TTRPGS, Blockchains, and NFTs

When Kickstarter announced recently that it would be investing in blockchain-based infrastructure, there was widespread backlash. Blockchain technology is environmentally damaging and is of limited use. Creators such as Possum Creek Games (Wanderhome) announced their intentions to move off Kickstarter, while companies such as Chaosium and Wizards of the Coast continue to express interested in non-fungible tokens, digital items which exist on a blockchain.

While I'm writing this article, I do need to point out that I'm not a great person to do so; my understanding of blockchains, NFTs, cryptocurrencies, and related technologies is very, very limited and my attempts to get a handle on the subject have not been entirely successful. I'm sure more informed people will post in the comments.

What the heck is an NFT (& what does it mean for digital artists)

What is a non-fungible token (NFT)? In this graphic designer's guide to NFTs, we explore how Non-Fungible Tokens work in the context of digital art and how you can start turning your digital creations into sought-after NFTs.

dribbble.com

Kickstarter is not the only tabletop roleplaying game adjacent company delving into such technologies. Call of Cthulhu publisher Chaosium announced in July 2021 that it was working with an NFT company to bring their Mythos content to a digitally collectible market, with specific plans to sell two different models -- the Necromonicon and a bust of Cthulhu -- from the Cthulhu Mythos; and while things went quiet for a while, last week the company tweeted that 'We have more - lots more -- to drop... when the Stars are Right." A Facebook statement from Chaosium's CEO appeared on Twitter talking more about the decision.

D&D producer Wizards of the Coast said in April 2021 that it was considering NFTs for Magic: The Gathering. More recently, an email from WotC's legal representatives to a company planning to use NFT technology in conjunction with M:tG cards, alleging unlawful infringement of its IP, indicated that WotC was "currently evaluating its future plans regarding NFTs and the MAGIC: THE GATHERING cards" but that "no decision has been made at this time."

On Twitter, ErikTheBearik compiled Hasbro/WotC's involvement with NFTs so far.

Gripnr is a '5e based TTRPG NFT protocol' with Stephen Radney-MacFarland (D&D, Star Wars Saga Edition, Pathfinder) as its lead game designer. OK, so that's about as much of that as I understand!

Some company in the TTRPG sphere have taken a stand. DriveThruRPG stated that "In regard to NFTs – We see no use for this technology in our business ever." Itch.io was a bit more emphatic:

A few have asked about our stance on NFTs: NFTs are a scam. If you think they are legitimately useful for anything other than the exploitation of creators, financial scams, and the destruction of the planet the [sic] we ask that [you] please reevaluate your life choices. Peace. [an emoji of a hand making the “Peace” symbol]

Also [expletive deleted] any company that says they support creators and also endorses NFTs in any way. They only care about their own profit and the opportunity for wealth above anyone else. Especially given the now easily available discourse concerning the problems of NFTs.

How can you be so dense?

NFTs -- non-fungible tokens -- and blockchains have been dominating the news recently, and with individuals and companies taking strong stances against them, it's fair to ask why. The environmental impact of the technology has been widely documented - it's inefficient, and the need for blockchains -- a sort of decentralized ledger -- to have multiple users validate and record transactions makes it very energy intensive. In an era when climate change is having more and more devastating effects around the world, use of such technologies attracts considerable backlash.

Other ethical concerns regarding NFTs specifically is that the purchaser of an NFT is not actually purchasing anything, and the value for the digital 'token' they've purchased is speculative. When you buy the NFT of a piece of art (for example) you don't own the art itself; you only own a digital token associated with the art. The whole concept is likened to a 'house of cards' or a 'scam' by its critics.

 

[doctorhook]

This video from Folding Ideas does a pretty in-depth explanation of the problems with blockchain technologies and why they will never be what the evangelists claim.

Thanks for the link! I watched the whole thing last night (2+ hours). While I won’t pretend to understand everything discussed—especially in the later half, when my focus was waning—this video did a good job systematically describing the entire blockchain/crypto/NFT environment.

It definitely reinforced my belief that all of this technology is at best a wasteful bubble, and also usually a scam. Any confusion I had due to ignorance of crypto and NFT has been dispelled—there’s nothing worthwhile in these technologies, except for the slight possibility that some individuals might get lucky if they’re willing and able to find a bigger fool to dump their investment upon.

Our guts tell us that none of this seems useful, but most of us don’t really understand it. This video confirms for our heads that our guys were correct: none of this technology is useful.

