D&D 5E WotC Dungeons & Dragons 2020 Product Survey

[R_J_K75]

Anyway, I heard the same types of arguments when engineering drawings went from mylar on drawing boards to CAD programs and files. "Look, on paper all I have to do is erase this number and put in the new value. The guy on CAD has to start the computer, open the file, wait for it to regenerate, change the value and then tell it to regenerate again, then he has to send it to the plotter. What takes me 3 minutes takes him 25!" Yet how come everyone uses CAD now?

Coming from a Mechanical Designer/Drafter I can answer this. When CAD first came out it was very slow and the old timers were right, they could do in 5 minutes what took a CAD Drafter 25 minutes if not more. They refused to learn CAD, and in the long run they lost their jobs. But with 3D its come full circle, for me its alot harder and more time consuming to d something in 3D than it is in CAD. Alot of companies and customers think that because 3D is there it needs to be used, which isnt the case. There are just some applications that it isnt necessary and almost pointless to use it.

 

[R_J_K75]

That's fair. If that's true I imagine there would still be increasingly more examples of people playing online than otherwise for a period of time. Valuable to know, but indicative of this particular moment in time is all.

I have no doubt that the number of people playing online that used to play face to face is definitely up, but I believe that there are groups that were playing online at first and they decided to resume face to face. So at this point the survey numbers may be about where they should be, so the people playing online now may still be doing so when whatever products they are considering come out.

 

[Azzy]

Oh, and they kept asking me about using a calendar app. ?? Um, I have the session times entered into my phone. Same as any other appointment.

Huh, I didn't think of it like that. I thought they meant an app for an in-game calender (like the Mithril Almanac).

 

[Wishbone]

I have no doubt that the number of people playing online that used to play face to face is definitely up, but I believe that there are groups that were playing online at first and they decided to resume face to face. So at this point the survey numbers may be about where they should be, so the people playing online now may still be doing so when whatever products they are considering come out.

I think we're making an argument for WotC doing more frequent repeat surveys of the player base. Since immediate pre-COVID data or survey data from the summer could help address these questions in terms of short-term vs. long-term trends.

Huh, I didn't think of it like that. I thought they meant an app for an in-game calender (like the Mithril Almanac).

More support for more frequent surveys to iron out issues since I imagine that particular reading of "calendar app" would not have occurred to many people who picked up the game more recently.

 

[R_J_K75]

Oh, and they kept asking me about using a calendar app. ?? Um, I have the session times entered into my phone. Same as any other appointment.

The calendar app I want is the one I dont have to text/call my players to remind them what time and what day were playing constantly. Theres one idiot in the group who either forgets, wont use an online calendar or the worst sends out a group text that confuses everyone else.

 

[R_J_K75]

That's fair. If that's true I imagine there would still be increasingly more examples of people playing online than otherwise for a period of time. Valuable to know, but indicative of this particular moment in time is all.

I think we're making an argument for WotC doing more frequent repeat surveys of the player base. Since immediate pre-COVID data or survey data from the summer could help address these questions in terms of short-term vs. long-term trends.

More support for more frequent surveys to iron out issues since I imagine that particular reading of "calendar app" would not have occurred to many people who picked up the game more recently.

I think this period in time is changing so quickly, day to day that they are going to have to do a few surveys to iron out any misinterpretations by those taking it "Calendar App" and to adjust for peoples changing habits during the pandemic. Who knows it could suddenly die out next month, unlikely but not impossible.

 

[ccs]

The calendar app I want is the one I dont have to text/call my players to remind them what time and what day were playing constantly. Theres one idiot in the group who either forgets, wont use an online calendar or the worst sends out a group text that confuses everyone else.

I'm lucky. I play with adults who know how to set & follow a schedule.
We play on the same day, same time, every week.

I think this period in time is changing so quickly, day to day that they are going to have to do a few surveys to iron out any misinterpretations by those taking it "Calendar App" and to adjust for peoples changing habits during the pandemic. Who knows it could suddenly die out next month, unlikely but not impossible.

What is there to misinterpret about questions that ask me if I use a calander app? Or how important it is to me?

 

[Wishbone]

What is there to misinterpret about questions that ask me if I use a calander app? Or how important it is to me?

We were discussing what Azzy raised that he thought they meant an in-game calendar app. I think they meant a calendar app as most of us understand it though.

Huh, I didn't think of it like that. I thought they meant an app for an in-game calender (like the Mithril Almanac).

 

[lkj]

This is my experience at the table...

GM: OK, you look around the room for awhile for clues to the origin of the strange artifact. Each of you make an Investigation roll.

ME: (glances down at skill box of printed character sheet) (rolls dice) 13.

Other 2 players: (picks up phone) (unlocks phone) (checks or bypasses app notifications) (clicks to correct page on character sheet app) (puts down phone) (rolls dice) 8, 23.


I love electronics to help you create and manage the game when you aren't sitting at the physical table, but I hate their intrusion while actually playing the game.

While this is a totally reasonable concern, my experiences have tended to the opposite. Without the tools, players are flipping through books, looking ups spells, rules, etc., causing a general slow down. Often, I'm the one who ends up looking things up for them (which is much faster with the tools). With tools, the rules they need are literally at their fingertips, and they're ready to go and just play. This is especially true with things like spells. Also, believe it or not, just having the tool roll the dice and do the math sometimes speeds things up.

My players who were least rules savvy seem to like the tools the most. And yes, I could require more rules mastery and institute 'be ready on your turn or lose it' rules. But we're just not that kind of group, and it wouldn't be fun for us.

Also, most of the time, the players using a phone or electronics for their character sheet have them open and ready to go while we're playing. It's the rare case anyone has more delay with the device than with the sheet.

But obviously, this will vary person to person and group to group.


AD

 

[Lanefan]

I got 59 questions, including two self-identifiers at the end.

Music-during-play came up an unexpected number of times - wonder if they're thinking of putting up some online soundtracks?

Hard to answer a few of their questions Yes we use online stuff during normal non-plague-times play but it's all homebrew: we've put or basic rules, pantheons and spell write-ups online so that every one can see them at once rather than having to pass a binder around.

Wrote-in a vote for Mystara as best setting.