D&D General Kobold Press Going Down a Dark Road

[Micah Sweet]

But D&D doesn't have one creator. So how do you measure it then? Again, and this isn't a dig at you per se... but it seems like because there's no singular source for true vision... it boils down to what's good for the game is what I want personally.

I suspect you might have a different view if what  you wanted personally is not what WotC was doing.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Oh, I agree...That's why I'm stating facts...

Financial success (which I agree is a fact) is orthogonal to creative vision and design. One does not mean the other. I applaud WotC for making 4e; it's a great game, even if I ended up not liking it.

 

[mamba]

I will argue for the massive content we received during 2e. My favorite period of the game.

I know you will, even said so. My favorite period as well as far as ‘fluff’ is concerned, I like the 5e core better though

 

[mamba]

I would simply prefer that they don't base all their decisions on a popularity contest, not that they don't query the public at all. It's a spectrum, like so many other things are. In what way are the designers trusting their own talents if they always land on the side of what's most popular?

we have no idea what 1DD will look like. So far they asked for feedback, but we do not know that they will just go by whatever that was. Going by D&D Next, there is a good chance it will not just be based on popularity (I expect that to play a bigger role this time however, ‘thanks’ to the 5e compatibility mantra)

 

[Micah Sweet]

I don't care for anthology adventures, and buy adventures at all quite rarely, and not for $50, so no, I didn't buy it. I have no problem with its existence, but I don't feel it's fair for me to comment on it since I haven't read it and have no first-hand knowledge of its quality. What I've heard second hand and in advertising tells me it's probably not worth it to me.

 

[Imaro]

I suspect you might have a different view if what  you wanted personally is not what WotC was doing.

Maybe but I wouldn't conflate it with what is bad for the game in general. At that point I'm not feeling what WotC is producing and I'll move on to other games (playing and purchasing) until I am. I'll be honest I am a big Planescape fan and I was irritated that it wasn't give a proper treatment in 3e or in 4e... but I never argued that not producing Planescape was bad for the game in general... just bad for m e and what I wanted.

 

[BrokenTwin]

But D&D doesn't have one creator. So how do you measure it then? Again, and this isn't a dig at you per se... but it seems like because there's no singular source for true vision... it boils down to what's good for the game is what I want personally.

No offense taken! It's a messy question, without a neat and tidy answer. For a group project, most often there is someone who is in charge of making the final decisions, I would hold it to them to keep and maintain the creative vision for the overall project. We could get into the weeds for hours with this question and still be no closer to a definitive answer, because I don't believe one exists.
But I would never personally say that a creative is failing to do what's best for their project because they're not doing what I want. I can definitely say they're doing things I don't like, or offer advice on how I would do it my way or how they could make it closer to what they envisioned. But those aren't the same thing.

I do agree with @Micah Sweet that business goals are usually in opposition to creative vision and design. The fact that that compromise exists is something I believe is a failure of our current society, but I can't ignore that it exists, and that many of the things I love only exist because the creators were willing to make that compromise.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Doesn't this depend on what the design goals are?

Were the design goals, "we want to design something that as many people will buy as possible"? Because if they are, I would appreciate a heads up from the company.

 

[dave2008]

I would simply prefer that they don't base all their decisions on a popularity contest, not that they don't query the public at all. It's a spectrum, like so many other things are. In what way are the designers trusting their own talents if they always land on the side of what's most popular?

Well, I don't remember what there current stance is, but they have previously said the playtest responses and feedback are one of the things they consider, not the only thing they consider.

 

[Imaro]

Financial success (which I agree is a fact) is orthogonal to creative vision and design. One does not mean the other. I applaud WotC for making 4e; it's a great game, even if I ended up not liking it.

So as long as WotC is following their internal creative vision and design... you applaud them, correct? Now let me ask... how do you know if they did or didn't? How do you know they did with 4e, especially seeing as there were reports it's initial design was scrapped and re-done. So now, since you don't even like 4e I'm totally confused, without inside information how can you determine if design is following from creative vision or not??