D&D 5E Who tried to end the OGL?

[TiQuinn]

I do purchase 3PP now and then, and WotC is making it even easier than ever with the addition of books to DndBeyond. Hopefully they'll add more.

But a policy that was never implemented doesn't change my ability to purchase 3PP if I want it. If someone decides to not publish something that I may have been interested in because they're still upset, that's on them not me.

The funny thing is that if they had revoked the OGL, they would’ve made it extremely difficult for 3PP to make said products. I can understand why others wouldn’t be as dispassionate as you are.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

Cherry picking to justify your preference.

Ah, yes, because when I cite data it's cherry picking, when others cite data useful to them, it's just being objective.

We're done here.

 

[Parmandur]

Fair enough. I still am fully able to understand the opposite viewpoint.

Sure, I understand it, just got tired of hearing about it over a year ago. The horse is dead, D&D is Creative Commons, there is cool new game stuff to talk about.

 

[TiQuinn]

Ah, yes, because when I cite data it's cherry picking, when others cite data useful to them, it's just being objective.

We're done here.

Indeed.

 

[TiQuinn]

Sure, I understand it, just got tired of hearing about it over a year ago. The horse is dead, D&D is Creative Commons, there is cool new game stuff to talk about.

I’ll drink to that.

 

[Parmandur]

The funny thing is that if they had revoked the OGL, they would’ve made it extremely difficult for 3PP to make said products. I can understand why others wouldn’t be as dispassionate as you are.

It didn't happen over a year ago, and even if they had gone through with it thw Beyond marketplace was probably coming anyways. That WotC thought about a legally generous change to their absurdly generous license isn't material considering that instead they went to Creative Commons. No need to reiterate water under the bridge that never even happened.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

In general people who are happy with what they have don't shout it from the rooftops, they just happily play. Meanwhile the people who feel left out or have different preferences like to complain. Loudly and repeatedly.

The only thing I have to say in reply to this:

This is not true. The vast majority of people, regardless of their opinion, don't say anything at all. That's why they're the silent majority. Whether they're happy or unhappy, appreciative or annoyed, whatever--we don't know because they don't talk.

Unless and until we get actual data, we can say nothing meaningful at all about them. That's why I always criticize the poor survey and poll design WotC puts out. (It used to be absolute garbage poll and survey design, they've stepped up to merely low-quality in the years since "D&D Next.")

 

[Oofta]

The funny thing is that if they had revoked the OGL, they would’ve made it extremely difficult for 3PP to make said products. I can understand why others wouldn’t be as dispassionate as you are.

In an alternate universe where they revoked the OGL (which is technically not what they thought about), it may or may not change my opinion.

Since we're not in that alternate universe it's not relevant.

 

[TiQuinn]

In an alternate universe where they revoked the OGL (which is technically not what they thought about), it may or may not change my opinion.

Since we're not in that alternate universe it's not relevant.

Sure.

 

[Oofta]

The only thing I have to say in reply to this:

This is not true. The vast majority of people, regardless of their opinion, don't say anything at all. That's why they're the silent majority. Whether they're happy or unhappy, appreciative or annoyed, whatever--we don't know because they don't talk.

Unless and until we get actual data, we can say nothing meaningful at all about them. That's why I always criticize the poor survey and poll design WotC puts out. (It used to be absolute garbage poll and survey design, they've stepped up to merely low-quality in the years since "D&D Next.")

While D&D has some built in advantages, TTRPGs are a a competitive environment. Both 3E and 4E saw decent popularity when they were first released and then sales tanked. The name and tradition brought over the dedicated few but never seriously grew the market. D&D was dying.

Now? With 5E? The old grognards are greatly outnumbered by new players, the average age of the player base is lower than its been in decades. Millions more people are playing D&D, and TTRPGs in general, since the release of 5E. You don't get that kind of growth in a competitive environment on name recognition alone.

You may not care for the game and that's fine. But it's insulting to the people that wrote the game and continue to support it to say that they don't know what they're doing. It's insulting to people that enjoy the game to tell us that what we like is a terrible design and you alone can judge what is good and what is trash. Millions of us have voiced our opinions and continue to do so by opening our wallets to buy product that you consider substandard.

We have actual data. Millions of people started playing D&D with 5E and we've seen double digit growth every year for nearly a decade. Even though they relied on what you consider "absolute garbage" market research.