This might sound a little crazy, so bear with me.
We’ve got a new edition of Dungeons & Dragons coming and my hot take so far is: who cares? But then the other day I saw this YouTube video denouncing all of the “Old Grognards” who allegedly hate on Wizards of the Coast, hate on D&D, and they’re being painted as absolute villains in the hobby. To me, it’s starting to sound like if you’re not 100% Pro WotC/Pro D&D, obviously you’re some kind of a-hole that’s bad for the whole hobby.
Just because WotC previewed the new books we’re all supposed to just forget 2023 like it never happened? Maybe this new D&D is going to be the greatest thing to ever happen to the hobby now? I just got done saying the other day how one “Old Grognard” went from hating D&D 5E to just hating everyone and everything in the hobby that’s not-him. Is that seriously how all of us old guys are going to be treated now just because we don’t kiss WotC’s corporate butts?
My really controversial take here is possibly one step worse: I just don’t care. That’s right. My Little Giveashitz is running loose out in the street on this one. I feel like I’ve turned a corner when it comes to RolePlaying Games and WotC/D&D might not be on that path any more.
Disclaimer: Statements expressed in this article are strictly my opinion. If you disagree or have a different opinion, that’s okay. I’m not an expert on everything. I’m not always right. I’m just writing from my experience as I know it. Your mileage may vary.
A few quick housekeeping notes: I’m putting “Old Grognard” in quotes now because I have zero desire- none– no desire whatsoever to be associated with that term ever again. I wasn’t keen on it before, I’m even less keen on it now. Screw that noise. I’m taking my own approach to everything. If it resonates with others, great. If not, keep going and maybe something else will.
Second thing: Someone made a very good point the other day about not using “TTRPG” any more. It’s just RPG. It’s just RolePlaying Game. Why are we qualifying the “TableTop” part? The CRPG and JRPG people should be qualifying their games. I’m going to start dropping the TT from TTRPG when I’m speaking casually and may drop it altogether eventually. We’ll see if it sticks.
Third, this article is my raw take on some RPG hobby subjects. It is my opinion. We might not agree completely about everything in the hobby. The Internet isn’t an echo chamber any more than it’s meant to be a massive battleground. Let’s just all agree to live and let live. Live in peace.
Lastly, I’m just tired, family. I’m tired of seeing bitter, knockdown, drag-out Internet “discussions” (which are bloody arguments, let’s be honest) about issues affecting the hobby when I could be out enjoying my games. I could be out writing adventures. I could be making even more characters. I could be here writing about how awesome some games are. I could be doing some solo play stuff that I’ve been putting off. I’m tired of the WotC/YouTube/D&D drama.
Maybe it’s just crazy old guy talk.
I’m seeing dozens upon dozens of YouTubers and D&DTubers specifically, many of whom were loudly singing the praises of DC20 a couple of days ago and now all they want to talk about is the new D&D previews. And I still just can’t get motivated to care about D&D or DC20 for that matter. I still listen to RPG news, but not like I did a few weeks ago.
I’m coming to the roundabout conclusion that the RPG hobby is broad spectrum enough that it just doesn’t matter to me what WotC, Paizo, or any of the other supposed major players in the industry are doing. I think I’ve found my “forever games.” They’re not anything by a huge, uncaring, profits-first, slimy corporation.
I’m just looking at my shelves and thinking, “Wow. I’m really happy and grateful for what I have here.” I love what I have gotten into recently for games. I hope everyone else does, too. If you want to play D&D, great. If you want to play Dragonbane? Great. (*Please come talk to me later. Lol!) Support whoever you’d like because there’s room in the hobby for everyone. It’s just not that big of a deal.
I heard something about AI art yet again today.
Basically the sentiment was to the effect of, “If you call WotC or any other company out for using AI art, then you’re a dirty ‘Old Grognard’ and you just need to exit the hobby faster.” I’m completely burnt out on the AI art discussion. I just don’t care that much right now enough to freak out. It’s getting so ingrained into the art community all over the world, not just RPGs, to where we can’t tell what’s AI, partially AI, or 100% real. To draw an old analogy, it’s like the discussion of whether or not we should be digitally editing news photos. As far as I know, practically everyone does it now.
WotC using AI art despite the fact that they keep trying to reassure the customer base (that probably won’t care anyway) they’re only using real artists is just plain… stupid. Of course they’re using AI art. They’ve never once had any qualms about it as far as I can tell. Calling WotC, Paizo or anyone else out on AI art is probably going to start getting people branded as haters now.
It’s not even a conspiracy any more. The shills are taking over. WotC is back to running the hobby on their end of things. The D&DTubers, even the extreme ones, are going to keep getting louder and louder until we can’t tune into an RPG discussion that doesn’t devolve into the new D&D.
Let me amend that last statement.
We’ve finally hit the real divergence in the RPG hobby. There are going to be the companies and people who fall in line with WotC, Paizo, Kobold Press, and whoever else. Then there’s going to be the rest of us. There will still always be those of us in the RPG hobby who march to the beat of our own drummer. We don’t have to buy the big $240 set of three or four core books just to stay current. We’ve got indie games all over creation that aren’t beholden to any large companies.
Personally, I’ve found that I really enjoy Free League Publishing games and their products. I still love ICONS for many of the same reasons I love Free League. Evil Hat games are still high on my list. So is ICRPG if Hankerin doesn’t go back down the rabbit hole with the other D&DTubers.
Heck, it’s starting to sound like maybe Power Rangers RPG and GI Joe might be slowing down after this past Renegade Con. I’ll still be enjoying the two games I just mentioned plus Transformers years from now. Even if Hasbro pulls the plug on those properties, I still have the games and they’re so freakin fun!
For the record, I don’t hate WotC.
I might not like what they do 7/8 of the time. I still think they’re prone to screwing up everything they touch. It’s strictly on them. I really don’t care. They’re going to do whatever they’re going to do. Nothing we say matters at this point, not that it ever really did.
“But they’re the biggest and most powerful game company on the planet.”
And I still don’t care. I don’t have to acknowledge them. If I see something for the new D&D and I like it, I might buy it. I have a ton of 5E Third Party sourcebooks. I’ve gotten to a point where I can convert anything into just about anything. 5E to Shadowdark is easy. 5E to Dragonbane is fairly easy. Fabula Ultima into stuff? Might take a few minutes.
Please don’t mistake my lack of interest in WotC for hate. Most of the time, I see WotC’s D&D antics and just shrug my shoulders. It’s nothing new. There are just better things to focus on. The new/not-new edition will come and go. I might look at it. I probably won’t right away. I will just say, “Don’t believe the hype.”
I have a couple of companies I follow that I absolutely can’t shut up about. I think Free League Publishing is all that and a bag of chips. I’ve also had a lot of indie game companies catch my eye lately. July is going to have a lot of game reviews here on the site if all goes well. I’ve had several on the back burner. D&D is not the only game nor the most important one.
Let’s all intend for the rest of 2024 to go smoothly.
Collectively, we have the power to see the end of the year be beautiful no matter where we are or what game we support. There is definitely a divide here in the RPG hobby now, but eventually we can all come back together and enjoy something together. Just because I’m “Meh WotC. Meh D&D,” doesn’t mean I wouldn’t welcome more people to jump into Dragonbane or Shadowdark. I might even be trying to recruit for a game of Salvage Union sometime down the road.
I’m saying it again: Have fun at whatever your RPG of choice is. Why are we doing this if we’re not having fun? Ultimately, that’s what the RPG hobby is all about.
Thank you for being here today with me. I appreciate you. Please embrace the things that bring you the most joy.
Jeff's Game Box 