Quote from: Jam The MF on January 24, 2024, 12:32:04 AM

Quote from: KindaMeh on January 24, 2024, 12:16:27 AM
It's no secret that WotC these days hates pure martials. Even the fighters and rogues are magical in most subclasses typically. It's like they're trying to erase fighting folk who get by on their wits, and make the answer to everything a spell on your character sheet.

We might as well play 4th Edition then, and get us some kewl powers!!!

Oof. I'll bet some people will actually advocate for that, lol. I may have nostalgia goggles on for my first played edition of D&D, but even with that 4th is not something I would particularly want to revisit. Much less have reason to revisit. 

You talk about the damage done to cocktails...

The daiquiri is my favorite cocktail.  It's a manly rum drink of sailors and pirates, or at least it was.  Now when I say daiquiri, people think of various fruit punch drinks spiked with a little rum and churned in a slushy machine.  It's a disgrace! 

Quote from: KindaMeh on January 24, 2024, 12:16:27 AM
It's no secret that WotC these days hates pure martials. Even the fighters and rogues are magical in most subclasses typically. It's like they're trying to erase fighting folk who get by on their wits, and make the answer to everything a spell on your character sheet.

Physical activity is hard and they all want to live in a Harry Potter world where magic does all the things....that or the Wall-E Pixar cruise ship scene.

If you look at this stuff through the lens of a gamer, it's insane.

If you take the perspective of a marketer, it's brilliant...because people will pay $$$ for status. A children's book is a status symbol, so is a book of cocktails, as is most D&D merch.

People who poo-poo the accusation of D&D becoming a lifestyle brand take note: people routinely pay a shit-ton for status, and the status here is "nerd" or "geek" status.

Paper, pencils, dice, rulebook, like-minded people...be vigilant about everything else.

More likely its marketing pushing this for the outrage marketing stunt as usual.

Put something up likely yo get people to complain and boom, free advertising and untold profit they say. And half the time whatever they say or present is not actually in the product in the way they claim. That way they get free advertising AND can play the victim wrongfully accused. Oh no!

And people keep falling for it.

Quote from: Jam The MF on January 23, 2024, 05:33:22 PM

Quote from: THE_Leopold on January 23, 2024, 04:45:44 PM

Quote from: RPGPundit on January 22, 2024, 12:50:25 PM

Quote from: Svenhelgrim on January 21, 2024, 03:44:42 PM
A new Spelljammer novel?  LOL! Another Wizfail.

It wasn't included in the specific list of anniversary stuff, but I've since found out there's another novel too, set in the FR, where the protagonist is a strong independent obese female elven thief.

I see they decided to use Cynthia Williams as the protagonist? Stunning and brave!

Bard, Fighter, Thick Ranger, Wizard, Cleric.  3 full 5E casters, in a 5 person adventuring party.  Lots-o-magic!!!  That Ranger looks like she's pretty full, too?

From what I've been told, the landwhale is a thief, not a ranger. And she's the leader of the party. And she's strong and independent.

Quote from: rytrasmi on January 24, 2024, 10:49:28 AM
If you look at this stuff through the lens of a gamer, it's insane.

If you take the perspective of a marketer, it's brilliant...because people will pay $$$ for status. A children's book is a status symbol, so is a book of cocktails, as is most D&D merch.

People who poo-poo the accusation of D&D becoming a lifestyle brand take note: people routinely pay a shit-ton for status, and the status here is "nerd" or "geek" status.

Paper, pencils, dice, rulebook, like-minded people...be vigilant about everything else.

Well said. And yes, nerds go for status, mainly in the form of "Collectibles", and "completism". The latter is absolutely fucking TOXIC because it's what leads to those nerds who hate wokeness, hate what it's done to everything they love, but are such utterly OCD fucks that they just "have to" keep buying all the WotC books and all the shitty Marvel titles, and go to all the movies, and buy all the crap novels, etc etc.

They know that the leftists are laughing at them, spitting in their faces and shitting all over them when they make some comic that kills or horrifically alters or just humiliates the character they love, and yet they still PAY THOSE LEFTIST CUNTS TO DO IT.

Quote from: RPGPundit on January 25, 2024, 11:43:39 AM


From what I've been told, the landwhale is a thief, not a ranger. And she's the leader of the party. And she's strong and independent.

Every.Fucking.Time

Why don't they just use Cal Arts at the default art style and be done with it. I bet we'll be having a bunch of ex-Sports Illustrated writers come to WOTC here in no time. They'll fit right in.

Garbage tier nonsense.

Quote from: RPGPundit on January 25, 2024, 11:43:39 AM

Quote from: Jam The MF on January 23, 2024, 05:33:22 PM

Quote from: THE_Leopold on January 23, 2024, 04:45:44 PM

Quote from: RPGPundit on January 22, 2024, 12:50:25 PM

Quote from: Svenhelgrim on January 21, 2024, 03:44:42 PM
A new Spelljammer novel?  LOL! Another Wizfail.

