WotC Ray Winninger Steps Back From WotC

Former leader of the D&D team Ray Winninger has announced his departure from WotC, having "accomplished the ambitious goals we set". Dan Rawson was announced the new head of D&D earlier this month, leading many to speculate about Winninger's departure.

"Sorry for the radio silence; I'm in the midst of a SORELY needed Long Rest. I have indeed left WotC, having accomplished the ambitious goals we set when I took over the D&D team.

Shepherding D&D was an honor and a privilege, but I'm looking forward to slowing down and getting back to a list of personal design projects. (Gamers, you haven't seen the last of me!) Most of all, I look forward to following D&D as a fan again.

Proud of the team I left behind; D&D is in very good hands: @JeremyECrawford, @ChrisPerkinsDnD, @DroidsForSale, @dtovar77, Liz Schuh, Kate Irwin, Trish Yochum, @aquelajames, @FWesSchneider, @MakenzieLaneDA, @amandahamon, Emi Tanji, Bree Heiss, @doctorcomics. @justicearman

@RPGRonLundeen, @BillBenham2, Rob Hawkey, Ben Petrisor, @Dan_Dillon_1, @EytanBernstein, Adrian Ng, Janica Carter, @chrislindsay, @TrystanFalcone, @mattchucole, Bob Jordan, @christulach, Natalie Egan, Hilary Ross, Carl Sibley. Thanks for being such great adventuring companions."

 

[JEB]

He was definitely posting as a WotC insider after July, so it could be that he gave notice and trained his replacement, because he didn't want the job anymore. We just don't know anything.

There was probably a transitional period, but the writing was on the wall when Brink came in, and therefore the decision must have been made earlier than that.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

He was definitely posting as a WotC insider after July, so it could be that he gave notice and trained his replacement, because he didn't want the job anymore. We just don't know anything.

Yeah, it could be anything from health reasons to winning the lottery. People leave jobs all the time and just because outsiders think a job is something they'd have for life doesn't mean the people in those roles agree.

 

[Mistwell]

They've not once released a VTT, period. You're speculating based on what you're hoping will happen instead of looking at the facts on the ground.

None of this looks like facts on the ground from my perspective. All we have is the existing DNDBeyond (which plenty supports homebrew) and what they've said they plan to do (continue with hardcopy books simultaneous with digital). All the rest of what you're arguing looks like conjecture with a dose of pessimism.

 

[Zaukrie]

They've not once released a VTT, period. You're speculating based on what you're hoping will happen instead of looking at the facts on the ground.

4e tools.... And the licensed DNDbeyond.... All allow homebrew. Sure, I'm speculating..... Just like the people saying the world is ending.

 

[EpicureanDM]

Which also suggests that his departure isn't necessarily a sign of the apocalypse. I'd like to think we'd all notice if it was raining blood up in this joint

A former TTRPG designer who hadn't published any TTRPG products in decades found himself in charge of the most powerful and storied brand in the TTRPG hobby, and launched the process for a new edition of this game that would surely have had his name on it (ensuring some small legacy in this hobby's history), only to depart the project that he spearheaded while that project is still in active development and see it put in the hands of people whose professional resumes drip with video game credits rather than TTRPG design credits.

Yeah, sure, it must be calm waters over on the D&D team.

 

[Zaukrie]

People leave jobs all the time. You literally have no idea what's going on.

 

[Alzrius]

No, because I don't want to give bad faith YouTubers the clicks.

His entire schtick is that everyone -- including you and me -- are stupid.

It's his reflexive stance that everything is terrible, because it drives engagement. Given that it's what he's doing in all of his videos, I think it's fair to assume that many of these are bad faith arguments.

There's plenty of discussion going on here and elsewhere that are worth going into. But "Dungeon Masterpiece" (sure, bro) is not a place I look to for salient arguments.

