D&D 5E D&D and who it's aimed at

[Fifth Element]

At least I don't believe the authors' would have included the infamous harlot table in AD&D if their target demographic were adolescent males.

Really? As an adolescent I found it funny. At 45 years old now I find it cringey and misogynistic. You seem backwards on what adolescent males like.

 

[Fifth Element]

Not very respectful either. I'm really tired of seeing it.

Imagine how people being constantly told that their preferences are childish feel then. Maybe speak up for them?

 

[Fifth Element]

WoTC is trying to broaden the audience for D&D while at the same time keeping the old timers happy.

What they may have failed to consider is that merely attempting the former is enough to make much of the latter group unhappy.

 

[billd91]

What they may have failed to consider is that merely attempting the former is enough to make much of the latter group unhappy.

I don’t think so, honestly. I think it’s a small minority of the latter putting up an outsized fuss.

 

[Fifth Element]

It's not opinion to say there's more variety in older material and the tone is different.

It absolutely is opinion. Should be obvious given the old-timers talking about how the game was only played a certain way back in the day.

 

[Fifth Element]

I don’t think so, honestly. I think it’s a small minority of the latter putting up an outsized fuss.

Lucky for me I used a nice vague term and didn't commit to anything quantifiable then.

 

[Jahydin]

It's more like:

Person 1: "Really? 4 years? Last year we had an adventure that is filled with darkness and all sorts of really, really grim stuff. How are depictions of child murder 'too soft, sleek and silly'?"
Person 2: No, it's all nothing but fluffy bunnies and cutesy displacer beasts on covers!
Person 1: Really? There's no displacer beast on the cover of my Witchlight copy. Maybe it's different from yours? There is an image of a cute displacer beast inside the book. True. But, then again, there's all sort of really dark and grim stuff there too.
Person 2: NO It's all fluffy bunnies!
Person 1: okay?

Even in this example, I still don't see the need to tell people they shouldn't complain in a thread asking why they're complaining.

 

[Fifth Element]

I can. There is no doubt that the game has become easier with regard to surviving the violence of the game. The violence has been reduced by an incredible degree over 3e, then 4e and finally 5e. There is no doubt whatsoever that controversial issues like orcs and other things have been altered and reduced. These are objective facts.

"Changed" <> "sanitized."

That's the point you're missing. There is no objective definition of what sanitized means.

 

[Jahydin]

What they may have failed to consider is that merely attempting the former is enough to make much of the latter group unhappy.

You make it sound like they just put out a few products. The tone and direction of the game has changed so much they're overhauling the core products to match.

 

[Jahydin]

I don’t think so, honestly. I think it’s a small minority of the latter putting up an outsized fuss.

For me it's hard to say. Online, it sure seems that way. Offline, I game and talk about gaming with people as young as 20 and as old as 50 and none of them are happy with what's been coming out. Most have switched over to other systems like Pathfinder 2e or Dungeon World. We have one FLGS and these books are all gathering dust (new Critical Role book being the exception). Even most of the posts here in support of these products seem to be from folks who aren't buying them. So it certainly seems to me there is an issue.

I'm guessing these books are selling well though; I'm not sure to who. My only guess is new players coming into the hobby. Seems to be a pretty crazy gamble to alienate the hardcore gamers to cater to Zoomers and Magic fans in the hopes they stick with it.

Lots of people saying Dragonlance is their way of pleasing the older players, but I'm just not seeing it. Nothing in that clip gave me any nostalgic vibes and it's one of my favorite series.