WotC D&D Historian Ben Riggs says the OGL fiasco was Chris Cocks idea.

[Vaalingrade]

I'll push back on the "dead as a dodo" idea.

Yeah, some large corps have in interest in bringing the dodo back.

 

[jayoungr]

Actually, all of those seminars sound interesting. Is there any chance they'll be recorded or that Mr. Riggs will post transcripts or summaries somewhere?

 

[Alzrius]

Actually, all of those seminars sound interesting. Is there any chance they'll be recorded or that Mr. Riggs will post transcripts or summaries somewhere?

I'm not sure, though there was an overview of one of his seminars posted here last year (by me).

 

[mamba]

Why would they turn away those 3PPs? I see no logical reason.

I am not saying they will, that was purely a counter to your ‘the 3pps simply will be in the same position they were in before’

To me they are better off adding more 3pps and becoming the Steam of TTRPGs, but hey, to me they were also better of not killing the OGL. It’s not like they cannot make moves I find idiotic…

Even if DDB stopped all 3PP tomorrow, that would just put those 3PP back to where they were before the agreement.

right now that would be correct

No 3PP is dependent on DDB for their survival and I don't see that changing.

this we will have to see, the more dominant DDB becomes, the harder it will be to survive without being on it

If you are a small developer and do not sell through Steam, your sales are basically nonexistent. Not everyone can afford to create their own marketplace and to get enough people onto it. EA can, Blizzard can, but after those…

 

[jayoungr]

this we will have to see, the more dominant DDB becomes, the harder it will be to survive without being on it

You're assuming that WotC will succeed in their plan to make DDB all but mandatory, which isn't a given. This is how they want it to be, but they might not get what they want.

 

[mamba]

You're assuming that WotC will succeed in their plan to make DDB all but mandatory, which isn't a given. This is how they want it to be, but they might not get what they want.

there is no assumption in there, only a ‘the more dominant they become, the harder it will be’

 

[TiQuinn]

You're assuming that WotC will succeed in their plan to make DDB all but mandatory, which isn't a given. This is how they want it to be, but they might not get what they want.

Sure, there’s no guarantee that this is the way it’ll break down, but it’s probably what their strategy is.

 

[Oofta]

I am not saying they will, that was purely a counter to your ‘the 3pps simply will be in the same position they were in before’

To me they are better off adding more 3pps and becoming the Steam of TTRPGs, but hey, to me they were also better of not killing the OGL. It’s not like they cannot make moves I find idiotic…


right now that would be correct


this we will have to see, the more dominant DDB becomes, the harder it will be to survive without being on it

If you are a small developer and do not sell through Steam, your sales are basically nonexistent. Not everyone can afford to create their own marketplace and to get enough people onto it. EA can, Blizzard can, but after those…

The companies already exist and are, presumably, profitable all on their own. The TTRPG industry doesn't work like the video game industry. Even if it does, Steam is a storefront for a lot of small indie developers that otherwise wouldn't have a venue.

If, and this is a big if, DDB did become the Steam for TTRPGs, it would be a mixed bag.

 

[Gradine]

 

[jayoungr]

Sure, there’s no guarantee that this is the way it’ll break down, but it’s probably what their strategy is.

Oh, it's absolutely their plan. This was leaked at some point, probably during the OGL fiasco.

(Random thought, somebody should make a Fiasco playset based on the OGL debacle.)