Just out of curiosity, how many of his videos have you watched? Because I've seen just shy of a dozen or so, and that's not been my impression at all. Yes, he has advice about aspects of gameplay, which I suppose could be taken as an implicit assumption that you (in the general sense of "you") need advice to begin with, but that's not exactly a stinging rebuke. For that matter, he also has critiques and criticisms of various aspects of the game, but who doesn't? You can't look around this forum without finding someone talking about exactly that; likewise, he doesn't characterize people as being stupid, at least not that I've seen.

EDIT: For those curious, his videos can be found over here:

https://www.youtube.com/c/DungeonMasterpiece/videos

 

[EpicureanDM]

People leave jobs all the time. You literally have no idea what's going on.

Obviously. It's just what I've observed.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Just out of curiosity, how many of his videos have you watched? Because I've seen just shy of a dozen or so, and that's not been my impression at all. Yes, he has advice about aspects of gameplay, which I suppose could be taken as an implicit assumption that you (in the general sense of "you") need advice to begin with, but that's not exactly a stinging rebuke. For that matter, he also has critiques and criticisms of various aspects of the game, but who doesn't? You can't look around this forum without finding someone talking about exactly that; likewise, he doesn't characterize people as being stupid, at least not that I've seen.

I went through a period a few months ago where I was watching a lot of YouTube channels and every time I landed on his videos, it was him saying something was terrible and awful or how "you're doing X wrong." There are definitely other YouTubers who do this as well, but it doesn't make any of them good at anything other than working the algorithm. If I had to guess, maybe half a dozen of his videos?

And, to be clear, I dislike some other D&D YouTubers much more, some of whom's only mode is to run around with their hair on fire screaming about how everything is about to fall apart (and yes, we can certainly find that here).

But I also don't see anything in his videos -- or most YouTubers' videos -- that makes them worth citing in a debate. I would cite Matt Colville before I'd cite almost anyone else, because he actually does the stuff, and he also approaches things with nuance, which is terrible for the algorithm. (Also, I find Matt's continual hair and facial hair changes fascinating. The guy has the most lively follicles I've ever seen.)

 

[vecna00]

I went through a period a few months ago where I was watching a lot of YouTube channels and every time I landed on his videos, it was him saying something was terrible and awful or how "you're doing X wrong." There are definitely other YouTubers who do this as well, but it doesn't make any of them good at anything other than working the algorithm. If I had to guess, maybe half a dozen of his videos?

And, to be clear, I dislike some other D&D YouTubers much more, some of whom's only mode is to run around with their hair on fire screaming about how everything is about to fall apart (and yes, we can certainly find that here).

But I also don't see anything in his videos -- or most YouTubers' videos -- that makes them worth citing in a debate. I would cite Matt Colville before I'd cite almost anyone else, because he actually does the stuff, and he also approaches things with nuance, which is terrible for the algorithm. (Also, I find Matt's continual hair and facial hair changes fascinating. The guy has the most lively follicles I've ever seen.)

Plus, Colville is a game designer. That carries weight.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Plus, Colville is a game designer. That carries weight.

I'm watching his (very long) video about Rings of Power now, and he's a guy who's had to write Lord of the Rings games and cast actors for it and he has lots of praise and criticism of the show as a result. I don't agree with all of it, but the fact that he has done the thing makes his opinions about the show more interesting, IMO.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Oh, another good YouTuber, just so people don't think that I'm also giving into criticizing everyone: Sly Flourish/Lazy Dungeon/Michael Shea (who may have one or two more brands than he needs). He also has thoughtful discussions of things and he's not 100% sold on D&D Beyond being the future of D&D (he wants to see a space preserved for third party content as well), but he never runs around with his hair on fire and is happy to concede when he doesn't know something for certain or that he was wrong. That also makes him more credible in my eyes. (Plus, he gives really good DM advice, comparably to Matt Colville's, which I appreciate.)

