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

[Stalker0]

Just read the article. I think the points they made seem reasonable just in my cursory look at the DMG and notes I've gotten from other people.

But I do agree that the "this book sucks, but our book is great here!" over and over in the article is not a good look. It doesn't feel like a review, it does feel like I marketing gimmick disguised as a review.

If they had just noted the review here with no comparisons to their own product....likely would have been reasonable. But this direct comparison as presented is in bad taste to me.

 

[Parmandur]

I wish i could get upset about a corporate entities behavior. Their goal is to make money. My goal is to buy things that make me happy.

I am not upset about a "corporate entity's behavior", I am taken aback by an unprofessional public post by the lead designer of a game, Celeste Conowitch.

 

[Parmandur]

OK, interesting, they have closed comments on the post after several, including @Alphastream called out the nature of the post. Also, Celeste Conowitch name has been removed from the byline as the author, but it was there a couple hours ago, so she or someone at KP I'd distancing the statement...

 

[Morrus]

But I do agree that the "this book sucks, but our book is great here!" over and over in the article is not a good look. It doesn't feel like a review, it does feel like I marketing gimmick disguised as a review.

It's not a review. I don't think it's pretending to be one, to be fair. It's pretty up front as saying 'This is a promotional piece to tell you why our book is better'.

 

[TiQuinn]

It's not a review. I don't think it's pretending to be one, to be fair. It's pretty up front as saying 'This is a promotional piece to tell you why our book is better'.

I mean...it's both. I can't ignore that they say this right up front too.

Here are our first impressions of the D&D 2024 DMG (and how it compares to the Tales of the Valiant Game Master’s Guide).

It doesn't read that much differently to me than an article on Polygon for instance.

 

[KYRON45]

I am not upset about a "corporate entity's behavior", I am taken aback by an unprofessional public post by the lead designer of a game, Celeste Conowitch.

The lead designer of a game...owned by a company....posted something about that game on the companies website.
Am I misreading what is going on here?

 

[Zaukrie]

Not cool. Very not cool.

 

[Morrus]

The lead designer of a game...owned by a company....posted something about that game on the companies website.
Am I misreading what is going on here?

With respect, that response is facetious. You know perfectly well what the topic of conversation is. This isn’t a question, it’s a statement of position.

Which is fine, but let’s not get all sea-liony on people, eh?

 

[mamba]

Sure, but it's not a binary KP/WotC situation, it's a whole industry situation. They aren't really in competition; KP is in competition with other 3PP makers of 5E compatible stuff.

that is why I put ‘competition’ in quotes in one of my replies

It takes a lot of squinting to look at the TTRPG industry and view KP as an 'underdog'.

as an underdog relative to most other publishers, agreed. As an underdog relative to WotC, not so much… pretty much everyone is in underdog in comparison

 

[KYRON45]

With respect, that response is facetious. You know perfectly well what the topic of conversation is. This isn’t a question, it’s a statement of position.

Which is fine, but let’s not get all sea-liony on people, eh?

I don't know what "sea-liony" means but I'll accept my wrongness if i am in fact wrong.