Matt Colville weighs in.

[doctorbadwolf]

I thought the same thing about folks saying WotC was trying to end all OGL 1.0(a).

I really did.

Not believing that a company would willfully completely nuke all good will they’d desperately regained and mostly kept over 8 years is not at all the same as recognizing that what Matt proposes is damn near impossible. Like, not in a “they couldn’t get away with it” or “they’d never do that” way, but in an actual “they can try all they want, it will not work” way.

He didn’t say kids were idiots.

Cheese and crackers folks!

He didn’t have to, his entire premise relies on the assumption that kids are idiots.

 

[Incenjucar]

We can be certain that there are people who would love WotC to be working like a gatcha game or have season passes or loot boxes, but that doesn't mean it will actually end up there. They already tried that with randomized power cards during 4E, and it didn't take.

 

[masdog]

I can see what Hasbro is trying to do. Yeah, they want to create a virtual D&D experience that they can monetize.

But I don’t share his pessimism. They can try to create that VTT experience, but it will be hard to get parents onboard with a hobby that costs $30/month per person.

I’m new to the D&D community because my oldest joined a club at school. I definitely won’t pay that for my kids, nor would they have access to loot boxes or other micro transactions.

And if Hasbro’s execs think that they have a market with younger players, they’re smoking something really good.

They’d have to offer an exceptional value to justify that price for any player of any age. And a paid 3D-VTT subscription with micro transactions is not a value at any level.

 

[eyeheartawk]

And if Hasbro’s execs think that they have a market with younger players, they’re smoking something really good.

They’d have to offer an exceptional value to justify that price for any player of any age. And a paid 3D-VTT subscription with micro transactions is not a value at any level.

I mean, that was my argument about all those mobile games full of micro-transactions and what not, and look how that turned out. The vast majority of people who play spend very little or nothing. The real money is made on the "whales" who spend alot. They make up a tiny minority of the player base but a disproportionately large amount of the revenue.

I'm afraid it wouldn't take as money people to make this viable as either your or I would like. As unfortunate as that is.

 

[TheSword]

I can see what Hasbro is trying to do. Yeah, they want to create a virtual D&D experience that they can monetize.

But I don’t share his pessimism. They can try to create that VTT experience, but it will be hard to get parents onboard with a hobby that costs $30/month per person.

I’m new to the D&D community because my oldest joined a club at school. I definitely won’t pay that for my kids, nor would they have access to loot boxes or other micro transactions.

And if Hasbro’s execs think that they have a market with younger players, they’re smoking something really good.

They’d have to offer an exceptional value to justify that price for any player of any age. And a paid 3D-VTT subscription with micro transactions is not a value at any level.

I thought $30 had been thoroughly debunked?

 

[overgeeked]

Maybe WotC is banking on the conspicuous consumption angle. A whole big chunk of the RPG space is taken up with people talking about how they bought all these books and tchotchkes that they don’t use. Maybe they hope that will carry over. People will just buy the monthly sub and brag about never using it.

 

[Incenjucar]

The thing is, even if they find a pod of whales to harpoon (ignoring the horrible ethics of that), those of us who lack the psychological vulnerabilities they'd be preying on are free to use something non-predatory.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

I can see what Hasbro is trying to do. Yeah, they want to create a virtual D&D experience that they can monetize.

But I don’t share his pessimism. They can try to create that VTT experience, but it will be hard to get parents onboard with a hobby that costs $30/month per person.

I’m new to the D&D community because my oldest joined a club at school. I definitely won’t pay that for my kids, nor would they have access to loot boxes or other micro transactions.

And if Hasbro’s execs think that they have a market with younger players, they’re smoking something really good.

They’d have to offer an exceptional value to justify that price for any player of any age. And a paid 3D-VTT subscription with micro transactions is not a value at any level.

So to put this in perspective. Maybe.

IIRC, the $30 was from a faked document. Now, I haven't read all the threads, and I am certainly not going to watch all the stupid youtube videos, but I don't think that there has ever been an actual, non-fake source for that? (Correct me if I'm wrong).

In terms of subscriptions, I think of the Playstation.
PS Plus Essential is $60/year.
PS Plus Extra is $100/year.
PS Plus Premium is $120/year.

Given that the top level of PS Plus Premium is the top level tier, I find it ... difficult ... to understand how they would be charging a lot more than this.

OTOH, I also know that a lot of kids have versions of these various plans- just like, "How can they afford a cell phone," it's something that they ask for and receive, either by paying it for themselves or getting it as a gift.

 

[TheSword]

Folks I think people are missing the point here. The question is not whether people will spend the money…

… they’re spending it already on VTT token sets, map patreons, VTT subscriptions, PDF’s etc etc. WotC are saying they want a bigger slice of that market.

It’s like people are saying they won’t spend the money. Which is fine. You’re not the target for this then. You carry on playing D&D like you always have done.

 

[eyeheartawk]

It’s like people are saying they won’t spend the money. Which is fine. You’re not the target for this then. You carry on playing D&D like you always have done.

Unless, you know, you want to buy new third party books for D&D I guess.

People had been traditionally doing that.