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]

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

I had moved on from 1e by the time 2e came around, never had any desire to combine them.

Also not a big fan of the early adventures, I consider many overrated and only classics because there was nothing else. Definitely more a fan of the Hickman revolution, I basically aimed for that from the start / before I heard of the term.

 

[Azzy]

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.

My problem with Strixhaven is that it was an over-glorified adventure rather than a dedicated setting book.

 

[KYRON45]

being aware that BG is D&D is not weeds, and of course there are people that do not care, the two have nothing to do with each other

I’m saying not everyone cares.
The average person doesn’t know all the things about everything.

 

[mamba]

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.

but innovation for the sake of innovation is meaningless. People do not have to like something for being different / innovative. If it finds its audience, great, but every product gets criticism, whether for being too different or for not being different enough, so designing a product to have the least resistance is a fool’s errand, design it so it matches the target audience’s desires (which goes back to not every product is for everyone)

 

[mamba]

The real measure of what is sales?

of whether you created a product that your audience likes / is interested in

If WotC created a product that sells 1M copies but has all the grognards posting outraged and another that sells 200k and has no one outraged, aim for the 1M one

 

[Micah Sweet]

I had moved on from 1e by the time 2e came around, never had any desire to combine them.

Also not a big fan of the early adventures, I consider many overrated and only classics because there was nothing else. Definitely more a fan of the Hickman revolution, I basically aimed for that from the start / before I heard of the term.

I don't run canned adventures anyway, and neither did my old group. All homebrew adventures and settings. And I don't care for the Hickman revolution style in any case. Adventure paths are not why I play or run D&D.

 

[Micah Sweet]

of whether you created a product that your audience likes / is interested in

Compared to other products you might make? Sure. Compared to the sales from products other companies make? Not a fair comparison IMO.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

My problem with Strixhaven is that it was an over-glorified adventure rather than a dedicated setting book.

On top of that, very weirdly it presents kind of a different setting to MtG one. The MtG Strixhaven is an edgy, YA-novel-ish place which was actually kind of cool and alarming. The D&D Strixhaven was cozy nonsense with no ideas. There's room for cosy fantasy, but you should never be modifying essentially the whole of an existing setting into it. I also kind of question making a school setting, especially about the teenage years "cozy" because, for like, the vast majority of humanity, that is not a "cozy" time or place.

 

[mamba]

The average person doesn’t know all the things about everything.

sure, but being aware of BG being D&D is so surface level that plenty of people who have never played either know this

 

[Parmandur]

My problem with Strixhaven is that it was an over-glorified adventure rather than a dedicated setting book.

Well, respectfully, thst is exactly my point: I haven't run it, so I don't have a fully formed jusgement on it, but that Adventure/Setting hybridization with a full four year College career campaign is really innovative (innovation doesn't mean it will work or not, just that it is trying something new). The Setting is pretty basic ("what of Harry Potter met an 80s College comedy??"), but the campaign structure really is interesting and unlike anything tried in the prior 48 years of D&D product history.