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

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 on the RPG again. He was splitting his time working on some computer game stuff for us, but he’s back.

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

 

[WayOfTheFourElements]

True, when the mobs are defending privilege. Especially when the authorities wink at them while they’re doing it.

And also in USA (and World) history, the high bar of proof has meant that most perpetrators of harassment and assault get away with it, which in turn leads to more harassment and assault.

Wait, wait, wait. Let's clarify our terms here.

Privilege: a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group.

Can you point out which "special right, advantage, or immunity" we're discussing here?

 

[WayOfTheFourElements]

This is also my last reply to you on this too, as I have spent too much time engaging with his bad faith defenders. Have a nice day.

Who is arguing in bad faith?

 

[Charlaquin]

It's not ok to send, but everyone knows social media is a cesspool. Anyone who chooses to engage with it does so as his or her own peril.

Social media is practically a necessity to find work in modern job markets. People who work on a freelance basis literally cannot afford to avoid social media.

Is anyone treating it as acceptable. I'm just not seeing where complete social ostracism with apology is warranted here.

A lot of folks don’t want to support people who weaponize such behavior.

Is Zak really a public figure? He seems pretty niche.

He’s niche, sure, but even a niche platform is a bigger platform than the vast majority of people have. What matters is that he has (or had, anyway) enough of a following to be able to weaponize against people he personally didn’t like and retain a degree of plausible deniability. That he has largely lost this following is a good thing.

If that were true, Zak should be prosecuted in criminal court, no?

He didn’t do it personally. He encouraged his fans to harass people for him so he could keep his own hands clean.

 

[Charlaquin]

. If I were in Nazi Germany in WII, I probably would have gone along with the Holocaust.

Wow. Mask off, I guess.

 

[WayOfTheFourElements]

Social media is practically a necessity to find work in modern job markets. People who work on a freelance basis literally cannot afford to avoid social media.

I work just fine, thank you very much, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. Life is a structure. One can structure it how one desires. All actions must be balanced carefully. Sometimes we even make the wrong choice, as result of strong emotions, logical facilities, and partial information.

I know whole communities without social media accounts. I have also work in communities where internet was not available at all. Everyone lived fine and seemed happy.

A lot of folks don’t want to support people who weaponize such behavior.

I'm advocating support. I'm advocating mercy, forgiveness, and humility.

He’s niche, sure, but even a niche platform is a bigger platform than the vast majority of people have. What matters is that he has (or had, anyway) enough of a following to be able to weaponize against people he personally didn’t like and retain a degree of plausible deniability. That he has largely lost this following is a good thing.

As I've said. Social media provides great temptations. All people have the potential for evil. Zak, his followers, and me, too.

We should all be hesitant to cast our rocks.

He didn’t do it personally. He encouraged his fans to harass people for him so he could keep his own hands clean.

Yes. People act irrationally and emotionally. We do bad things. I fail to see how social ostracism is warranted. Social ostracism only encourages people to do more harm.

 

[WayOfTheFourElements]

Wow. Mask off, I guess.

Yes. That's one way to think about it.

But I think that those who believe themselves to be infallible are those most capable of the most harm. If one can (supposedly) do no wrong, then all unethical acts are done for the greater good.

 

[Mistwell]

He is an author, game developer, painter who has had his work in galleries, former porn actor. He almost definitely counts as at least a "limited public figure" for these purposes.

This is also my last reply to you on this too, as I have spent too much time engaging with his bad faith defenders. Have a nice day.

You're calling me a bad faith defender because I corrected you on two legal claims you made (and just the legal claims themselves), about the law in my own state and city by the way (Zak lives here), though I am an attorney of 25 years and you are not an attorney by your own admission?

You're a piece of work OblivionDrive.

 

[Azzy]

Of course I'll defend Zak. I'm a sinner. I've done things wrong. If I were in Nazi Germany in WII, I probably would have gone along with the Holocaust.

Wow. That speaks volumes.

 

[Charlaquin]

I work just fine, thank you very much, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. Life is a structure. One can structure it how one desires. All actions must be balanced carefully. Sometimes we even make the wrong choice, as result of strong emotions, logical facilities, and partial information.

I work too, and I don’t engage with social media much beyond gaming forums like this. But I’m fortunate enough to have very stable employment, and I’d be willing to bet you do too. Jobs don’t necessarily require social media engagement; job markets do. Careers in which one must consistently market one’s self, such as freelance work and most creative work do not generally afford one the luxury of foregoing social media. If I wanted to start doing theater work again, for example, I would need to engage with social media to at least a cursory extent to be able to find auditions, as that’s where they’re advertised these days.

I know whole communities without social media accounts. I have also work in communities where internet was not available at all. Everyone lived fine and seemed happy.

Anyone in those communities write or develop RPGs?

I'm advocating support. I'm advocating mercy, forgiveness, and humility.

That’s your prerogative. Personally, I advocate support for folks in need of it and consequences for those who use what influence they have to harm others, especially those with less power than them.

As I've said. Social media provides great temptations. All people have the potential for evil. Zak, his followers, and me, too.

We should all be hesitant to cast our rocks.

Such reservation tends to benefit those with power at the expense of those without.

Yes. People act irrationally and emotionally. We do bad things. I fail to see how social ostracism is warranted. Social ostracism only encourages people to do more harm.

Social consequences are often the only consequences people in power face.

 

[Charlaquin]

Yes. That's one way to think about it.

Well, ok then... At least you’re honest about it, I guess? I’m surprised, but glad to know that’s where you stand.

But I think that those who believe themselves to be infallible are those most capable of the most harm. If one can (supposedly) do no wrong, then all unethical acts are done for the greater good.

Did someone claim infallibility?