Taylor Navarro Joins Wizards of the Coast as D&D Designer

Wizards of the Coast has hired yet another D&D game designer - this time UK-based designer Taylor Navarro. Navarro announced that she was joining the D&D team this week on BlueSky. Navarro notably was a winner of the Diana Jones Emerging Designer Award back in 2024 and has worked for Ghostfire Gaming and Evil Hat in addition to working on several DMs Guild projects. Some of her most notable works was contributing to the DMs Guild publication Journeys Beyond the Radiant Citadel and publishing Not Yet: A Romantic Duet TTRPG.

Navarro is the fourth D&D game designer to join Wizards of the Coast in recent weeks, with James Haeck, Leon Barillaro, and Erin Roberts also announcing that they've joined D&D in a similar game designer capacity. Additionally, Justice Ramin Arman was promoted to Game Design Director of the group.

 

[bedir than]

Youre aware those magazines had over 100k maybe 200k subscribers? Perkins sad Mearls were both published in said magazines.

These days no one reads tge books apparently and if its 3rd party may as well be the moon for a lot of people.

If you think no one reads 1st party books, where three of the individuals were already published, then what are we doing here?

One was the lead designer at a publisher who hit THREE Million Dollar Kickstarters.

This isn't a set of nobodies without credits to their name.

 

[Zardnaar]

If you think no one reads 1st party books, where three of the individuals were already published, then what are we doing here?

One was the lead designer at a publisher who hit THREE Million Dollar Kickstarters.

This isn't a set of nobodies without credits to their name.

They might read the books, I don't think many read the credits and could tell you who wrote what.

Only reason I remember a lot of the older names was because they were on the cover of a book.

Or they had multiple appearances in Dragon/Dungeon.

Mearls tor example he is active here and was the "face" during 5E development. Perkins publisher by TSR.

All these new hires haven't had their names on the cover. Theres no Dragon or Dungeon first party to get exposure.

They dont stand out In 1st party work. Freelancers as part of a team.

And kinda lost in tbe crowd if theyre 3rd party. May have heard of product they've worked on. Havent heard of them. None of them have been major players in a big setting ( eg Baker Eberron, Boyd/Greenwood FR, Btom Darksun).

Not their fault but unless youre very plugged in to specific companies youre not going to know who they are.

 

[mamba]

I’m having trouble following this thread because I was reading it in the background while working. But from what I can tell the Radiant Citadel sucked because it took place in a Russian mall where a gay character worked in a store called Stranger Things and now we all have to play Daggerheart.

Did I get that right?

you got the gist of it

 

[THEMNGMNT]

Wizards lays off a bunch of people.

Internet: "5.5E is doomed!"

Wizards hires a bunch of people.

Internet: "5.5E is doomed!"

 

[Scribe]

Wizards lays off a bunch of people.

Internet: "5.5E is doomed!"

Wizards hires a bunch of people.

Internet: "5.5E is doomed!"

Yeah, both are wrong.

"5.5e is a stop gap." is more what I would predict.

 

[Zardnaar]

Yeah, both are wrong.

"5.5e is a stop gap." is more what I would predict.

Same. I don't think its failing.

 

[Olaf the Stout]

You clearly don't have my unhealthy habit of spending way too much time browsing Kickstarter and Indie Press Revolution.

Kickstarter yes, just mainly for non-RPG stuff these days as I realised I already own a tonne of RPGs I’m not currently playing.

I don’t look that much into the indie side of things due, once again, to already owning cool games I don’t play,

 

[Olaf the Stout]

Well, there IS quite a bit more of it than there once was, to be fair.

Would you say there’s more now than there was during the D20 boom? It doesn’t feel like it to me, but that could be because I’m not across it as much now and a lot of it exists only in the digital realm.

 

[Olaf the Stout]

Two of the now-four new hires are from EN Publishing, right here!
Three were already featured in official WotC products.
Two wrote for one of the earliest DnD Beyond Partner projects.
One won the Diana Jones Award.

While the names might not be familiar they should be more well known than someone who wrote a couple of articles in a magazine barely anyone read.

Yeah, seems like my lack of awareness is the problem, especially for the Diana Jones award winner.

 

[Zardnaar]

Yeah, seems like my lack of awareness is the problem, especially for the Diana Jones award winner.

Who's Dianna Jones?

Mostly 3rd party types and a writing credit in a team effort book.

Easy to miss. Don't use beyond. 3rd party may as well not exist and who read credits?

I stopped buying 3rd party years ago. Had so much of it never used it.