D&D (2024) Lifetime boycott of D&D-branded products?

[Clint_L]

This is literally the “you have criticisms of society, yet you participate in society” meme but unironically. If you don’t want to participate in a boycott of WotC that’s your prerogative, but “if you boycott anything you have to boycott everything” is an unattainable standard. There is no ethical consumption under capitalism, we all have to pick our battles, and it is not at all surprising that in a community of people who are deeply invested in a hobby, the battle over Creative Commons within that hobby is one many of us would pick.

You don't think, "Let's cancel D&D forever because of a thing they might do!" is a just little stronger than "I am critical of them"? And a little hyperbolic, given the corporate malfeasance that all of us routinely overlook?

This will be an unpopular opinion, but I think we are only in this situation because Hasbro/WotC actually behaved a little better than most corporations by creating and supporting the OGL for two decades. You think Disney would ever do that? So, yeah, the change sucks. If there is a change, that is. I don't like it. But I find it illogical to suddenly act like Hasbro are incredible supervillains for doing what most of us totally ignore from other corporations every day.

Edit: and if our justification is basically, "yeah, but this affects my hobby that I am deeply invested in," then that is not a great ethical stance, in my opinion.

 

[Parmandur]

Yes. Yes there are :-(

As an example, WotC prints all D&D games in the U.S. instead of third world sweat shops. That's more significant to me than any "Open Gaming" considerations, because of how labor is treated. I buy these books from my local Comics/Game ship, so it supports a local business (that, incidentally, doesn't even carey third party RPGs!). Way more important than "Open Gaming" to me.

 

[Scribe]

Perspective.

Indeed, perspective.

Modern company, who made pains to paint themselves as 'one of the good ones' with a present day action, to trample on the lives of many, in the year 2023, out of naked greed, who supplies (check's notes) hobby material, luxury product by any definition.

vs

Companies that provide the mechanism's by which the modern world functions, for actions some supported in Germany, some 80 odd years ago.

Perspective, indeed.

 

[Parmandur]

Modern company, who made pains to paint themselves as 'one of the good ones'

And you never picked up on that particular red flag...?

 

[Scribe]

And you never picked up on that particular red flag...?

Oh I did. Its what makes the schadenfreude at Wizard's expense particularly fine.

 

[Parmandur]

Oh I did. Its what makes the schadenfreude at Wizard's expense particularly fine.

I mean, they'll be fine. The kerfuffle will pass, as others have before.

 

[Scribe]

I mean, they'll be fine. The kerfuffle will pass, as others have before.

Of course they will be fine. They have people out there pining away for their D&D Lifestyle Brand Plushie (TM).

Whats a little moral failing between a consumer and his dealer, to get in the way of sweet merch right?

 

[Cadence]

<deleted since it was unhelpful>

 

[Composer99]

This will be an unpopular opinion, but I think we are only in this situation because Hasbro/WotC actually behaved a little better than most corporations by creating and supporting the OGL for two decades. You think Disney would ever do that? So, yeah, the change sucks. If there is a change, that is. I don't like it. But I find it illogical to suddenly act like Hasbro are incredible supervillains for doing what most of us totally ignore from other corporations every day.

That last statement is frankly an unwarranted personal attack.

I don't think anyone ignores what corporations often get up to, although some folk downplay or support such behaviour (just look at how many have carried water for tobacco or fossil fuel interests over the years - often the same people, even!).

But we've had 20 years of being able to expect better from WotC, whereas I doubt anyone really expects better from, say, Philip Morris or ExxonMobil, and so WotC turning heel like this is going to sting.

Not to mention the fan activism seems to be having a more significant effect on what's going on at WotC than what often happens when big company ethics are interrogated by the public.

 

[Yaarel]

IF I only did business' with companies that 100% do what I consider 'good' I think I could not survive in this world

The shade of gray does matter.