WotC $HAS Fourth Quarter 2025 Earnings Call + D&D and Chris Cocks on AI usage transcript excerpt (26Feb10)

[Not a Decepticon]

Well they are hiring a lot of creatives. So if by ‘messing with’ that’s what you mean. Whether you think that’s a good thing or a bad thing depends on what you think of the designers and there work up to this point.

It’s hard because I’m really enjoying what they have put out in the last two years and can’t see the reason everyone is being so negative. When we start getting rubbish product then I’ll start to get down.

I don't trust corproations and actually found Faerun books to be underwhelming. In fact, I have general issue with how a lot of 50 books seem to be written with a "path of lease resistance" approach, where they seem to have a very similiar, very corproate "give bare minimum, don't do anything too complex, don't rock the boat. do as little as possible for maximum profit" approach that I dislike. Pretty much all of 5.24 books so far fall into this, starting with new Players' handbook having huge move to commodify classes and remove interesting parts (all but deleting patrons from Warlocks), while changing as little as possible overall (with one exception beign the Monk).

 

[TheSword]

I don't trust corproations and actually found Faerun books to be underwhelming. In fact, I have general issue with how a lot of 50 books seem to be written with a "path of lease resistance" approach, where they seem to have a very similiar, very corproate "give bare minimum, don't do anything too complex, don't rock the boat. do as little as possible for maximum profit" approach that I dislike. Pretty much all of 5.24 books so far fall into this, starting with new Players' handbook having huge move to commodify classes and remove interesting parts (all but deleting patrons from Warlocks), while changing as little as possible overall (with one exception beign the Monk).

I don’t know what any of that means. Path of least resistance? Give bare minimum? Commodify classes? It sounds like the equivalent of management speak.

 

[Reynard]

Well they are hiring a lot of creatives. So if by ‘messing with’ that’s what you mean. Whether you think that’s a good thing or a bad thing depends on what you think of the designers and there work up to this point.

It’s hard because I’m really enjoying what they have put out in the last two years and can’t see the reason everyone is being so negative. When we start getting rubbish product then I’ll start to get down.

Eve of Ruin is a very weak adventure, and the less said about 5E 2024 the better.

That is to say, it's subjective.

 

[TheSword]

Eve of Ruin is a very weak adventure, and the less said about 5E 2024 the better.

That is to say, it's subjective.

It’s absolutely subjective.

Nine months into a campaign ran by @GuyBoy featuring both 2024 and Eve of ruin a bunch of jaded 40 and 50 year old Grognard’s are loving it.

 

[Artamo]

I can’t abide the hope that D&D becomes unpopular or exclusive again because then “we’ll get it back”. It sounds like the worst kind of aspiration to want to something to fail so you can own it.

Yeah, I have to agree. That’s not a great way to view something that you enjoy, especially in such a unique industry where everyday fans have the ability to contribute creatively to it. Focus on what you do within your own game and if big corporate interests got you down, give money and time to smaller companies. Run a game at a convention. Create something and release it - most of the publishers are running under some sort of open license.

 

[Reynard]

Yeah, I have to agree. That’s not a great way to view something that you enjoy, especially in such a unique industry where everyday fans have the ability to contribute creatively to it. Focus on what you do within your own game and if big corporate interests got you down, give money and time to smaller companies. Run a game at a convention. Create something and release it - most of the publishers are running under some sort of open license.

I think it is entirely reasonable to feel wistful about things that have changed or been lost, especially with regards to something foundational and ubiquitous in your life. "It would be nice if..." is not some sort of indictment of other folks' preferences.

Also, shareholders ruin everything and getting important (to oneself) cultural and creative institutions out of their hands isn't just not a bad thing, it is an actively good thing.

 

[Artamo]

I think it is entirely reasonable to feel wistful about things that have changed or been lost, especially with regards to something foundational and ubiquitous in your life. "It would be nice if..." is not some sort of indictment of other folks' preferences.

Also, shareholders ruin everything and getting important (to oneself) cultural and creative institutions out of their hands isn't just not a bad thing, it is an actively good thing.

Sure, be wistful, but then get out and actively do something if it’s really a problem because ultimately my point is this is a broader hobby that allows more active contribution from its fans. There’s been a very strange trajectory of themes in the past couple of weeks - we’ve gone from people grumbling about how there’s nothing on the schedule and people half-joking about 6e to people bemoaning an annual business report.

None of it seems to have any energy directed towards creativity or joy unless apparently it comes direct from Wizards/Hasbro. Apparently folks loathe the corporation but damned if they don’t live or die on what said corporation makes next.

 

[Reynard]

Sure, be wistful, but then get out and actively do something if it’s really a problem

I am not sure what that could possibly be for folks that don't own controlling shares.

because ultimately my point is this is a broader hobby that allows more active contribution from its fans. There’s been a very strange trajectory of themes in the past couple of weeks - we’ve gone from people grumbling about how there’s nothing on the schedule and people half-joking about 6e to people bemoaning an annual business report.

None of that is new. it happens literally every quarter.

None of it seems to have any energy directed towards creativity or joy unless apparently it comes direct from Wizards. Apparently folks loathe the corporation but damned if they don’t live or die on what said corporation makes next.

I like it when I like what official D&D is producing. That makes me happy. I also own and play lots of other games, and enjoy some "alt D&D" things like ToV or A5E. But it is still perfectly reasonable to wish WotC was more creative, put or more books, or made a new edition instead of rehash but worse.

 

[Artamo]

I am not sure what that could possibly be for folks that don't own controlling shares.

None of that is new. it happens literally every quarter.

I like it when I like what official D&D is producing. That makes me happy. I also own and play lots of other games, and enjoy some "alt D&D" things like ToV or A5E. But it is still perfectly reasonable to wish WotC was more creative, put or more books, or made a new edition instead of rehash but worse.

If your goal is controlling what WotC does, then yes, you have no control. I’m just saying down that path lies the worst kind of grognard.

 

[Reynard]

If your goal is controlling what WotC does, then yes, you have no control. I’m just saying down that path lies the worst kind of grognard.

So when you said "do something" what did you mean?