Can WotC be forgiven?

[Ruin Explorer]

There are companies from whom I will not buy product: Ubiaoft or Acrivision come to mind. WotC is a long way from clearing that bar just because they fumbled a license concept.

Sure, and presumably this is because Ubisoft/Activision tolerated (arguably even encouraged) systematic cultures of sexual harassment/abuse, and bullying, which directly harm individual humans, whereas you see what WotC tried to do as merely a very sharp part of the "cut and thrust of business"? Also WotC seems like it might have failed, and to paraphrase Sideshow Bob, "Attempted murder? Do they give out Nobel Prizes for Attempted Chemistry?", which funny as it is does seem to be a fairly common attitude in the US when businesses try something obviously evil and then oopsy their way out of it.

 

[rcade]

The problem for Wizards is that D&D Beyond isn’t worth $146M without the revocation of the OGL and the creation of an walled garden.

I think it's worth more because of the OGL. Ryan Dancey's belief that open gaming would bring more players and profits to D&D through the network effect has been proven over time. Look at where D&D is today, even before the movie comes out.

 

[Scottius]

It's not really about forgiveness. It's about regaining trust. And given what they have attempted to do it would take a lot to regain my trust. I would say at a minimum:

1. Acknowledge they have made a horrible mistake trying to push the ogl changes on the community. With an actual apology and contrition.
2. Removal of those who made these decisions from the company.
3. Putting someone the community knows and has some level of respect for back in charge of D&D.
4. A full acknowledgement that any previously released version of the OGL is usable forever and irrevocable including a release of a version 1.0b with the irevocability included.

Those would be at the minimum the terms required for WOTC to regain my trust.

If they also wanted to regain my spending they would also need to improve their products because their releases have been inferior to the works being put out by Kobold, MCDM, Enworld, and others. They should really be focusing on upping their game instead of sleazy corporate maneuvering.

 

[Parmandur]

Sure, and presumably this is because Ubisoft/Activision tolerated (arguably even encouraged) systematic cultures of sexual harassment/abuse, and bullying, which directly harm individual humans, whereas you see what WotC tried to do as merely a very sharp part of the "cut and thrust of business"? Also WotC seems like it might have failed, and to paraphrase Sideshow Bob, "Attempted murder? Do they give out Nobel Prizes for Attempted Chemistry?", which funny as it is does seem to be a fairly common attitude in the US when businesses try something obviously evil and then oopsy their way out of it.

That's my point, though, is that this maneuver doesn't clear the bar to be worth calling "evil" in my book. "Suboptimal" for their own purposes, sure. But "evil" is a bit strong. I would reserve that for systematic abusive situations, like Ubisoft/Activision.

Unless we want to get really technical and go with "evil is a privation of the Good" angle, in which case I would concede this is a very minor privation of the Good in action.

 

[Parmandur]

It's not really about forgiveness. It's about regaining trust.

I have always trusted WotC to be greedy weasels out fir a buck, so no change there. If they seek buck's by giv8ng me stuff I like, great.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

I have always trusted WotC to be greedy weasels out fir a buck, so no change there. If they seek buck's by giv8ng me stuff I like, great.

It has been enjoyable seeing that a number of people who, for the past few months, have loudly proclaimed that they will never give WoTC another dollar for (REASONS) will now, most assuredly, never give WoTC another dollar for (MUCH LOUDER REASONS).

Eh, I think I'm getting too cynical.

 

[Parmandur]

It has been enjoyable seeing that a number of people who, for the past few months, have loudly proclaimed that they will never give WoTC another dollar for (REASONS) will now, most assuredly, never give WoTC another dollar for (MUCH LOUDER REASONS).

Eh, I think I'm getting too cynical.

Is is possible to be too cynical...?

 

[MonsterEnvy]

It's not really about forgiveness. It's about regaining trust. And given what they have attempted to do it would take a lot to regain my trust. I would say at a minimum:

1. Acknowledge they have made a horrible mistake trying to push the ogl changes on the community. With an actual apology and contrition.
2. Removal of those who made these decisions from the company.
3. Putting someone the community knows and has some level of respect for back in charge of D&D.
4. A full acknowledgement that any previously released version of the OGL is usable forever and irrevocable including a release of a version 1.0b with the irevocability included.

That seems super unreasonable especially the fire people part.

 

[Vael]

Those expecting some public firing and or flogging will be sorely disappointed.

 

[Scottius]

That seems super unreasonable especially the fire people part.

They are responsible for actively trying to destroy entire companies and cost likely thousands of employees their jobs so not unreasonable in my opinion.

Plus they're surely executive level individuals so with the golden parachutes in their contracts I'm sure they'll recover.