-As I think is apparent, I wanted to be critical while simultaneously respectful to other creators. My hope is that some will change their decisions, but I won't be hurt or hold a grudge against anyone, either. The Big Bad is WOTC! -This video got some more hostile comments that say things that, as far as I can tell, are already addressed in the video. I repeat what I say in the video: "We have more in common with each other than any of us does with the suits at Hasbro and WOTC." -I think it's useful to refer to the Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics. KZitemrs are not traditional journalists, but we wield considerable influence (as shown by the positive impact we had during the OGL crisis!) EDIT: As I make clear in the video, my objection to taking deals is limited to Hasbro/WOTC due to its behavior prompting a boycott and that it's an $8 billion dollar corporation. It is in these specific circumstances, where there is more danger of undue influence having negative consequences, that I think the ethics professional journalists follow are a useful guidepost. Taken from: www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp ACT INDEPENDENTLY The highest and primary obligation of ethical journalism is to serve the public. Journalists should: -Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived. Disclose unavoidable conflicts. -Refuse gifts, favors, fees, free travel and special treatment, and avoid political and other outside activities that may compromise integrity or impartiality, or may damage credibility. -Be wary of sources offering information for favors or money; do not pay for access to news. Identify content provided by outside sources, whether paid or not. -Deny favored treatment to advertisers, donors or any other special interests, and resist internal and external pressure to influence coverage. -Distinguish news from advertising and shun hybrids that blur the lines between the two. Prominently label sponsored content.
@valentinrafael9201
2 ай бұрын
KZitemrs are not even close to journalists, nor are they journalist adjacent, and can't be held by those standards. You can have your opinion that they should, but that's your opinion.
@TheRulesLawyerRPG
2 ай бұрын
@@valentinrafael9201Research shows that people, especially young people, rely increasingly on nontraditional journalism to get their information: www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/fewer-people-trust-traditional-media-more-turn-tiktok-news-report-says-2023-06-13/ Saying that influencers don't have to abide by journalist ethical standards is a dangerous position to take. And these standards are so commonsensical -- prioritize the public -- that they shouldn't be controversial.
@welovettrpgs
2 ай бұрын
@@TheRulesLawyerRPG I'm grateful that you referred others to the The SPJ Code of Ethics. I have done the same on multiple occasions with other KZitemrs. It isn't about "being a journalist" it's about being a responsible communicator on any social media platform. Every KZitemr would be well served to respect those standards. Misinformation and gossip ruins lives.
@mattmcguirk4511
2 ай бұрын
@@valentinrafael9201 Traditional journalism, in relation to the gaming sphere, has been on the decline for well over a decade now. And I believe that is true in every medium, not just video games or tabletop games, but tourism, vehicles, sports, etc etc; people are much more likely to get an opinion and share it on a platform such as KZitem over any other medium. So I find the idea that "KZitemrs aren't journalists," you're basically giving KZitemrs who give biased opinions to an audience of 100, 1000, or 1 million people is grossly ignorant and a dangerous precedent to set for the hobby for years to come. Don't give KZitemrs, or WotC, or anything like that an easy out. You should want what's best for the consumer, and this video is exactly what's best for the consumer in terms of journalistic integrity. That's my 2 cents. But I also spent almost 15 years listening to TotalBiscuit and his war against the gaming industry..
@MrFinnyous
2 ай бұрын
@@TheRulesLawyerRPG Can you show me which influencer it is that you're concerned about, who doesn't say up front if their video was sponsored by WOTC? Can you give even one example? If your argument is that no content creators should ever take sponsored money whatsoever, why are you signaling out ones who take sponsorships from WOTC?
@Rage_Templar
2 ай бұрын
"We can not trust Wizards" Glad we can agree. The union approves of this statement.
@hi123452008
2 ай бұрын
As a wizard player, I agree. Trusting wizards is a terrible idea. Especially those living near the shore.
@Feu_Ghost
2 ай бұрын
Wizard, when they live on the shore, have a real tendancy to send thug to whohever critique their action, a real bane
@Subject_Keter
2 ай бұрын
Never go to a Wizard when you can go to a Thaumaturge. Sure the Thaumaturge may be unleashing Hell, Infectious Biomass or trying to shove magic into computers but they aint going to suck your soul out for a crummy book. Also Thaumaturges usually make better stuff.. cuz they research. 😂
@Ghost.in.the.Machine
2 ай бұрын
A sad fate for a company I once admired. (Transparency: I am only 3-4 degrees of separation from the people who made the first few versions or MtG, a game I used to enjoy) I don't begrudge companies looking to be financially solvent and creators wanting to make a decent wage for their work, but WotC went beyond that and fell to the dark side of capitalism. I would blame Hasbro, but I have little evidence regarding whether the fall led to the sale or the sale led to the fall. Either way I do my best to keep a single dollar of mine from going to them. EDIT: Checked some facts, Hasbro acquired WotC the year before the release of D&D 3.0 and the OGL, which makes it pretty likely the the rot came from Hasbro.
@indiana47
2 ай бұрын
"We did not use AI art" "We will not use AI art going forward" "Okay for real this time" "Oops, it was an accident this 3rd time, but we promise no more"
@SlinkyTWF
2 ай бұрын
We cancelled distribution and 3E development of our OGL-adjacent Pangenre RPG system largely because of that WotC power-grab. You're correct: the effect of that corporate mess was seismic.
@TheRulesLawyerRPG
2 ай бұрын
Wow, that's crappy. Sorry that happened
@aralornwolf3140
2 ай бұрын
As I said at the time, WotC didn't understand what the OGL was. The senior management thought it was no different that any other license which permitted people to use their copyrighted material. It wasn't. What WotC did wasn't _just_ an attack on D&D's 3rd parties, it was an attack on the RPG community itself. You're wise to cancel the work, until you are sure you can proceed without being sued if WotC's future management decides to make the same error. P.s. What system are you talking about?
@SlinkyTWF
2 ай бұрын
@@aralornwolf3140 Pangenre RPG System. We published two editions between 2010 and 2015. It was a universal system primarily designed to support modern, SF, and historical (or fantasy versions of those), but it could also do FRP and other genres. It used the mechanics from the 3.5x OGL/SRD, but with a completely redesigned, skill-based character system. Since we shut down the company and ceased e-distribution, I've developed health-related vision issues and am unlikely to be able to update our SF-campaign-focused, beta 3rd edition any further, so it's currently in stasis and is likely to remain there. It was a bit crunchy, but the 3rd ed would have reduced the overall complexity. Thank you for your comment.
@SlinkyTWF
2 ай бұрын
@@TheRulesLawyerRPG It wasn't the only reason we decided to surrender, but it was the final nail. If not for WotC's behavior, we might have continued to work on an updated edition, but that mess effectively killed it.
@Oneydjak
2 ай бұрын
Don’t forget that Wizards/Hasbro laid off the team literally writing these rules 6 months ago, just weeks before Christmas! They’ve shown time and again that they only care about your dollar, and if thats the only thing they care about, then that’s what they least deserve!
@20storiesunder
2 ай бұрын
I don't believe many writers were let go, from what I remember it was production and a few artists.
@TheRulesLawyerRPG
2 ай бұрын
@@20storiesunderThey layoffs definitely hit designers as well, for both D&D and MtG. Here's a link: www.dicebreaker.com/companies/hasbro/news/hasbro-layoffs-hit-dungeons-and-dragons-magic-the-gathering-designers-artist-producers
@badmojo0777
2 ай бұрын
Just like any other corporation lol the toy division was losing their ass and lay offs happen becuz if that. Don't boycott the game and complain about layoffs lol
@collin4555
2 ай бұрын
@@badmojo0777 WotC, the one profitable division of Hasbro, was not the cause of the layoffs, and by extension neither was any boycott of either of their major properties.
@thedruski85
2 ай бұрын
@badmojo0777 See, now, you're so close to the point. What you're having trouble saying is that you should be boycotting most companies if this is how they act.
