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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Malmuria" data-source="post: 8874456" data-attributes="member: 7030755">In broad strokes, I saw the video as critiquing wotc 5e as a set of products.  This is an opinionated critique, but not to my mind a particularly controversial or rare set of criticisms.  The first component is that 5e is too "kitchen sink" both in <a href="https://twitter.com/mattcolville/status/1402654721048035328?s=20&t=1P4xWnNgmxOpLJO34BT8Jg" target="_blank">gameplay</a> and theme across its product line, leading to a situation where players try to do "x, but in 5e" and end up frustrated.  The second component is that wotc's actual products are of a lesser standard than those of many other game companies.  This is again an opinionated position but not an unreasonable one.  The usability of their books, including the core books (the phb's index, the dmg's whole organization) is routinely criticized by players.  Their adventure paths seem conceptually rich (many based in concepts from classic modules) but whose deficiencies have also spawned a thriving scene of dmsguild products that help dms fix and navigate the content of the $50 book they just bought.  At least some of these products seem to be the result of their contract-heavy employment practices.  <a href="https://twitter.com/mattcolville/status/1402654721048035328?s=20&t=1P4xWnNgmxOpLJO34BT8Jg" target="_blank">Descent into Avernus</a> seems the worst, written by a host of contract writers with little organization and reportedly changing deliverables (the whole "Balder's Gate" part being a late addition).  The recent Spelljammer set has been criticized for its higher price and reduced content, including character options that don't fit well with the included adventure.  More troubling is that wotc has skimped on cultural consultants, relying instead on project leads (e.g. Chris Perkins) who have routinely failed to catch the inclusion of cultural sterotypes in their products.  In some cases, their shoddy editing process <a href="https://pocgamer.com/archives/1429" target="_blank">introduced problematic content</a> without the consent of writers, again on contract.The deficiencies of wotc products, as products, start to become very clear when you look at the indie ttrpg landscape.  Wotc creating a walled garden may incite some people to look at that larger landscape, and onednd will come up pale in comparison.</blockquote>

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