Project Sigil 90% Of D&D’s Project Sigil Team Laid Off

Reports are coming in of a swathe of layoffs at Wizards of the Coast, constituting 90% of the team of the new Project Sigil virtual tabletop platform. In all, over 30 people have been laid off, leaving a team of around 3 people.

Sigil is still in beta, only recently made public three weeks ago. Recent reports indicated that the scope of the project was seemingly being cut back.

WotC’s Andy Collins—who has worked on multiple editions of D&D and other WotC TTRPGs going back to 1996—reported via LinkedIn that he was one of those laid off. He indicated that the small team left behind would continue to work on the project.

More news as it comes in.

 

[Stormonu]

I really like DDB (well, pre-2024; sorting Legacy vs. Current is a hassle), and use it for lots of rules look-ups and wouldn't want to handwrite a character again if I can get away with it*. One of the big things is it makes leveling a snap and I don't have to bother recalculating everything - or miss doing it on some part of the sheet.

As a DM, any new player I had I would encourage them to build their first character (with an experienced hand to help) in DDB, and then as we played encourage them to learn the underlying concepts as they level. But I just find the process of creating a character in DDB to be so much faster.

* after having all the books for 3E/3.5E, if I didn't have the likes of E-tools I would have gone mad trying to keep all the different aspects/possibilities straight without it; it just carried over to 5E (and back to 2E's Core Rules program).

 

[Distracted DM]

I really like DDB (well, pre-2024; sorting Legacy vs. Current is a hassle), and use it for lots of rules look-ups and wouldn't want to handwrite a character again if I can get away with it*. One of the big things is it makes leveling a snap and I don't have to bother recalculating everything - or miss doing it on some part of the sheet.

As a DM, any new player I had I would encourage them to build their first character (with an experienced hand to help) in DDB, and then as we played encourage them to learn the underlying concepts as they level. But I just find the process of creating a character in DDB to be so much faster.

* after having all the books for 3E/3.5E, if I didn't have the likes of E-tools I would have gone mad trying to keep all the different aspects/possibilities straight without it; it just carried over to 5E (and back to 2E's Core Rules program).

It's faster, there's no question in that. But there's nothing to require them to learn the underlying concepts; some folk WILL be interested in understanding them, the enthusiasts (who end up on forums like this!)... but for the folk that aren't going to be that heavily engaged in the system, there's no reason to learn. And in my experience that ignorance ends up slowing down play.

 

[kayakingpoodle]

It's faster, there's no question in that. But there's nothing to require them to learn the underlying concepts; some folk WILL be interested in understanding them, the enthusiasts (who end up on forums like this!)... but for the folk that aren't going to be that heavily engaged in the system, there's no reason to learn. And in my experience that ignorance ends up slowing down play.

The way they new things have been implemented on DDB have added more issues for new players in games that don't use the 24 rules. It gets worse in those games the more 24 content is owned by player in the group, but just the free rules gum up the works.

 

[Thagdal]

Oh, I agree that 5e isn't that hard, and it's complexity (such as it is) is no excuse not to learn the rules. But I do think 1e/2e/BECMI were easier.

BECMI I totally agree.

But having recently been showing people early edition games, 1e/2e have complexities like min/max for races, different rules for dual/multi-classing depending on race, class restrictions for race, information in general is scattered through the players and even the DMG. Stuff I'd consider would be player facing like age categories (when that race is considered old etc).

Familiarity with the information makes it easy, as does not including the many extra races, skills and classes like the 1st ed bard, unearthed arcana, darksun, planescape etc etc.

5th ed, players only need to read a few chapters and can follow a clear step by step process with information generally following similar formating.

 

[Stormonu]

Yeah, recently when I was putting together a one-shot 2E game for my family I used the 2E Core Rules apps to build the characters, rather than try and dust off memories from over 20 years ago. Got stuck making my wife's Halfling Cleric who had Wis 18. Only to discover that Halflings can only have a max of 16 Wisdom. Would have never caught that doing the sheet by hand.

 

[EthanSental]

As mentioned in the other Sigil thread, I received an email for free digital minis today. Free is always good

 

[MerricB]

Yeah, recently when I was putting together a one-shot 2E game for my family I used the 2E Core Rules apps to build the characters, rather than try and dust off memories from over 20 years ago. Got stuck making my wife's Halfling Cleric who had Wis 18. Only to discover that Halflings can only have a max of 16 Wisdom. Would have never caught that doing the sheet by hand.

I'd forgotten that! (It's max 17 Wisdom for the halfling, in fact - a holdover from 1E).

The AD&D half-orc could have a max wisdom of 14!

There is a lot of complexity in AD&D.

B/X? Not as much. BECMI? Weapon Mastery would like a word...

Cheers!

 

[CleverNickName]

B/X? Not as much. BECMI? Weapon Mastery would like a word...

Ah geez, I had forgotten about Weapon Mastery. Even back in high school I remember looking at those rules in the Companion Set and saying "um, no thanks."

 

[OB1]

As mentioned in the other Sigil thread, I received an email for free digital minis today. Free is always good

Me too! Made me think that perhaps they really haven't totally abandoned the project. Perhaps it really is just taking a different form and then will grow more cautiously from there as they see how people engage with it.

 

[darjr]

Me too! Made me think that perhaps they really haven't totally abandoned the project. Perhaps it really is just taking a different form and then will grow more cautiously from there as they see how people engage with it.

There are three people still on the team.

But now that you said that I think back and realize some of WotCs best stuff is when WotC/Hasbro thinks the project is dead and the suits leave the creators alone.

Huh?