WotC D&D Historian Ben Riggs says the OGL fiasco was Chris Cocks idea.

[Alzrius]

Yeah, without knowing him personally, I can only think that he's about as good as we can probably get. He's clearly known of D&D for a loooong time, and possibly played it.

Isn't this exactly what everyone said about Chris Cocks? That he was a "lifelong gamer" and "gamer in chief" for whom D&D "inspired [him] to read" and who was still playing at age 48 (when he became Hasbro CEO).

None of which stopped him from overlooking (or not caring) about the damage that trying to revoke the OGL would do to the gaming community. Just because a corporate executive likes to say that they have gaming credentials should not be taken as any sort of reassurance about how they'll manage things.

 

[SlyFlourish]

WOTC has done a lot in the last 18 months or so to improve the larger TTRPG hobby while also strengthening their already substantial position in the industry. Adding other 5e publishers to D&D Beyond strengthens their central digital pillar for the game and most everyone seems to think that's universally a good thing. I worry about it but I seem to be one of the few. We don't know the details of their license agreements with these outside publishers but we know they're not exclusive licenses so that's good.

WOTC also recommitted to releasing a new 5.2 SRD in the Creative Commons at the end of February 2024. That's fantastic. They've partnered with Roll20, Foundry, and Fantasy Grounds to release D&D 2024 rules on all three of those platforms – which could definitely be considered competing platforms to D&D Beyond. That, I think, is great for the hobby. They went through the substantial effort to release the 5.1 SRD into a total of five languages: English, Spanish, Italian, German, and French. They continue to release their major products as books – the most durable and long-lasting format for games. The licenses they use for other 5e publishers on D&D Beyond is a non-exclusive license. They also put out free educator resources, free materials, and special deals to after-school clubs – good for them and good for the hobby.

So I'd say since the end of the OGL fiasco, they've done a lot of great work – some of which can't be turned back should a new administration come into control and decide to pull things back. Releasing the core books physically and releasing the 5.2 SRD into the CC are good Ulysses pacts. Foundry modules are also hard to pull back since you can download them locally and they don't phone-home for continued access.

But lots of people have changed. Kyle Brink isn't there anymore. We have a new WOTC president, John Hight. I don't know much about Jess Lanzillo, the new D&D Vice President. Lots of things can change. Lots of senior-level decisions can change things. For 20 years WOTC seemed fine with the OGL, even reinforcing its use with the 5.1 SRD in 2016. Then, all of a sudden, they didn't like it. Now they like the CC. Who knows what's going on inside to shift these opinions so much.

I think the hobby is stronger now than it's ever been and more resilient to the shifting whims of corporate executives than ever before. I'm really glad things turned out how they did with the SRD going into the CC. I applaud WOTC's recent efforts to expand the hobby beyond their own interests and I hope they continue to do so!

 

[Parmandur]

Isn't this exactly what everyone said about Chris Cocks? That he was a "lifelong gamer" and "gamer in chief" for whom D&D "inspired [him] to read" and who was still playing at age 48 (when he became Hasbro CEO).

None of which stopped him from overlooking (or not caring) about the damage that trying to revoke the OGL would do to the gaming community. Just because a corporate executive likes to say that they have gaming credentials should not be taken as any sort of reassurance about how they'll manage things.

I mean, when has "by gamers, for gamers" ever been any sort of talisman against all mistakes...?

The history of early TSR is enough to to dispell any romance around that idea.

However, at least an actual gamer will care, though the developer experience here is what I find more interesting than just gaming: I think we are entering an era where most executives WotC will hire will have gamed, because it is increasingly normal a Ross generations...but game development experience (dude write a college textbook on game development) along with an MBA and management cred? Interesting.

 

[Alzrius]

I mean, when has "by gamers, for gamers" ever been any sort of talisman against all mistakes...?

The history of early TSR is enough to to dispell any romance around that idea.

And yet the romance seems to be alive and well, given the talking points around Cocks and Hight, even in light of the former's disastrous decision-making regarding the OGL.

