WotC How much does Hasbro / WotC impact your feelings towards D&D?

[Vaalingrade]

I don't know, 1e - 2e and 3e to 3.5 and 4e to essentials all seem backwards compatible a lot like 5e to 5e 2024.

I contend that Essentials was a punishment visited upon us for trying to touch the face of god. Like the sundering of the Tower of Babel, we will never return to such lofty heights.

 

[Hussar]

. But it's also a way more shallow game with the exciting angles filed off, developed to fit a broad commercial mass market to optimize profit. Imho.

I love the fact that WotC gave gamers the exact game that gamers insisted they wanted in 2014, and continued giving gamers what gamers said they wanted - clearly wanted mind you - but it somehow is all about maximizing profit and making a crap game.

You folks are the ones who crucified WotC for not listening. Now you got exactly what you demanded - a WotC that constantly canvasses the fandom to see what they want.

Aren’t you glad you won?

 

[Mistwell]

I have a former coworker who actually used to do layout for WotC in the 3rd edition era. How she ended up in a small town in Kentucky, I'm not sure.
I'm not upset with her or the custodian who still cleans the offices.
But, you know, I'd rather support companies that pay their employees better (MCDM) allow them to unionize so creatives have some say in the company direction (Paizo). Maybe that creates better opportunities down the road for others?

Paizo is paying $43K/yr for the same job in the same city as WOTC is paying $150K a year. Paizo was unionized because of allegations of serious abuse of employees under the same executive staff as they still have today. Paizo engaged in a brutal layoff after their MMO didn't fund. Paizo has a more closed system and puts less stuff into the OGL/ORC that's open to others than WOTC did with the OGL and now does with the CC. Do not hold Paizo up as some gem relative to WOTC. You want to play Pathfinder because you like that game, cool. But let's not pretend Paizo is a meaningfully better company towards people. They have a long track record of some pretty nasty things in my view. People don't hold them as accountable because they're not the #1 company and not owned by a megacorp like WOTC is. But if they were and just did all the same things they've already done I'd bet people would be really quite upset with them.

 

[Parmandur]

Paizo is paying $43K/yr for the same job in the same city as WOTC is paying $150K a year. Paizo was unionized because of allegations of serious abuse of employees under the same executive staff as they still have today. Paizo engaged in a brutal layoff after their MMO didn't fund. Paizo has a more closed system and puts less stuff into the OGL/ORC that's open to others than WOTC did with the OGL and now does with the CC. Do not hold Paizo up as some gem relative to WOTC. You want to play Pathfinder because you like that game, cool. But let's not pretend Paizo is a meaningfully better company towards people. They have a long track record of some pretty nasty things in my view. People don't hold them as accountable because they're not the #1 company and not owned by a megacorp like WOTC is. But if they were and just did all the same things they've already done I'd bet people would be really quite upset with them.

Yeah, all of that is true...bit Paizo is not "evil," nor would I expect anyone to not buy games they enjoy just because of their issues. Same as any other company (that isn't flagrantly violating basic human rights, like child slavery, the OGL kerfluffle doesn't come anywhere near Nestlé levels).

 

[Hussar]

Yeah, all of that is true...bit Paizo is not "evil," nor would I expect anyone to not buy games they enjoy just because of their issues. Same as any other company (that isn't flagrantly violating basic human rights, like child slavery, the OGL kerfluffle doesn't come anywhere near Nestlé levels).

Fair. But the point is that WotC gets criticized for everything it does but when other rpg companies do the same or worse, there’s a minor rumble never to be heard again.

It’s not like every single discussion of corporate missteps sees multiple posts about anyone other than WotC. Particularly from people who claim to not want to play WotC games because of their behaviour but happily play games from companies that have done stuff that’s just as bad.

There’s an awful lot of “I hate Nickelback” in these threads.

 

[Blue]

Would you start fresh? If you had millions of dollars invested, you had thousands of employees relying on you and the current edition was exponentially more popular than any edition before? Would you throw it out for the sake of change.

The same way every RPG company has, including Wizards.

Sorry, there is no argument possible that the best funded RPG company can't make another edition. We have so much prior evidence.

Also, please don't try to twist the issue into "is this best for Wizards" as that has nothing to do with this thread. This thread is "how much does Hasbro/Wizards impact your view of D&D", and everything is in that context. It's about what I want, and "is it best for Hasbro" is at best irrelevant and at worst trying to move the goalposts.

I think reducing spells slots and uses per day would have been wildly unpopular. There is no saying that the wholesale change you want is what you would get.

That's not the specific change I want, just an example that shows it can be done. I do want rebalance, and many d20 and OGL system have it, so it's absolutely possible. Even 4e balance the adventuring day.

For most of us, the devil you know is better. But there are still a hundred tiny detail changes - tweaks if you like - that overall add up to quite a few differences.

Yes an no. If you want an RV, you can tweak the heck out of a sport car and make it 100% better - as a sports car - without ever addressing the needs of the person who wants the RV.

The changes are for the good. It's just that after 10 years the cracks bother me, and they require a fundamental change to deal with all of them.

Nobody has knocked a wall through, but I feel like the whole house has been repainted.

Like I said, the changes are nice. If I wasn't fed up with 5e, this would be great.

But I am. And to my surprise, so is every DM that I play with.

 

[Blue]

I don't know, 1e - 2e and 3e to 3.5 and 4e to essentials all seem backwards compatible a lot like 5e to 5e 2024.

Notice I didn't say anything about 3ed to 3.5, nor 4e to essentials. That was on purpose.

If you think AD&D to AD&D 2nd wasn't a huge jump, especially in design philosophy, then you never played it.

 

[Maxperson]

How much does news, announcements, or antics of Hasbro and WotC impact your feelings about D&D?

5 = a large impact
1 = a very tiny (or no) impact

This thread isn't meant as an indictment or defense of Hasbro or WotC. I'm just curious how much people's enjoyment of D&D is impacted by these companies. The numbers are purposefully kept vague because this poll is more about your own interpretation rather than collecting data.

Personally, I'm a 1. When I think about D&D, I think about playing with my friends. I'm not really focused or paying much attention to the antics of Hasbro or WotC, I honestly don't buy many products (I'm a sworn homebrewer), and news about the companies really just doesn't impact my enjoyment of the game.

But I recognize that's not true for everyone!

I'd have voted 0 if it was an option! D&D is just a game and is not at all to blame for what Hasbro does or does not do that upsets people, or makes them happy.

 

[Maxperson]

I went with one. Most of their actions have little impact on me, and in my opinion, the common consumer. The OGL outrage, the twisting of truths, etc. are really only seen by the deep fans. That said, WotC often responds to those deep fans because those deep fans are in a unique position over other companies - they are needed to run games. The game relies on DMs, and WotC knows this.

Side note - Once they clear that hurdle with AI, all bets are off on how they monetize the game and cater towards only those higher spenders.

Which....................................are still the DMs

 

[payn]

I love the fact that WotC gave gamers the exact game that gamers insisted they wanted in 2014, and continued giving gamers what gamers said they wanted - clearly wanted mind you - but it somehow is all about maximizing profit and making a crap game.

You folks are the ones who crucified WotC for not listening. Now you got exactly what you demanded - a WotC that constantly canvasses the fandom to see what they want.

Aren’t you glad you won?

Yes.