People who seem to care an awful lot about WotC getting to keep doing what they've been doing to D&D, unburdened by people calling them out, always ask me "why do you even care?"
Here's my modest reply
Your reviews are better than your rants, but I watch every rant. Can't get that content anywhere else, lots of people have good takes on RPG products after all, but most people aren't willing to rock boats.
I also want to point out that if you do a review about something I don't care about at all (for whatever reason), I'm less likely to watch that. By contrast, it's a rare rant that I don't gaf about.
I tend to still watch anti-WoTC content though it's been a fairly long time now since I was likely to go back to them. I think the post-OGL scandal Kyle Brink anti white apology tour settled it for me. Then my friend Upper_Krust persuaded me to try Shadowdark so I no longer need 5e at all.
I have no desire to play D&D "The Sweet Baby Inc edition". I've made that clear in my posts here and elsewhere. So WOTC and I have diverged as of the OGL scandal. And I have continued on in support of a version of 5e I find palatable.
I've paid a price for my support of Tales Of The Valiant. TBP used it as an excuse to perma-ban me. But I have no regrets on that score. I have found communities that have both embraced me and accepted my old school views. Places that embrace my enthusiasm of the game. And have accepted my quirks and views. Life is good.
I support Pundit because he proved to be a similar voice to mine. And I can accept the areas we disagree well enough to co-exist here. He won my support through acts of acceptance and genuine kindness. Even though he can be gruff and opinionated. It's an area I share with him. So I'm willing to cut him enough slack. And he seems to give me the same consideration. I back Pundit out of mutual respect.
WOTC proved to be anti-gamer to me by their actions. That started long ago when they decided to cut out the credits for consultants who worked hard for them and gave genuine contributions to the existence of 5e. I saw their actions as brutal and entitled when they made that decision. A company that steadily became unworthy of my support. I see, acknowledge, and support Pundit's beef with them. They earned the righteous wrath aimed at them.
Just so Pundit knows. My copies of the core books for D&D 5e have the consultant credits intact.
I know why Pundit is doing what he is doing. He is standing on principle. Having one's contributions erased is outrageous and offensive.
Quote from: Darrin Kelley on October 13, 2024, 07:39:29 AMI have no desire to play D&D "The Sweet Baby Inc edition". I've made that clear in my posts here and elsewhere. So WOTC and I have diverged as of the OGL scandal. And I have continued on in support of a version of 5e I find palatable.
I've paid a price for my support of Tales Of The Valiant. TBP used it as an excuse to perma-ban me. But I have no regrets on that score. I have found communities that have both embraced me and accepted my old school views. Places that embrace my enthusiasm of the game. And have accepted my quirks and views. Life is good.
I support Pundit because he proved to be a similar voice to mine. And I can accept the areas we disagree well enough to co-exist here. He won my support through acts of acceptance and genuine kindness. Even though he can be gruff and opinionated. It's an area I share with him. So I'm willing to cut him enough slack. And he seems to give me the same consideration. I back Pundit out of mutual respect.
WOTC proved to be anti-gamer to me by their actions. That started long ago when they decided to cut out the credits for consultants who worked hard for them and gave genuine contributions to the existence of 5e. I saw their actions as brutal and entitled when they made that decision. A company that steadily became unworthy of my support. I see, acknowledge, and support Pundit's beef with them. They earned the righteous wrath aimed at them.
Just so Pundit knows. My copies of the core books for D&D 5e have the consultant credits intact.
I know why Pundit is doing what he is doing. He is standing on principle. Having one's contributions erased is outrageous and offensive.
Why did TBP ban you for supporting TotV?
Quote from: Aglondir on October 13, 2024, 11:30:18 AMWhy did TBP ban you for supporting TotV?
Because I went against their narrative that Kobold Press was bad. I said I would back them anyway, and just ignore the stuff they found offensive.
They had been harassing me for 20 years. Trying to find an excuse to ban me for good. So they finally found their excuse.
People care because D&D IS Tabletop Roleplaying to so many people across multiple generations of players. It's such an iconic brand and has the most market share overall, and probably will for a long time. Because they're just coasting on D&D's popularity, WotC continues to put out mediocre, corporate product (kind of like Apple?).
Quote from: Darrin Kelley on October 13, 2024, 07:39:29 AMI have no desire to play D&D "The Sweet Baby Inc edition". I've made that clear in my posts here and elsewhere. So WOTC and I have diverged as of the OGL scandal. And I have continued on in support of a version of 5e I find palatable.
I've paid a price for my support of Tales Of The Valiant. TBP used it as an excuse to perma-ban me. But I have no regrets on that score. I have found communities that have both embraced me and accepted my old school views. Places that embrace my enthusiasm of the game. And have accepted my quirks and views. Life is good.
I support Pundit because he proved to be a similar voice to mine. And I can accept the areas we disagree well enough to co-exist here. He won my support through acts of acceptance and genuine kindness. Even though he can be gruff and opinionated. It's an area I share with him. So I'm willing to cut him enough slack. And he seems to give me the same consideration. I back Pundit out of mutual respect.
