D&D (2024) New leak looks real bad

[Minigiant]

So World Anvil plus built-in tools?

More or less.

You craft a world and based on what you said is where, you can click a button and generate a dungeon, encounter, NPC, or adventure based on it.

Perfect for when the party goes the other way.

 

[Yaarel]

Heh, my takeaway from this episode of Roll for Combat is:

Pathfinder 2 is extremely balanced mechanically − frequent heavy play by experienced gamers upto level 14. Even said to be the most balanced RPG ever.

With a reliable ORC license and a robust gaming engine, that is kinda all I needed to know about Pathfinder 2 as a gaming go-to.

 

[DMZ2112]

So World Anvil plus built-in tools?

World Anvi's top subscription is $27/month, although I suspect a lot of it would be wasted on a lot of people. (I'm not sure what the ability to publish unlimited articles means -- are they trying to sell this subscription to ttrp bloggers?)

Bloggers or other content creators, it looks like. They pretty clearly want to be a recognized host for that sort of thing, like a Twitch or a YouTube only for the written word?

I mean, I love that idea, but I doubt a sustainable community does.

Thanks for the link; knowing that someone else is trying to operate at this price point makes this whole thing a lot more credible to me, although I think both companies are out of their dad-blasted minds.

 

[Composer99]

With OGL 1.0a still in effect there no way this plan would have any hope to be successful, someone would just clone 5e/D&D1 & Wizbro would lose a significant amount of their market like with 4e, the GSL & PFRPG 1e. That’s why they want to kill OGL 1.0a & either cut out all the 3PPs or bring them to heel.

Can't agree - OGL wouldn't stop this from being a money-maker if there was enough value-add - that is, access to IP/PI content (none of which is found in any SRD) and built-in tools in DDB/VTT. And with a big enough user base it could entice 3pps to come on board to create content. (Obviously, enticing 3pps would have been easier if WotC hadn't just obliterated the supportive 3pp ecosystem at a stroke.)

We'll have to see what all the subscription tiers are and what people get out of them to get the full picture.

By my reckoning, the fly in the $$$ ointment is not OGL as such (*) but rather whether WotC will be able to roll out DDB and the VTT with enough quality on day 1 and how much patchwork will be required afterward.

(*) Well, it is a fly in the ointment, just not the way you intimate (IMO) - instead, it's the collapse of 3pp support resulting from WotC OGL shenanigans that's going to lose them money down the road.

 

[DMZ2112]

Heh, my takeaway from this episode of Roll for Combat is:

Pathfinder 2 is extremely balanced mechanically − frequent heavy play by experienced gamers upto level 14.

With a reliable ORC license and a robust gaming engine, that is kinda all I needed to know about Pathfinder 2 as a gaming go-to.

You know it's entirely free online, right? You can go and read it anytime you want.

Home - Archives of Nethys: Pathfinder 2nd Edition Database

 

[Enrahim2]

Let us break this down:
30$/month
Perfectly reasonable for a premium supporter tier. As long as no essentials are locked behind this and the gm-targeting tier, there are no issue at all.
No OGL1.0a
this is the hidden black sheep of ultimate betrayal. Hiding among more edible stuff, just as it was among royalties, modification time, legal but protection and other completely standard consumer contract features in ogl1.1.
Homebrew banned at base tiers
Of course they have to block free tier players from exploiting the obvious workaround from engaging with their mechanics microtransactions.
Dumbed down gameplay for AI
But of course. The AI was supposed to be their big reveal feature setting them apart from the competition. Having that as an extra excuse for not being able to do the impossible task of automating the entire D&D ruleset before lunch was just a bonus.

In other words, no real news as far as I can see.

 

[Maxperson]

I think it's actually up to 14 million isn't it?

I bet a ton are free accounts for the free downloads and playtest packets. Mine is.

 

[Faolyn]

Fake or Not, a price without a product is useless information.

As a DM,there are tools and content I would gladly pay $30/month for. I don't think that's what WOTC is offering but to dismiss something just because it is $30 a month is a level of ridiculousness I feared D&D would get to.

Well, it's just... do you (generic you) need or even really want $30 of new stuff each month? Let's assume that's really what's going to happen.
If you don't care about (or actively dislike) content related to a particular setting, or you have no particular need for yet another rogue archetype, but that's what they want to give you, you're stuck paying for it. It's not like now where you can decide if you want to spend your money on a new book. You very likely won't be able to choose to not get the content and pay less that month to keep your access to the tools.

And honestly, why you (specific you) may have no problem with $30/month, a lot of other people will have problems with that. That's a lot of money for many people (including myself). Especially when I can game TotM-style in Discord, or in person should my group go back to that, for free.

 

[Yaarel]

You know it's entirely free online, right? You can go and read it anytime you want.

Home - Archives of Nethys: Pathfinder 2nd Edition Database

Sure I can read it. But truly understanding if a gaming engine is balanced requires experience with the engine (unless the stuff is obviously broken).

I appreciate their vote of confidence for Pathfinder 2, specifically for its mechanical balance, including caster versus mage.

− by the way, thanks for the link

 

[Faolyn]

World Anvi's top subscription is $27/month, although I suspect a lot of it would be wasted on a lot of people. (I'm not sure what the ability to publish unlimited articles means -- are they trying to sell this subscription to ttrp bloggers?)

Some worldbuilders or spec evo writers can produce absolute reams of material on their setting. I'm not sure why they would want that instead of a cheaper or free source, but "unlimited articles" is probably what a lot of people really want.