WotC WotC Community Update from DnDBeyond, Creator Summit Preliminary Thoughts.

[darjr]

WotC has updated the Community Update page for April 7th, 2023 with some preliminary thoughts on the Creator Summit thanking everyone who took part and giving a mea culpa. They state what they think they did wrong and how they are moving forward. Importantly they don’t seem to have given up.

• Running a digital/physical event meant that the experience was subpar for both: Moving forward we'll more carefully consider those experiences and explore alternative approaches that meet our accessibility goals.
• Conversations start better from a shared understanding: The topics you pushed for were important to have, but we should have been better prepared for them. In the future, we’ll give you an opportunity to weigh in on the agenda of events like these ahead of time.
• We need to come to you, whether virtually, at conventions, or other locations fans already gather. Updates on what these events look like will be announced here in our Community Update space.

D&D Community Update

D&D Beyond - Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition Tools, Rules, Races, Classes, Items, Spells, Monsters, and More

www.dndbeyond.com

 

[Scribe]

Nice, and an email link for direct contact. Thats...brave.

 

[Waller]

Nice, and an email link for direct contact. Thats...brave.

Not really. It's just an admin mailbox. They give a few admin bods the job of sorting through them and collating the data. It's not like they've given out Chris Perkins' own email address.

Plus it's a good technique for directing peoples' criticisms into a private channel rather than them posting them publicly on social media where people can see them. Let them vent into an email inbox that only a couple of staffers will see, and the socials looks much better.

Not saying that's what they're doing, but surveys and dedicated emails for controversial topics are frequently handled like that for those exact reasons.

 

[dave2008]

@darjr , just an FYI, Alphastream has his second blog post on the Creator Summit up:
The Community Rises at the D&D Creator Summit

 

[Parmandur]

Good takeaways: hope they keep it up.

 

[darjr]

@darjr , just an FYI, Alphastream has his second blog post on the Creator Summit up:
The Community Rises at the D&D Creator Summit

I added to the other thread. But maybe it should be it’s own? I might when I get a chance, feel free too.

 

[Retreater]

I was under the impression that the creators submitted questions before the event - so I'm confused how WotC could have been surprised by the topics.

 

[Demetrios1453]

I was under the impression that the creators submitted questions before the event - so I'm confused how WotC could have been surprised by the topics.

I assume that the questions submitted were on different topics than the ones that were actually brought up.

 

[dave2008]

I was under the impression that the creators submitted questions before the event - so I'm confused how WotC could have been surprised by the topics.

That is not quite the case. IIRC, Alphastream explained it more on his blog post about the event. It is a good read. However, he says attendees were asked about their "expectations" of the event. And only a few days before the event.

 

[dave2008]

I was under the impression that the creators submitted questions before the event - so I'm confused how WotC could have been surprised by the topics.

I assume that the questions submitted were on different topics than the ones that were actually brought up.

Here is part of what Alphastream (who as at the event) had to say about this issue:

Improvement Area – Agenda: Perhaps the biggest mistake WotC made was in not providing an agenda prior to or even during the event! All we knew ahead of time was “Morning Sessions” and “Afternoon Sessions” and then logistics. This led attendees to assume that their issue(s) would be discussed. We were asked a few days prior about our expectations, but I would guess this was not done early enough to collect information properly and act upon it. As we will see, the lack of an agenda really impacted everyone.

You can read his first two blog posts on the event are below. They are a good read and give you a much better picture of the event than I got from reading the transcripts and online reaction. The first is an overall review of the event and the 2nd is more in-depth in specific areas. He has one or two more planned.

Assessing the D&D Creator Summit
The Community Rises at the D&D Creator Summit

Basically this was a huge event that was put together quickly and they didn't give enough time to communicating with the attendees prior to the event. Relevantly, WotC has already address some of the issues Alpha talks about:

April 2023 Creator Summit: Preliminary Thoughts

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I was under the impression that the creators submitted questions before the event - so I'm confused how WotC could have been surprised by the topics.

Because then they decided to have an AMA period and people took them at their word.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Having been part of, or having dealt with, unhealthy organizations, I'm extremely impressed by WotC's willingness to identify places where they've screwed up and say so publicly. Organizations in crisis typically do the exact opposite. This is really good news, IMO.

