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What he said.They stopped going to GenCon in 2016 or something like that.
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What he said.They stopped going to GenCon in 2016 or something like that.
I’m not saying they won’t do it, lots of dumb thing are done in the rpg world, but if you are a convention pissing off the largest game doesn’t seem smart.
If folks were doing smart things we wouldn't be here.I’m not saying they won’t do it, lots of dumb thing are done in the rpg world, but if you are a convention pissing off the largest game doesn’t seem smart.
Any idea why the Adventurers' League is not doing DunDraCon this year?hmm, has Gencon weighed in on this yet?
Any idea why the Adventurers' League is not doing DunDraCon this year?
Adventurers League Events
www.dundracon.com
I mean, that would improve 99% of video essays on RPG topics.Last half hour is basically just talking about Paranoia (the RPG)
No, never heard of it
View attachment 54759
(mutter something about a lack historical gaming education on the Pub these days)
DunDraCon - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
I think that might be where Champions was first released.View attachment 54759
(mutter something about a lack historical gaming education on the Pub these days)
DunDraCon - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
I went to GenCon in like 2015. I knew this was going to be an issue. I got a hotel room a bit off the path, but still within walking distance. I deliberately ran a few games but then walked away after those. I strolled the floor and saw some stuff, even bought a great drinking horn. However, I did not socialize much - 2 single meetings with people I had known (one online, one an old childhood friend) and didn’t do any more. It worked, and I would do that again, but I’m pretty loathe to be on the convention bus or spend a lot of time with folks. I tried my own local convention and those people are just too much for me.lol, I have never been to ANY gaming convention in my life. The concept actually kinda horrifies me, I don't even like it when there are too many people in the FLGS at the same time as me.
View attachment 54759
(mutter something about a lack historical gaming education on the Pub these days)
DunDraCon - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
I went to GenCon in like 2015. I knew this was going to be an issue. I got a hotel room a bit off the path, but still within walking distance. I deliberately ran a few games but then walked away after those. I strolled the floor and saw some stuff, even bought a great drinking horn. However, I did not socialize much - 2 single meetings with people I had known (one online, one an old childhood friend) and didn’t do any more. It worked, and I would do that again, but I’m pretty loathe to be on the convention bus or spend a lot of time with folks. I tried my own local convention and those people are just too much for me.
My wife was horrified when she attended her first Fan Expo in Boston with our daughter and I and saw some of the cosplayers.lol, I have never been to ANY gaming convention in my life. The concept actually kinda horrifies me, I don't even like it when there are too many people in the FLGS at the same time as me.
I've been going to conventions for over twenty years, at least once a year, and I was involved with running one for about seven years. I love game conventions. I do agree that going alone is not nearly as fun as going with a group, but you can definitely meet people and have fun playing games with them at a con too.
Right I understand that, I have a friend who can't handle being around that many people at the same time, while their partner ran a game convention. No problem between them over this. Just thought I'd offer a different perspective on itI'm a horribly antisocial person, my personal aversion to cons shouldn't be looked at as a criticism of conventions themselves.
It's very much a "it's not you, it's me" situation.
That's me "now". lol. The guy who would wander into large concert floors with abandon, crowded busy market places in third world countries nowadays is rather uncomfortable in any kinda of crowd. lol So I can now relate. When I see a line someplace I do an about face, and my wife knows I will and won't argue with me.lol, I have never been to ANY gaming convention in my life. The concept actually kinda horrifies me, I don't even like it when there are too many people in the FLGS at the same time as me.
Well, the reason I asked was because I was wondering if it was in any way related to these goings-on. Just seems odd timing to cancel official D&D gaming at a D&D con.Any idea why the Adventurers' League is not doing DunDraCon this year?
Adventurers League Events
www.dundracon.com
New Roll of Law video is good.
Last half hour is basically just talking about Paranoia (the RPG)
I've been going to conventions for over twenty years, at least once a year, and I was involved with running one for about seven years. I love game conventions. I do agree that going alone is not nearly as fun as going with a group, but you can definitely meet people and have fun playing games with them at a con too.
I think it also shows pretty clearly that the Hasbro/WotC suits don't see themselves as part of the same industry or hobby as the rest of the RPG world. They don't want to be present at a convention where there are other games, because that might draw attention to there being other games. It also promotes the whole social and physical thing, and that's not what they want. They want digital connections, people playing on VTTs (eventually just their VTT) and none of this other stuff.