@Subject_Keter
2 ай бұрын
I love how these companies forget... paper and pencils made their rules and can make new rules. 😂
@almisami
2 ай бұрын
It's just a shame that the main competitor, Pathfinder, is too crunchy for my ADHD-addled group.
@fredfullthedreadful
2 ай бұрын
@@almisamiMaybe you should try Fabula Ultima? It’s a simple rpg based on the Final Fabtasy games and other classic jrpgs
@GutisFive
2 ай бұрын
@@almisami I've never played it so take it with a grain of salt, but i heard Shadowdark is a lighter rule system if you want to give it a try
@tabletopbro
2 ай бұрын
@@almisamiplay Dungeon World! Or Castles and Crusades! Or OSE! Or shadowdark like the other person said!
@MalzraAirwynn
2 ай бұрын
The whole 'playing 5E puts you in a minority where you're being brave and people stigmatize you for it' thing while being the market leader by a massive margin and the overwhelming majority sadly reminds me of some similar attitudes people have on things less trivial than gaming hobbies. Some people really like trying to play the victim even when the deck is stacked in their favor.
@estebanrodriguez5409
2 ай бұрын
Yes, this tactic is used in many other places... look at religion
@daniellemurnett2534
2 ай бұрын
That was my first thought as well. Truly a travesty for the christian cisgender heterosexual allo allistic able white men of the world that Those Other People get to kind of almost exist for an entire month. They're not even allowed to play Dungeons and Dragons anymore because of the Pathfinding mafia!
@amelialonelyfart8848
2 ай бұрын
@@estebanrodriguez5409 I mean I don't want to start anything, but I have been, and seen countless innocent people be, needlessly harassed by a very vocal minority of atheist's or people of other religious groups. I really don't think you can compare toxic fans of a game to hateful bigots in the same breath aside from similar tactics employed.
@christianlangdon3766
2 ай бұрын
@amelialonelyfart8848 I mean the method is effective at what it does. The fact it can happen with the actual minority doesn't mean it isn't just as flawed when it is done there.
@agilemind6241
2 ай бұрын
@@amelialonelyfart8848 I don't understand your argument here. People feeling "perscuted" because one or two people were mean to them about one of their lifestyle choices are extremely analogous, whether that is a dominant religious group whining that a few people angrily disagree with them, or a dominant ethnic group whining that a few people angrily disagree with them, are less justifiable than people playing the most popular version of a slightly unusual hobby feeling excluded because the "normal people" (that imaginary concept that doesn't actually exist) look down on them for their choice of hobby.
@maorofl4366
2 ай бұрын
Wizerds can't be trusted we moved to pathfinder
@FlareBinar
2 ай бұрын
One of the main reasons I don't enjoy 5e is because of how much work it puts on me as a DM. Usually, in other systems, I just have to worry about the things I actually really enjoy. Dungeon design, encounter design, world design, and story design. 5e has rules so vague that I've had players try to start fights over how to rule them! I don't want to throw game design and play testing onto my already very full plate as a DM! I want clear, well-written rules that can be read at face value, so I can more easily shut down rules lawyers who want to bend the rules in their favor. 5e has too many rules that people can really argue about, just look at the vague (and optional) rules about horseback combat in 5e compared to D&D3.5e's and PF2e's well-written and very clear rules on the matter.
@mcmcmc4219
2 ай бұрын
I've been playing and DMing since 1980. The work has always rested with the DM.
@alexabel8010
2 ай бұрын
Have you looked at this new DC20 project?
@Kirinboy39
2 ай бұрын
@@mcmcmc4219 while that's the case it certainly doesn't hurt to offer DMs more tools to run the session, which is 5e's weakness. Reading 5E's DM guide was a real doozy for me because of the structure and content, which honestly doesn't help a DM to design and resolve issues along play.
@FlareBinar
2 ай бұрын
@@mcmcmc4219 Except it literally hasn't. 3.5e has complete, direct, and very clear language in its horseback combat rules. In 5e it's not even clear if controlling your mount is an action or not. I'm not a game designer. I don't want to use my players as play testers. Older systems do not have the huge gaps in the rules that 5e has, unless it's an entire system I want in my game that doesn't already exist. Putting the work of game design and play testing on the DMs is an awful idea because it means your game is incomplete. I'm all in on doing the rulings, the world, the story, the encounters. I'm not a game designer, I don't trust myself to make new rules and have them be well-balanced. My players do not want to be play testers. They don't trust me to make well-balanced rules entirely on the fly. Having these rules already exist, already tested by wiling play testers, saves me an actual ton of time in the lead-up to a campaign.
@craigofinspiration
2 ай бұрын
@@FlareBinar the horse has its own initiative so it has its own actions, it says so in the book
@quezbt6220
2 ай бұрын
I love all the people getting mad at you for talking about Wizards whilst boycotting them and I'm just imagining them trying to apply that to other boycotts in history. Like- "Today the Bus Line laid off half of their drivers due to lack of income from our boyc-" "WHY ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THIS? YOU'RE BOYCOTTING THEM!"
@Subject_Keter
Ай бұрын
Imo they are the dredge if you complain about that. You form a Boycott if you get people to be aware and stop buying their stuff. You need to spread it or.. it doesnt work. 😂
@harrisc1977
2 ай бұрын
I lost faith with WOTC back before 4th edition. They pulled all previously paid for PDFs off of Drive thru RPG. Mind you they eventually returned them after all the outcry that eventually lead to 5e. I realized who they were by their actions back then, and last year’s bad actions only further strengthened my views against them. D&D is not the only TTRPG out there, and in my opinion it is definitely not the best, and it is most definitely not a great choice for a “every game system”. I have always said that folks should play more games, and with the apparent increased popularity with other systems like dagger heart, MCDM, or DC20 I’m happy that many people are at least willing to branch out into other systems. My favorite game is pathfinder, but that does not prevent me from trying new games. Just because I love me some pizza, it doesn’t mean that I am going to eat it every single day of my life. Keep on banging on that drum to promote pathfinder, as long as it still speaks to you. And I will keep on watching them. (Also stay dry and interesting, I particularly love it!)
@yarnevk
2 ай бұрын
I lost faith when their forever server for 4e compendium (the D&D Beyond of that version) became "well M$ is killing Silverlight and we do not know anyone that can port to another web language and besides everyone loves 5e and already switched" so they shut it down. Since 4e was written with monthly errata and modular systems - much like PF2e it is best played with an online database. Legally no VTT is allowed to have it, so the only legal way to play is the PDF reprints they sell online. They happily milk old editions with PDF so they absolutely could produce PDF for 5e but they instead want those monthly D&DB subs so they do not.
@luckymikemadziar
2 ай бұрын
Well said!
@harrisc1977
2 ай бұрын
@@yarnevk yeah. One more reason I switched to Pathfinder 1e was the fact that instead of demonizing PDFs and digital copies of ownership, they instead embraced them. Made them part of their subscriptions from day one of Rise of the Runelord. WOTC does not want you to own digital content, they want to lease it out to you. And yes! You make an excellent point, they are perfectly happy to get additional revenue from older editions though. Just with all of their behavior I honestly don’t know why people are continually supporting them?
@LordRenegrade
2 ай бұрын
@@yarnevk - wait, they used Silverlight? Disgusting. Microsoft: What's the worst thing on the web? Flash? Okay, let's make it even worse!
@marioaf27
2 ай бұрын
I know you know this, but remember most times people commenting are the minority, the "yeah, makes sense" viewers (me!) aren't as emotionally invested to say so. Also, and I found this very curious, a friend messaged me to chat about the existence of your video he had decided not to watch because he would get angry. He had assumed the content from the title and description and started complaining to me about you haha. After a while he did end up watching it and understood where you were coming from.
@blackbeing7864
2 ай бұрын
And now i need to decide what take is funnier: "You can't criticize what you are boycotting" or "You can't cover other TTRPG-systems if you already taken PF2".
@hypotheticalhippo2327
2 ай бұрын
33:15 This dude literally became the a-hole in that one comic: "We should improve society somewhat." "Yet you participate in society. Curious! I am very intelligent."
