WotC Jeremy Crawford interview: they read your feedback. An exclusive interview by Christian Hoffer at GenCon.

[Hussar]

How was it marketed? Art style? Tone? I thought it was a mystery anthology?

Who cares?

The point that was being made is that WotC needs to produce more mature content for those that want mature content. It then gets pointed out that there's at least three AP's with TONS of mature content and that the two AP's that are marketed to a younger audience are coming at the tail end of half a dozen mature content offerings. The complaint that those who want mature content are being left out ignores that.

IOW, those that want mature content HAVE mature content. The reason for Strixhaven and Radiant is because D&D actually is a big tent and we should have offerings for everyone.

Funny how "big tent" only seems to include "stuff that's for me".

 

[Scribe]

Who cares?

Me.

Just like how witchlight apparently was dark, and had kids for dinner, if it's marketing puts a very G rated spin and the art is this whimsical joy ride, well I wonder bother to buy it.

Wizards is telling me, I how they present these books 'you aren't interested'.

Meanwhile, in BG3, I am still interested in D&D actually. I do still love FR. Over the top kitchen sink and Spelljammer and Underdark?? Yes please.

So yeah, I care, why else ask?

 

[darjr]

Me.

Just like how witchlight apparently was dark, and had kids for dinner, if it's marketing puts a very G rated spin and the art is this whimsical joy ride, well I wonder bother to buy it.

Wizards is telling me, I how they present these books 'you aren't interested'.

Meanwhile, in BG3, I am still interested in D&D actually. I do still love FR. Over the top kitchen sink and Spelljammer and Underdark?? Yes please.

So yeah, I care, why else ask?

I didn't get that take away from the which light advertising.

For ex in this video they talk about the horror aspects, that your mind and soul are at stake. That it was whimsy and horror.

 

[Warpiglet-7]

Yeah. I’d point out that fighters in 2e were extremely powerful compared to casters. At least until about name level and even then.

People forget adnd monsters had about 1/4 the hp of later era monsters and fighters dealt easily as much damage as latter era fighters. Even into the low teen levels.

It was 3e and later which really created the LFQW problem.

I remember wrecking house with specialized fighters. Never got much past 9th or 10th but still…

 

[Scribe]

I didn't get that take away from the which light advertising.

For ex in this video they talk about the horror aspects, that your mind and soul are at stake. That it was whimsy and horror.

Fair enough. I got "you dont have to involve combat!" "here are some old call backs from when you were kids!" and "look at the whimsy!"

Which IS FINE. Great, no problem, but its not going to get me to even crack a cover to look at it, let alone 'buy it to find out' about the more traditional grim fairy tale stuff.

Same as Candlekeep, same as Strixhaven, same as Radiant.

Which again is 100% fine, 'its a big tent'.

So give me Minsc, breaking out of a Mimic in all his glory, oh and Jaheira is cool too.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

Me.

Just like how witchlight apparently was dark, and had kids for dinner, if it's marketing puts a very G rated spin and the art is this whimsical joy ride, well I wonder bother to buy it.

. . .
You're not required to buy every book. You didn't like that particular one - OK.

How did you feel about the earlier offerings?

Given how many adventures in Radiant Citadel are about the aftermath of slavery, colonialism or war, I'm not sure how shiny and happy it actually is. The folks on the citadel are striving for a better future, but it's quite clearly aspirational, rather than a realized status quo.

Those themes are rather more mature than blood and boobs. Won't someone think of the children!?!

I'd say that D&D should have different properties with diferent tones and moods and levels of "maturity." Someone upthread referenced comic books, and that is a good analogy: there are lots of Marvel books, all in the same universe, that have very different styles, tones and "ratings." D&D can have that, too.

The absolute refusal to allow D&D to acknowledge that humans are sexual sometimes is just weird, to be honest.

The great thing about D&D is ine could add more gore and sex in the game if they wanted it. WotC doesn't have to do it for anyone.

OK. So what are you after?

An adventure path with "BLOOD!!" and "BOOBS!!!" on the advertising copy; guaranteed to appeal to even the edgiest of teenagers?

Previous material has acknowledged sexual relationships in NPC pairings and suchlike. Does this need to be made more explicit, with x-rated flavour text for the DM to read out at the table?
Are you asking for mechanical support for your preference? What sort of rules would you like to see your fellow players have to roll for in the sexual encounters that they have to play out at the table?

Likewise with blood: do the previous descriptions of "bloodspattered corpses" need to change to the blow-by-blow screenplay of Jigsaw, or Nightmare on Friday 13th?

Just how much blood and how many boobs are you personally after?

 

[Scribe]

How did you feel about the earlier offerings?

5e was working out pretty well till 2020-ish for me in terms of tone and presentation.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

In general, sexuality is a lot less problematic for a game you play alone at home than it is for a game you play at the local coffee shop.

This.
And the last people I want doing a sexy/horny/bloody/edgy adventure are the people who have to answer to a collection of animate suits that have possessed otherwise rational humans.

I want that stuff from no one with a board of directors, shareholders, or anything like a corporate overlord.

Which is too bad, because I expect JC and CP could write something too rad to put on the side of a van. I doubt it would be especially heteronormative, or at all “vanilla”, and I hope someday they pass the torch at wotc and go make thier own weird stuff for a while before they fully retire.

But I don’t want wotc’s hands on any of that.

I missed most of the 3e/3.5e era.

Nice. I’m jealous.

What was up with the Book of Vile Darkness?

It was laughably over the top edgy nonsense, and that’s before you look at whst It calls evil, and ask any questions at all. .

 

[Shardstone]

If they are going to release Witchlight and Radiant, then yes I want my Conan-esque, BG3 level book as well. Without a doubt.

I dont expect it anymore, but 'everyone' would include the people who want something like BG3, one would think.

Radiant had several dark, creepy, violent, and intense adventures.

 

[Scribe]

Radiant had several dark, creepy, violent, and intense adventures.

So I heard after the fact, same as Witchlight and Candlekeep apparently.