D&D 5E Mike Mearls is back on the D&D RPG Team

Hoffmand · May 23, 2020

Elfcrusher said:
You seem to not believe there is such a thing as emotional trauma, that it is all just "taking offense".

I think you should go to a veterans PTSD meeting, play a recording of machine gun fire, and when they get upset you can announce, loudly, "Come ON, manchildren, don't be so offended! I didn't actually commit a crime!"

Oh, and when you go, please make sure you make a video and post it here. (You might want to have somebody else hold the camera.). Thanks.

That’s overkill.

Dausuul · May 23, 2020

Rygar said:
The better question is, why did this person not lodge a complaint with a lawyer (For a civil suit) or Law Enforcement if it met the legal definition of harasssment.

I could turn that question around on you: If Zak S is innocent, why doesn't he file suit against his accusers for defamation and tortious interference? (Edit: I see he claims to have done this, so I guess we will in fact have a legal resolution of this eventually. If, that is, he actually follows through.)

Pushing something like this through the legal system is generally hellish (and hellishly expensive) for all concerned. The U.S. legal system is really abysmal at handling sexual harassment and abuse. It's routinely described, by those who do go through it, as being like victimized a second time.

In most cases, what this means is that abusers just move on without consequences. In cases like this one, when you get a number of credible accusers making similar public accusations--to the point where reasonable people can no longer just brush them off--there are consequences, but far short of what the legal system could impose. Basically, Zak S has to find another line of work.

The Glen · May 23, 2020

Marandahir said:
Isn't Isle of Dread a Mystara module though? We already had that in Goodman Games (and of course it's very portable into any setting; 4e HFW had it in the Feywild; 5e DMG says it's on the Plane of Water).

Isle of Dread was the first module that introduced Mystara, the setting is detailed for the first time in any source.

Emirikol Prime · May 23, 2020

Morrus said:
Three weeks ago, WotC's Jeremy Crawford told us that Mike Mearls was no longer working on the tabletop RPG, and hadn't since some time in 2019. Today, the (newish) D&D head Ray Winninger said on the company's Twitch livestream that Mearls is now back full-time on the tabletop game.

Mike Mearls is back full time working on the RPG after splitting his time between D&D and the computer game.

He still doesn't appear to be back on social media since his final tweet back in 2019.

View attachment 122188

Excellent news!

Mistwell · May 23, 2020

Dausuul said:
I could turn that question around on you: If Zak S is innocent, why doesn't he file suit against his accusers for defamation and tortious interference? (Edit: I see he claims to have done this, so I guess we will in fact have a legal resolution of this eventually. If, that is, he actually follows through.)

I am not in any way saying Zak is innocent.

That said, he successfully settled one lawsuit he filed in his favor. It was in fact a defamation lawsuit. The defamer made a public apology as part of the settlement.

Charlaquin · May 23, 2020

Mistwell said:
I am not in any way saying Zak is innocent.

That said, he successfully settled one lawsuit he filed in his favor. It was in fact a defamation lawsuit. The defamer made a public apology as part of the settlement.

I hadn’t heard the part about him soiling himself at gen con. Can anyone confirm if that’s a real thing or just a meme?

WayOfTheFourElements · May 23, 2020

Can we stop the personal attacks? Zak is a friend. It's really not cook to talk about someone behind his/her back, especially after more or less removing himself from public life.

Parmandur · May 23, 2020

Charlaquin said:
I hadn’t heard the part about him soiling himself at gen con. Can anyone confirm if that’s a real thing or just a meme?

That could go either way: honestly doesn't seem cool to bring that up, since that sounds like he would have been literally I'll (not unusual for a convention, I guess). The sociopathic abuse part stands on its own without taking glee in the abusive so and so having food poisoning.

Azzy · May 23, 2020

Snarf Zagyg said:
I'll buy that for a dollar!

Can you fly, Bobby?

Charlaquin · May 23, 2020

Parmandur said:
That could go either way: honestly doesn't seem cool to bring that up, since that sounds like he would have been literally I'll (not unusual for a convention, I guess). The sociopathic abuse part stands on its own without taking glee in the abusive so and so having food poisoning.

For sure. To be clear, my intent was not to participate in celebrating that happening (if it did). I just hadn’t heard it and was curious.