@aralornwolf3140
2 ай бұрын
"Curious I want to improve the society I live in. I'm a big dummy!"
@lotrotk375
2 ай бұрын
I finally was able to host the Pathfinder 2e Beginner Box to some folks who normally only play d&d5e! They were interested for more. I may do more in the future
@alexabel8010
2 ай бұрын
I don't mean to evangelise but I'd keep an eye on the DC20 RPG. Playing it feels so fun!
@amiablereaper
2 ай бұрын
Yeah we're finishing the Beginner Box this weekend, then moving on to Outlaws of Alkenstar! PF2 is just such a well-polished system, and the world building and pushlished adventures are so well thought out and refined.
@tubebubereboot6873
2 ай бұрын
@@amiablereaper Plus, or maybe this is just a plus to me, the PF2 adventure paths are generally hard. It's totally possible to have a TPK, depending on the make up of the party, how they approach combat, and even how the dice fall, assuming the GM doesn't throw extra easier combat encounters to help them level up faster. Ran as written the characters are strong, yes, but so are the enemies and hazards they encounter at each level. There's a very clear eye towards balance and challenge that's often completely lacking or disregarded in D&D published adventures. Nothing is perfect, but in comparison there's a lot more focus on trying to keep things exciting and interesting. Some may hate that about PF2 adventures though, especially those who are wanting more of a power fantasy.
@joshuachapman247
2 ай бұрын
I agree, your critique is valid. From a consumer perspective I have never a video game or a ttrpg update/dlc take away content such an entire class the or subclasses and hide it behind future content/dlc/books. Why would I use this new system if I am going to lose soo much and have to pay for things I already have? This is not a new edition it is an update.
@zTom_
2 ай бұрын
Yes, it's never been supposed to be 6e but an update to 5e that refreshes things & streamlines the game? It's to integrate the good elements that were created between the 2014 PHB and in books like Tasha's, fix issues/improve unsatisfactory game elements so that newcomers have a better book to start playing with, on top of adding some new stuff so existing players have things to get excited about. :) The fact that it's the 50 year anniversary is a big reason for the new releases.
@ShanWolf
2 ай бұрын
Imagine trying to clap at a Lawyer, and missing so fuckin hard. fuckin LOLz.
@merlumina
2 ай бұрын
I can understand why some 5e defenders feel like they are in the minority if they spend so much time in spaces where all this discourse is happening. They probably need to step outside of their usual spaces a bit to see that not everyone is engaging in these discussions - hell, not everyone even knows that they are happening. RPG fans aren’t a monolith, even D&D fans aren’t a monolith. D&D’s brand recognition is so strong (as you say, it’s the default first system for most people) that you can enjoy it in lots of ways and might not hear about the most up to date news and controversies.
@jonathanmarth6426
2 ай бұрын
Whenever I've been talking to people just getting into TTRPGs they were always just talking about DnD as their entrypoint. And unless they happened to be Magic players, they were entirely unaware of any WotC controversies.
@AdamX222
2 ай бұрын
That last comment there just boggles my mind, like, "preventing rpg creators from eating"? Yeah, gosh darn, I hate it when those big mean KZitemrs bully local small indie company *Wizards of the Freaking Coast.* They'll definitely go bankrupt and all lose their jobs and D&D will burn to the ground because of *your* criticism, Ronald. And definitely not because Hasbro decides they need to do another round of mass layoffs to cut costs. (/sarcasm)
@LMondoux
2 ай бұрын
"You are the kind of person I want to piss off." That's quite a reply. 😂
@benjaminjane93
2 ай бұрын
I play with my RPG group a third party book named “Adventures in Rokugan” that uses the 5th edition ruleset but set the game in the world of Legend of the Five Rings. We’ve been playing for like a year and enjoy it a lot. And I will never spend money on a Hasbro product again.
@martinjrgensen8234
2 ай бұрын
You should try Edge studios L5R game. It is a very, very good system that captures the world a lot better than 5e reskinned
@HandlesAreStupid2024
2 ай бұрын
You guys should try the FFG version, it's less... fantastical (unless that's what you enjoy) and more Bushido.
@benjaminjane93
2 ай бұрын
@@HandlesAreStupid2024 I've made the argument, and I have like all the pdf's. But my group is mostly friends I've played with for years, and who are super adverse towards testing anything that isn't d20 related.
@03dashk64
2 ай бұрын
Even better, check out the 4th edition of L5R. Or, back to the roots and get 1st. 1st and 4th are by far the best, then FFG, 2nd, and 3rd…with any of the d20 conversions taking a very distant last place.
@willshea2460
2 ай бұрын
IMO Dungeons & Dragons has now become the fast food of table top role-playing games.
@lunasophia9002
2 ай бұрын
Always has been. The design is rarely anything noteworthy. Being first isn't the same as being the best, or even good.
@Subject_Keter
2 ай бұрын
It basically 40k, the kinda thing the people who play it hate but are mind shackled along to play with it. Only some get the idea.. to play something else or change it up. This one guy i talked to was like "BuT tHeY aRe AgReEd To RuLeS!"... that doesnt mean jack smack considering in dnd and 40k you can run into easy "wtf" moments.
@LightningRaven42
2 ай бұрын
I think we can akin them more to Apple. It has a cult-like following that worship their brand choice and will come up with any argument or excuse, no matter how flimsy, in order to justify their life-style brand. They will also attack any critique made against the product as it it's a personal attack. Another similarity is that the product itself is incredibly inferior to everything else on the market and survives recognition and fanboys alone.
@SquidasaurusRex
2 ай бұрын
It's the Kleenex of the TTRPG world too. When someone asks me about my hobby the easiest thing to say is 'D&D'. Trying to explain something less ubiquitous like Pathfinder, or Lancer, or Shadowrun; generally ends up with some sort of comparison back to 'D&D'. My table and I, playing PF2e since near initial release and converting entirely to Paizo/PF2e products, still occasionally say things casually like 'D&D Night' out of habit.
@kanaric
2 ай бұрын
@@lunasophia9002 The game used to have a focus on things that people who play TTRPGs enjoyed. And they used to produce content more than half assed modules every so often. Like look at Spelljammer in the 90s vs the version that was released now. Huge difference.
@alderinjan
2 ай бұрын
My boycott of WotC goes way way back due to Mtg bs. The OGL scandal sealed the deal even tighter.
@willchurch8376
2 ай бұрын
...uh, 'which' MtG bs? There's been too many to count even back when I was a player in 1999.
@ColdNapalm42
2 ай бұрын
For me, the OGL was the start...the seal was the Pinkertons.
@LordRenegrade
2 ай бұрын
Friendly reminder: WotC has two OGL scandals. The first was when 4e released with the restrictive "GSL" license, and was one of the (many) contributing factors to 4e's failure. The second one with 5e is really just GSL 2: Electric Boogaloo.
@MrEzioCraft360
2 ай бұрын
15:30 oh, they actually mention this. It is true, you can have old characters and new character on the same table, kinda unbalancely so, of course, but they did point out that if you wanna use old rules for a new campaign, it HAS to be all the way. if you're using old feats, you gotta use old classes, old background and old races as well. if you're using a new class, it's gotta be with the new feats and new backgrounds. you can't mix and match a frankenstein of a character sheet from old and new stuff. I mean, you can, but they're not making the new changes with that in mind, you do you at your own table
@TheRulesLawyerRPG
2 ай бұрын
Where is a source for this statement? I scoured the internet for one. The ones I did find were people applying reasonable restrictions on their own initiative to WOTC's rather laissez-faire attitude about it. It might be the community thinks something is a rule when it isn't (wouldn't be the first time). Crawford in last week's video said "character options" in 2014 can be used in a 2024 game, contrasting those to "baseline rules." He didn't say 2014 classes must use only 2014 options, and vice versa (in that video at least). And I couldn't find a statement from the D&D team to like effect elsewhere, either. They've also confirmed that you can use 2014 subclasses with 2024 classes. There are unexpected synergies there just alone. And is Silvery Barbs unavailable to 2024 characters because it's from the previous edition? I'm guessing they haven't drawn a clear line against that, either.
