TTRPGS, Blockchains, and NFTs

When Kickstarter announced recently that it would be investing in blockchain-based infrastructure, there was widespread backlash. Blockchain technology is environmentally damaging and is of limited use. Creators such as Possum Creek Games (Wanderhome) announced their intentions to move off Kickstarter, while companies such as Chaosium and Wizards of the Coast continue to express interested in non-fungible tokens, digital items which exist on a blockchain.

While I'm writing this article, I do need to point out that I'm not a great person to do so; my understanding of blockchains, NFTs, cryptocurrencies, and related technologies is very, very limited and my attempts to get a handle on the subject have not been entirely successful. I'm sure more informed people will post in the comments.

What the heck is an NFT (& what does it mean for digital artists)

What is a non-fungible token (NFT)? In this graphic designer's guide to NFTs, we explore how Non-Fungible Tokens work in the context of digital art and how you can start turning your digital creations into sought-after NFTs.

dribbble.com

Kickstarter is not the only tabletop roleplaying game adjacent company delving into such technologies. Call of Cthulhu publisher Chaosium announced in July 2021 that it was working with an NFT company to bring their Mythos content to a digitally collectible market, with specific plans to sell two different models -- the Necromonicon and a bust of Cthulhu -- from the Cthulhu Mythos; and while things went quiet for a while, last week the company tweeted that 'We have more - lots more -- to drop... when the Stars are Right." A Facebook statement from Chaosium's CEO appeared on Twitter talking more about the decision.

D&D producer Wizards of the Coast said in April 2021 that it was considering NFTs for Magic: The Gathering. More recently, an email from WotC's legal representatives to a company planning to use NFT technology in conjunction with M:tG cards, alleging unlawful infringement of its IP, indicated that WotC was "currently evaluating its future plans regarding NFTs and the MAGIC: THE GATHERING cards" but that "no decision has been made at this time."

On Twitter, ErikTheBearik compiled Hasbro/WotC's involvement with NFTs so far.

Gripnr is a '5e based TTRPG NFT protocol' with Stephen Radney-MacFarland (D&D, Star Wars Saga Edition, Pathfinder) as its lead game designer. OK, so that's about as much of that as I understand!

Some company in the TTRPG sphere have taken a stand. DriveThruRPG stated that "In regard to NFTs – We see no use for this technology in our business ever." Itch.io was a bit more emphatic:

A few have asked about our stance on NFTs: NFTs are a scam. If you think they are legitimately useful for anything other than the exploitation of creators, financial scams, and the destruction of the planet the [sic] we ask that [you] please reevaluate your life choices. Peace. [an emoji of a hand making the “Peace” symbol]

Also [expletive deleted] any company that says they support creators and also endorses NFTs in any way. They only care about their own profit and the opportunity for wealth above anyone else. Especially given the now easily available discourse concerning the problems of NFTs.

How can you be so dense?

NFTs -- non-fungible tokens -- and blockchains have been dominating the news recently, and with individuals and companies taking strong stances against them, it's fair to ask why. The environmental impact of the technology has been widely documented - it's inefficient, and the need for blockchains -- a sort of decentralized ledger -- to have multiple users validate and record transactions makes it very energy intensive. In an era when climate change is having more and more devastating effects around the world, use of such technologies attracts considerable backlash.

Other ethical concerns regarding NFTs specifically is that the purchaser of an NFT is not actually purchasing anything, and the value for the digital 'token' they've purchased is speculative. When you buy the NFT of a piece of art (for example) you don't own the art itself; you only own a digital token associated with the art. The whole concept is likened to a 'house of cards' or a 'scam' by its critics.

 

[AtomicPope]

Kickstarter and blockchain were part of the Enworld discussion a while back when it was first rumored. I supported Kickstarter using blockchain way back when it was just a rumor because I've had problems with purchases that extended offsite. That is not Kickstarter's fault but it could be their problem with the issues in the global supply chain. The problem I ran into was in production delay. In some cases I had to contact the company offsite, fill out an online form, and then resolve the problem via email for a KS that took place a year ago or more. There was constant problems with proof of purchase. Since this is a hobby and not a business it's easy for me to lose track of minor purchases. Having a unique ledger that will identify my purchase offsite would be a big help. It's bookkeeping that I don't need to worry about.

 

[Abstruse]

If Hasbro minted a few Magic the Gathering NTFs and a few kids brought, played, and traded them...
what exactly is the problem here?

Because the minting process would cost between $50-200 alone and use more electricity than the average household does in an entire week just to make the NFT exist (then all of that again each time it's traded or sold), and there's nothing to "play" because the person buying it wouldn't get an actual physical card (and updating Magic: The Gathering Arena to recognize NFTs would be a massive undertaking to update the game requiring a large investment in coding time that could be used to fix bugs or improve the user interface or more optimize the game assets or any of the other dozens of small tasks any video game needs).

