The Business: The Pundit Talks About The Dumbness In Seattle

Speaking of gimped RPGs, the Pundit talks about Current Game's direction.

Let me repeat the mantra for the new folks:

CONVERGENCE HAS CONSEQUENCES!

Pundit is correct that this was on the wall for years now. Old-Timers will recall that this was the case during the TSR days, when there was a lot of attempts to turn the game into a brand and fortunately some of them were enjoyable in their own right.

This is the end result of that transition. First, complete the transition from Product to Brand. Then execute the transition from Brand to Lifestyle.

The only viable end of Wankers' current management of the game is to kill the tabletop game and turn it into some form of MMO business model.

The solution to a DM shortage for them is to automate as much as they can and have a barebones UI for what cannot be automated. This includes paid content modules.

The solution for a lack of play spaces is to provide access to one, free but very inconvenient and selling the conveniences as microtransactions (pay to remove ads, pay to expand Friends List contacts or Ban Lists, etc.).

The solution for clashing play assumptions is Organized Play with entirely standardized play paradigms and Terms of Service with Codes of Conduct.

Wankers' management points in this direction with LessThanTwoRPG.

Why play this when Globe of Gankcraft is cheaper, easier, and more convenient?

You wouldn't. Most won't. They'll go to Gankcraft, FF14, Darkest Dungeon, or some other videogame alternative that gives them what they want at a cheaper price, with superior conveniece- like Visual Novels for the Fake Gamer Theater Kids.

This will make big splashes, have lots of completely fake (and gay) hype in trash media, and then this:

Fortunately, the Open Game License exists so D&D will always be available legally (and Your Prefered Version engineered from that).