From a commercial perspective, Reducing the on-boarding friction and an increase in diversity & inclusion effort would lead to attracting a broader market, thus leading to an increase in revenue and market share, which ultimately would (hopefully) generate more value for the stakeholders.
I can also understand why it would isolate many traditional DnD players, due to the reduction in features. Do you think that's a decision weighted by the decision makers at Wizards of the Cost and assessed accordingly?
> Do you think that's a decision weighted by the decision makers at Wizards of the Cost and assessed accordingly?
I'm sure they weighted it, and then money won out
I have gone from being core demographic of theirs to not a customer of theirs at all, but for everyone like me they've pushed away, they've probably on-boarded twenty new customers. Right decision for them, sucks for me.
> I'm sure they weighted it, and then money won out
> for everyone like me they've pushed away, they've probably on-boarded twenty new customers
That’s not just a money decision, that’s also an audience decision—making something that more people will enjoy, bring more life and more ideas into the hobby, and introduce the fun of TTRPGs to a much bigger group of people. That sounds like a huge artistic win as well as a good financial decision.
This might be the first time I've ever heard anyone argue that something being engineered for lowest common denominator mass-market appeal makes it more artistic.
> This might be the first time I've ever heard anyone argue that something being engineered for lowest common denominator mass-market appeal makes it more artistic.
I don't think I'd argue for that. But I would argue that making something that appeals to a very narrow, static group of people is probably less artistic than something that appeals to a wider group of people.
Or think of it like a band—they release an album, it attracts a group of fans. They can keep making the same thing over and over again and attract the same group of people—and many bands do this. But it's very static. Or they can expand their horizons, explore music more, and experiment. They'll lose some old fans who are looking for the same sound that they've always gotten, but if their experiments are successful, then they'll reach new people who are interested in some of their new ideas. And some of those people might listen to the band's older catalog, and develop an appreciation for music they might not otherwise encounter. And maybe their experiments fail, and they lose their original audience, without attracting a new one. That happens all the time, too. But at least they pushed the boundaries, instead of playing it safe.
I can also understand why it would isolate many traditional DnD players, due to the reduction in features. Do you think that's a decision weighted by the decision makers at Wizards of the Cost and assessed accordingly?