Jeremy Crawford On The Dark Side of Developing 5E

WotC's Jeremy Crawford spoke to The Escapist about the D&D 5th Edition development process and his role in the game's production. "There was a dark side where it was kind of crushing. The upside is it allowed us to have a throughline for the whole project. So I was the person who decided if what we had decided was important two years prior was still being executed two years later."


You can read the full interview here, but below are the key highlights.

• Mike Mearls started pondering about D&D 5th Edition while the 4E Essentials books were being worked on in 2010.
• There were "heated discussions" about the foundations of 5E.
• Crawford is the guy who "made the decision about precisely what was going to be in the game".
• Crawford considers D&D's settings as an important pillar.

For another recent interview, see Chris Perkins talking to Chris "Wacksteven" Iannitti.

 

[Trickster Spirit]

Then Table-Top D&D is effectively dead. I'm all for letting Neverwinter, Sword Coast Legends, and other digital content run with the D&D name, but I don't want at the exclusion of a thriving game. Two modules a year is not thriving, its legacy support.

You're defining "thriving" by what you personally would like to see produced for the game. If those twice-annual adventures are selling more copies than a more saturated product schedule, and serve as a helpful launching-off-point for new players' first D&D campaigns, then I would argue that the game is thriving, even if I personally don't see any need to buy the adventure paths myself.

I don't care about their adventures, I tend to make my own. I own the Core books and DM Screen. I even have the starter set. WotC is effectively telling me "Great! You bought all the D&D stuff we can sell you! Have fun with it until 6th edition!"

If you're not an adventure path customer, I think that that is essentially what WotC is telling you, yes. Although having moved their focus to the larger D&D brand, I'd be surprised if we see a 6E anytime soon. They seem to want D&D to be an evergreen game, like Clue or Sorry! or Connect 4. Those games don't see frequent rules expansions or updates, and sell just fine. Hasbro seems to be banking on the idea the 5E will as well, especially if there are video games, movie blockbusters and children's toys to keep D&D relevant and appealing to future generations of gamers.

I love 5e. I think its the best edition we've gotten in a while. I don't want to see it fall to neglect with only a twice-annual AP as its only support. If that's what TT D&D is, than perhaps its time to pack the whole thing in.

Again, "neglect" is certainly a subjective matter. You might leave the game in disgust with the lack of continued support. That's your prerogative. But as I don't share your disappointment, I'm saddened to read suggestions that it's better to do away with D&D entirely than support it at a rate I'm quite satisfied with. I'm not particularly interested in APs, but I'd still love to see a new Unearthed Arcana article once a month or a free Player's Companion PDF come out twice a year rather than see the whole game shelved.

I think the definition of 'enough' has likely changed by now.

Oh, absolutely, but they still have that sales data, so they have a rough idea how much return they'd see on such a product if they were to release one now. If they don't put one out, it's because they've come to the conclusion that that return isn't the best usage of their limited budget.

And that's the problem, right there.

We differ over whether there is a problem - personally I've no problem waiting a year or two for them to playtest and compile the Unearthed Arcana material into a hardback release, as I have plenty to play with until then - but since you're the one who thinks it is a problem, what's you're proposed solution?

You've been placed in charge of the Dungeons and Dragons tabletop RPG line. Boom. You have a limited budget granted you by your corporate overlords (your predecessors failed to bring in enough earnings to justify giving you more), and you have enough to maintain ~15 staff (half of which currently work on non-tabletop licensing related projects) and put out Adventurer's League content and, say, 3-4 hardcovers a year. If you're successful, maybe you can convince the suits upstairs to up your budget in a year or two.

What do you do?

 

[DongMaster]

What do you do?

I would spend all day scouring forums like this, taking notes from all the business pros and doomsayers, and then just sit back and reap in the gold from self-selling rpg products...