@MrEzioCraft360
2 ай бұрын
@@TheRulesLawyerRPG I don't really remember the source exactly, there have been many videos haha. I'll look for it though, and tell ya if I find it. But I surely heard it on one of their videos, idk if the one about the barbarian or something
@MrEzioCraft360
2 ай бұрын
@@TheRulesLawyerRPG Found it! In the "Everything you need to know" about the 2024 Player's handbook, on the dnd channel, at 33:00 they explain it. Basically, they say that when you decide to use anything from the book in your game, the book "activates", thus replacing anything you wanted to use from the 2014 version. Hope it helps!
@TheRulesLawyerRPG
2 ай бұрын
@@MrEzioCraft360thanks for that. I actually produced a next video developing my critique, and I was aware of that exact clip. The next 90 seconds I think clarifies his actual intention, which is to say only the baseline rules trump the old ones, and that character options can live side by side.
@marianpetera8436
2 ай бұрын
That very statement about backwards compatibility they originally made was a display of lack of care and/or a lie for marketing purposes. 1. Display of lack of care: you cannot have full backwards compatibility and want to address & improve the biggest weaknesses of the game. Many of the broken aspects of the game were present from the start (bonus actions, CR, the hiding / obscurement / invisibility fiasco, and many more), never tested, or poorly implemented, and they aged like fine milk. You cannot have both genuine improvement and backwards compatibility, it's one or the other. 2. Marketing move: that one is pretty simple (and obvious lie, in retrospect). If WotC announced the new product as a new edition, sales of 5e and related books would grind to a halt, as everybody would be waiting and hyped to wait for the new stuff. That's why they muddied the waters as hard and long as they could, and fed customers this BS about "don't worry, you can still use the old rulebooks at 100%" in order to keep sales up. And that statement came even before things got real ugly with OGL...
@ansambel3170
2 ай бұрын
when you start an online arguement and the other guy is a lawyer :)
@nickglover
2 ай бұрын
Came here to say the same thing. Both my siblings are lawyers, I know better than that.
@aralornwolf3140
2 ай бұрын
There are other Lawyers in the RPG YT sphere.
@gurmyigoll3535
2 ай бұрын
Iilluminaughtii, take notes.
@aralornwolf3140
2 ай бұрын
@@gurmyigoll3535, She won't.... she's a horrible, horrible person. Almost as bad as that other person from that bomber guy's video.
@josephpurdy8390
2 ай бұрын
The abomination known as copyright law.
@BladeHobo
2 ай бұрын
I wish the MtG community would be more willing to also boycott or otherwise abandon WotC. Frankly, the intentions they have for DnD have already been implemented in MtG and everyone hates it...and just puts up with it?
@draxxusk1131
Ай бұрын
That's why I play yugioh. MTG just got out of hand
@cernunnos_lives
Ай бұрын
Yep. I boycott them beginning OGL. Even started Pathfinder. I don't know what more abuse MtG crowd will take.
@LordRenegrade
2 ай бұрын
"WotC has gotten better"? What the frick? That's unhinged. WotC is getting worse!
@PokeNaru29
2 ай бұрын
They completely gave the rules to the customers, have been more communicative, and are actively working with creators to help build their business. Even the ones creating whole different systems. Most of the bad that’s come since has been from hasbro at the top. The layoffs being the main example.
@jonathanmarth6426
2 ай бұрын
@@PokeNaru29 And WotC are entirely beholden to Hasbro. There is no such thing as WotC without Hasbro. There are a lot of amazing and passionate people working at WotC but WotC itself is a corporate thrall of Hasbro and can't ever be trusted. Just look at MTG.
@PokeNaru29
2 ай бұрын
@@jonathanmarth6426 You can hate them and say all you want, but wotc has more than made up for the ogl situation. They quite literally gave the game to the people and are actively working with the community.
@jonathanmarth6426
2 ай бұрын
@@PokeNaru29 I take it you're not a Magic: The Gathering player. DnD is half of what Wizards does and even there "giving the game to the people" was a calculated PR move that sought to drastically swing public perception back in their favour after they nearly managed to become persona non grata (since we all know corporations are people) of the TTRPG scene. I'll readily admit that I'm not too big on DnD. I'm currently running a DnD campaign but it's likely going to be the final one. As a DM I find DnD doesn't give me what I want out of a system and as a player I find the mechanics of building a character ungratifying.
@LordRenegrade
2 ай бұрын
@@PokeNaru29 - FACT CHECK: They did not "gave the rules to the customers", they licensed a TINY percentage of the rules under Creative Commons. And then the backed out of putting pre-5e systems into CC as they promised (remember, 'by the end of 2023'? well, 2023 ended). And this was all because of a truly massive backlash to the OGL scandal. Oh oops, it's not "the OGL scandal" but rather "the SECOND OGL scandal". Nobody seems to remember when they pulled this frickery off with D&D 4e's abysmal "GSL" license. Gee, I wonder what happened with Larian Studios? Gee, I wonder if they still have the Pinkertons contract? How's that "monetize the players more" thing going? Wow, I'm so glad this leopard managed to get rid of all those unsightly spots.
@Anto98molongui
2 ай бұрын
Man, bootlickers make me so tired. Sorry that you have to deal with this kind of people, hopefully they mature and realize nobody wins if we give a free pass to WOTC to do whatever they want. Banger video as always
@merrlin222
2 ай бұрын
I can't bring myself to DM 5.5, but my players dont want to transition to anything else. Thanks for these videos
@quinnenstrom4808
2 ай бұрын
Have you considered tales of the valiant? It is designed to be a successor to 5e kind of like what pf1 was to dnd 3.5. Overall it looks really promising and there is a decent sized SRD for it so people can try it out for free Edit: I hadn’t reached the part of the video where he talked about it lol
@LucasRibeiro-po4pb
2 ай бұрын
You can try extra one shots with other systems just for fun. People ar egenerally resistant to change except i ncase of necessity. Letting them play without "sacrificing" the main thing may let them taste other options and overcome the initial inertia.
@lunasophia9002
2 ай бұрын
@@LucasRibeiro-po4pb The problem isn't rules, the problem is brand loyalty.
@007ohboy
2 ай бұрын
Haha! 😂😅 It's almost as if people like DnD more than any other TTRPG and don't want to play small knockoffs. You have a problem with capitalism, not WOTC.
@ColdNapalm42
2 ай бұрын
Tell them if they are going to be so insistent on playing a system you have no interest in running, one of them can run it instead. This is a game that is supposed to be fun for everyone...that includes the GM. Unless they are paying you.
@GladeRiven
2 ай бұрын
I have Lvl Up A5e, I have Tales of the Valiant, either works as a solid alternative base to 5e for Iron Kingdoms - which is the only reason I would play something 5e adjacent. Otherwise, I've got so, so much Pathfinder 2 stuff. And Starfinder. And soon Starfinder 2. As a 3e "grognard," none of WotC's Nostalgia Bait is all that effective on me. WotC just isn't making a product that I want.
@lunasophia9002
2 ай бұрын
Same re being a 3e nerd but as I play more PF 2, 3e has lost all its appeal.
@MaindexOmega
2 ай бұрын
i love lvl up a5e
@willchurch8376
2 ай бұрын
@@MaindexOmega Same. Honestly, wish that Tales of the Valiant had picked up more of the unique aspects of that engine.
@GladeRiven
2 ай бұрын
@@lunasophia9002 I miss being able to mix-and-match all the crazy d20 stuff from 3e. There is enough 3rd party stuff that it can be done in 5e, but 5e just isn't as good. Starfinder 2 being PF2 compatible will be nice.
@Not_Here_To_Make_Friends
2 ай бұрын
3e is NOT "grognard" era, that's why the nostalgia bait isn't working on you. It's not for you, it's for 1 and 2e players.
@kendrajade6688
2 ай бұрын
Sadly I cannot join the boycott because I am simply a lost customer; my purchasing power can't be used as a threat because it is not coming back to WOTC.
