D&D General Interview with D&D VP Jess Lanzillo on Comicbook.com

[LuisCarlos17f]

I am a collector more than a true player. I would rather to buy physical books. Even if I wanted where I live I can't ask the original English-languange version, and I have to await the translated edition.

The interesting part of the interview for me is about possile crossovers. We know Hasbro love to sell licenced products but intercompany crossovers are a great headache in the time to negotiate.

Crossovers with other franchises aren't so easy when characters are in different power levels. And some franchises may be very popular but they are horrible as RPG settings because a lot of crunch about species and classes aren't so wellcome.

WotC could publish a d20 version more focused into romance, investigation, palace intrigue and social interactions but some necessary changes could be radical, for example adding new abilities scores.

 

[Imaro]

not really a counterpoint, more a separate topic that has nothing to do with your question or my answer to it.

Of course they want people using their VTT, that does not mean they do not want people on DDB too, this is not an either or, and the benefits of offering DDB content on other platforms remains the same, it strengthens DDB and has no impact in their VTT

This makes no sense if they are offering a robust tool set that works for their VTT and not any other how is that not an incentive to join both?? While making it available to all might get some DDB subscriptions and offers no extra incentive use their VTT.

 

[mamba]

Do you work for WotC? Do you have insider knowleddge? If not you have exactly what everyone else has in this thread... a guess.

no, but WotC is not exactly secretive about their goals. Are you telling me you have no idea what they are? Your very statements contradict that.. I see no reason why I would have to show more proof for that when you do when talking about them

I didn't say it was. I asked wasn't the OGL enough when it came to licensing their game...

no, no it is not, that is my point, that was my answer

you interjected things that don't consist of the actual system into the discussion... to which I pointed out they also had access to these things as well...

and they have access because they have separate licenses, the OGL has absolutely nothing to do with that

 

[mamba]

This makes no sense if they are offering a robust tool set that works for their VTT and not any other how is that not an incentive to join both?? While making it available to all might get some DDB subscriptions and offers no extra incentive use their VTT.

I am not sure I follow. They offer a hopefully (at least from WotC’s perspective) far superior VTT, that is incentive enough to use it over Roll20 and others.

The VTT does not make DDB obsolete, the two integrate. Having more people on DDB is therefore still important. The more other VTTs rely on DDB, the better for WotC, more money, easier time to switch to WotC’s VTT… there are no downsides here

 

[Demetrios1453]

Disagree.

The dichotomy is between the game being an in-person social experience and a remote much-less-social experience. You can't do both at once, if for no other reason than that "in-person" and "remote" can't happen at the same time.

Of course it can. You've never had a group that was in part in person, and in part remote? It can, and does, happen.

 

[LordEntrails]

And any attempt to turn the former into the latter should IMO be met with the sternest possible resistance. We're becoming less and less well-socialized as a society as it is, which is bad in every way. No need to encourage the trend.

I understand this thought, and even think that in some cases a decrease in face-to-face interactions leads to a a less well socialized society. But it is certainly not absolute. There are many cases where online socialization far outweigh face to face.

Growing up I played in person. With people from my neighborhood. Who had roughly the same demographics, experience and world view as I did. I made close and lasting relationships with these people. We grew and developed in what we now call an echo chamber. We knew our small part of the world, and that was it.

In the 90's I starting enjoying play by post. And I played with people from across my nation and from Germany and Israel. People who had different experience than I did and certainly a different world view (as well as socio-economic!).

Now I play mostly via VTT and regularly play with people from places like; Australia, USA, Japan, Italy, UK, South Africa, China, eastern Europe... People who come from different religions, speak different languages, grew up without the securities I did. People who's entire world view and life experiences that are different than mine.

The benefits to me as a person from this socialization benefits me in every way. Something if I only ever socialized in person I would never have experienced. I agree with @Oofta on this.

 

[Lanefan]

That's not true either. I have two games that are both in-person and remote. In one of them we have one player who plays remote. We play as though it's fully in person except we share a camera of what's going on if there is a map and we do voice through Discord. It works fine for him.

And yet the experience for the remote person isn't nearly the same as it is for the rest of you in the room. He can't "read the room". He can't engage in a quiet side conversation with another player or two. He can't high-five anyone over some fine derring-do or other. Etc. And those same things apply in reverse: you lot can't engage with him in those ways either.

It's simply a less-social experience for him than for the rest of you.

In another we have seven of us – six players and a GM (me). My wife and I are in the same room and one of the other couples is in the same room. We use mostly remote tools -- pretty much just Discord for that game. The players use DDB for their characters but I use a notepad app to manage initiative and track the abstract map. I use physical books and roll my real-life dice in this game.

That sounds like the online game I'm in. The DM does most things physically, most of us use paper character sheets, one couple who play are together in the same place, and so on (though we use roll20 for maps etc. and discord for voice; our tech chokes if we try video feeds). To me, that's still way into the 'digital play' camp.

 

[Lanefan]

I've played in person using DDB's maps. A VTT and in person play are not mutually exclusive. It's just a preference on whether you play TotM, on a physical battle map or a digital battle map.

But you're all in the same room, which makes it in-person.

Remote play and in-person play are mutually exclusive (even if it's a hybrid as @SlyFlourish was describing, there it's in-person for some and remote for others).

As far as remote play "should be resisted", I play with people at my table while simultaneously playing with people from across the country or in a different country. It's a weird mix of in-person and remote play, and I'd rather have everyone sitting at the same table but that's not always an option.

While I will extoll the virtues of playing in person, I will never tell other people how they "should" play.

Oh, I will. Mostly out of concern that our post-pandemic society has lost or forgotten a considerable amount of socialization and the attendant skills, and needs a good push out the door to actually interact with other real people and get those skills back.

 

[Lanefan]

Of course it can. You've never had a group that was in part in person, and in part remote? It can, and does, happen.

Still a dichotomy, only on a person-by-person level: some are in person, and some are remote.

 

[SlyFlourish]

last I checked they support Roll20, Fantasy Ground and are about to add Foundry


it’s not like it is not a benefit, but sure, it helps WotC as well by making money and strengthening their position

I don’t doubt that they want everyone on DDB and their VTT and try to make that happen, but so far they have not made any moves to force the issue (much too early for that, the VTT is not even out yet). So I am keeping an eye on them (ever since the OGL debacle that is a given), but I don’t think I need to sound the alarm just yet.

I agree with all the rest you wrote

I agree. I think it's great that they're supporting three other VTTs including two that let you download and keep your stuff.