D&D General Is DnD being mothballed?

[Oofta]

If I recall, I think I was counting your table (from having read many of your posts) in the categories I already exempted from the statement-- your playstyle seems to run to the lighter, older, traditional fantasy stuff, using 5e as a substitute for something like ODND, I could have gotten the wrong impression though. Tables in the greater sphere generally seem to reference third party, homebrew, and the more gonzo 5e options much more.

I assume most tables play a bit different, but my style hasn't been much different from the several other tables I've played at over the past decade.

 

[The-Magic-Sword]

I assume most tables play a bit different, but my style hasn't been much different from the several other tables I've played at over the past decade.

Not sure, I know my experience, and with people I've discussed it with who weren't inducted by me, but I don't know enough about the tables you've played at to place them in the overall gaming ecology-- table culture is generally based on the subculture the most interested parties involved trace themselves to, so its not hard to come upon some tables that are defined by non-adolescents and relatively traditional fantasy mores, without that becoming 'the norm' in the greater ecology.

 

[Oofta]

They don't need to hit a home run. The game is already a blow-out.

But the VTT doesn't exist yet which is what I was talking about.

 

[Oofta]

Not sure, I know my experience, and with people I've discussed it with who weren't inducted by me, but I don't know enough about the tables you've played at to place them in the overall gaming ecology-- table culture is generally based on the subculture the most interested parties involved trace themselves to, so its not hard to come upon some tables that are defined by non-adolescents and relatively traditional fantasy mores, without that becoming 'the norm' in the greater ecology.

I'm not saying my experience is typical, I have no way of knowing. I've just never run across a group or a stream that is doing particularly gonzo stuff.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

On the VTT topic. IF they could just use the BG3 engine and advertise it that way. Maybe even import d&d bwyond stuff there, that could be a key to getting new people.

 

[Oofta]

On the VTT topic. IF they could just use the BG3 engine and advertise it that way. Maybe even import d&d bwyond stuff there, that could be a key to getting new people.

You have to have a system that allows people to edit and add to a map seamlessly. There's no reason to believe Larian has built a system that would be consumer friendly. That, and of course, Larian is a private company that just licensed the D&D brand for their game.

 

[Hussar]

Again, how pathetic would WotC look bringing out a warmed over 2d Vtt, when fifteen people can do Talespire?

They aren’t making yesterday’s VTT.

 

[Kurotowa]

Again, how pathetic would WotC look bringing out a warmed over 2d Vtt, when fifteen people can do Talespire?

They aren’t making yesterday’s VTT.

Customer buy-in is a heavy weight of inertia to overcome. World of Warcraft displaced Everquest by being significantly better in multiple ways. The countless "WoW Killers" in the following decade all failed because they were rehashed imitation WoW with maybe one new good idea, and one good idea is not enough to overcome the inertia of existing buy-in. Or to bring an example closer to home for this forum, in 50 years no Fantasy TTRPG has dethroned Dungeons & Dragons because you can't just offer "D&D with one new good idea", you have to offer an overwhelmingly superior product to convince a critical mass of customers to switch together.

Unless the market leader destroys themselves in a pyre of self-sabotage (looks meaningfully at Twitter), an aspiring regicide has to bring an overwhelmingly superior alternative to convince people to change. Change has cost, and not just in dollars. Discarding what you're familiar with and learning something new has a mental and emotional cost that makes most people slow to do so. Oh, there are exceptions. I'm sure we all know one of those perennial early adopters, who's always in a rush to switch to the latest and greatest. But most people need to be offered something that's clearly better enough to pay back the cost of changing.

So if WotC is looking to make a move on the VTT scene, and have it be a dominant entry instead of just an also-ran, they really do need to debut with something that's leagues better than anything already on the market. And it looks like that's exactly what they're aiming to do.

 

[Zardnaar]

Eh.

This is my typical experience on EnWorld....

When I make statem I'm always assuming its just an opinion. Unless it's objectively true and easily referenced eg yes the Rebels blew upbthe death stars in ANH and RotJ.

I dont care if you disagree with me knock yourself out.

 

[mamba]

Again, how pathetic would WotC look bringing out a warmed over 2d Vtt, when fifteen people can do Talespire?

They aren’t making yesterday’s VTT.

they wouldn’t have 300+ people working on it if a copy of Roll20 were the goal.

As you said, 15 or so people are creating a 3d VTT already (Talespire), WotC threw 20 times as many people at it. Unless they are laughably incompetent (they aren’t), whatever they end up with must be a whole new generation of VTT, anything less does not justify the investment