D&D General Talking about Stepping Away from D&D?

[TheSword]

Have any of you had "the talk" at your table?
My players don't follow the news and likely know nothing (and care nothing) about the situation. But I'm running two weekly 5e games, and I'm not feeling it anymore.
I don't want to look at the books. I don't want to go with the group to watch the movie together. I don't want to drink from my D&D Tumbler. I don't want this brand in my life.
I'm wondering how the discussion might go. How do I address that I want to stop playing their favorite game because of some idealogical dispute with a corporation? How do I frame this in a way so we can all keep having fun without me looking even more dishevelled than usual?

We had the talk. Nobody seemed particularly bothered. We had a fairly neutral discussion about it the same way we would if Netlflix changed it’s policy on password sharing or if the local comic shop changed hands. Then we carried on playing. Particularly now that the dispute has been resolved.

Let’s be honest this in definitely not the first time you’ve felt this way or been disenchanted with the system or your players. Are you sure this isn’t just a manifestation of your feelings about 5e that were there a looooong time before January?

 

[Dioltach]

We've had this talk a few times with one of my groups, but nothing to do with WotC or D&D as a brand. Just burnout. As the forever DM, I was quite frank: I needed to do something else. We played boardgames for a few years, switched to D&D (including E6) to play via Skype during the pandemic, now we're nominally playing Star Wars d20 but in practice playing boardgames (Dark Side Rising, w00t!).

 

[Retreater]

Let’s be honest this in definitely not the first time you’ve felt this way or been disenchanted with the system or your players. Are you sure this isn’t just a manifestation of your feelings about 5e that were there a looooong time before January?

That's possible.
In the case of one group I'm getting increasingly frustrated and bored. I've also tried other systems to shake it up, but it hasn't solved the underlying problem.
So for that group, I'm planning on one or two more sessions to end it with a suitable climax to the campaign. And then I'm on holiday. (I've been running for them weekly for 3 years.)
The other group is my in-person group with the neighborhood teens and families. I've been running for them for only about 5 months, and it's been delightful (the dragon folding boat incident, notwithstanding - even if that managed to be memorable).
And honestly, it's the neighborhood group I'm most worried about disappointing. We're fostering a teenager who desperately needs this positive interaction with his peers. My wife is having a blast.
I was planning adventures to get us to 15th level and had a second 5e campaign ready to go after that.
That group finds so much joy in the experience, and they're not jaded. They'd probably have a great time even playing an adventure I've rated 1-star.
But I hate seeing the WotC stuff. They're loving the game so much they're buying merch and wearing it to the game, telling their friends how great "D&D" is - and I find myself wishing I could redirect that enthusiasm to another game.

 

[aco175]

It has not affected my group. We are still looking forward to going to the local Convention in a few weeks and playing our weekly game. There is some boredom with the Against the Giants adventure, but that is the adventure itself. I have the new box set that I have been working on for the next campaign which should last another year of play, so by that time the new 1D&D will come out and I can decide if I want to support them or get another 3pp adventure.

 

[payn]

But I hate seeing the WotC stuff. They're loving the game so much they're buying merch and wearing it to the game, telling their friends how great "D&D" is - and I find myself wishing I could redirect that enthusiasm to another game.

Folks arrive at decisions about this kind of thing at their own pace. I understand the social aspect of the game and how you want to take the group with you. Though, you may have to settle for stepping aside yourself. If they ask why, then tell them you dont care for WotC and 5E. Though, be straight and talk from your own perspective and let folks make their own decisions.

Perhaps, you can hand the reins over to somebody else. Take a supplementary role in the group. Be a DM advisor, a teacher, etc.. Help them learn and experience the hobby you love from a distance you can stomach. In time, folks will get curious about other systems, particularly your takes, and then you will be able to bring folks over earnestly.

My two coppers.

 

[Velderan]

That's possible.
In the case of one group I'm getting increasingly frustrated and bored. I've also tried other systems to shake it up, but it hasn't solved the underlying problem.
So for that group, I'm planning on one or two more sessions to end it with a suitable climax to the campaign. And then I'm on holiday. (I've been running for them weekly for 3 years.)
The other group is my in-person group with the neighborhood teens and families. I've been running for them for only about 5 months, and it's been delightful (the dragon folding boat incident, notwithstanding - even if that managed to be memorable).
And honestly, it's the neighborhood group I'm most worried about disappointing. We're fostering a teenager who desperately needs this positive interaction with his peers. My wife is having a blast.
I was planning adventures to get us to 15th level and had a second 5e campaign ready to go after that.
That group finds so much joy in the experience, and they're not jaded. They'd probably have a great time even playing an adventure I've rated 1-star.
But I hate seeing the WotC stuff. They're loving the game so much they're buying merch and wearing it to the game, telling their friends how great "D&D" is - and I find myself wishing I could redirect that enthusiasm to another game.

It would be worth asking your group what do they enjoy about it and see if another game offers the same experience. When my table talked about switching, people generally seemed to not overly care what we were playing as long as we get to tell bad jokes and hang out for 3 hours on Monday evenings. Explain to your group why you're not enjoying running 5e, maybe there's a middle ground that comes out of that conversation that could make things fun for you while letting your players still play D&D. Level Up and Kobold Press comes to mind as 5e alternatives.

Otherwise, it wouldn't hurt to offer some alternatives you'd be interested in running and have an idea what switching might mean for your players. Do they need to buy their own materials? If so, how much does that cost? Everyone's financial situation is different so some of your players might not have the money to switch games.

 

[billd91]

There's definitely no talk about stepping away from D&D with the groups I'm playing with. One group has briefly stepped aside to try Masks and maybe another game or two (a chunk of the group is relatively new to RPGs), but that was decided before the OGL debacle. And the other group, well, when the OGL issue came up, a common sentiment was actually "Good!" As much as they do enjoy playing D&D, they haven't been fans of how the OGL has affected the 3pp market over the past 20-odd years.

 

[iserith]

And honestly, it's the neighborhood group I'm most worried about disappointing. We're fostering a teenager who desperately needs this positive interaction with his peers. My wife is having a blast.
I was planning adventures to get us to 15th level and had a second 5e campaign ready to go after that.
That group finds so much joy in the experience, and they're not jaded. They'd probably have a great time even playing an adventure I've rated 1-star.
But I hate seeing the WotC stuff. They're loving the game so much they're buying merch and wearing it to the game, telling their friends how great "D&D" is - and I find myself wishing I could redirect that enthusiasm to another game.

Have you considered just forgetting about the "idealogical dispute with a corporation" and not allowing such things to affect you? It looks like there are some good examples of people doing this in your neighborhood group already.

 

[vigames]

How do I address that I want to stop playing their favorite game because of some idealogical dispute with a corporation?

Just be honest and explain to them that you are an emotionally stunted child who gets upset when adults threaten to take you toys away

 

[edosan]

Burnout is real, and everyone needs to figure out how much of it is DM burnout and now much of it is 5e related. Maybe you need a new system, maybe you need to take some time off DMing in general.

We had the talk. Nobody seemed particularly bothered. We had a fairly neutral discussion about it the same way we would if Netlflix changed it’s policy on password sharing or if the local comic shop changed hands. Then we carried on playing. Particularly now that the dispute has been resolved.

Personal observation: outside of the RPG blogosphere/echo chamber, the recent unpleasantness isn't seen as that big of a deal. In our realm it's a massive concern but I doubt any of my players have heard about it at all - they sure haven't mentioned it and I'm not planning on bringing it up now. I assume they'd have the same level of concern that TheSword's players would.