WotC Third party, DNDBeyond and potential bad side effects.

[SlyFlourish]

I wish they'd also released them under the OGL; as it stands right now, making them exclusive to Creative Commons means that they can't take advantage of any existing Open Game Content unless they use the English SRD (i.e. the only one available under the OGL).

This is a whole other conversation, I fear, but I think you can include Creative Commons material in an OGL document. The CC doesn't restrict your use of the OGL. You just can't go the other way.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Probably a damned if you do damned if you don't kind of thing for WotC.

As always, everything has advantages and disadvantages.
I personally don't care either way.

 

[Morrus]

Why is it bizarre? Someone says it's another person's responsibility for their own happiness rather than their own, and they get told "No it's not". That should be a standard response. And anyone who says it's an "aggressive" response is because they're on the other side and were hoping for people to agree with them.

Calm down, please.

 

[eayres33]

Same difference.

They don't wish to play non-Beyond D&D. The precise reason for why that is the case does not matter to the conversation.

If X is on D&D Beyond, they're good. If X is not, they aren't. Define X however you'd like.

It's a pretty significant difference, and the precise reason is really the basis of the discussion, at least as I understand it

It's one of the bad side effects that could effect the hobby. Now people have different opinions on whether Hasbro should care or not, but if people will only play a version of 5E on DnD beyond it creates a walled garden, which I generally think is bad. I'm not a supporter of larger companies buying assets and freezing out other smaller companies, but I know not everyone shares that opinion.

It's one of the many reasons I moved away from DnD beyond and back to physical character sheets for my home games and either physical character sheets or Roll20 character sheets for my virtual games.

 

[J.Quondam]

They don't wish to play non-Beyond D&D. The precise reason for why that is the case does not matter to the conversation.

It matters to the people who are voicing their concerns about it.

 

[Morrus]

No one cares if you do or don't.

You’ve spent an awful lot of time making sure everybody knows just how much you don’t care.

 

[Kurotowa]

It is absolutely WotC's job to help people run their games. They say this all the time. They talk about making onboarding and learning easier constantly. They release things to educators for this very purpose. They hold "new to D&D" nights at FLGS for this reason.

I will clarify. "It isn't WotC's business to help you run your non-D&D games, any more than Burger King to going to let you come in and put up flyers advertising the great new deal on the Big Mac." I thought that part was clearly implied, but since you asked, there you go.

 

[mamba]

There are a lot of now closed independent bookstores that had to compete against Amazon that would disagree.

"Undercutting competitors" and "providing a better value" could be the same thing depending on how you spin it. If due to not being able to provide that "better value" (be it inexpensive customer reach, integration into the official character builder, existing API access to VTTs, whatever) other competitors do poorly and get out of the the business is what WotC wants. Regardless if it is categorized as strong-arming.

oh, I am not saying that everyone will live happily ever after unless WotC uses strongarm tactics, just that I cannot really blame them for winning by being better while competing fairly

 

[mamba]

Same difference.

no, not at all

They don't wish to play non-Beyond D&D. The precise reason for why that is the case does not matter to the conversation.

that is exactly what the conversation is about... people only considering what is on DDB and ignoring everything else, while WotC controls what that is

 

[bedir than]

I will clarify. "It isn't WotC's business to help you run your non-D&D games, any more than Burger King to going to let you come in and put up flyers advertising the great new deal on the Big Mac." I thought that part was clearly implied, but since you asked, there you go.

Yes, but the majority of what SlyFlourish is talking about is 5e D&D, not things disconnected from the modern game.

Or do you think WotC aren't promoting other 5e compatible things despite the fact that they sell them now