@TheRulesLawyerRPG
2 ай бұрын
You are still part of the boycott. Just because you started earlier doesn't mean you aren't! And there's always spreading the word.
@lunasophia9002
2 ай бұрын
You're right, your *individual* purchase power won't make a difference, but *collectively* all of our purchasing power will make a difference. That's how collective action works :D
@Subject_Keter
2 ай бұрын
Everyone not buying or liking their crap is a Boycotter. 😂 No grand front in any kind "war" stands for long but stoking embers and forcing them back is how we win.
@bl00dywelld0ne
2 ай бұрын
Same. Switched to pf2e during the great OGL crisis of 2023 and haven't looked back.
@kendrajade6688
2 ай бұрын
@@TheRulesLawyerRPG That is fair. Plus I did convert those three powers through the power of "I'm the GM and I wanna play PF2E"
@timjohnson2533
2 ай бұрын
I admittedly welcome the critique videos. While I don't always agree with some points Ronald makes, I can see his points and think they're well thought out. A lot of the backlash seems to be player's of D&D taking it personally that their game could ever be criticized, and thus, their choices are wrong. It's unfortunate, but I've seen this in the video game industry too. People are quick to champion the thing they like from any criticism :/ I never sugar coat the fact that 5e's support of DM's is probably the worst in the game's long history. And I have extensively played every edition up to it. I was a life-long D&D DM, only GMing other systems briefly here and there along the way. I get a lot of pushback about how 'The old games relied on DM fiat just as much as the current edition' and while in some cases that is true, those older systems didn't have the obtuse COMPLEXITY that 5e has. Fifth Edition is NOT a simple game to run. Earlier editions were simply because the expectations of play were different. You are expecting grittier, more deadly combats with fewer resources and resource tracking in first or OD&D editions, but the actual character complexity was simple enough to just come up with rulings for on the fly. Fifth edition is a wholly different game with the weird baggage of it's predecessors stuck onto it. I didn't have to keep track of feats, I didn't have to keep track of reactions and bonus actions, I didn't have to keep track of rounds and rounds of "Oh, and I (do ability) and (grant ability) to Bill's character, and use my (ability dice to do ability), But does that give me advantage on top of the guidance?" While you were given a lot of leeway in the older systems, the guidance you got was either very good, or could easily be handwaved away without parts of the game shattering (Having to remind players that Silvery Barbs and Message and Teleport spells are not allowed at my table, for instance, which can screw up some higher level encounters in the case of teleport and make players feel less powerful in one case). If I needed to know what a staff of fire cost to make in 3e, for example, it damn well broke it down to the SILVER in what you needed to craft the item. 5e's design decision to 'make magic feel more rare by not giving rules to craft it' is a fallacy. I've never been at a table (I've been to many) that had the 'magic shops on every corner' problem as the designers claimed. The videos so far have barely mentioned anything DM related. Now, I will give them a bit of a pass here: These videos are focused on the release of the PHB. That's entirely fair. And perhaps when the DMG is closer to release, they will go over that in more detail. But the video about the overview of the 3 books made it clear that they only nominally gave a bit of a head-nod to DM's. They mentioned a crafting system.. and gave zero examples of it. They mentioned that high level enemies have been re-balanced.. and showed a CR1 creature. They off-handedly noted that they shoved NPC/Monster creation into a junk-drawer section of their DMG, when those two things needed the most work to fix. While I'll never buy their products again, I do hope that they actually give some concrete support to DM's this time around. It was such a nightmare keeping up with broken player-specs and multi-classing nonsense in the 2014 version. I started out liking 5e. I stopped when the quality of the released content started to struggle hard, and for me that was when Tasha's Cauldron was released. But after seeing the attitude WoTC has towards artists, creators, their customers and even their own staff, I'll be damned if I ever put another penny into that company. I don't attack anyone for loving the game they want to play. I don't think dunking on D&D players is the right path, but I'll gladly take Hasbro, WoTC and it's leaders to task on how utterly incompetent they are, and how out of touch with humanity they choose to be. I hope people continue to play the game they love to play. But please stop championing corporations. Those corporations sure as hell wouldn't stand up for you, and would sooner drown you for a Nickle of stock increase than look at you.
@20catsRPG
2 ай бұрын
Two points: 1. I’m shocked to see some people still think WotC are good guys. I bet these people also think Disney is good for Star Wars? 2. The new version is a cash grab. WotC soaked the class power up to force players to buy the new version. And they’re keeping the new DM guide a secret because I bet you just rehashes the same old indifferent terms but brings nothing new to solve the many problems a DM faces. Mark my words.
@HappyGoldfis
2 ай бұрын
I am beyond sick of people "not being political" ! I loved the clear political opinions expressed in this video. It was a refreshing breath of fresh air. I want to know what you think, what your changes to thenworld looks like.i want to know your perspective, zs much as i can. And i do! Love the videos, love the clear distinction of product and producer. Love your newer videos giving more of YOU into them as opposed to just being what you see in the rules. Truly the moistest thing of all was the communist we met along the way :)
@MalzraAirwynn
2 ай бұрын
I guess in a sense I'm kind of lucky on this in that by the time the OGL stuff happened I was already kind of dun running D&D 5E and was looking into other systems. Whether or not Hasbro improves the system with the new version or actually addresses concerns doesn't really affect me because I'm off delving into PF2E, Fabula Ultima, Sentinel Comics, Subversion and other systems with little desire to go back to D&D right now despite whatever improvements are or are not coming on the game and business sides of things.
@Zedrinbot
2 ай бұрын
There always will be a lot of discussion on WotC's practices, and that's always going on in the back of my mind, but not all discussions have to include that (e.g., just talking about what's changed with friends). I've still maintained my boycott ever since the OGL debacle (and had stopped playing 5e before then) though I have no judgment of people who still play 5e or want to swap to 5.5 or are excited for it. I'm interested in seeing what 5.5 does differently as well, just from a game design perspective, even though I don't plan to play it, cause I think it's useful game design information. However, I legit have to hesitate a bit when someone's doing a review or preview of 5.5 when they've been paid to do so by WotC. And these are creators I've watched for a while and trust, but it's harder to believe they'll be as objective when money is on the table like that; and there also aren't a lot of ways to actually learn about what's new outside of these sponsored videos. And it's not like I wanna see purely spiteful and negative takedowns either. (It's important for me to know why a change or choice is made as well and what the intent is, regardless of if I'm a fan of it.)
@saltsterferda5570
2 ай бұрын
Thank you Ronald for voicing this for others to see, ive been really disappointed seeing some of my favorite content creators(some of which youve worked with in the past) take these sponsors and crumby little sneak peaks. I totally understand their need to make an income and such, but i think the nuisance you provided in that area is pretty sufficient, id even be a little happier if they just said a little off hand comment to show they're still awake back there😅
@Stephen-Fox
2 ай бұрын
I definitely recently saw a thumbnail that sounds like what you describe at 5:30 or so. All I could think when seeing the thumbnail was "That was always allowed" - I think everyone should be playing at least a little bit widely (And am in a TTRPG book club to help facilitate myself playing wider, and am up to 10 different systems played this year, 8 of which were systems I'd never played before, but I wouldn't say everyone should be playing as widely as I currently am, though only 4 of those are thanks to that book club), even if you mostly play one system you can still learn things about running games that are broadly applicable from occasionally playing systems you're not currently familiar with, but if someone's favourite system is 5e and they want to keep playing it despite WotC, whatever works for them and their group. Though it also reminded me that there's a subset of 5e monosystem players who seem to consider entirely neutral statements such as "I don't think 5e is a good system for that campaign concept" to be an attack on 5e and, even weirder, them for playing it. Like, yeah, I'm going to spend the week or two (tops - Most systems are much easier to learn than D&D5e or PF2e, I've learnt systems well enough to solo in a few hours before now, some take a couple of hours, and that's for systems released as books rather than the almost infinite number of one page games you can find on itch) learning a new system rather than contorting a system I'm already familiar with to do that thing and get a worse result that's likely going to take longer. It's less effort for better result. Why would I go with any other route? Systems are tools, they're designed for a purpose - even the generics - and it's not a criticism of your hammer to suggest that you'd be better off with a screwdriver when you're trying to unscrew something.