WOTC proved to be anti-gamer to me by their actions. That started long ago when they decided to cut out the credits for consultants who worked hard for them and gave genuine contributions to the existence of 5e. I saw their actions as brutal and entitled when they made that decision. A company that steadily became unworthy of my support. I see, acknowledge, and support Pundit's beef with them. They earned the righteous wrath aimed at them.
Just so Pundit knows. My copies of the core books for D&D 5e have the consultant credits intact.
I know why Pundit is doing what he is doing. He is standing on principle. Having one's contributions erased is outrageous and offensive.
I appreciate that, thank you!
Rant good, rant more.
Opinions like in this video are good when they contain passion and reason.
And rants are the sex seller of video/youtube RPGs. People claim they are there for the articles (reviews), but we all know we are in it for the nudity (amusing drama).
In this case, a drama I stand behind.
I still have the core books AND Basic when they still had the consultant credits in them.
Why should people care? Because wotc is a dirty company that can and WILL pull one dirty stunt after another and get away with it if no one bothers to oppose them and call out their bad practices and dirty deals.
And in the next few years they are going to get worse. Especially if they can leverage more of D&D to online content they can later either hold hostage, or take away from customers like is being done on Steam with PC games.
And they tipped their hand when they tried to force a move to fake 5e on beyond. They backpedaled for now. But it is only a matter of time before they try again.
Guess I'm the odd man out here. I don't care much about what WOTC does. I don't approve of it, of course, but I can't change it, and it doesn't meaningfully effect me. I'm pretty thoroughly out of the 5e ecosystem, and have no intention of ever re-entering it. If I happen to hear that they made a particularly huge screw-up, I'll join in the point-and-laugh party, but I'm past burning calories getting upset about it.
Industry drama is also the type of RPG YouTube video I'm least interested in, and I rarely watch them anymore. Reviews are OK, but I'm more interested in videos on gaming theory and practice. I'm clearly in the minority on this, though, so my opinion can safely be ignored.
I personally have never questioned why you rant on WotC. Anyone doing publishing in the RPG market has a vested interest in hacking at the rotten tree of WotC. I *encourage* it - we need to clear the forest.
What I don't understand, is the number of people that have nothing better to do in the RPG space that *don't* have a vested interest - they're not publishing, they may not even be players of RPG's, just grazers or collectors, that jump into thread after thread of grousing about the latest shit-move WotC makes over, say, talking about something cool in RPG's they're doing.
We all know that WotC products are dogshit - and you should be calling it out. The nuance is the proliferation of everyone that really ramps up - the "terminal nerdness" you refer to in this video you call out. I suspect a LOT of people here on this forum are those people. I'm not sure if it's worse that they *don't buy it* because there are those that really want to grind and grind on discussions over it. It's WEIRD to me.
I don't think a lot of people get the nuance of the situation. You chase your tendril of the algorithm - the shills chase theirs. I'm not criticizing you at all, I get it. I want more promotion of good things, but you laid it out there very well.
Don't care. I have moved on to the OSR and I am not looking back.
It's like being a fan, of a specific type of sports car; and finding out that they are going to make the switch to 4 cylinder engines, and chase gas mileage instead of performance. Of course, you care and have an opinion.
I don't have interest in a rant, making or listening to one. I confine myself to bemused mockery.
And that, of course, is why I was permabanned many years ago on rpg.net. The wokester storygamers can handle loathing - they are full of hate themselves, after all. But they can't handle people laughing at them.
A long time ago they had a thread in "Trouble Tickets" with a petition to make rpg.net an "emotionally safe environment." At the time the moderators mocked it, with Cessna (who's still there, I believe) saying, "I always picture a guy in a squirrel suit standing there saying, "don't laugh at me."" And the time came, of course, when the guys in squirrel suits won control of the site, and pushed out anyone who laughed at them.
We have, really, a pretty silly hobby, and we should all be mocked from time to time. But some should be mocked more than others. Powergamers, furries, people who want wheelchair ramps in dungeons, and the like.
Quote from: Aglondir on October 13, 2024, 11:30:18 AMWhy did TBP ban you for supporting TotV?
What does TBP stand for?
Quote from: RNGm on October 15, 2024, 08:08:21 AMQuote from: Aglondir on October 13, 2024, 11:30:18 AMWhy did TBP ban you for supporting TotV?
What does TBP stand for?
The Big Purple; aka RPG.net with its notably purple color scheme. The only reason I'm not banned there is I stopped going there entirely before they had stopped allowing dissenting voices (and stuck exclusively to game-related topics anyway) and I don't care enough about them to even bother with a flame out post.
These days getting perma-banned from TBP isn't even an accomplishment. You just have to post something true and you'll be gone.
Quote from: Chris24601 on October 15, 2024, 08:36:55 AMThe Big Purple; aka RPG.net with its notably purple color scheme. The only reason I'm not banned there is I stopped going there entirely before they had stopped allowing dissenting voices (and stuck exclusively to game-related topics anyway) and I don't care enough about them to even bother with a flame out post.
These days getting perma-banned from TBP isn't even an accomplishment. You just have to post something true and you'll be gone.