 

[Nellisir]

the news was out there - if you knew where to look. The internet landscape was VERY different back then. Dragon was still going; So was Dungeon; both in paper only. That TSR was in dire straights wasn't public, but that there was trouble was known. the usenet and email lists were awash with the news that TSR was being bought - as were the game trade newspapers. And everyone who paid attention was pretty much cued in to WotC's prior bad habit of "Buy to eliminate the competition"... Including the FTC. The big concern was whether WotC was going to shutter TSR and kill D&D... and TSR wasn't talking. And there wasn't much product except Dungeon and Dragon magazines. But it soon sorted out.

One just had to know where to look.

Yeah, I know about the internet landscape. I was on TSR/AOL - in fact pretty much the whole reason I was online at all - to network with TSR staff and get my foot in the door (we were all young and innocent then, but it kinda worked*), and primarily frequented the Greyhawk board, as did Roger Moore, Erik Mona, Gary Holian, and others. In late 1996/early 1997 TSR stopped all publishing, including Dungeon and Dragon magazine. The TSR employees dropped off the boards, or went silent. There were a lot of rumors, but nothing definite, except that TSR was having major money issues and couldn't pay anyone anything. Things didn't pick up until late spring, when it was confirmed that WotC had bought TSR.

*My timing was off, though. I got an article** into Dragon the same time they announced 3e, so my 2e proposals were all scrapped**, and I wasn't up to speed on 3e until 2001 or so, by which point the OGL had exploded all over everything. Erik Mona did let me know about a job opening at WotC after he started there, and suggested I apply, but I was an idiot and didn't.

** One acceptance and two rejections. One of the rejections had three different people go at it with a red pen (Roger Moore, Harold Johnson, and someone else.). I still have it somewhere, along with the check stub for the accepted article.

 

[Remathilis]

You've been placed in charge of the Dungeons and Dragons tabletop RPG line. Boom. You have a limited budget granted you by your corporate overlords (your predecessors failed to bring in enough earnings to justify giving you more), and you have enough to maintain ~15 staff (half of which currently work on non-tabletop licensing related projects) and put out Adventurer's League content and, say, 3-4 hardcovers a year. If you're successful, maybe you can convince the suits upstairs to up your budget in a year or two.

What do you do?

One hardback done in house, two APs farmed out to other design studios (hey, that's an idea), and some article every month, akin to a single Dragon Magazine article. (That can be freelanced too, if you want). Also, I'd announce that was what I was doing, even if I didn't announce WHAT those books are. Oh, and I'd have a limited-OGL back to support the game via third parties and let me concentrate on the above stuff.

 

[Jeff Albertson]

I miss Roger E. Moore's musings, those were the days…aah…1991…

 

[Trickster Spirit]

One hardback done in house, two APs farmed out to other design studios (hey, that's an idea), and some article every month, akin to a single Dragon Magazine article. (That can be freelanced too, if you want). Also, I'd announce that was what I was doing, even if I didn't announce WHAT those books are. Oh, and I'd have a limited-OGL back to support the game via third parties and let me concentrate on the above stuff.

A reasonable course of action. I particularly like the OGL suggestion, though will, for the purposes of this thought experiment, rule that the suits upstairs have told you it's a non-starter.

Regarding your in-house hardcover, when do you announce it? Presumably there have to be some meetings with your team to hash out what the product will be, allocate staff and resources to the project, work out internal deadlines, etc. Do you announce it as soon as you've figured out what it is? As soon as the team starts properly working on it? After the first three months of development, when it looks like they're on track to hit your internal deadlines?

With the exception that you'd announce that there'd be an in-house hardcover, even if you didn't announce what it would be, your proposal seems to be exactly the course WotC is currently pursuing! (Maybe you'd have the article be a monthly campaign setting piece instead of Unearthed Arcana, but you haven't specified.) If Wizards is in fact working in-house on a hardcover to release this year (they have pretty much until Gen-Con to announce it), they'll be doing pretty much exactly what you're describing.

The main difference is seems to be that Wizards just isn't going to announce that they're working on a book until the product is firmly on track to hit store shelves. Judging by past announcements, that's about ~4-6 months before the actual release date. You can gripe about the lack of communication, but what does announcing an unspecified hardcover 12 months before release accomplish that announcing full details for that product 4 months before release won't?

