Dear JB:Over the past few years I have noticed a sort of divide between segments in the fan base. I’m sure most people are aware of it but maybe can’t put it precisely into words (at least I have an issue doing so). I want to talk about 3 of these quickly before I get into the main point. There will obviously be overlap between them, but I imagine them as multiple overlapping circles.
- The new age enthusiasts- these are typically younger people in my experience. Very much into the hobby as a whole; watching lots of YouTube videos on topics, picking out new dice constantly, buying all the new books, really enjoying character art etc. Maybe they don’t play that often, but they love the hobby and they interact a great deal with the community. They also seem to be the most interactive and present in online spaces.
- The old age enthusiasts- These people share similar overlap with the Grognard, but aren’t inherently insufferable. They seem to enjoy specific over general (in most cases), they like to have explicit rules, and they don’t typically care for the simplification of races/classes. They also don’t tend to care for the smushing together of races, like the change to half-orc and half-elf. There seems to also be a bent for more realism or more explicit rules for how and why things work in certain contexts.
- genuine exclusionists- This group of people would like nothing more than to exclude every person, or type of person, they don’t like from the game. They are the biggest gatekeepers and the first ones to chastise someone else for simply playing a different way or wanting to follow a non normative story beat. They dislike the race changes in 5.5 because they genuinely think orcs are some sort metaphor for certain real word people and it helps them justify in their minds their racism. They also like the overcomplexity of the game because it is another way they can gatekeep people who don’t share their near obsessive need to know all the rules and break them in a way that aggrandizes themselves.
Now my main point. It definitely seems when compared with older books, 5e seems to lean towards “DM’s now have the flexibility to make it up, run the games how they want, and our rules are here to facilitate that.” But that’s not really true at all because that’s always been the case. I play 3.5 a fair bit and there are tons of rules that we have over time either ignored or change because they felt right for our table. 5e seems to be intentionally sparse of precise information about things.I’ve always viewed myself as a bit of a mix between groups 1 and 2. I enjoy a lot of the dnd content in the hobby, I like to buy new books, I watch lots of YouTube videos, but I do like my rules (at least at a baseline) to have specificity and my lore to have depth. This does not seem to be the case for a lot of the content released by WotC recently. I just finished going through the Heroes of Faerun book and while a lot of it is good, there’s just a bunch of lacking information, especially in regard to the factions.For the Order of the Gauntlet, a faction that the 5e developers have basically made themselves, they reference the Code of Scales and Weights multiple times in their entry. They even state that initiates are required to learn by heart the code itself. But where is the code? Literally, where is the code? Even a small creed? How is this knightly order any different from any other knightly Paladin-esque order that we’ve all made? Some people in group 1 may say, “Well, the DM can make the code because they may want the group to be different in their world.” But I don’t buy these books so they can do basic brainstorming for me. I buy these books because I want to play in a community known setting, with things like this already thought of. If I wanted to make a new Paladin order and write my own code, I’d do it.It just feels extremely negligent and lazy on the part of WotC when it comes to stuff like this. It’s like they don’t want to add any constraining features or guidelines to their lore under the guise of allowing DM freedom but in actuality it’s just the shirking of actual lore creation. There’s just a vagueness everywhere in these books when there shouldn’t be.It seems like Wizards has taken the enthusiasm from group 1 for granted because the company knows that releasing books with a few character options (some obviously untested- banneret) and some updates with a great deal of vagueness for the various regions will still sell to people. And then when group 2 points this out, or had complaints, there’s often accusations of them belonging to group 3. My main point is that I still obviously love the game. But I feel there has been backlash against any pushback of the vagueness and what seems like the dumbing down or simplification of the rules. Or what feels like sterilization of races like the orc. It feels weird that every race is just as good as all the other races at everything, despite us all knowing that orcs are just generally stronger than most races. And I don’t feel like it’s being exclusionary, or God forbid racist, to point that out and then not be lumped with the crack pots of group 3.This turned into a rant. Apologies. I’d love to hear others thoughts on this topic though.Disappointment With New Books (aka SunnySpade)
Dear Disappointment:
This isn't a rant. This is an expression of your feelings of disappointment and frustration, carefully and succinctly explained. Here are my thoughts (since you asked):
#1 You have to understand that the company currrently publishing D&D (WotC/Hasbro) cares far less about you...or even the game...than it does about making money. You can call this "corporate greed" or you can call it "performing their fiduciary duty for their shareholders" but regardless, this is how it is. In order to do this, they have shifted their product to have THE BROADEST APPEAL to THE MOST CUSTOMERS possible, in order to MAXIMIZE PROFITS. It has long been known that the most profit is made every time the company can compel its fanbase to purchase (yet another) set of "core rule books;" this is the main impetus for putting out a newer version of the game every 8-10 years. But if you want to know WHY the designers feel lazy, negligent, and uninterested in "constraining features or guidelines" (what some might call "rules") it comes back to this:
Broadest appeal.
Most Customers
Maximize profits.
