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teitan

Legend
I'm strongly disagree.

I have been on Twitter, for professional reasons, since 2009 and have my blue checkmark. I have promoted my work, my colleagues' work and discussed topics of interest to my audience and also to prospective future employers. I've also talked about all other aspects of my life and my hobbies and interests.

Tens of thousands of tweets later, I have never run into trouble, even though, in my professional life, I regularly have people upset with me, due to the nature of my job. (I've weathered numerous unsuccessful calls for me to be fired at different times in my career, for instance.)

If you are on social media, everything you put out into public should be something you could say in front of your bosses and your customers/audience. That's it. It's not rocket science.

People who can't manage this minimum standard haven't run afoul of some sort of dastardly trap. At a minimum, they naughty word up. But more likely, when someone spits out something toxic and the public goes "whoa, what the hell, dude," it's because they don't seem to get that they are the problem.
Well I have seen exactly what the OP is saying. Look at James Gunn or Kevin Hart. It’s an awful and toxic environment.
 

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Whizbang Dustyboots

Gnometown Hero
Well I have seen exactly what the OP is saying. Look at James Gunn or Kevin Hart. It’s an awful and toxic environment.
Both of them put stuff out there that they knew could be problematic and didn't worry about it. And then it was and they regretted having done so.

They are both on Twitter in a professional capacity under their own names. James Gunn today wouldn't say what he tweeted back then if he were, say, on an awards stage with millions of people watching. Back then he just didn't realize that's effectively what Twitter is.

It's really not hard to not get yourself in trouble on social media. The vast majority of the time, problematic tweets aren't seen as problematic by the people making the tweets, because they don't realize that the rest of the world doesn't share their point of view on what they're saying.
 
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BenTheFerg

Explorer
No he was part of the 4e design team. Here are the credits for the PHB where he is part of the “Strike Team” and PHB development team. He wasn’t brought on to fix 4e, he was already there and A key contributor.
I stand corrected! 👍🏻🤪 memory failure.

He was not the lead designer though. 4e was Bill Slavicsek's baby. Under him were Rob Heinsoo, Andy Collins and James Wyatt. Then Mearls was in the team working with/ making happen their ideas from what I understood. Then Mearls got Bill's job about 2010? And got to turning things around since he was now in charge.
 


It's really not hard to not get yourself in trouble on social media. The vast majority of the time, problematic tweets aren't seen as problematic by the people making the tweets, because they don't realize that the rest of the world doesn't share their point of view on what they're saying.

Yes, there was a very recent example of this where someone was basically having a minor tantrum (replete with swearing and crying) in their Twitter because their TV show DIDN'T (I repeat didn't) get cancelled, and they'd been kind of hoping it would be so they could do a different show.

And they put that on Twitter. Like unasked. It wasn't really a response to anything it apart from the general news that the show was renewed for another season.

Like I can actually totally understand being really frustrated that a show you were contractually obligated to do more seasons of got renewed. I can see having a total meltdown in your house. Throwing things. Getting drunk. Making ranting phone calls to good friends.

But why in god's name would you GET ON TWITTER, open that account up, and start freaking out because your show DIDN'T get cancelled. This is what they mean by "overly online" and stuff. How to do people still not realize Twitter is like putting something up on a billboard?

Then Mearls got Bill's job about 2010? And got to turning things around since he was now in charge.

2009. He was on 4E the whole time, and in charge for almost all of it. Please stop trying to make this false story where he was "brought in to turn in around" or "tried to turn things around".
 


BenTheFerg

Explorer
2009. He was on 4E the whole time, and in charge for almost all of it. Please stop trying to make this false story where he was "brought in to turn in around" or "tried to turn things around".
Whoa - I just said my memory was wrong on when he joined D&D - and yes - he was there from the start -but not as the boss - and when he got Bill's job, as far as I am concerned, he did turn things around since he moved to get the process of 5e out the door - and under his direction this has been very successful.

Please don't get aggressive - there is no need.
 

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