However, at least an actual gamer will care, though the developer experience here is what I find more interesting than just gaming: I think we are entering an era where most executives WotC will hire will have gamed, because it is increasingly normal a Ross generations...but game development experience (dude write a college textbook on game development) along with an MBA and management cred? Interesting.

I'm not sure why you're assigning any significance to having an MBA, since Cynthia "under-monetized" Williams had one also, and her tenure at WotC wasn't exactly a glowing one (ditto for "management cred"). Likewise, my understanding is that Hight's book is about video game development, which suggests to me that he's fully on board with plans to increasingly digitalize D&D (something which I think is bad for the game and bad for the hobby as a whole).

 

[Parmandur]

And yet the romance seems to be alive and well, given the talking points around Cocks and Hight, even in light of the former's disastrous decision-making regarding the OGL.

I'm not sure why you're assigning any significance to having an MBA, since Cynthia "under-monetized" Williams had one also, and her tenure at WotC wasn't exactly a glowing one. Likewise, my understanding is that Hight's book is about video game development, which suggests to me that he's fully on board with plans to increasingly digitalize D&D (something which I think is bad for the game and bad for the hobby as a whole).

Nobody without an MBA is going to be hired for a position like this, that's a minimum job requirement: finding someone with the executive job experience and credentials who rose up through game development (and game development is game development, frankly) is very interesting. Moreso than "being a gamer" is.

WotC is a video game publisher: they own 5 software studios, not even counting Magic Arena, Magic Online (which is still going), D&D Beyond or the D&D VTT (Sigil, apparently?). That doesn't mean that the tabletop game is going to suffer.

 

[TiQuinn]

I find this whole “he wrote a book on game development” or “used to be a gamer” to be the hobby equivalent of liking a politician because “you can see yourself having a beer with him.”

 

[Alzrius]

Nobody without an MBA is going to be hired for a position like this, that's a minimum job requirement

Then why did you bother mentioning it in the first place?

finding someone with the executive job experience and credentials who rose up through game development (and game development is game development, frankly)

Quite frankly, it's really not. Tabletop and video games are very different, even when they're of the same genre, and knowing how to develop the latter doesn't mean you understand how to develop for the former.

is very interesting. Moreso than "being a gamer" is.

And yet people keep talking about the latter (hence my previous post about how that meant little).

WotC is a video game publisher: they own 5 software studios, not even counting Magic Arena, Magic Online (which is still going), D&D Beyond or the D&D VTT (Sigil, apparently?). That doesn't mean that the tabletop game is going to suffer.

I think trying to characterize playing Magic online as "video gaming" is seriously stretching the term; even more so for D&D Beyond and its VTT. Which is the problem, since I think that means that D&D's tabletop status will suffer, as I see WotC making sure that its future is designed with digitalization in mind.

 

[Parmandur]

I find this whole “he wrote a book on game development” or “used to be a gamer” to be the hobby equivalent of liking a politician because “you can see yourself having a beer with him.”

So you would prefer politicians you wouldn't want to be near, or for your hobby to be overseen by accountants who are indifferent and unfamiliar...?

 

[Parmandur]

Then why did you bother mentioning it in the first place?

Because of the confluence with the design and project management experience, whi h are significant in this case. Most people with game design experience are not qualified to be President of a company

Quite frankly, it's really not. Tabletop and video games are very different, even when they're of the same genre, and knowing how to develop the latter doesn't mean you understand how to develop for the former.

Special pleading: design and project managament are transferable skills. See also, how many TTRPG designers have transitioned to the video game industry with great success.

I think trying to characterize playing Magic online as "video gaming" is seriously stretching the term; even more so for D&D Beyond and its VTT. Which is the problem, since I think that means that D&D's tabletop status will suffer, as I see WotC making sure that its future is designed with digitalization in mind.

That's why I said "not counting" those: aside entirely from those initiatives, WotC owns five different pure software video game studios. It is a software company, it is what they do.

 

[TiQuinn]

So you would prefer politicians you wouldn't want to be near, or for your hobby to be overseen by accountants who are indifferent and unfamiliar...?

I'd prefer not to pretend that these things matter compared to the actual job that they do.