D&D 5E (2024) D&D Pre-orders; this is sad

[UngeheuerLich]

It's not a PDF. They have to code that content into DDB. In fact, that is more expensive that the printer.

Of course, you are correct. But still faster than printing and shipping to Europe.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Probably not. But there are a lot of us who also just don't care.

I don't care that I "subscribe" to many things and not "own" them. Why? Usually because by the thing I subscribe to stops being available... the thing isn't worth keeping anymore anyway.

I subscribed to the 4E online tools. I don't have those tools anymore. But I don't care, because I don't play 4E anymore so I don't need access to it. I subscribe to EN World and pay a certain amount to Morrus for him keeping the message boards active. At some point he might shut the message boards down and I won't have access to them anymore. But I have paid my money and gotten my use. I subscribe to Office 365 and keep my tools up-to-date, regardless of how many times I change out my desktop computer (rather than trying to install software that I bought 10 years ago in hopes that it'll work all right). At some point Microsoft might stop publishing Office 365, at which point I won't have it to use. But I've already gotten my years out of it that I needed.

To me, "owning" things is oftentimes overrated.

This kind of thought process always makes me a little sad. One of the virtues of an actual book is that other people can use it. "I have paid my money and gotten my use," sure, but your friends? Your family? How many of us found D&D by poking around bookshelves or learning at the table with an older relative or friend?

It's kind of tragic that the only utility we imagine a product having for us is its immediate, personal utility for us. When I'm rotting in a grave, I hope my children and grandchildren and nieces and nephews can still know the delight of playing D&D, ideally without having to pay $20/month for it. I'm of a generation that knows that the future is no guarantee of progress or access. And if someone's ancestor becomes a developer for D&D or wants to make a TTRPG, I'd want them to have access to the history of the thing, to know what's tried and what's failed and what's succeeded.

I keep thinking of how hard it is for people to find 4e games, and how tethered 4e was to the online compendium and character builder, of how quickly that whole span of the game has been largely memory-holed because of its high reliance on online tools. 5e is faring better, I think, but it's still at risk, and the more we rely on subscriptions to online platforms, the bigger that risk is, the more fragile and niche the experience is.

It's a valid perspective (after all, the function of D&D today is for us, specifically, to play it), it just feels a little myopic to me, and it makes me think about the next generation, and the generation after that, the legacy I'll leave and the things that are important to multiple generations of folks.

FWIW, I don't have much of a problem with a pre-order with early access or digital fobs. I don't think those things, specifically, are much other than bells and whistles for the consumers that are already committed fans or that are susceptible to the shiny things. And I'm OK with D&D trying to make more money where it can - the more it can make, the longer 6e will hold off. But I am suspicious about the game hard turning into a subscription model or leaning too hard on online tools.

I just do not see it happening in the TTRPG space. First, WOTC has a track record of backing down on just about anything. Second, they have experience (4e) with people walking away and going to a competitor with business practices they prefer.

I am sure they would prefer to go down the "I am a bleep" route but gamers will just walk. There are too many TTRPG companies happy to fill the void versus the video game companies that ALL adopted the same models.

Finally, 99% of GMs think of themselves as mini-designers. People can make TTRPG rules. Most people cannot make their own video games.

This resonates with me. Getting a TTRPG game up and running is hard work, and if you put in the work, it's pretty easy to run without buying more product.

Video games are easy to get up and running, and it's hard to continually game without buying more games (even 130 hours of content gets used up eventually).

TTRPG players need publishers a lot less than video game players need publishers.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I would love the alternate art covers. I haven't seen a local game store in decades. They all got overrun by MTG.

Yeah, I'm going to try with my local comics/MTG/Funko Pop store, but I'm not optimistic.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

It will never not be sad to see so many praising a corp for their capitalism.

Explains a lot of the world actually.

Congratulations!

It is not only corporations and capitalism. Every country uses some kind of currency and all is based on the same principle: money vs time and proficiency.

I am a teacher. I would die if I did not get money which I could trade vs food.
Some farmer grows food and gets money for that. They want their children to be educated. So they pay taxes from which I am paid to spend my time educating their children.

If you happen to find away to get rid of money, I would happily teach it to everyone.
But I guess if you do away with it, I fear everyone would die of hunger because not enough people will spend their time working hard on the field if they could instead play D&D or hang around in online forums.

 

[Cordwainer Fish]

I don't want to derail the conversation (but i'm going to).....Didn't the evil megacorporation send the private security company (also evil for turning a profit) to recover stolen goods?

No, they sent the brute squad to strongarm someone to whom embargoed goods were sold. Whether the breaking of the embargo was by accident or intent, that is a matter between Wizbro and the seller, and is not theft.

 

[KYRON45]

No, they sent the brute squad to strongarm someone to whom embargoed goods were sold. Whether the breaking of the embargo was by accident or intent, that is a matter between Wizbro and the seller, and is not theft.

Doesn't embargoed mean "not for sale yet"?

 

[mamba]

But book and digital timing are different? Especially at the numbers printed for wotc.

except that they are not, you can get the book in FLGS at the same time the digital version becomes available, provided you subscribe to DDB at the highest tier, otherwise you get it later

 

[pukunui]

Interesting, what form did the discount code take? Was it a preprinted card (like a trading card) or something they printed at the register? Just noticed you're from New Zealand, so that probably explains why I hadn't heard of this when I bought my copy of Theros from my FLGS.

I think it was just a slip of paper with the info and code printed on it.

 

[mamba]

When you have a finalized pdf, uploading it for digital release is way faster than sending it to the printers and distributing it to FLGSs.

they are not uploading a PDF on DDB... wish they (also) did

 

[TheAlkaizer]

Congratulations!

It is not only corporations and capitalism. Every country uses some kind of currency and all is based on the same principle: money vs time and proficiency.

I am a teacher. I would die if I would not get money which I could trade vs food.
Some farmer grows food and gets money for that. They want their children to be educated. So they pay taxes from which I am paid to spend my time educating their children.

If you happen to find away to get rid of money, I would happily teach it to everyone.
But I guess if you do away with it, I fear everyone would die of hunger because not enough people will spend their time working hard on the field if they could instead play D&D or hang around in online forums.

Sure. There's no gap between some companies over-monetizing their product at the expense of its quality and their consumer and the abolishment of currency and general anarchy.

We can be critical of certain corporations and practices while still participating in a capitalist society by providing and receiving value.