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Recent content by occam

  1. occam

    D&D (2024) Line of sight ruling

    Is it? The spell description of Wall of Force doesn't mention that it provides Total Cover. And is there an actual statement that a clear pane of glass provides Cover? I'd appreciate a reference if there is one. I'm not sure that glass provides Cover of any kind. Saying that nothing can...
  2. occam

    Wizards of the Coast Says That China Tariffs Will Have Minimal Impact on D&D

    Right, this is all about a word I got hung up on. 😞 I think I was pretty clear in my last post. People can choose to respond to things negatively or positively, with anger or with compassion. You chose one. My wish is for more people to choose the other.
  3. occam

    D&D 5E According to the Hasbro Q1 earning call D&D sales are up substantially.

    But the numbers we're discussing are just revenue; they don't include costs. Sigil brought no revenue, and any costs it may have incurred don't affect gross revenue. So the small growth in Digital still seems fairly mysterious. My guess is still that Digital includes more stuff than we're...
  4. occam

    Wizards of the Coast Says That China Tariffs Will Have Minimal Impact on D&D

    Okay, but then couldn't this sentiment have been expressed more positively as something like: "I only wish smaller game producers were in as fortunate a position as Hasbro/WotC in dealing with the current conditions." Rather than focusing ire on a so-called "megacorp", an affirmation of...
  5. occam

    Wizards of the Coast Says That China Tariffs Will Have Minimal Impact on D&D

    Then I'll ask, what was your thinking behind your initial comment? Because it sounds (to me) as if you'd prefer Hasbro to suffer even more than it will in the current circumstances, at least in part due to its status as a "megacorp". Is that true? And how do you think that would be helpful?
  6. occam

    D&D 5E According to the Hasbro Q1 earning call D&D sales are up substantially.

    I don't believe these assumptions. First, let's talk about that confusing chart. While one's inclination might be to interpret it as a chart of increases comparing present to past in various categories (i.e. Tabletop increased by 37% compared to past Tabletop revenue), that interpretation makes...
  7. occam

    Wizards of the Coast Says That China Tariffs Will Have Minimal Impact on D&D

    I think it is relevant. By using the word "megacorp", you imply that Hasbro is essentially untouchable, immune to any meaningful challenge by governmental action or economic whirlwinds, a titanic force straddling the globe. There are corporations like that, but Hasbro is definitely not one of...
  8. occam

    Wizards of the Coast Says That China Tariffs Will Have Minimal Impact on D&D

    Hasbro is not a megacorp. They seem big to people taking an interest in events on this board, but depending on what you're ranking them on, Hasbro is something like the 2000th largest corporation in the world, taking in less revenue than such household names as ArcBest, Atmos Energy, and...
  9. occam

    WotC $HAS (Hasbro) surges 14.4% at Q1 Earnings; Earnings Call Transcript, First Quarter 2025 Financial Results

    Yeah, looks like someone screwed up that slide. The total on the right looks correct, but not the category-specific numbers, given this:
  10. Screenshot 2025-04-24 at 10.34.56 AM.png

    Screenshot 2025-04-24 at 10.34.56 AM.png

  11. occam

    Five Takeaways From the 2025 Monster Manual

    There is no "innately" anything in 5e. That's a (IIRC) 3e-ism that hasn't been carried forward. After all: "The alignment specified in a monster’s stat block is a default suggestion of how to roleplay the monster, inspired by its traditional role in the game or real-world folklore. Change a...
  12. occam

    Five Takeaways From the 2025 Monster Manual

    No, it depends on the birth, and possibly life, circumstances of the goblin. Were they born in, or did they grow up in, the Feywild, or near a fey crossing? Or are they urban sophisticates in Sharn? Or have they spent eternity serving hobgoblin masters and dying and respawning repeatedly in...
  13. occam

    Five Takeaways From the 2025 Monster Manual

    There is no such premise. AFAIK, WotC has never once hinted that a change from a Humanoid type to some other was done for the purpose of making them morally easier to murder. No one from WotC has ever said that it's morally OK for PCs to kill any non-Humanoids on sight. After all, that premise...
  14. occam

    Five Takeaways From the 2025 Monster Manual

    OK, it's clear that WotC developed a set of design constraints for 2024 which were revised to some extent from those for 2014. Among those constraints are the following: Creatures only have one Type. (carried over from 2014) "Humanoids are people defined by their roles and professions, such as...
  15. occam

    Five Takeaways From the 2025 Monster Manual

    That's right! As are goblins, and mind flayers, and specters, and barbed devils, and suits of animated armor, and apes, and green hags, and azers, and zombies, and needle blights, and liches, and iron golems, and frost giants, and djinn, and dretches, and (OK, I'm going to stop now), which all...
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