@upsidely
2 ай бұрын
I'm still salty about how badly Cody and Puffinforest misrepresented and flat out lied about 2e due to their own negligence, laziness, and bias.
@hajalak1
Ай бұрын
Do you remember the points they misrepresented? I've never played 2e so I'd enjoy your takedown.
@captinxpanda7286
2 ай бұрын
As the primary DM for my group it has always bugged me that wizards doesn't release content for DMs but then i thought its intentional if all the dms quit and nobody wants to run the games but everyone still wants to play we'll have to pay wizards AI gms a monthly subscription sneaky sneaky ill just switch our table to a diffent system lol and i hope others do too if thats wizards game plan
@raulinhentchel1237
2 ай бұрын
I have been a long time supporter of WOTC and D&D from my time in middle school playing 3.0, into 3.5 in high school and college, and playing 5.0 since the PHB and 1st adventure dropped. I am almost always the DM and have put in a lot of energy to learn the rules. I have been running my current 5e game since before COVID19. WOTC's actions and behaviors have severely damaged my view of the company and my trust in it as part of the hobby. I have invested so much money into digital books on D&D Beyond as well as yearly ongoing subscriptions with that service since it was implemented. My campaign is hosted there. My significant collection of homebrew items is there. My players know it and are familiar with it. But I don't think I can support Wizards anymore going forward. I'm not sure how to untangle myself. This campaign could go on for another 5 years, but I don't want to pay for these system fixes that may be half-assed and didn't receive community feedback. Thanks for the suggestions like Level Up and Kobold Press. I definitely want to at least leverage the monster resources from there if not player resources as well.
@ItsBofu
2 ай бұрын
Some people make an entire specific activity their entire hobby and will simp for the company they see as responsible for that hobby to the point that they get mad about any criticism of it. It's not unique to this hobby, but it's always sad to see. You can want companies to do better.
@Dark_Jaguar
2 ай бұрын
Remember that "fan" is short for "fanatic", and it was not originally meant as a compliment. Corporations are not our friends! We don't have to defend them, and we certainly shouldn't be loyal to them.
@DGenHero
2 ай бұрын
Dungeon Dudes, Ginny Dee, Treantmonk and a few others got sneak peeks. I like them, but I very much felt disappointed in them when I saw their videros.
@lunasophia9002
2 ай бұрын
People have to eat, which I understand, but yeah, this really shows where their priorities are.
@blocare5544
2 ай бұрын
Yea I was pretty disappointed seeing the obvious shilling.
@leonelegender
2 ай бұрын
They are evil, unsubscribe to them, they should go to hell with wotc
@Subject_Keter
2 ай бұрын
@@lunasophia9002Basically everyone got a soul but if you decide to be a animal... aint no one going to defend you. They crossed the line and was like "cant blame me for accepting all the money!" 😂
@soniaprado3605
2 ай бұрын
As far as Ginni, Kelly and Monty: they kept it very cordial with hasbro when disagreeing with the OGL update, they didn't want change and encouraged their viewers to put pressure on the company via D&D Beyond subscription but the RPG is still their work. They run businesses that are mostly about this specific game and Kelly and Monty were extremely clear on the fact that they'll continue to cover D&D-related content and updates. They all have been business-oriented from the beginnig and remain so. I don't understand what's "dissapointing" about continuing the through line of bussiness cordiality they've been running. They're professionals and you can still decide choose not buy or preorder the new publications. They're excited about the changes on the content they primarily cover and are getting paid to share that excitement. You can't crucify people for betraying positions they never took.
@Day-eb9po
2 ай бұрын
It was funny watching the Treantmonk Druid reaction yesterday. All the comments are about how insightful his commentary is, but he's mostly just repeating whatever they said, saying that he can't elaborate, or telling us what the playtest veraion was like while winking audibly. So like, what was gained? He would have had more to say if he wasn't trying to sidestep an NDA, right? At least give us an opinion now and then?
@nth-metal2137
2 ай бұрын
What I find sad about DC20 RPG and about MCDM is, that they both have huge kickstarters, but look dead on release despite that. Why? Despite being financed, neither of them has announced, they will release some kind of free SRD so that a fanbase can easily build around the system. I understand, that you want people to buy your stuff, so it's not available for free, but with such massive kickstarters, I am sure the development cost and probably even distribution for the system is already covered. So why not take the chance and make it available? Without this? ... I think all we'll ever see for DC20 and MCDM is a handful of addon books. And then the systems will die. And without continued official support, there'll still be only D&D and Pathfinder. It's a chance lost and it especially annoys me, when the costs are likely already covered.
@mohnkern
2 ай бұрын
I’ve moved to Cypher System and its variants and FLP(Vaesen, Blade Runner, etc)
@pox1343
2 ай бұрын
I can never understand why people think making money of a criticism is hypocrisy.
@AdrianFacchi
2 ай бұрын
Calling for a boycott on a company and then making analysis/criticism about the product of said company, positive or not, I find it dissonant. If Ronald was calling for a Boycott and then went to hype the product you'd find it weird right? I find this weird because it's still engaging with the product on its own merits. The reasons for the boycott are not derived from the merits of the product.
@isaac_marcus
2 ай бұрын
@@AdrianFacchi But analyzing the product can give you insights on/let you make statements about the company. Like the part about Bonus Action Potions that boils down to "If they were always going to make this an official rule, why didn't they say that in the playtests so the playtest feedback could take that into consideration? Because the primary goal of the documents wasn't actually to help develop rules, it was to create hype" You have to analyze the rules to say "This doesn't work with 5e, so [this statement] they made about 'backwards compatibility' was just a marketing lie" Also, boycotts are only effective if they have large participation from the consumer base. Many of those consumers won't be going out of their way to look for videos discussing how bad a company is and why they should be boycotted. But they're more likely to look up analysis and critiques of the product from said company, and then they can hear about the merits of the boycott through that. It's not like Ronald was paying money to WotC for any of the analysis he performed. That's what I would find dissonant. Boycotting a company shouldn't bar you from being able to discuss their product. It's like if I was boycotting Tesla for their bad labor practices and that somehow disallowed me from saying "Wow the cybertruck pedal comes off and the body will tarnish and the interior falls apart and also it looks like a PS1 asset"
@hi123452008
2 ай бұрын
16:20 While I disagree with that commenter, I will note that x2 speed exists. Or higher with some addons, I'm currently watching at x3 speed.
@TheRulesLawyerRPG
2 ай бұрын
Yes I'm aware of 2x at least and that one could see the vast majority of the video by then, but we all know that's not what happened here :)
@ZombieApocalypse09
2 ай бұрын
The take that "liking 5e makes you the real underdog now" is exhausting. It's something I've seen several commenters and at least one youtuber indulge in it a bit. IMO it seems like this is the chain of events: - 5e is popular - 2e has evangelists - WotC does bad stuff - 5e creators/players look for a new system - 2e has evangelists - 5e creators/players try 2e so they can stop feeling guilty by association with WotC - Either the 2e group they play with or the system itself (whether by its own merits or because it's similar but different to 5e in the way that creates discomfort) rubs them the wrong way - Baldur's Gate 3 makes 5e even more popular and WotC starts 5.5e rollout - 5e creators/players go back to 5e, saying 2e wasn't for them - 2e has evangelists - 5e creators/players now feel the 2e evangelism is an attack because WotC is continuing to do bad things So throughout this whole thing, 2e evangelists have remained steadily advocating for their system of choice. We enjoyed the influx of players and GMs, but people are free to play what they want. Advocacy is not a personal attack. Exhausting. Finally: As Ronald points out in this video, if 2e isn't for you there were still like 800 systems you could try before going back to give WotC money (and ways to play 5e without giving WotC Money since they don't really create anything useful or well designed anyway).