Give the length and speed of this thread, I'm not going to reference any particular post, but in general I would like to point out that Hasbro/WOTC's decisions on all this aren't really an indication of "evil" on anyone's part. The problem is that they are a publicly traded company in a time period when investors want to see ever-increasing quarterly growth. They also have leadership who are used to thinking in terms of video game customers, a lack of understanding of their core market, and some (evidently) really bad advice from lawyers. That combination is pretty much a recipe for disaster. Having to answer to shareholders alone puts them on track to making decisions that don't align with the interests of their customer base.
Their decisions from this point on will be in keeping with that reality. They will do whatever they think will maximize their profits. Nothing more, nothing less. The sudden loss of subscribers to D&D Beyond is the only thing that really gave them pause, because that is a clear statement on how this OGL thing is going to affect their profits. Regardless of where things go from here, they will continue to make decisions based solely on short-term profits, because (with shareholders) they don't really have much of a choice. They may end up making better informed decisions, but any concessions they make about the OGL may be reversed or bypassed at some point in the future if they think that it will help their bottom line. That would be true of any company that is subject to the whims of shareholders. That alone is more than enough reason to move away from the OGL, or any license that is controlled by an individual company.
Several of those “I’ll keep playing D&D” voters have also said “yes I’ll keep playing, but I won’t buy anything from Hasbro again”. Hasbro doesn’t care if you play, they care if you buy. That a poll on “will you keep playing D&D” can be even close to even on Enworld, the D&D site, should be ringing alarm bells for Hasbro.It goes without saying that, rationally, Hasbro's decisions aren't evil in the Putin/PolPot sense. carpocratian is completely right about the profit motive and how that shapes their decision making. But I do think that what they've done (and will probably continue to do) has acted as a lightning rod for people who generally feel totally powerless in a world where power and decision-making has been removed from ordinary people's hands. A good whack of RPG players seem to have taken this as a call to action, myself included. This is something that - through cancelling subs, creating new licenses, writing new games - has created a battlefield where the consumer feels like they can take on the corporation. I'll stop here with my theory of praxis before it gets too political, but you know what I'm driving at. In my black van filled with d20s and fireworks.
Over on en-world the polling stands at around 45% "done with d&d" vs 55% "don't really care I'm a d&d person". Even if that 45% slips down a few notches, I imagine it might represent a worry for Hasbro's bean counters in the short-medium term. Which as we know, is all they care about.
Over on en-world the polling stands at around 45% "done with d&d" vs 55% "don't really care I'm a d&d person". Even if that 45% slips down a few notches, I imagine it might represent a worry for Hasbro's bean counters in the short-medium term. Which as we know, is all they care about.
At the very least, if those numbers remain consistent, they are looking at a division of their customer base not unlike the divide between 4E and Pathfinder (which is one of the things this whole new license was intended to avoid).
The thing about the profit motivation is, it doesn't excuse their behaviour - it doesn't even explain it so much as ignorance, arrogance, stupidity, dishonesty, and grossly underestimating the intelligence of their customers.
It explains the behavior.
What surprises me a little is that all of this surprises anyone.
As I've said, corporations aren't by their nature good or evil so much as amoral.
As I've said, corporations aren't by their nature good or evil so much as amoral. It's society, goverments, regulators and consumers that will drive their actions and what they understand is acceptable to make money.
In many ways WotC actions are a reflection of the fact that the vast majority of rpgers play D&D and are inelastic in their demand for other rpgs.
The best thing that could come out of this isn't people walking away from WotC so much as people understanding the company is not their friend, or fellow gamer or even has the ever so slightest interest in your fun or hobby more than is necessary to sell a product.
It explains the behavior. They were just coming at it from a place of incredible (and avoidable) ignorance. As I said, their lack of understanding of their customer base and the difference between videogames and tabletop rpgs led them to make some very bad decisions that will (ultimately) do the opposite of what they intended. In trying to increase their profits in the short term, they have inadvertently hurt them, both in the short and long terms.
Publicly traded corporations focusing on short-term profits are pretty much a given these days. A lot of that is driven by shareholders who are pushing for unrealistic short-term gains and CEOs focused on pump-and-run tactics (with golden parachutes to protect them). What surprises me a little is that all of this surprises anyone. Once D&D was purchased by a publicly traded company, it was almost inevitable that something would happen that put them at odds with their customer base, and even the rpg community at large. The only people who ever benefit from IPOs or sales of companies to publicly traded ones are the owners and investors. It is never a positive thing for the customers.