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Current Feelings on D&D

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I'm currently of two minds about Dungeons & Dragons (D&D). Recently, Wizards of the Coast (WotC) has released some lackluster products and has been in several controversies. One particularly troubling incident involved WotC sending the Pinkertons, actual guns for hire, to someone's house after they were mistakenly sent a new set of Magic: The Gathering cards before their release. This person was threatened, which is shocking and unacceptable. Then there was the whole debacle with the Open Game License (OGL), which further soured my view of the company.

With the "new" edition of D&D slated to come out this year, which is a story in itself, I've grown increasingly worried about the company's direction and how they view the game. They seem to be treating D&D more as a brand to be monetized rather than a game for players to enjoy. Plans to charge for individual spells and content have especially turned me off from supporting WotC and D&D. I haven't bought any new products from them since the last one I purchased, The Spelljammer Campaign Setting for 5e, which was severely lacking in quality and content.

Despite my personal feelings, this doesn't necessarily affect my players. I'm torn about whether I should let my personal grievances interfere with running games and introducing folks to the hobby. I love D&D and the storytelling it facilitates, but at the end of the day, I understand the company that owns it is a capitalist entity trying to milk it for all it's worth. I understand that it’s a product that needs to meet sales goals, but it’s disheartening to see it handled this way.

In my opinion, Hasbro views D&D as a legacy brand, something not to be invested in or cared for deeply, but just another product like Battleship on a store shelf. The upcoming edition isn’t really a new version at all but more like patch for 5e, which some people are calling 5.5. WotC, however, is branding it as One D&D, suggesting there will be no more editions, just a continuously evolving game. While there might be merits to this approach, the trends I see are troubling for an avid fan and follower of the property for years.

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