 

[dave2008]

Because then they decided to have an AMA period and people took them at their word.

I am not sure what point you are trying to get across. However, the AMA was added because the questions they were getting were not related to the presentations they were giving. So the asked the attendees and more than half wanted to have these off-agenda discussions. So WotC quickly tried to accommodate them. I think that is good on both sides.

The issue, as alphastream pointed out, was the attendees were not given an agenda so they had no idea what they were getting into.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I am not sure what point you are trying to get across.

Q: "Hey, why did they ask questions WotC was unprepared for?"

A: "Because WotC said, hey, ask us anything!"

That things would go off-script was predictable, as anyone who used the AMA acronym should have known. That it went quite so off the rails, though, was probably a surprise to nearly everyone.

 

[dave2008]

Q: "Hey, why did they ask questions WotC was unprepared for?"

A: "Because WotC said, hey, ask us anything!"

That things would go off-script was predictable, as anyone who used the AMA acronym should have known. That it went quite so off the rails, though, was probably a surprise to nearly everyone.

However that is not quite what happend.

Attendees starting asking questions not related to the VTT session they were in. From Alphastream's blog:

"When lunch was followed by another VTT discussion, the questions began to shift. One after another, the attendee questions were about equity, accessibility, creator support, localization, hiring and promoting marginalized staff, trust, and problematic content."

Wizards tried to direct things back to the agenda. When that didn't worked. They hastily added another session which became the AMA session. My point is that session was never planned, and the attendees were asking questions unrelated to what was presented initially. So it is no surprise the presenter of the VTT wasn't prepared to discuss them. Regarding the AMA, Alpha said this:

"This pivot was not easy. I know when I have arranged professional events, I put a lot of energy into preparation and I can be slow to pivot (something I am trying to improve). To their credit Wizards provided the extra time and worked through very difficult moments. Staff jumped in, covering blind spots – which speaks to how important it was that Wizards had dedicated so many staff to being present."

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

However that is not quite what happend.

Attendees starting asking questions not related to the VTT session they were in. From Alphastream's blog:

"When lunch was followed by another VTT discussion, the questions began to shift. One after another, the attendee questions were about equity, accessibility, creator support, localization, hiring and promoting marginalized staff, trust, and problematic content."

Wizards tried to direct things back to the agenda. When that didn't worked. They hastily added another session which became the AMA session. My point is that session was never planned, and the attendees were asking questions unrelated to what was presented initially. So it is no surprise the presenter of the VTT wasn't prepared to discuss them. Regarding the AMA, Alpha said this:

"This pivot was not easy. I know when I have arranged professional events, I put a lot of energy into preparation and I can be slow to pivot (something I am trying to improve). To their credit Wizards provided the extra time and worked through very difficult moments. Staff jumped in, covering blind spots – which speaks to how important it was that Wizards had dedicated so many staff to being present."

OK, I just saw @brimmels referring to an AMA session. I didn't realize the chaos had started earlier. (WotC and their weekday marketing events!)

But yes, as WotC is copping to, this all comes down to a lack of a clear agenda and mutual understanding of what everyone wanted out of this event.

Happily, it looks like everyone is moving forward in just about the ideal manner from here, so the next event should be much better for all concerned.

 

[bedir than]

"When lunch was followed by another VTT discussion, the questions began to shift. One after another, the attendee questions were about equity, accessibility, creator support, localization, hiring and promoting marginalized staff, trust, and problematic content."

No one should be surprised that the VTT and Beyond leadership were unable to answer most of those topics

 

[Parmandur]

No one should be surprised that the VTT and Beyond leadership were unable to answer most of those topics

No, but the Executive Producer and Vice-President were present, and they should be.

 

[bedir than]

No, but the Executive Producer and Vice-President were present, and they should be.

my understanding is that the attendees were split and not everyone was present in the same session at the same time.

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

No, but the Executive Producer and Vice-President were present, and they should be.

IDK, they were pretty difficult questions that would not have a simple answer. If they weren’t expecting the questions, I’m not surprised they didn’t have the best answers yet. It seems they tried to answer them and other staff helped fill in the knowledge gaps.