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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Argyle King" data-source="post: 9703475" data-attributes="member: 58416">I think 2024 has struggled to establish a coherent identity.Purely anecdotal evidence on my part, but some things I've heard from discussions with various game groups:•2024 simultaneously changed too little and too much: where change was wanted (i.e. feats) it wasn't enough because the underlying core structure of the game still gives relatively few decision points; where change wasn't wanted (i.e. Goliath seeming to merge with Genasi) it was a somewhat radical departure.•Changes made to "fix" a problem that didn't. For example, shifting ability score increases from race/species to background. Was there an actual overall net improvement to the game from this?•Even when change was made in a way that could be seen as mostly good, it was done in a way that seemed to go against its own stated goals. For example, better inclusivity is great; at the same time, effectively erasing the "half" races downplays the lived experiences of players who may identify as mixed.•Ongoing negative sentiment toward WotC. While people liked the most recent movie, loved BG3, and watch Stranger Things; the company behind the game isn't viewed in a very positive light.•Lackluster anniversary celebration. Whatever people expected an anniversary edition of D&D to look like, 5.24 wasn't it. Excitement turned to disappointment; that disappointment fed into resentment that individuals may have already had due to previously perceived slights.•Too much focus on apologizing for the past rather than celebrating the good and building forward to better.Failing to establish coherent direction and purpose during a timeframe that should have been a celebration embracing the cultural tapestry that D&D has woven as a brand identity over the years pushed people who wanted to spend money on D&D toward other products like Shadowdark and Daggerheart.My guess would be that brand identity still carried D&D 2024 to a place that is seen as a financial success, in the same way that even the worst Star Wars movie made money.</blockquote>

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