@ZeroSaberOmega
2 ай бұрын
Everytime somone talks about D&D alternatives I always hope 13th Age will get a mention but sadly always leave disappointed. If this comment makes anyone curious it's a D20 system made by the lead designer of D&D 3rd edition (Johnathan Tweet) and the lead designer of D&D 4th edition (Rob Heinsoo). They're currently working on the 2nd edition of the game (kickstarter just ended recently) the rules for 1E are out there on the internet as an SRD if anyone wants to look at it without buying anything. As for the topic of the vid. Yeah a few of the youtubers I've watched casually are doing exclusive reveals for 5.5 and that has made me decide not to watch them anymore. Because I won't support Wotc in any capacity even through someone else.
@randomyoutubecommenterr
2 ай бұрын
Nah. Screw Pelgrane press. They pay their freelancers horribly and they openly support Ai art.
@introneurotic
2 ай бұрын
I think the biggest difference between you covering Paizo 's products vs someone covering WoTC/Hasbro products is that those covering the latter are taking things from a known morally bankrupt company. If you are generally enjoying a product an average company makes without any large glaring issues, it doesn't make you a bad person. If you are supporting a product from a bad company that has done MULTIPLE bad things over a consistent period of time... You might be helping a bad company and could be a bad person.
@Gfoot1
2 ай бұрын
The "you oppose capitalism, yet you live in a capitalist society? Curious!" crowd always infuriate me. Not because their point is so scathing, but because the existence of such stupidity takes away from the view of human beings that I would prefer to have. (And because we do live in a capitalist society. Fuck! No need to remind me!)
@almightydiplodocus
2 ай бұрын
I believe the quote is, "Fool me once: shame on - shame on you. Fool me twice...can't get fooled again."
@matthewpowers5000
2 ай бұрын
I think when people focus on personalities and put the blame there for corporate policies, they are missing the mark somewhat. Regardless of who is in charge, public corporations are going to maximize shareholder value or face shareholder revolt. To whatever extent Hasbro/WOTC avoids obnoxious monetization policies, this will only be because they think it is in their best interest to avoid alienating the community so much that they drop D&D. Regardless of who is in charge, simply being a large public company means they cannot be trusted to act in a manner that will be beneficial to the hobby as a whole, rather than their shareholders.
@schemage2210
2 ай бұрын
"Bold of you to assume that WotC has only done three things wrong", lol. Yeah, like three things this week!!!
@HandlesAreStupid2024
2 ай бұрын
Imagine thinking a company paying you to endorse their product makes you the authority and anything anyone else says is invalid. 2024 is wild.
@HorizonOfHope
2 ай бұрын
1) Thank you for calling out WotC sponsorships. 2) Shadowdark is an excellent 5e alternative.
@StephenHutchison
2 ай бұрын
Paizo very clearly explained why they were doing Remaster. They had to get out from under the Onerous Gaming Lie-cense. They give their stuff away free. No Cash Grab.
@MalzraAirwynn
2 ай бұрын
Another similar thing to 5E is Star Wars 5E. A star wars based conversion of 5E. It's not perfect, but I kind of like it more than default 5E at this point because it's made some of the martials more interesting/given them some buffs compared to casters etc. And can be fairly easy to reflavor the star wars stuff into more general sci fi for non star wars settings. All of it 100% free online.
@LeonLHG
2 ай бұрын
306 / 5.000 I've been following your channel for a long time. I'm from Brazil and I wish there were content creators like you here. Congratulations on bringing coherence to this debate. It's very sad to see so many people fervently defending a company that doesn't deserve it, and has been so disrespectful to the RPG community for years.
@AnarchicArachnid
2 ай бұрын
I've said it then and I'll say it here : I won't TOUCH D&D until it's out of Wotc's hands
@grandpretredesalpagas4665
2 ай бұрын
Megan is getting on the desk because they want to talk about their favourite systems
@SalihFCanpolat
2 ай бұрын
Working with WoTC during a boycott is akin to working during a strike.
@PokeNaru29
2 ай бұрын
A very minuscule amount of people are calling for a boycott. Most people would have no clue there’s an official boycott going on. Because there isn’t one.
@zetram01
2 ай бұрын
One thing I learned long ago. Never debate with a lawyer about something they're passionate about. They do NOT require to be correct to win an argument.
@PeterCeee
2 ай бұрын
Keep up the good fight, Ronald. You’re an inspiration.
@SamAllmon
2 ай бұрын
Love the class conscious button on the video. "We have more in common than we do to the suits" is true in all cases.
@Majiger
2 ай бұрын
The folks taking offence, on WotC's behalf, are the same people that take offence if you do not cheer for their sports team. It's absolutely insane to me how people are unable to remove themselves enjoying a product from the company doing terrible things and trying to push issues under the rug. I, for one, will sail the seven seas for 5.5 just to see what's actually so "new" that the rules are not compatible with the 2014 version. It's also very amusing to see KZitem blow up with every other recommendation being "OMG SNEAK PEEK NEW D&D" from some very big names in the TTRPG community, which to me signals that those are most likely the paid actors being referenced.
@josequiles7430
2 ай бұрын
I was on the OneDnD train for the entirety of the playtests and then some, but then the DC20 kickstarter happened...
@commonviewer2488
2 ай бұрын
Welcome hermano. We'll be getting that 5e conversion so you can take your stuff into the new system.
@OriginallyGinger
2 ай бұрын
Agreed! Take a stance and stick to it! I hope ppl start listening
@MrSpatafrano
2 ай бұрын
I support the boycott, but I'm still playing 5e. I played other systems like Symbaroum and Cypher System and tried many others, but I still prefer 5e for long fantasy campaigns for many reasons. Besides my current campaign will end in about 1 year, and I hope I will have a workable beta of my own rpg! 5.5? No thank you!
@bobbobbing4220
2 ай бұрын
there will always be collaborators, its comfortable, profitable and give you short term gains.. but thats the crack.. its shortterm..
@adamdva
2 ай бұрын
I got pulled into a reaction video to a WoTC video about an updated 2024 class, only to have the react mostly be, "I can't say anything, I'm under an NDA..." Then WTF put out the video? They bought you off with a book (and what else?) to keep you silent until after the pre-orders are complete. Why should I then trust that they will give truthful, unbiased opinions?
@kanaric
2 ай бұрын
I'm getting tired of how social media and youtube plus these companies all are so tied to one another.
@craigbirks7075
2 ай бұрын
Hasbro/Wizards are not getting any of my money and that still stems from the OGL mess. What I heard after that just cemented that
@amiablereaper
2 ай бұрын
I bounced off of 5e when it came out because I grew up with 4e (weird right) but coming back to it and watching like Critical Role and associated shows I'm just appalled at the lack of thought and design that went into this product. It's well and truly a scam.
@aralornwolf3140
2 ай бұрын
4e only lasted 3 or 4 years before they decided to create a new edition due to poor sales (5e was released 6 years after 4e). 4e wasn't released under the OGL, so that limited 3rd party content (which 3.5e thrived upon) and might have played a part. Though the biggest criticism was it was too much like a CRPG. *Shrugs* So, 5e is a mess because they had 2 design goals... 1. Bring back the 3.5e players 2a. Simplify the rules so people who never played RPGs could make less effort to learn 2b. Simplify the math because "math is bad" to attract more people to the hobby 4e was a direct response to how 3.0/3.5e was an unbalanced mess at high levels... while the enemy demon can barely _hit_ the Paladin in Shining Armour, but can't _miss_ the Red Robed Wizard. They also acknowledged how messed up the magic was "Quadratic Wizards, Linear Fighters" was how the previous editions of D&D were like, so 3e followed that trend. For fourth edition, they made everyone Linear with the powers system. Was 4e flawed? Yes. However, I believe after a couple of iterations of the 4e system, they would have removed the majority of the flaws, leaving them with a nearly perfect. Note: I never played 4e. Only AD&D 1e and 3.5e. However, I base my last paragraph on what I've read about 4e online. 5e is more flawed than any of the previous editions (except maybe the AD&D 1st edition) because of the lack of thought put into it... many of the core features were reduced to "optional rules" and were never part of the general testing of the game system.
