D&D 5E Mike Mearls interview - states that they may be getting off of the 2 AP/year train.

[happyhermit]

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What works best is when the game publisher has *no* other financial interests than the game itself. No books or cards or figures etc Certainly no video games or movie franchises!
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Where is your evidence for this, I see mountains of evidence that RPGs with multiple interests provide huge satisfaction to huge numbers of people, you must have examples that exceed this to back up your point. Or is it entirely theoretical?

 

[Oofta]

This is a separate discussion to which I have nothing to add.

Sent from my C6603 using EN World mobile app

I don't see how it's a separate discussion.

The business of tabletop rpgs is simple. There is no business.

Any rpg line that benefits customers (rather than corporate pipe dreams) will be published by a small outfit with no dreams of real profit (on the corporate scale).

Or maybe I simply disagree with the "when TTRPGs sell their soul to corporations, they can no longer produce good games". Which is what you seem to be saying. Please correct me if I'm wrong. Or just let it go and ignore this post, which is what I should probably be doing.

IMHO the best way to tell if a TTRPG is a good system IMHO is to look at sales of the core books. By that measure, 5E is one of the best systems out there.

D&D has been a project run out of someone's (figurative) basement, run by a dedicated company and run by a corporation. There were many stumbles along the way, and if it hadn't been for deep corporate pockets, we wouldn't have 5E. Since I feel like this has helped evolve D&D's ruleset to the best it's ever been, I think that's a good thing.

End of the day, the people developing the game for a living need to make a profit. Creativity and happy thoughts don't pay the mortgage.

In any case, have a good day and may you have many fun games, no matter who publishes them!

 

[CapnZapp]

Except there very obviously is.

TTRPGs are about people playing role playing games together?

So.. what is it? Is it a business or not? You can't choose both.

Wait, much of what you call detritus I might call really cool stuff that makes the game better ie; spell cards. Does that mean you I am not a "gamer" or that I am just so stupid that I think it benefits me?

How can you think I had a personal discussion with you - did I even talk to you?

Since you only give me choices that are deliberately insulting to you, can I choose "both"? Seeing you must get off on getting insulted, I mean. (My real answer is "one man's cool stuff is another man's deitrus" but since that is fair and level-headed I don't think you will like it).

 

[CapnZapp]

Or maybe I simply disagree with the "when TTRPGs sell their soul to corporations, they can no longer produce good games". Which is what you seem to be saying. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Indeed, that is not what I am saying.

Have a good day!

 

[PMárk]

I'm with CapnZapp on this. Everything I saw says that ttrpgs are just better off with dedicated, smaller ttrpg-focused companies, than in the hands of big corps.

Of course, it's highly personal what one wants to see from a ttrpg line as products. Smaller companies (yes, even Paizo in this case) are seem to do more of what I want, so my opinion is more power to them than selling out.

 

[Oofta]

I'm with CapnZapp on this. Everything I saw says that ttrpgs are just better off with dedicated, smaller ttrpg-focused companies, than in the hands of big corps.

Of course, it's highly personal what one wants to see from a ttrpg line as products. Smaller companies (yes, even Paizo in this case) are seem to do more of what I want, so my opinion is more power to them than selling out.

Two questions for you (or [MENTION=12731]CapnZapp[/MENTION])

First, can you give any specific examples? Any hard reasons other than "better"? What difference does it make?

Second, if you hate D&D so much why are you on this message board?

I understand that different people have different opinions and tastes. Personally I like pineapple on pizza which according to some people means I deserve a special circle in one of Dante's levels of hell for some reason. On the other hand I don't seek out some Rolemaster message board and &*%&^% all over it.

 

[Shasarak]

He's callin' you a liar, bro!

Ha, not a liar as such - he is using the numbers to tell whatever story that he wants to tell. Hey look at the wonderful sales figures, hey look at the terrible sales figures - the goal posts shift so fast you dont know if you are coming or going. And the funny thing is no one outside of the insiders know what the "real" figures are anyway.

For example if we look at the metrics of staff employed or products produced per annum then Paizo is not the number two company.

 

[Shasarak]

WOTC's current model seems to be working. Every report from the D&D staff indicates that their corporate overlords are happy. I don't see how their current approach is working against the customer, it certainly isn't working "against" me.

Working for what definition of "Working"?

It seemed like the book a month strategy was "working" too until it wasnt.

 

[happyhermit]

So.. what is it? Is it a business or not? You can't choose both.

Well it's quite simple if you just read what I wrote. TTRPGs are about people playing role playing games together. Why would that mean that there can't be any "business" involved? If someone buys anything related to TTRPGS, or in any way money is made as a result of it then business is happening. The fact that you posted on this site means there is TTRPG business.

How can you think I had a personal discussion with you - did I even talk to you?

Whaa? You think that someone has to have a personal discussion with someone to lump people together. That just isn't how it works. If I say "everyone who likes 5e is stupid" and someone says that's wrong I don't get to go "How can you think I had a personal discussion with you - did I even talk to you?". Or rather I can but it doesn't make any sense.

Since you only give me choices that are deliberately insulting to you, can I choose "both"? Seeing you must get off on getting insulted, I mean. (My real answer is "one man's cool stuff is another man's deitrus" but since that is fair and level-headed I don't think you will like it).

No, I like your "real answer" a lot, why not just talk like that all the time? IMO it sure beats saying things you can't back up or implying that you know what's best for entire groups without providing any evidence that it's best or that you speak for that group.

 

[PMárk]

Two questions for you (or @CapnZapp)

First, can you give any specific examples? Any hard reasons other than "better"? What difference does it make?

The difference is that smaller, rpg-focused companies, who want to make the rpg and don't have to meet some profit margin from above, are able to make the products I want to buy. Novels, setting books, player content, all the stuff, so, for me they're making a better product, hence ttrpgs are better off with them, from my standpoint, as a fan and customer.

You might bash the setting bloat of TSR, but it gave us wonderful settings. What 5e gave us this far on that level? Also, the novel lines.

Second, if you hate D&D so much why are you on this message board?

Firstly, I don't hate dnd. If i woul I, indeed wouldn't be on this board. I don't hate 5e, as a system, actually, while I have some problems with it, I like it overall. I want it to be better and I hope WotC will put out content I want in the future and that's why I'm here to read news and discuss.

Secondly, I don't think all-cheerful, one-sided echo chambers are healthy to the game.