 

[vecna00]

Oh, another good YouTuber, just so people don't think that I'm also giving into criticizing everyone: Sly Flourish/Lazy Dungeon/Michael Shea (who may have one or two more brands than he needs). He also has thoughtful discussions of things and he's not 100% sold on D&D Beyond being the future of D&D (he wants to see a space preserved for third party content as well), but he never runs around with his hair on fire and is happy to concede when he doesn't know something for certain or that he was wrong. That also makes him more credible in my eyes. (Plus, he gives really good DM advice, comparably to Matt Colville's, which I appreciate.)

I should actually watch more of his stuff. I've only watched one video of his with Teos, and I need to put the videos in rotation more. I do really like Jorphdan's lore videos and I've been watching more of the Eldritch Lorecast.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Yeah, Dungeon Masterpiece did a piece on this (albeit with regard to the announced VTT) which touched on a lot of the same points.

Yeah, that video is mostly unfounded speculation and personal preferences with a tinge of "One True Wayism". He repeatedly goes on tangents about how he thinks Improv of the Mind is the one true way to play D&D and how using minis is inferior and VTTs are even worse. His opinion is basically garbage in the context of this discussion.

"D&D wasn't designed for this! We shouldn't be messing with the traditional way to play the game!" is one of the core points of the video. Which is obviously wrong for reasons I should not have to explain.

I'm with @Whizbang Dustyboots on this one. That guy's channel is bad. Matt Colville and Dungeon Dudes are far better for topics like this.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I really want to buy the Dungeon Dudes some software so they can illustrate their videos with stuff they're talking about, which they're almost alone among successful D&D YouTubers in not doing, but their content is very solid. And it's probably because they're so Canadian, but they also seem like genuinely nice people who like each other, which is also nice to have in my media diet.

 

[Charlaquin]

I mean, not a single player will have much, if any, issues with changing rules.

Umm… have you met players?

 

[Charlaquin]

This earnings report couldn’t have helped.
Wizards of the Coast 3rd Quarter

DnD creator Wizards’ Q3 revenue drops $60m on last year​

A financial report shows a $60 million decline in DnD and Magic: The Gathering creator Wizard of the Coast's earnings compared to last year's quarterly revenue.

This has more to do with M:tG than with D&D. All signs point to D&D continuing to do better than ever. Meanwhile, on the M:tG side they seem to be doing everything they can think of to anger their playerbase.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

This has more to do with M:tG than with D&D. All signs point to D&D continuing to do better than ever. Meanwhile, on the M:tG side they seem to be doing everything they can think of to anger their playerbase.

That's been my impression of the differences between the D&D and M:tG community since I started playing. I've always seen the M:tG community as (justifiably) more hostile towards WotC than the newer D&D players. Of course, there are always the grognards that think 3e ruined the game or newer players that get fed up with Jeremy Crawford's twitter rulings for D&D, but generally, the D&D side of WotC is much more player-friendly than the M:tG side, which monetizes the hobby to insane levels.

 

[MoonSong]

This has more to do with M:tG than with D&D. All signs point to D&D continuing to do better than ever. Meanwhile, on the M:tG side they seem to be doing everything they can think of to anger their playerbase.

30th anniversary arghh!!! T-T

 

[Charlaquin]

That's been my impression of the differences between the D&D and M:tG community since I started playing. I've always seen the M:tG community as (justifiably) more hostile towards WotC than the newer D&D players. Of course, there are always the grognards that think 3e ruined the game or newer players that get fed up with Jeremy Crawford's twitter rulings for D&D, but generally, the D&D side of WotC is much more player-friendly than the M:tG side, which monetizes the hobby to insane levels.

I think it’s important to remember that whether you play D&D or M:tG, WotC is not your friend. But, yeah, it’s definitely the case that WotC is much more egregious with their predatory monetization of M:tG. And with the recent 30th anniversary edition product, they’ve sent a very clear signal that their target demographic is secondary market speculators, not players.