Penny Arcade has harsh words for WotC

[GDGD]

" I can't really make heads or tails of your apology, but let me say this: you have entered treacherous waters entirely of your own volition. Literally just turn around, and walk back out."

It might be too late. It's like the old story about the skinny guy and the stegosaurus. Now that it's proven it can roll over, you're going to find a new place to sleep.

 

[Malmuria]

Indeed; I was happy to help. I remember when you came to us and wondered how you could get people to try D&D, and we suggested a podcast. Different time, huh?

 

[The Stray]

It might be too late. It's like the old story about the skinny guy and the stegosaurus. Now that it's proven it can roll over, you're going to find a new place to sleep.

The what now?

 

[darjr]

The main reason why this OGL controversy may well, despite its seeming obscurity, bury D&D, is the large number of people with some sort of platform or following who are affected. Virtually every D&D YouTuber or whatever other type of creator on social media has a tie-in campaign setting, adventure, or whatever, many launched through kickstarters, some pretty high profile. Those who don't have written something for an anthology of short adventures, been sponsored by 3rd party products, and/or dreamed of launching a D&D compatible product when they got a few more followers and/or get their writing game together. In short everyone with even a modicum of clout is affected or at least had their dreams crushed little. In the coming days we'll see more and more internet personalities and such who rarely had a non-enthusiastic word for D&D up until now put on their frowny faces and make very serious statements. People whom WotC themselves have tapped as brand ambassadors are turning on them.

And amongst these is Penny Arcade, whose Acquisitions Incorporated is arguably the longest ongoing D&D promotional arrangement, who had a first party published book, and who characters appear in the damned Neverwinter MMO and various other official media have now turned on them. Now it may well be that they have other beef with WotC. They seem a bit unhappy about the whole having never really gotten paid for most of their promoting thing. They had just "ended the campaign" (whatever that means for a campaign with no real story throughline played through two editions) so whether they were slated to have further dealings with WotC was unclear. But still, whatever other drama there may be if even Acq. Inc., who has had such close ties with WotC, is ready to bash WotC this hard, things are bleak indeed on the "D&D influencer" front.

Even if you never paid a whit of attention to any "D&D influencer" my money is on you playing with someone who does, or someone who talks with someone who does. Even if you never watch D&D youtube videos or liveplays they are pillars of D&D as a larger community and cultural phenomenon. And a lot of the people who make them are going to be in a darker, angrier, less D&D brand-positive headspace in the coming weeks, months, and probably years.

While throwing the major 3rd party publishers under the bus might have proven a Machiavellian masterstroke, had it been accomplished on its own, doing it in a way that also alienates most people with a platform, and converts so many of WotC's most effective brand boosters into their most effective critics is about as utter a failure as someone could possibly manage.

Egad
Yea.
It’s so bad.

 

[GDGD]

The what now?

The one where the stegosaurus promises not to roll over in its sleep, then one night it does and the skinny guy is barely saved in time by screaming. I'm sure I'm not the only person who took that story as a cautionary tale to be well heeded.

 

[TerraDave]

What? What did I do?

I thought you had flock of seagulls hair, I realized it was just shadow.

 

[darjr]

I thought you had flock of seagulls hair, I realized it was just shadow.

What if I told you I used too?

 

[Benjamin Olson]

What if I told you I used too?

Then I'd presume you got rid of the Flock of Seagulls haircut because of so many people seeing it and running, running so far away-ay-ay.

 

[MichaelSomething]

The thing that gets me is that WOTC has no ongoing business ties with Penny Arcade. Feels like that's a bad move. Critical Role has to hold their tongue, but Penny Arcade has no restriction...

 

[Mecheon]

The thing that gets me is that WOTC has no ongoing business ties with Penny Arcade. Feels like that's a bad move. Critical Role has to hold their tongue, but Penny Arcade has no restriction...

Even with that, I know they're still one of the more regular ones they deal with, at least for PAX if nothing else.

I was over at PAX Aus in October last year, and there was a fair amount of D&D advertising. I saw the D&D movie trailer like a good 20 times just standing in line.