 

[VengerSatanis]

Good article. Could have done with a bit more detail, though. This seemed more of an overview...

 

[Nellisir]

I'm saddened to read suggestions that it's better to do away with D&D entirely than support it at a rate I'm quite satisfied with. I'm not particularly interested in APs, but I'd still love to see a new Unearthed Arcana article once a month or a free Player's Companion PDF come out twice a year rather than see the whole game shelved.

I think D&D will functionally do away with itself if the current trend continues. The books might be in print, and there will be two or three people working the phones and contracting designers to write adventures, but there won't be a strong continuity of design, a sense of purpose, or much carry-through. The focus will be on short-term campaigns, and anything beyond that will be outside of WotC's remit. That material won't go away - it'll migrate to companies that understand the tabletop RPG market better and have a stronger attachment to it, like Paizo, Green Ronin, and Frog God Games.

THAT SAID, I'm still betting on Mearls. I don't think this spring has been what was intended. What surprises me are the number of people that think this is as good as it's going to get, and are actively accusing or implying others of laziness or ineptitude for wanting more*. The acceptance is disappointing, and the behavior is really disappointing.

We differ over whether there is a problem - personally I've no problem waiting a year or two for them to playtest and compile the Unearthed Arcana material into a hardback release, as I have plenty to play with until then - but since you're the one who thinks it is a problem, what's you're proposed solution?

Well, part of my problem is that so many people are, as I said above, willing to accept what's come out so far. I don't mind the Unearthed Arcana column as a way to do exactly what it says it's going to do - float out new ideas and mechanics for some feedback and playtesting. That's totally cool. What's troubling is the idea - primarily, insofar as I can tell, promulgated by online commentators - that this rough draft material is sufficient and acceptable as a way to put forth "official" campaign setting material.

I don't think WotC has said that. I think that's something the internet has come up with all on its own, but it's become gospel along with the idea that WotC is only going to do Adventure Paths (unless it's convenient for the poster to posit something else, like a hardbound Unearthed Arcana book).

You've been placed in charge of the Dungeons and Dragons tabletop RPG line. Boom. You have a limited budget granted you by your corporate overlords (your predecessors failed to bring in enough earnings to justify giving you more), and you have enough to maintain ~15 staff (half of which currently work on non-tabletop licensing related projects) and put out Adventurer's League content and, say, 3-4 hardcovers a year. If you're successful, maybe you can convince the suits upstairs to up your budget in a year or two.
What do you do?

I don't engage in games of Gotcha on online message boards, for one. People keep talking about how splatbooks don't sell, and setting material doesn't sell, and too much material doesn't sell, and D&D can't support anything except the core books and an occasional AP...and then I look at Paizo. All this furor and fervor dedicated to defending the idea that WotC can't do exactly what Paizo is succeeding at.

*I am not accusing anyone in particular or specific.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

I think I differ from a lot here in that I don't really care about getting a detailed release schedule. Doesn't do anything for my game at the table. If I go on Amazon or walk into the store and see a new book I'll check it out, but until then as long as I'm having fun with what I already have why care about that stuff?

 

[Nellisir]

I don't engage in games of Gotcha on online message boards, for one.

Oh, what the hell.

Two APs per year, sure.
1-2 hardcovers per year. Probably two.
I don't know about smaller scale stuff. Paizo seems to publish a lot, so either they've been running in the red for years or they're making money where everyone says they can't.

Biggest change would be a much more aggressive online article/support agenda, combining WotC-authored articles and submitted material. Adventures, setting material, mechanics, advice, etc. Ye olde Dragon magazine. Put the articles up for free, sell the combined issues and allow POD via dndclassics.

Get an OGL-lite license out the door.

Product announcements should overlap with releases, so there's no gap. I'd defer to someone who actually knows something (I mean, actually works in the field, not just regurgitates internet wisdom). Right now, there's nothing to look forward to. No AP, no hardcovers, no articles, no license, no nothing. No anticipation.