WotC How much does Hasbro / WotC impact your feelings towards D&D?

[ElminstersApprentice]

WotC is a big company that owns the D&D brand. It is not the legacy, it is not the hobby. That's owned by the community. If it suppressed, it would go underground. Honestly, I think TSR was more

 

[ReginaHart]

From my perspective, as an early 30's adult born in the 90's, I live in a corporate-controlled oligarchy that is morally bankrupt and exploitive. If I took a stand against every company that acted like a scumbag snake oil salesmen -- regardless of how great their product was -- I would have to make virtually everything myself. So, I accept the evils of Hasbro, especially since they are much lighter then other company's evils.

So absolutely true (says I, a 50s adult). It's almost impossible to be a "virtuous" consumer, whatever that might look like. I think for me what I don't like about WotC/Hasbro is the utter soullessness of it. I look at my AD&D books, and they're one step above a zine. Yes, TSR wanted to make a profit (or at least they wanted to stay in business), but the work was obviously a labor of love and passion. I'm sure that some/many/all of the writers and artists at WotC/Hasbro are passionate too. It's just that they are buried at the bottom of a soulless corporation, and the output reflects that. It's too damn shiny. Art (and rpgs are art) and games need to come from the source.

 

[EthanSental]

TSR….acronym for they sue regularly back in the day…..let’s not gloss over that they were trying to make a profit and push down 3rd party stuff. Wotc and Ryan Dancey gave us the OGL in 3rd edition that really opened the playing field for other to make things dnd adjacent….literally next door over adjacent.

 

[ReginaHart]

TSR….acronym for the sue regularly back in the day…..let’s not gloss over that they were trying to make a profit and push down 3rd party stuff. Wotc and Ryan Dancet gave us the OGL in 3rd edition that real;y opened the playing field for other to make things dnd adjacent….literally next door over adjacent.

Fair enough - I haven't read enough of the actual history to comment knowledgeably about their business practices. Maybe this is a more accurate statement: the majority of people working at TSR were gamers/artists. The majority of people working at WotC/Hasbro probably aren't.

 

[mamba]

Wotc and Ryan Dancet gave us the OGL in 3rd edition that real;y opened the playing field for other to make things dnd adjacent….literally next door over adjacent.

yes, and let’s also not forget that they did this not so much out of altruism but because they believed it made business sense.

I am glad they did, WotC these days certainly would not do anything like that. It takes the right circumstances for this, and the failure of TSR combined with Peter Adkison buying the remnants was just that.

 

[Burnside]

So absolutely true (says I, a 50s adult). It's almost impossible to be a "virtuous" consumer, whatever that might look like. I think for me what I don't like about WotC/Hasbro is the utter soullessness of it. I look at my AD&D books, and they're one step above a zine. Yes, TSR wanted to make a profit (or at least they wanted to stay in business), but the work was obviously a labor of love and passion. I'm sure that some/many/all of the writers and artists at WotC/Hasbro are passionate too. It's just that they are buried at the bottom of a soulless corporation, and the output reflects that. It's too damn shiny. Art (and rpgs are art) and games need to come from the source.

This is why Dungeon Crawl Classics is p much my current favorite in terms of TTRPG aesthetics. Shadowdark captures this as well. I pretty much want my TTRPGs to look DIY.

That said, some modern official D&D artwork I really do love - especially Mike Schley’s maps, and Tomb of Annihilation and Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden both have some excellent interior art.

 

[CleverNickName]

Wotc and Ryan Dancet gave us the OGL in 3rd edition that real;y opened the playing field for other to make things dnd adjacent….literally next door over adjacent.

yes, and let’s also not forget that they did this not so much out of altruism but because they believed it made business sense.

I think the decision to release D&D under the Open Gaming License did a lot more than just save the brand, I feel like it saved the whole tabletop RPG hobby. It kicked off the "RPG Renaissance," and made third-party products not only possible, but profitable. Thanks to them, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of new RPGs and products out there for us to enjoy.

I love playing extra-special, super-indie RPGs that nobody has ever heard of...but I also acknowledge that most of them wouldn't even exist if it weren't for Wizards of the Coast. Even the older classics like Call of Cthulhu and Shadowrun wouldn't be nearly as successful as they are today if D&D hadn't led the hobby back to cultural significance.

Just a little something to chew on while you're complaining about Wizards of the Coast/Hasbro (and there are valid complaints to be had.)

 

[hoffrg86]

What do you mean AI thing. Nothing on Beyond is AI based from what I know.

Project Sigil, I had thought there was some speculation about an AI integration, and posibly an AI DM.

 

[Parmandur]

Project Sigil, I had thought there was some speculation about an AI integration, and posibly an AI DM.

Nope, not a bit. It's just an Uneeal engine VTT, WotC has a strict no-AI policy.

 

[hoffrg86]

Nope, not a bit. It's just an Uneeal engine VTT, WotC has a strict no-AI policy.

strict policy on generative graphics and text, I haven't seen that expanded on?

(Sep 13, 2024)

Hasbro CEO Confirms Company Has 'Already Been Using AI'

Hasbro confirms it has 'already been using AI' to develop games like Dungeons and Dragons and Magic: The Gathering in spite of previous statements.

gamerant.com