 

[Morrus]

Indeed, if people are made to think they are buying a unique token associated with Mona Lisa, and they just buy one of an infinity of tokens associated with Mona Lisa, this is a scam (exactly as passing a copy of a painting for the original is). If people were informed that they are just buying a token that is related to a copy of Mona Lisa an infinity of which can be created by just, say, copying the file in another folder, then it's stupid to buy it, but wouldn't be a scam anymore than selling 100$ a glass of tap water would be. If I understand correctly, most NFT sellers aren't clear about that (or outright lying about the "scarcity" of the token they create), because if they were clear, nobody would buy NFT in the first place? And some people aren't just buying them as a speculative investment, but because they think they are trading a scarce ressource derived from a unique artwork, that isn't unique at all.

Thank you for making it clearer.

I think it's important to note that 'scam' is not a legal phrase. What folks mean by this is that largely they feel that the issue is one of ethics, not one of legality. They're not alleging actual fraud.

 

[eyeheartawk]

Sorry, what?

 

[eyeheartawk]

The problem with this implementation, for those following along at home, has not been mitigated by the VeVe corporate babble.

They are offsetting their carbon impact by buying carbon credits, which is just a way for polluters to escape their actual impact.

They say they are simply cool things to buy and look at, with no way to resell them. Which is true, for now.

But the underlying problem is that engaging with NFTs, even in this limited form, leads to more minting of NFTs and cryptocurrency, which in turn leads to more environmental damage and even more people left holding the bag at the bottom of the pyramid.

 

[Zehnseiter]

It definitely reinforced my belief that all of this technology is at best a wasteful bubble, and also usually a scam. Any confusion I had due to ignorance of crypto and NFT has been dispelled—there’s nothing worthwhile in these technologies, except for the slight possibility that some individuals might get lucky if they’re willing and able to find a bigger fool to dump their investment upon.

Imho what will kill it at the end is the massive carbon footprint and that it can overload electricity grids. It a matter of time before more countries forbid it it. If I remember correctly so far its Iran, Kosovo and China. More will follow. Especially in countries where green parties are a part of the government. My guess is that the EU will sooner or later regulate or even forbid it. There are already calls for it from politicians in Sweden, Spain, Norway, Germany and Hungary.

So the scam has a time limit.
Can't happen soon enough. I want to buy graphic cards for a normal price again.

 

[Dausuul]

A lot of folks peddling crypto crap are themselves true believers. Others know perfectly well it's garbage. So you could call it a cult or you could call it a scam, depending on who you're talking to.

The one consistent thing is that crypto (including NFTs) has no applications that other technology can't do better, except one: It provides a means for people who have money, but are shut out of conventional banking systems, with a way to conduct online business. Conventional banking systems generally want people with money--it's kind of their thing--so the overwhelming majority of people who meet this description are criminals.

 

[sevenbastard]

The simple question everyone should ask before they make any decision to see if it is the moraly right one is "will this get us closer to getting Spelljammer for 5e"

There is a world were if we all use that model that by 2024 when 6e is released Spelljammer will be it's default setting.

 

[Staffan]

A lot of folks peddling crypto crap are themselves true believers. Others know perfectly well it's garbage. So you could call it a cult or you could call it a scam, depending on who you're talking to.

The one consistent thing is that crypto (including NFTs) has no applications that other technology can't do better, except one: It provides a means for people who have money, but are shut out of conventional banking systems, with a way to conduct online business. Conventional banking systems generally want people with money--it's kind of their thing--so the overwhelming majority of people who meet this description are criminals.

I read a hypothesis the other day that the rise of weird investments these days (like cryptocurrency and NFTs) is related to the way the current economy strongly benefits those who are already rich. The TL;DR version is that the richest are so flush with cash that the investment opportunities in traditional areas (like the stock market) can't really absorb that sort of money, so instead they go looking for other places to invest.

 

[darjr]

"You can't do anything big so do nothing" is how grass roots movements die.

Send a signal to Chaosium. The RPG sphere will notice. That includes people at WotC who are now in charge of Hasbro.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

I read a hypothesis the other day that the rise of weird investments these days (like cryptocurrency and NFTs) is related to the way the current economy strongly benefits those who are already rich. The TL;DR version is that the richest are so flush with cash that the investment opportunities in traditional areas (like the stock market) can't really absorb that sort of money, so instead they go looking for other places to invest.

I think the fact that the rich are so flush with cash and lack of investment opportunities is why we have general high asset prices. But crypto present the ideal conditions for "pump and dump operations". This is a rich mans game, or at least a game for the well capitalised.