Jeremy Crawford Also Leaving D&D Team Later This Month

Jeremy Crawford is leaving Wizards of the Coast later this month. Screen Rant (via me!) had the exclusive announcement. Crawford was the Game Director for Dungeons & Dragons and was one of the guiding forces for D&D over the past decade. In the past year, Crawford has focused on the core rulebooks and leading the team of rules designers. He has also been a face of Dungeons & Dragons for much of 5th Edition, appearing in many promotional videos and DMing Acquisitions Incorporated Actual Play series.

He joins Chris Perkins in leaving the D&D team in recent weeks. Perkins, who was the Creative Director for D&D, announced his retirement last week. Both Perkins and Crawford appear to have left Wizards on their terms, with Lanzillo very effusive with her praise of both men and their contribution in our interview.

On a personal note, I've enjoyed interviewing Jeremy over the years. He was always gracious with his time and answers and is one of the most eloquent people I've ever heard talk about D&D. I'll miss both him and Chris Perkins and look forward to their next steps, wherever that might be.

 

[mamba]

That’s the definition of innovation. Maybe not entirely, but it has to substantive.

how substantive is the question though, isn’t it, and then how substantially different 5e is from 1e to 4e.

To me it is sufficiently different from them to qualify while 2e is not substantially different enough from 1e for that (or 2024 from 2014).

 

[AlViking]

Zero arguments there.

And again my overall point with this in this is that there appears to be a limit to how creative one can be within WotC, and once that that limit is reached, it’s time to go elsewhere. To me, that’s not indicative of an innovative company.

Long ago in a century far, far away there seemed to be a lot more innovation in the TTRPG industry. This led to some interesting games, some good, some bad. Now it seems like most games are some variation of D&D or some other game system. It's neither good nor bad, putting a different spin on an existing set of rules can make for a good game. I just don't really care whether a game is innovative, created by a small company or large. I don't care how the sausage is made, I just care if I like the result.

 

[TiQuinn]

how substantive is the question though, isn’t it, and then how substantially different 5e is from 1e to 4e.

To me it is sufficiently different from them to qualify while 2e is not substantially different enough from 1e for that (or 2024 from 2014).

I see 5e as basically a less complex 3e. 2e was just a refinement of 1e but going back to what I said about popularity vs innovation, I’ll take 2e all day long over 1e.

 

[mamba]

going back to what I said about popularity vs innovation, I’ll take 2e all day long over 1e.

same

 

[Parmandur]

This has nothing to do with 4e. It's about the playtests for 5e. The fandom has 100% stated that they will not permit WotC to make any real changes to the ruleset. This has nothing to do with corporate oversight at all. WotC is absolutely forbidden by the fandom from any innovation.

Good grief, look at the number one requested thing we see all the time. Dark Sun. Y'know that setting that was hugely innovative THIRTY YEARS AGO? Virtually no one is asking for new settings. No one is asking for new systems. No one is asking for any real changes. No. They want WotC to keep right on playing the greatest hits. Bring back Dark Sun. Bring back whatever pet project someone wants from decades ago.

Every single time WotC even suggests trying to colour outside the lines, the fandom comes down on them like a ton of bricks.

You want to know why we don't see innovation out of WotC? Folks just love pointing at Hasbro all the while ignoring the fact that the fandom has 100% shut down any hint of innovation for the past ten years. We had what, 3, 4 years of lead up to 2024? When did they start doing Unearthed Arcana's for 2024? 2022? Somewhere around that. And every single innovative idea got stomped down.

WotC is doing exactly what the fandom demands.

It is worth noting how vicious some corners of tge fandom get towards products that try something different, such as Strixhaven or The Deck of Many Things or Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft

 

[SkidAce]

5e is easy to divide: Everything pre-Tasha's was unbalanced, designed by committee (surveys), overly pandered on nostalgia, crammed everything into the Forgotten Realms whether it was designed for it or not, and lacked the soul of older D&D. Everything post-Tasha's is unbalanced, designed by corporate for the sole purpose of profit, pisses on the legacy and lore of D&D, is destroying every D&D setting rather than just forcing them into the Realms, and lacks the soul of older D&D.

At least, that's what the last 10 years of reading this board has told me.

That is the most funny, hilarious, accurate, and scary thing I've read all week.

Well done.

 

[Micah Sweet]

same

I'd rather combine the two. Did it for decades.

 

[mamba]

It is worth noting how vicious some corners of tge fandom get towards products that try something different, such as Strixhaven or The Deck of Many Things or Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft

I do not see this as a problem, not every product is for everyone. Some people will want gothic horror, others a fairytale. The real measure is sales, not 50 negative posts from one side or the other

 

[Parmandur]

I do not see this as a problem, not every product is for everyone. Some people will want gothic horror, others a fairytale. The real measure is sales, not 50 negative posts from one side or the other

Well, no, my point is that when a product innovated, it is often attacked for being different: Strichaven, in particular might be one of the most innovative products of the entire dang edition in terms of structure snd content.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I do not see this as a problem, not every product is for everyone. Some people will want gothic horror, others a fairytale. The real measure is sales, not 50 negative posts from one side or the other

The real measure of what is sales?