 

[Justice and Rule]

Actually, they are. They are an item which has value based on public acceptance, and which is vaguely tied to a belief in the issuing government. In and of themselves, they have little or no value. Moreover, a dollar in New York City has a different purchasing power than a dollar in Mule Shoe, Texas (yes, that is a real town). If you doubt that, check gas prices.

Purchasing power is different from each coin having different values. If I have 5 coins in Mule Shoe, they aren't worth different amounts. My five Quarters will be worth 25¢ each, just like in New York. They will have a different purchasing power, but they will all still have a value of 25¢. You keep conflating different things that are not the same, to the point that it doesn't seem like you actually know what you are talking about.

Back in the early days of the Republic, both states and banking institutions issued legal currency.

Yes, but those would be individual currencies and each bill would be worth the same within that currency. I do not know how that how to make that any clearer; by definition, banking notes issued by an individual bank would be worth the same as long as they carried the same denomination. Every $5 bill from the Bank of Wherever would be worth the same, rather than each bill having an individual, unique value. This is the difference between fungible and non-fungible.

 

[Rabulias]

It's not ever going away and it will continue to grow at an extraordinary rate. You don't have to adapt to changes in society, but at least take a moment to acknowledge the possibility that "I don't fully understand this new thing" might be a sign you probably shouldn't be judging it as a fad or a scam.

Longevity is not a reliable index of "scamness." Bernie Madoff's ponzi scheme operated for decades before his scam was exposed, and he is not the only one. I think many grifters and con artists never get caught.

Blockchain may turn out to be a useful technology for something someday (on a more limited scale than a currency), but I remain unconvinced. Computers, the Internet, video games, and the other innovations you mention did have naysayers, but also had visionaries who saw potential they could deliver. Yes, there are costs (energy usage and environmental impact are major ones), but there have been valuable contributions from them (well, maybe not social media so much... :-\ ).

A major difference to note for those technologies you list is that as they became more widely used and accepted, they became cheaper and more accessible to people with less money. Cryptocurrencies and NFTs (unless they fail) seem to get more expensive as time goes on, almost like they were predicated on that...

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

What's the source on that claim?

In non mod voice: that claim is supported by articles in the NYT, Harvard Business Review and other easily found sources.
Bitcoin Uses More Electricity Than Many Countries. How Is That Possible?

How Much Energy Does Bitcoin Actually Consume?

Today, Bitcoin consumes as much energy as a small country. This certainly sounds alarming — but the reality is a little more complicated. The author discusses several common misconceptions surrounding the Bitcoin sustainability debate, and ultimately argues that it’s up to the crypto community...

hbr.org

Saying something and proving it are two different things. Lots of people made "predictions" about the environment and the goalposts have been moving for five decades: Global Warming, Global Cooling, Climate Change. We were warned ad nauseum and none of it came true. The "Great Die-Off" Paul Ehrlich "predicted" in 1970 never happened. The colossal amount of embarrassing predictions about the environment would be fun to bring up to remind people there is a long history of fear mongering about the environment.

Mod Note:

And this is pure politics. Don’t go there again.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Denialism is a religious statement, not a scientific one.

Science is not a matter of lots and lots of people wearing the same coat agreeing, nor is science a fallacy from authority. Those things you described are closer to a religious cult than repeatable, predictable, real world methodology and that garners results.

Seeing as how the consensus has been in growing and not declining- currently at 28 climate skeptical papers out of 88,125 peer reviewed papers overall, per the study below- it’s looking like the case for anthropogenic climate change is pretty well supported.

Radware Bot Manager Captcha

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Governments, and who controls them, decide who qualifies for bailouts.

Mod Note:

That phrasing is dangerously close to dog-whistle territory. Based on the number and nature of reports you’re generating, I strongly recommend you consider re-evaluating how you’re communicating in this thread if you wish to continue communicating in this thread.

 

[Charwoman Gene]

Having a unique ledger that will identify my purchase offsite would be a big help. It's bookkeeping that I don't need to worry about.

So, you think it is worth paying lots of money for a service to keep track of your receipts for you. Wonderful. There are loadsof ways to do that do not require the energy costs of these technologies and would show no additional security or convenience hurdles.

 

[AtomicPope]

So, you think it is worth paying lots of money for a service to keep track of your receipts for you. Wonderful. There are loadsof ways to do that do not require the energy costs of these technologies and would show no additional security or convenience hurdles.

Well they maybe you should pitch that to Kickstarter. Really compelling stuff here. In the meantime, they have no electronic ledgers that can be used offsite.

 

[Charwoman Gene]

Well they maybe you should pitch that to Kickstarter. Really compelling stuff here. In the meantime, they have no electronic ledgers that can be used offsite.

Wow. Too bad y'now, you're just too important to keep track of receipts.