This is their business strategy. They don't want to be "niche" or "boutique;" they want to take advantage of the game's incredible international popularity and global presence to reap as many dollars as possible. To do that the game must be "everything to everybody" and "easily accessible." Adding (or enforcing) rules, systems, and procedures turns off that pipe line of cash.
#2 You're operating under some false premises when it comes to your perception of (what you call) "old age enthusiasts" and "genuine exclusionists." I shall endeavor to enlighten you so as to disabuse of your false notions (apologies if that sounds condescending...no offense meant).
I am NOT an "old age enthusiast" (which I'd hazard to guess is probably closer to the "OSR" scene). I am an Old Geezer who plays AD&D (1st edition) exclusively. This might cause you to lump me in with the "insufferable Grognard" crowd, but I'm not someone who came to the game out of a wargame tradition (which is where the G-term comes from)...I started with D&D over forty years ago and it's the same game that I still play. Wargames can be fun, but that's not my primary focus, nor my area of expertise.
However, while I have an exclusive preference for AD&D, I am anything but "exclusionary." The gates to my game are WIDE OPEN (so long as there's room at my table) and I have gamed with a huge variety of people of all races, creeds, colors, genders, religions, politics, ages, etc. People come to play D&D...I run D&D. That's not "virtue signaling;" I'm telling you the FACTS.
But I don't play 5th edition. And I don't play "5.5." Partly because, for all their production values, they are extremely poor games. But MAINLY because AD&D is just the best game on the market. And, yes, it's still "on the market" (available as both ebook and print-on-demand).
Am I one of "the first ones to chastise someone else for simply playing a different way?" Absolutely, I am. Because I don't buy into the corporate slogan of the game being "everything for everybody (just give us your money)." But I'm not just telling people YOU SUCK and slamming the door in their faces...I am trying to help people find a better way of playing D&D, so that they can maximize their enjoyment and satisfaction.
To be clear: I do not think of myself as terribly special when it comes to running D&D. There may not be a lot of people who can "do what I do" but MOST people can get to a fairly close approximation, and I'm sure that quite a few people do it better than me, or could do it better than me with a little time and effort. Even a game with as much "overcomplexity" as AD&D isn't rocket science.
Oh, and also? I don't keep away people "who don’t share [my] near obsessive need to know all the rules." The only person I expect to know the rules of the game is the Dungeon Master (at my table, that's usually me) because the DM is the referee, the facilitator, and the final authority of the game being played. This imperative ("know the rules, DM") applies REGARDLESS of which edition you play. If the rules of 5E are too much for you to glean as a DM, I'd suggest a system with a smaller page count...AD&D, for instance.
#3 I feel for you, that you are facing (what seems to be) "backlash against any pushback of the vagueness and what seems like the dumbing down or simplification of the rules;" this, again, is the way of any insular community that feels 'attacked' from people within their own group. I am sorry you feel afraid for being branded an "insufferable Grognard" and a "racist" simply for being ballsy enough to stand up and say the Emperor has no clothes. Welcome to my world! Remember that ALL of us...geezers and young 'uns alike...started out under the banner of "D&D gamer." The faction-izing of the RPG community is (in large part) TIED TO MONEY. Just remember that.
Seriously. Groups with labels (like the OSR or the NuSR or whatever) have a vested interest in keeping their brand intact because "brand loyalty" equals "returning customers." This is the way business works. Are there other ways business works? SURE. But this is a relatively easy and unimaginative one. Business isn't really rocket science, either.
IMAGINE THIS: what if the business decided to RE-PUBLISH 1st edition AD&D as its ONLY edition, simply updating the artwork and tidying up the rule inconsistencies that came from publishing the books in sequential order, and perhaps organizing the information in a way that was easier to absorb while otherwise keeping the system exactly the same. And, let's say, that they simply became "the company that publishes AD&D" and threw all their corporate support for that system, creating on-line DM tools, adventures, FAQ pages, forums, etc. What would happen?
They'd still sell books. They'd still make money. They'd still attract new people. But the APPEAL of the game would be to a much smaller crowd...meaning they'd sell fewer books and make less money. Which would not satisfy the corporate shareholders who would then oust the CEO in order to find someone with "new ideas" about how to create "more revenue streams."
Because that's the world we live in.
You, Disappointed, are running up against the people who have BOUGHT IN to what the company is selling, the people who see D&D as lifestyle, as an identity, as a way of belonging to a community. And even though that community has been shaped in large part (either purposefully or "organically") by corporate ("business") interests, it still operates like any other community: you're one of us or you're one of them. You now have four choices available to you:
- Quit your bitching and get back with the program (buy, sheep, buy!)
- Join the self-exiled (and possibly stumble into another "community" like the OSR)
- Waffle between the two (and continue to suffer the pangs of frustration as you are now)
- Opt out, find a new hobby, or just ignore what's going on in the wider hobby while focusing on your home game.
None of these are particularly easy choices, but they're all doable, and you have the power to make your own choice in the matter...no one's holding a gun to your head and making you buy or play D&D in a particular way. Own your power, pal.
Sincerely,
JB
***EDITED to add Reddit user's handle (per request)***
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