D&D (2024) Kobold Press posts 2024 DMG Hit Piece

[mamba]

You see, WOTC based their D&D on the 5E SRD, just like we did. lol

on a more serious note, did Kobold actually do that? If they did, how can they release their own SRD for ToV under the ORC license? I would assume that they have to release their own, independent material under it and cannot just ‘relabel’ WotC content

EDIT: yes, ToV refers to the 5e SRD, so is based on it, and so does their own SRD… surprised they can do the latter

 

[Maxperson]

I agree, it feels bush league to me. I expect more from Kobolds. I have been moving away from their stuff for a while, this will just expedite my retreat.

That's a D&D spell, isn't it?

 

[Parmandur]

I don’t think they are tearing it apart, what they wrote is not something you do not hear here as well or justified by the content.

If this had been written by some reviewer (minus the plugs for the ToV DMG), I doubt anyone would point the review out as being particularly mean or something. The main objection seems to be that it comes from the Kobolds and that it is bad form for them to say anything about the ‘competition’.

Is it a good look? Everyone can decide that for themselves, it certainly is not reaching a level where I would be upset with them about it.

Here's the thing: Kobold Press is not some fly-by-night YouTuber juat saying things, they are one of the more well-established companies in TTRPGs, with roots going back to old TSR. Their books have a generally good reputation of their own.

If some YouTuber had posted a similar review, hawking their own book as an alternative, I would simply roll my eyes and ignore them (I ignore most all TTRPG "Content Creators" because of just this sort of thing, it is tedious). Thst Kobold Press, a well-established company I own several books from, would do the same is rather bizarre.

 

[Parmandur]

on a more serious note, did Kobold actually do that? If they did, how can they release their own SRD for ToV under the ORC license? I would assume that they have to release their own, independent material under it and cannot just ‘relabel’ WotC content

EDIT: yes, ToV refers to the 5e SRD, so is based on it, and so does their own SRD…

The point is thst WotC did not base their own game on another companies SRD, so the comparison suggesting equivalence is weird.

 

[DEFCON 1]

As someone who has been a professional wrestling fan for most of my life... I don't tend to take much umbrage to things like this.

The WWE/WWF was always the big dog in the yard when it came to pro wrestling since the 1980s, and as such they never felt the need to address the workings of other companies-- mainly because those companies were trying to get and achieve what they had. Whereas the other wrestling companies knew they had ground to make up, so they would always talk about the big dog and the problems the big dog had... problems that they would be able to solve for everyone who was over dealing with the big dog. "Don't like them? Come see us!" And that's what a company trying to make up ground has to do... distinguish themselves from the big dog and prime mover.

That's what this seems to me... Kobold addressing all the people who are already over WotC and D&D 5E and who are predisposed to looking for the alternative that Kobold can provide. Basically preaching to am already-irritated choir. So it doesn't really matter than much how many shots they take at WotC because 1) it's not going to affect WotC's bottom line so WotC doesn't care... and 2) might bring more players to their yard of people who don't want to support WotC. Sure, yeah, a few potential players who are happy with both companies might be annoyed with seeing shots fired from one to the other... but the number of those people for whom it would make an appreciable difference in sales is negligible (in my opinion).

 

[mamba]

Here's the thing: Kobold Press is not some fly-by-night YouTuber juat saying things, they are one of the more well-established companies in TTRPGs, with roots going back to old TSR.

there are youtubers who have KS that exceed Kobolds’ hauls by a lot, I was not talking about someone who barely makes it to a hundred views

If some YouTuber had posted a similar review, hawking their own book as an alternative, I would simply roll my eyes and ignore them

up to you, I am in the same boat when it comes to the Kobolds. This gets a shoulder shrug and then life goes on

 

[Parmandur]

there are youtubers who have KS that exceed Kobolds’ hauls by a lot, I was not talking about someone who barely makes it to a hundred views


up to you, I am in the same boat when it comes to the Kobolds. This gets a shoulder shrug and then life goes on

Yeah, but the thing is I like Kobold Press, so this is disappointing.

Like, if Chris Perkins posted a review of Tales of the Valiant dunking on it and talking about how his book is way better, I would be disappointed in him personally.

 

[mamba]

The point is thst WotC did not base their own game on another companies SRD, so the comparison suggesting equivalence is weird.

I understand that WotC’s books are not based on the SRD, it’s the other way around.

If ToV also were not based on the SRD but compatible with it (so they can license their content under ORC in their own SRD), then this would only have been poorly phrased however and both would have a similar relationship to / distance from the 5e SRD.

 

[sevenbastard]

Folk they are Kobolds, it's not called Couatl press or Ki-rin press

 

[Osgood]

Yikes. This is super petty and reads little desperate to me. I haven’t read it cover to cover yet, but so far, I think the new DMG is pretty great—leagues above most other editions’ versions in terms of organization, usefulness (skewed toward the new DM, but still useful for a 35 year vet like me), art, and content. Would I have liked more traps and hazards? Sure, but I get that there’s only so much you can squeeze in. I don’t own any Kobold Press stuff, and this sort of disingenuous screed doesn’t really motivate me to check out their products.