It wasn't included in the specific list of anniversary stuff, but I've since found out there's another novel too, set in the FR, where the protagonist is a strong independent obese female elven thief.

I see they decided to use Cynthia Williams as the protagonist? Stunning and brave!

Bard, Fighter, Thick Ranger, Wizard, Cleric.  3 full 5E casters, in a 5 person adventuring party.  Lots-o-magic!!!  That Ranger looks like she's pretty full, too?

From what I've been told, the landwhale is a thief, not a ranger. And she's the leader of the party. And she's strong and independent.

The little crossbow and mask, made me think Ranger.

Quote from: RPGPundit on January 25, 2024, 11:46:57 AM

Quote from: rytrasmi on January 24, 2024, 10:49:28 AM
If you look at this stuff through the lens of a gamer, it's insane.

If you take the perspective of a marketer, it's brilliant...because people will pay $$$ for status. A children's book is a status symbol, so is a book of cocktails, as is most D&D merch.

People who poo-poo the accusation of D&D becoming a lifestyle brand take note: people routinely pay a shit-ton for status, and the status here is "nerd" or "geek" status.

Paper, pencils, dice, rulebook, like-minded people...be vigilant about everything else.

Well said. And yes, nerds go for status, mainly in the form of "Collectibles", and "completism". The latter is absolutely fucking TOXIC because it's what leads to those nerds who hate wokeness, hate what it's done to everything they love, but are such utterly OCD fucks that they just "have to" keep buying all the WotC books and all the shitty Marvel titles, and go to all the movies, and buy all the crap novels, etc etc.

They know that the leftists are laughing at them, spitting in their faces and shitting all over them when they make some comic that kills or horrifically alters or just humiliates the character they love, and yet they still PAY THOSE LEFTIST CUNTS TO DO IT.

It's self-loathing.  They've been convinced, that they don't deserve any better.

Well superhero t-shirt sales probably still out-perform the superhero comics they are from, so I get the shift to merch...

Still looks too Simpsons Poochie or Burger King Kids Club (though it is missing the wheelchair kid).

Cocktail book is actually clever if they put any real time into it, what with chartreuse, campari, and other delightfully garish liquours and additions to work with. But that would take work rather than cribbing real world cocktails and giving it a silly D&D copyrightable a.k.a. alias. I am trashing it before reading it because my exceedingly low WotC expectations have been so thoroughly underwhelmed of late, so excuse my justifiable bias. 

So interestingly, one of the cookbooks was written by (at least parts of it) Jon Peterson...not that I have an desire to get this, but at least he has contributed to the hobby in a meaningful way.

https://www.amazon.com/Heroes-Feast-Flavors-Multiverse-Official/dp/198486131X/

I browsed through the book at Walmart yesterday and honestly it's not bad at all, the recipes for the most part are pretty tame/normal, and I'd say I'd have no problem eating 90% of the stuff. But it's a fucking gimmick cash grab and WotC can SAD so I did not buy it. In the past I would have zero issues getting this sort of obvious nonsense because it was all in good fun, but WotC has tainted the D&D brand so much with pure stupidity I will never give them another dime. I am not surprised at all they're just doing basic merch instead of anything meaningful like a revised wooden boxed set or some sort of AD&D reissue.

Quote from: RPGPundit on January 22, 2024, 12:50:25 PM
It wasn't included in the specific list of anniversary stuff, but I've since found out there's another novel too, set in the FR, where the protagonist is a strong independent obese female elven thief.

Wow. I guess "artists" being replaced by AI gets easier and easier when companies keep lowering the bar in regards to content quality. Even the book cover is awful. If an AI cranked that out I'd start looking for a bug in my workflow, like maybe I picked the wrong model, VAE, or something else was causing the output to look like garbage.

Quote from: BadApple on January 24, 2024, 12:53:01 AM
You talk about the damage done to cocktails...

The daiquiri is my favorite cocktail.  It's a manly rum drink of sailors and pirates, or at least it was.  Now when I say daiquiri, people think of various fruit punch drinks spiked with a little rum and churned in a slushy machine.  It's a disgrace!

Don't worry, when you order a daiquiri, people definitely associate you with hanging out with sailors.

Quote from: Grognard GM on January 26, 2024, 02:49:30 PM

Quote from: BadApple on January 24, 2024, 12:53:01 AM
You talk about the damage done to cocktails...

The daiquiri is my favorite cocktail.  It's a manly rum drink of sailors and pirates, or at least it was.  Now when I say daiquiri, people think of various fruit punch drinks spiked with a little rum and churned in a slushy machine.  It's a disgrace!

Don't worry, when you order a daiquiri, people definitely associate you with hanging out with sailors.

Well, I am a sailor, so...