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<blockquote data-quote="DEFCON 1" data-source="post: 9596149" data-attributes="member: 7006">For anyone who is concerned about WotC and D&amp;D Beyond being too big a dog in the game space and feels concern for independent publishers... the thing (general) you have to remember is that those independent publishers are making the choice to get into bed with WotC and D&amp;D because they want to make more money than not doing that.I've said this before but no one HAS to make D&amp;D adjacent products.&nbsp; Either as supplements to D&amp;D or as a &quot;fantasy alternative&quot; to D&amp;D.&nbsp; If a person / group chooses to... it's because they feel that is the most effective way they can make a living as a game designer... by hitching their wagon to the WotC train-- even if it's by purposefully making an &quot;anti-WotC D&amp;D&quot; game that advertises itself to the massive D&amp;D audience as such in hopes of capturing any of the audience that chooses to veer off.&nbsp; Why?&nbsp; Because apparently going after D&amp;D audience cast-offs is still a better proposition than creating a game completely separate from the D&amp;D / d20 / SRD / OGL game space.There are plenty of game companies that makes games that have zero to do with D&amp;D / WotC / the SRD / the OGL.&nbsp; Hero Games, Modiphius, Margaret Weis Productions, Catalyst Game Labs, Evil Hat, and plenty of others all create RPG product completely outside the biosphere of D&amp;D and the d20-adjacent systems.&nbsp; They live and die by their own product and their own work and their own advertising rather than being at all concerned about what that Hasbro company over in the distance is doing with their little Dungeons &amp; Dragons game.&nbsp; So why aren't more people &amp; companies doing that?Because it's harder.&nbsp; And probably less likely to succeed at a level that warrants earning a living (unless you get really, really lucky.)&nbsp; And even when a company DOES succeed in doing that... create product that can keep the company standing on its own two feet... there's still a non-zero chance that company will STILL go back to the D&amp;D well at some point down the road to infuse the company with some quick cash-- whether that was someone like AEG who produced 7th Sea products under the d20 Swashbuckling Adventures banner, or Monte Cook Games, who began making 5E-compatible material to supplement their Cypher System stuff.At the end of the day I just can't take a person's doom and gloom about the dominance of WotC/D&amp;D seriously when they purposefully use WotC/D&amp;D as the sounding board against which they do what they do.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="DEFCON 1, post: 9596149, member: 7006"] For anyone who is concerned about WotC and D&D Beyond being too big a dog in the game space and feels concern for independent publishers... the thing (general) you have to remember is that those independent publishers are [I]making the choice[/I] to get into bed with WotC and D&D because they [I]want to make more money[/I] than not doing that. I've said this before but no one HAS to make D&D adjacent products. Either as supplements to D&D or as a "fantasy alternative" to D&D. If a person / group chooses to... it's because they feel that is the most effective way they can make a living as a game designer... by hitching their wagon to the WotC train-- even if it's by purposefully making an "anti-WotC D&D" game that advertises itself to the massive D&D audience as such in hopes of capturing any of the audience that chooses to veer off. Why? Because apparently going after D&D audience cast-offs is still a better proposition than creating a game [I]completely separate[/I] from the D&D / d20 / SRD / OGL game space. There are plenty of game companies that makes games that have zero to do with D&D / WotC / the SRD / the OGL. Hero Games, Modiphius, Margaret Weis Productions, Catalyst Game Labs, Evil Hat, and plenty of others all create RPG product completely outside the biosphere of D&D and the d20-adjacent systems. They live and die by their own product and their own work and their own advertising rather than being at all concerned about what that Hasbro company over in the distance is doing with their little Dungeons & Dragons game. So why aren't more people & companies doing that? Because it's harder. And probably less likely to succeed at a level that warrants earning a living (unless you get really, really lucky.) And even when a company DOES succeed in doing that... create product that can keep the company standing on its own two feet... there's still a non-zero chance that company will STILL go back to the D&D well at some point down the road to infuse the company with some quick cash-- whether that was someone like AEG who produced [I]7th Sea[/I] products under the d20 [I]Swashbuckling Adventures[/I] banner, or Monte Cook Games, who began making 5E-compatible material to supplement their Cypher System stuff. At the end of the day I just can't take a person's doom and gloom about the dominance of WotC/D&D seriously when they purposefully use WotC/D&D as the sounding board against which they do what they do. [/QUOTE]

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