D&D General [rant]The conservatism of D&D fans is exhausting.

[Umbran]

I dunno, I thought it was funny.

My entire table thought it was funny, and they all came to D&D in that era.

 

[Remathilis]

Maybe it’s people who work as clowns at children’s events that find it so offensive

I'm sure the Fraternal Brotherhood of Clowns are very upset with Thaco and will take appropriate measures as soon as they finish with Pennywise, Joker, ART, and most of Spirit Halloween.

In the meanwhile, most of the complaints I've ever seen are from people who still think AC should go downwards.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I can't really agree with the philosophy here that, if you don't like the joke you deserve to be made fun of.

Anyone who takes themselves, or a silly elf game, seriously, deserves to be made fun of.

 

[The Firebird]

Please show me evidence of WotC mocking or disparaging older fans. WotC bent over backwards to provide loving nostalgia for the old days. You don't get the 1980s cartoon kids and LJN action figures referenced (the latter in the same module as Thaco) by people who look down their noses at the olden days.

Consider the most recent dust up with the 50th anniversary book, from someone who is currently a "senior designer/product lead" for D&D:

'It never occurred to me l’d rouse the ire of the grognards. It’s obvious now that I look back on it, but I just don’t take those critiques seriously even now. I consider those people not worth listening to, so I didn’t anticipate their “outrage".'

To be completely clear--I am not saying anything about the content of complaints people made about the 50th anniversary book. I do think there is some oversensitivity, some amount of looking for things to whine about.

But at the same time if a self-described grognard feels they are looked down upon or considered out of the times or...not worth listening to...by WotC and the 5e community more broadly. That isn't entirely in their head.

 

[TiQuinn]

I don't think the text about the clown is that bad. But I think folks who saw themselves in it did so because there is a history of people, including WotC, treating them as such. As the end of this post nicely illustrates.

Oy. WotC moved on from the game those people staked their identity to more than 30 years ago.

 

[Micah Sweet]

It’s not about not liking the joke, it’s about thinking the joke was ever about them at all.

And that means you deserve to be made fun of?

 

[Micah Sweet]

There is a clear difference between naming an NPC after a 20+ year out of date and widely mocked mechanic and claiming it was done intentionally to piss off older fans. You have a right to laugh or not laugh at the joke. You don't to claim WotC is mocking you personally by including it. That's when you earn your clown shoes.

Not a fan of mockery in any context, personally.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Please show me evidence of WotC mocking or disparaging older fans. WotC bent over backwards to provide loving nostalgia for the old days. You don't get the 1980s cartoon kids and LJN action figures referenced (the latter in the same module as Thaco) by people who look down their noses at the olden days.

What about that "I'm a monster" ad campaign when 4e was spinning up?

 

[Micah Sweet]

I'm sure the Fraternal Brotherhood of Clowns are very upset with Thaco and will take appropriate measures as soon as they finish with Pennywise, Joker, ART, and most of Spirit Halloween.

In the meanwhile, most of the complaints I've ever seen are from people who still think AC should go downwards.

I'm fine with either direction, though I admit upwards is easier for most IME to grok.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Anyone who takes themselves, or a silly elf game, seriously, deserves to be made fun of.

Good to know where you stand. As I said, not a fan of making fun of anybody. Not when I was a kid, not today.