Thanks... and, yeah, it doesn't take much. I voluntarily stopped going there during the last US election cycle when they effectively preemptively banned conservatives with not one but two banner warnings up top on every page of their forums in addition to the additional 3-4 other ones praising various types of criminality including the ongoing burning, looting, murder, and rioting going on at the time. It's a shame because it was a good resource for the 20 years that I frequented it (though admittedly I mostly lurked and didn't post much).
Quote from: RNGm on October 15, 2024, 08:08:21 AMQuote from: Aglondir on October 13, 2024, 11:30:18 AMWhy did TBP ban you for supporting TotV?
What does TBP stand for?
I spent forever assuming it meant "The Banning Place", which isn't wrong.
Quote from: Chris24601 on October 15, 2024, 08:36:55 AMQuote from: RNGm on October 15, 2024, 08:08:21 AMQuote from: Aglondir on October 13, 2024, 11:30:18 AMWhy did TBP ban you for supporting TotV?
What does TBP stand for?
The Big Purple; aka RPG.net with its notably purple color scheme. The only reason I'm not banned there is I stopped going there entirely before they had stopped allowing dissenting voices (and stuck exclusively to game-related topics anyway) and I don't care enough about them to even bother with a flame out post.
That's me too. I left both rpg.net and enworld when they turned anti free-speech
Quote from: Man at Arms on October 14, 2024, 11:26:56 PMIt's like being a fan, of a specific type of sports car; and finding out that they are going to make the switch to 4 cylinder engines, and chase gas mileage instead of performance. Of course, you care and have an opinion.
And tell you its the same car. Really!
I care for the same reasons as I oppose BGG. These people have influence over the industry and gaming community and are using it to push their own agendas. And not good ones.
I enjoy watching WotC light itself on fire.
The more WotC burns, the more gamers will walk away from the D&D plantation which in the long term is fabulous for the hobby.
But, let's admit our time is better spent developing, playing and reading games we actually like.
Quote from: Spinachcat on October 31, 2024, 07:11:24 PMI enjoy watching WotC light itself on fire.
The more WotC burns, the more gamers will walk away from the D&D plantation which in the long term is fabulous for the hobby.
But, let's admit our time is better spent developing, playing and reading games we actually like.
But I actually like D&D. :D However that is mostly concentrated to TSR D&D. :)
;) 5e Basic was fine in 2014, but definitely needs curation and pre-planned campaign tier limits to prevent GM burnout.
Quote from: Katowice on October 13, 2024, 12:02:07 PMPeople care because D&D IS Tabletop Roleplaying to so many people across multiple generations of players. It's such an iconic brand and has the most market share overall, and probably will for a long time.
My daughter plays Dungeons & Dragons in the Dungeons & Dragons Club at her school. Only they don't play Dungeon & Dragons, they play Risus (I think that's what it's called). They just use the term "Dungeons & Dragons" instead of "role-playing game". It's like how we in Texas call all soft drinks "Coke" even though we are most likely ordering a Dr Pepper.
It might be because "role-playing game" is now more heavily associated with video games instead of tabletop games.
Great vid as always! Keep up the good work, Pundit!
About Wizkids Of The Toast, owned by Hasbeens: It's too bad they have access to children through their toys and marketing. The only thing I care about is what the higher ups are doing that forced them to commit brand-suicide. And I, for one, do not believe it's only fiduciary duty to investors (Blackrock, et al.). Something more sinister is at play with these companies, IMHO. Maybe too much pizza, you know? ;)
I do wonder how the folks over at TBP are doing given the week's events.
I think we will see a shift over at WOTC. I think the window is shifting enough they can feel OK firing people who do doo doo work and focus on making a game that is just a game and not some sort of vanity project of fat purple haired women who think people that look like them can be athletic heroes.
I suppose I care about what WoTC does because I care about the legacy and perception of D&D, and how that will effect my children and the friends they will make as they grow up. The tedium of having to explain esoteric craziness that the average person who might get their kids into D&D literally makes you look crazy because of how crazy WoTC is that its hard to believe without being willing to go into a deep dive.
I care that a bunch of talentless hacks have socialized their ways into positions of influence in the development of D&D and shit all over the men who created D&D, and lie about them in order to make their own game or agenda seem morally superior.
I care that the cultural legacy of D&D is being poisoned by marxists and other demented freaks, and that you can't even mention paul jaquays without revisionists trying to tell you that the literal printed books that say "paul jaquays" should say "jennel jaquays", jennel didn't exist in the 80's, 90's, 00's, and barely existed in the 10's, and now jennel being the "most successful women RPG creator" is definitely taking away credit from a real woman who deserves that title because he just happened to be a very successful person who went crazy in his 50's.
Quote from: oggsmash on November 08, 2024, 12:41:08 PMI do wonder how the folks over at TBP are doing given the week's events.
I think we will see a shift over at WOTC. I think the window is shifting enough they can feel OK firing people who do doo doo work and focus on making a game that is just a game and not some sort of vanity project of fat purple haired women who think people that look like them can be athletic heroes.
Those people are digging really deep, into the "fantasy" genre. Stuff that doesn't even make sense in fantasies.