D&D 5E No mystic in Xanathar's Guide

[CapnZapp]

I'm not really sure how the DM's Guild release is supposed to work.

What it sounds like they are saying is,

What they're actually saying is "having stuff on our own web site is a pain in the ass, with versioning and all. Instead we puff our DMs Guild where we can replace versions and automatically every "buyer" gets the new copy. Plus, we can say certain stuff on DMs Guild is a legit +1 source for AL play."

What they're not saying but probably thinking is "...and since DMs Guild is a storefront we automatically get customer tracking data such as what stuff Mystic-downloaders also purchased and how much cash they spent, giving us purchasing habits and clues to what Mystic-lovers really are prepared to open their wallets for".

Which ties back to what they did say: "...so don't give away your stuff for free - we want to gauge purchasing power."

What they conveniently left out was that the the dream of getting rich off of rpgs is preposterous. The only ones making any money out of this will be WotC. And the idea of freely sharing fan content - no registration, no paywalls - dies a litte more.

 

[CapnZapp]

I was critical of putting things on the DMs Guild at first. But the video Mearls did regarding it makes some good points.
It is easier to update the document to new versions and make sure people are playing the latest, and not accidentally downloading an old draft. The class is open for use in side products like adventures for people to test it in different ways.

Yeah, that was totally impossible using a regular web site... </s>

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Yunru]

In a perfect world the DnD franchise would be bankrupt. Because it'd already be perfect (so no new books, editions, etc.).

Isn't that a thought?

 

[DEFCON 1]

In a perfect world the DnD franchise would be bankrupt. Because it'd already be perfect (so no new books, editions, etc.).

Isn't that a thought?

Ugh, not even close.

In my perfect world we'd have dozens of different editions of D&D to play. Just like there are hundreds of different RPGs out there to choose from and change from and move from. Because I have no desire to play ONE GAME over and over and over and over and over again for the rest of my life. That'd be a hellworld to me, not a perfect one.

I loved my time playing 1E. Loved my time playing 2E. Loved 3E, 3.5E, 4E, and currently love 5E. And if/when 6E comes out, I'll love playing that game too. And I am so glad I've gotten the chance to play all these different Es, because they are all different. And its kept things from getting boring. And for those times when things started to get kinda boring, switching over and playing a game of 7th Sea, or Shadowrun, or Star Trek, or Star Wars d6, or Talislanta, or Paranoia, or Gamma World, or Battlelords of the 23rd Century, or Call of C'thulu was a breath of fresh air. And I hope I never have to not able to play all these games.

 

[darjr]

I don't want em bankrupt. It would be great if they could make money with the same system for a great long while. Looks like they may be able to do that this time. As for DMsGuild, Im pretty happy with em and the model.

 

[Jester David]

Yeah, that was totally impossible using a regular web site... </s>

Not impossible, no. They could easily post updates in Unearthed Arcana.
I was pretty cynical about the change at first too. Mostly because DMs Guild is less well known compared to the official website, and requires an account to download adding a barrier to entry.

But then you consider the issue of updates to the class: when someone shows up at an AL game, you need them to be playing the latest version, not the first one they found. Hosting on the DMsGuild allows WotC and the AL guide to link to that page. The URL for the artificer and mystic won't change and will always lead to the current version.
The alternative is for WotC to remove all past versions on their website and update those with the current version. But I dislike them removing old content from the site. Doing that inevitably leads to dead links and broken redirects.
Plus, searching the WotC site isn't as easy. It's designed for other purposes than finding articles, which are tucked at the bottom of the site. DMsGuild is designed to be a searchable location, with the search bar front and center.

Plus, there's the option of tweaks and revisions to the classes other than the first week of a month. Or in addition to a regular Unearthed Arcana. There can be quick, visible hotfixes when a game breaking problem is encountered.
And it's easy for the D&D team to personally update the document. They don't need to get the WotC web team involved.

 

[Jester David]

What they're actually saying is "having stuff on our own web site is a pain in the ass, with versioning and all. Instead we puff our DMs Guild where we can replace versions and automatically every "buyer" gets the new copy. Plus, we can say certain stuff on DMs Guild is a legit +1 source for AL play."

Oh yeah, notifications.
Yeah, that's also a thing and likely super handy.

What they're not saying but probably thinking is "...and since DMs Guild is a storefront we automatically get customer tracking data such as what stuff Mystic-downloaders also purchased and how much cash they spent, giving us purchasing habits and clues to what Mystic-lovers really are prepared to open their wallets for".

Well, yeah. But they're likely already able to get that stuff by looking at who bought 3rd party psionics and mystics.

Which ties back to what they did say: "...so don't give away your stuff for free - we want to gauge purchasing power."

You say the above like it's a bad thing…
If there's a lot of mystic fans spending a lot of money, that incentivises WotC to put out a more mystic-focused product for that audience. If there's only a small mystic fanbase, they can prioritize other content, making everyone else happy.

What they conveniently left out was that the the dream of getting rich off of rpgs is preposterous. The only ones making any money out of this will be WotC.

Does anyone really think they'll get rich making RPGs?

As for no one making money of this but WotC, the modest sales of my artificer document disagree. It's a non-zero amount. A couple sales each week. Admittedly not much, but when it's a couple sales each week for a dozen products it adds up.
I'm not getting rich by any stretch of the imagination. But DMsGuild sales have allowed me to just throw money at whatever Print-on-Demand DMsGuild product I want. I can buy D&D stuff on a whim.

And the idea of freely sharing fan content - no registration, no paywalls - dies a litte more.

No one is requiring people on the DMsGuild to charge. There's no shortage of PWYW and free products.

What do you want anyway: freely shared fan content with no paywalls or people other than WotC making money?
But it's not like free fan content has gone away or remotely diminished… There's still an eff-tonne out there.

 

[jayoungr]

Since nobody seems to have said this yet ...

Is it possible that the mystic is intended for release along with material for a setting that hasn't been tapped yet in 5E? Another adventure along the lines of Curse of Strahd, or a guidebook like SCAG with setting details, player options, and new monsters all in one place? Haven't I heard that Dark Sun uses psionics a lot?

And by the same token, does holding back on the artificer give hope for Eberron?

 

[Sir Brennen]

Since nobody seems to have said this yet ...

Is it possible that the mystic is intended for release along with material for a setting that hasn't been tapped yet in 5E? Another adventure along the lines of Curse of Strahd, or a guidebook like SCAG with setting details, player options, and new monsters all in one place? Haven't I heard that Dark Sun uses psionics a lot?

And by the same token, does holding back on the artificer give hope for Eberron?

Totally had the same thought. Entirely possible they might do another book like the Sword Coast Player's Guide, but for Dark Sun and/or Eberron. Coupled with an adventure path for each setting, that might be the 2018-2019 release schedule right there.