@martinjrgensen8234
2 ай бұрын
5e is horrible to DM. You have to wing it through so many things
@Sepiriel
2 ай бұрын
Completely separate point here but I’m curious on how you feel about companies that have turned around and are now taking deals to put their things on D&D Beyond like Kobold Press?
@shallendor
2 ай бұрын
My favorite TTRPG's and systems: 1-Cypher(generic), 2-Teenagers From Outer Space(anime), 3-Gamma World 4E(not based on D&D 4E)(post apocalyptic), 4-All Flesh Must be Eaten(zombie), 5-Battlelords of the 23rd Century(sci-fi), 6-Pathfinder 1E(fantasy), 7-5E(fantasy), 8-Palladium system(generic), 9-AD&D(fantasy), 10-Shadow of the Demon Lord(sci-fantasy/horror) and 11-Star Frontiers(sci-fi)
@theblindjedi41
Ай бұрын
Could not agree more with this video. Anyone that agrees to take money and perks from wotc cannot be trusted for honest feedback anymore.
@jayfraser6497
2 ай бұрын
After 3.5 our group became huge PF fans and stayed with it until 5e came out, switched for 2 years to give it a try but really found it lacking inetresting options and combat became boring. When PF2e came out we switched and have not looked back since. It is not just that WOTC and Hasbro are awful it is because the product is imo just ok. Really enjoying the remaster rules as well. Paizo's PF product is a perfect fit for our group.
@zenmaster8
2 ай бұрын
tbf to the 19 minute video claim, some people watch videos on 2x speed so they may have been watching on 2x speed and finished after 15 minutes
@commonviewer2488
2 ай бұрын
Wild how far some people will go to justify WotC because they feel guilty over wanting to stick with 5e/5.5e. You can do that _without_ supporting this awful corporation!
@ThalesWell
2 ай бұрын
I want a huge education campaign about what the word "bias" means. Oh wait, we had those, and everyone's takeaway seems to have been "bias means 'unfavorable treatment.'"
@VestigialLung
2 ай бұрын
Playing a touch of devil’s advocate here. In all likelihood, this isn’t the case, but the person posting a comment 19 minutes after you posted a 38 min video could have been watching at 2x speed. I certainly do that most of the time. It’s hardly beyond the realm of possibility that someone got butthurt over the first few minutes - or even just the thumbnail - and fired off at the keyboard without really giving your video the time, but it’s not impossible that that comment came towards or at the end of the video.
@alicepbg2042
2 ай бұрын
that assumes they saw the video right as it launched. which I find harder to believe
@maryclarence6429
2 ай бұрын
I want to hear more of your thoughts about other RPGs, particularly the fiction first games. I like PbtA but I'm loving forged in the dark games, particularly Scum and Villainy.
@duncbot9000
2 ай бұрын
24:58 Small comment on Healing Poitons in 5e, I have been running it as bonus action for a long time, but my rule is that if you take a full action you get the maximum without rolling (i.e. drink fast and you might spill). I think I might continue with this rule if drinking (and rolling) as a bonus action is now official.
@rakshalneyrak9862
2 ай бұрын
Especially the comment on 31:04 bewildered me. It is common practise for both public statements and scientific research to state clearly what you´re trying to achieve with the evidence / discussion that follows. That´s called transparency. Even in school you learn that in a good statement you voice your opinion at the start and then back it up. It seems like this person has no understanding of how to communicate properly in a discussion. But then again, this is the internet. Also, I love you making a dedicated video to respond to your comments, even if it is just for fun. It shows you interacting with people in a good and constructive way.
@joshuachapman247
2 ай бұрын
Cat
@sortehuse
2 ай бұрын
There is definitely still boycott of D&D by some, but I seems that most creators have returned to business as usual after WofC made the core rules of D&D available under a Creative Commons licence. When I look at the boycott then it seems to me that the generel boycott is over and a minority choose to continue it. If they want to do that then it totally fine with me, but it seems to me that isn't a huge boycott anymore. There are a lot of new TTRPG systems being produced right now, some of them as a result of the OGL scandal. I think that there will come more diversity in the TTRPG space in the coming years, but it's going to take some time.
@Frederic_S
2 ай бұрын
I don’t GM or play fantasy-20 games. I just wanted to drop a comment and ask my fellow TTRPG- to keep playing with the DnD-books they already have until they get a real feedback if the new books are actually good. Don’t burn your hard earned money. Don’t rebuy a game you already own. Bethesda, WotC and other companies love to resell us things we already own. It just works. And if you don’t like the product, you will be blamed in the end.
@SamuraiMujuru
2 ай бұрын
My WotC boycott is ongoing, though admittedly the consistently decreasing quality of their output isn't exactly making it difficult. Tangentially, ey! I see that Mörk Borg core behind ya! Free League has really set the gold standard for game publishers. Far better production quality across the board for a shockingly lower sticker price, and they're communicative and helpful with their communities.
@bookbagfox
2 ай бұрын
I really appreciate your integrity in how you cover tabletop games.
@lusalma5404
2 ай бұрын
I remember when TSR was bought by WOTC... in some ways the TSR period was D&D's hey day on all of the different settings and things being created. The best thing WOTC did was the OGL which brought new life into D&D. Pre 4E there was a lot of room for creativity whether your character build or how you used spells. I miss the days of dragon and dungeon magazine. Hasbro like most publicly traded companies seems to have gone to the mind set of maximize share holder returns quarter over quarter which is NOT a healthy mindset for a business. It's also interesting to trace the CRPGs that were licensed through D&D; early days we had the gold box games (they are on GOG) and while they were not story heavy they did highlight Forgotten Realms and Krynn. Then SSI did the Dark Sun games which were a huge graphical leap forward. We had the Eye of the Beholder Trilogy and the Ravenloft duo and Menzoberranzen, then came the dark times until Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights. Today we have Baldur's Gate three while gorgeous could be intimidating in some ways Solasta is more accessible and lets you make your own campaigns or dungeons (rather like the Neverwinter MMO used to do... sadness that it went away). TSR also used to have a huge novel division so much so that it got overwhelming. Currently they are dipping their toes in a lot of places and yes, they need players as well as dm's to spend money but, I don't know maybe they are better off doing an animated series of the Drizzt books.
@yellowrose0910
2 ай бұрын
The fact that you had *any* non-bots hit you for stating the obvious (that WotC is the IRL RPG BBEG) leaves me very worried for the US elections this November...
@katarhall3047
2 ай бұрын
Course it's still on, just see how many people are playing other systems.
@HappyGoldfis
2 ай бұрын
i think you could really enjoy watching spice8racks 2hr philosophical analysis of some of magics new direction "magic the gathering and the death of the future" , he very much touches on some points you would find interesting, with a degree of in depth thought i think you would like, if 2hrs is something you can do. if it helps, hes as queer as they come and in the video says the line "not that i begrudge creators accepting money from wotc, im a communist. not a dickhead"
@TheRulesLawyerRPG
2 ай бұрын
i'll put it on my list! i'm not a big magic guy but sounds intriguing
@PlaneswalkerTARDIS
2 ай бұрын
Let's not forget the "Panzer-cut" controversy, where they hired a POC writer and added racism to his work with no warning. Fortunately he was able to get them to remove his name from the book in later printings.
@negativeview
2 ай бұрын
When someone offends, it is logical to back off/stop boycotting when they fix the core issue. But when someone is a habitual offender, as Wizards is, they can't just go back to ground zero and expect that to be good enough. It's the reason why habitual legal offenders get harsher punishment. Justice that isn't legal in nature can and should follow similar rules.
@SeldonnHari
2 ай бұрын
18:20 I often pause a video midway through to make a comment on what's been said.
@TheRulesLawyerRPG
2 ай бұрын
That's great! Only this person clearly wasn't giving feedback, just doing exactly what they claimed to be against :)
@HiatoPDSS
2 ай бұрын
5e players a minority? It's literally the most played RPG system currently and in fact, 5e players are the ones most often stigmatizing others, not the other way around
@LidovinaV
2 ай бұрын
A shout out to 13th Age, which is what 5e should have been, and has kickstarted a 2nd edition.
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