Matt Colville weighs in.

[DEFCON 1]

So having read Matt's depressing tweets, I just can't bring myself to agree. But it's not Matt's take on WotC's corporate overlords that I find fault with, but rather the entire idea of the people they're pursuing.

I mean, maybe I'm just old and out of touch, but I have a hard time believing that there's actually an incoming surge of potential customers who are that young, that rich (in terms of disposable income), and that ignorant/disengaged from what's going on.

And what's even more ridiculous is that we've had 40 years of proof that even us "olds" will throw money around on our hobbies willie-nillie. So if any of us decide to go in on their 3DVTT if/when it gets released, we'd be just as likely to blow our cash on the bits and bobs of the system.

Who the hell is buying all the Dwarven Forge terrain and HeroForge custom miniatures and Beedle & Grimm's super-adventure boxes for pete's sake? It's US! We're the ones keeping those companies in business. So to think those of us in Gen X are going to just let "the kids" have everything that WotC puts out and we won't dive in head first? That's just silly talk right there.

 

[Mallus]

Is Colville usually this melodramatic?

 

[DEFCON 1]

Somebody needs to check on Coville and make sure he's okay. I'm dead serious about this - I don't know him personally but if I saw that on a friend's feed and I knew they were looking at their own life plans being disrupted by events the way his have, I would definitely check on them.

Speaking completely on the outside and looking it, my instinct is to say he's fine... if all of his attitude during his Twitch streams before and after this Twitter thread are any indication. He's had a very accepting attitude about all of this and he's expected something like this was coming all along, which is why MCDM has been prepping to create their own stuff even before the debacle we are currently seeing.

It was the Tweet thread that's been the anomaly from at least my POV.

 

[Jer]

And what's even more ridiculous is that we've had 40 years of proof that even us "olds" will throw money around on our hobbies willie-nillie. So if any of us decide to go in on their 3DVTT if/when it gets released, we'd be just as likely to blow our cash on the bits and bobs of the system.

I know right? This was something that I put in my survey response to them about their VTT policy. They severely underestimate the power of the D&D brand and the desire of people to want to use "officially" branded products. It's a thing that third party publishers and folks who want to use 3pp material scream about all of the time - that folks will ignore a better 3pp product in favor of one published by Wizards because the Wizards one is "official" and the 3pp is not.

I guarantee their VTT would be the same. Even with competition from others who might be technically better, the draw of using the "official" product carries so much weight.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Is Colville usually this melodramatic?

Not in my experience. It's why I see it as the anomaly.

 

[Jer]

Speaking completely on the outside and looking it, my instinct is to say he's fine... if all of his attitude during his Twitch streams before and after this Twitter thread are any indication. He's had a very accepting attitude about all of this and he's expected something like this was coming all along, which is why MCDM has been prepping to create their own stuff even before the debacle we are currently seeing.

It was the Tweet thread that's been the anomaly from at least my POV.

That's good to hear. Something about Twitter tends to bring out the worst in folks in general - maybe it's the short form that means you have to cut nuance, or maybe it's something else. If he has been expecting Wizards to pull a rug out from everyone somehow and had been planning for it that's a good sign too - it means he might be further along the "what the heck do I do now" planning cycle that the folks who were completely blindsided by it.

 

[darjr]

That's good to hear. Something about Twitter tends to bring out the worst in folks in general - maybe it's the short form that means you have to cut nuance, or maybe it's something else. If he has been expecting Wizards to pull a rug out from everyone somehow and had been planning for it that's a good sign too - it means he might be further along the "what the heck do I do now" planning cycle that the folks who were completely blindsided by it.

The scent of this has been in the air for a while. Many creators who are close to WotC or privy to WotC stuff have been hinting at it for months now.

 

[darjr]

For all those that are lamenting that he’s being a grognard about kids these days and the hobby.

He’s not talking about the hobby. He’s talking about Dungeons and Dragons.

He’s lamenting that D&D will just be another video game.

 

[Ringtail]

Is Colville usually this melodramatic?

Definitely not, and I think his prediction is born out of fear and frustration and not accurate.

When the OGL leaks first started dropping, I was wracked with anxiety for days. I thought every company like Kobold Press and Paizo would fold overnight. . . Pathfinder 2e would be cancelled, just, complete nonsense. But I was afraid.

My favorite thing in the world was under fire and it left me fearful and depressed. Matt himself has said he considers D&D like a "Lifestyle" for him and his success is entirely built upon its back. I can only imagine whatever stress I felt is twice as bad for him. I hope he can pull himself out of this funk. While I don't always agree with his advice, his general attitude towards the game has always been positive and inspiring to me.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

For context, I think a lot of people’s reactions to Matt’s thread would be better informed if they first watched his recent Revolutionary Acts YouTube video, then follow up with reading that thread.