#mike shea

[theoutcastrogue]

by Mike Shea on 5 August 2024:

Hasbro may be hurling D&D towards a digital future but we already have everything we need to enjoy this game for the rest of our lives. Hasbro is super-excited for a digital D&D future. They're tired of selling us, as Penny Arcade perfectly describes, a single hamburger we can share with our friends every week for thirty years. Hasbro wants subscription revenue from every player every month – not just the single purchase of a book you can keep, share, and use for the rest of your life. Hasbro doesn't want to sell you D&D. They want you to pay rent. Chris Cocks, Hasbro's president and former president of Wizards of the Coast, is pushing hard for a digital future. He already said they're running experiments with artificial intelligence saying "D&D has 50 years of content that we can mine". The new head of Wizards of the Coast, the subsidiary of Hasbro in charge of D&D, is a former Blizzard executive who replaced a former Amazon and Microsoft executive. They posted a new D&D product architect job with a clear focus on digital gaming and a new "monetization designer" which is as close to "professional enshittifier" as I've heard of in a job description. So yeah, Hasbro is really excited to charge monthly fees and microtransactions for D&D and ensure you never stop paying for it. But I have good news for you. It doesn't matter. Here are four reasons why: 1. The three D&D core books are the only D&D books that really matter and they're going to be physical books. 2. With rulesets released into the Creative Commons, anyone can build digital tools, adventures, supplements, and even entire RPGs – all fully compatible with D&D. 3. We have 50 years of previous versions of D&D we can play, multiple competing and compatible 5e variants from other publishers, and hundreds of other RPGs we can enjoy. 4. We have several independent digital platforms we can use to run our games online.

[keep reading]

So Mike Shea's argument here is that no matter what Hasbro does, D&D is enshittification-proof. Personally, I agree that tabletop games (all of them, not just D&D) are to a large extent resistant to that, due to the nature of the game, but digital platforms are another matter. Then again, I have zero interest in digital platforms, so I don't know how they work. Can you incorporate non-SRD material in an independent VTT, for example? Does it matter? No idea!

For traditional D&D, I think it's always had (in its entire history, all editions!) two distinct modes of attracting people:

here is an Official Book of Rules! I should buy it (or borrow it, or pirate it) and use it, because it's an official and authoritative publication

here is a Good Rule! I should incorporate it in my D&D game because I like it, and I don't care where it came from and in what format, official book, third party, homebrew, DMs Guild, hardcover book, piece of paper, pdf, a reddit post, my own noggin.

But last year, they tried an new thing and released a set of 25 monsters for $6 only on D&D Beyond. No physical print, and no pdf. (Previously there had been digital-only releases, mostly short adventures, but in pdf form.) And although I have no way of knowing how sales went, I strongly suspect this will NEVER work. It's just a bunch of "assets", it doesn't register as an Official Publication, there's no incentive to get it as such. So we're left with "is it a good rule?", and there it competes with a million other rules published for fun and/or profit by other people. Why "buy" that one? (You're not quite buying it: if D&D Beyond goes down, poof go the monsters!)

So yeah, I think they'll try to enshittify tabletop D&D, but they'll go about it half-heartedly (to go full in, they'd have to drop the printed books, and there's NO WAY they'll do that), and simply no one will care, D&D doesn't work like that.

[troquets]

Mike Shea, Chicago, 1956.

[ttrpgrisingtide]

Miss our last RT Talks? Catch up on our podcast!

Listen to Sly Flourish chat about charting marketing in the TTRPG space.

Want to join our chats live and have your own questions answered by the pros? Join the Rising Tide community discord!

[smiteworks]

🎙️Fantasy Grounds Fridays is thrilled to welcome Mike Shea from slyflourish.com with DM tips, Lazy DM strategies, and more.

This Friday at 2 PM ET.

Don’t miss out on expert insights to level up your game!

[ohshootradio]

VULFPECK /// Simple Step

[intheupside]

Per Mike Sullivan: Letang has a maintenance day. Shea is stuck in Buffalo with an immigration issue and they hope he’ll be here by game time. “Hopefully he’s out of the path of totality,” Sullivan quipped, referring to the eclipse. Asked if Shea just wanted to be in Buffalo for a better look at the eclipse, Sullivan said, “That would be a better question for him.”

sully’s got jokes

[eva-knits12]

Chris Evans Characters as Zodiac Signs

Aries:

Taurus:

Gemini:

Cancer:

Leo:

Virgo:

Libra:

Scorpio:

Sagittarius:

Capricorn:

Aquarius:

Pisces:

[georgiapeach30513]

Let’s do some Chris Evans and spikey hair!! Who has the best??

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

Exhibit C

[ttrpgrisingtide]

Join us tonight at 6 PM ET where Sly Flourish will be chatting about marketing yourself in the TTRPG space.

Listen to the interview live and then get your questions answered by Mike in an AMA afterward!

[morewinepod]

HAPPY WINE WEDNESDAY! Philip (@fandombite) is with me this week to discuss a show you should absolutely be watching - #Primo. It’s a funny, heartwarming show based on the life of Shea Serrano. It has quickly become one of my favorite comfort shows.

I cannot say enough good things about this show. It’s got heart, humor, excellent writing, and top notch casting. It was an absolute delight talking to Philip about how much the show resonated with us.

Many thanks to Philip for hanging in there for our extended discussion. We had SO much to say. This show is a perfect example of why well done representation matters. Watch #PrimoOnFreevee and then join us for a fun chat about this delightful series.

[deanwinchesterswitch]

Well, Stacey (@princessmisery666), I feel like since we've been discussing that WIP of mine, I should rightfully include Mr. Evans in today's torture.

[ruleof3bobby]

LOW TIDE (2019) Grade: C+

Clever plot and good production value. Could have had more mystery surrounding it. Some characters don't get flushed out enough. Ending was a let down. Still a good indie film.

[lovelyjamesblog]

Celebrities attending the GP Miami 2023 week's events: James Marsden (pictured by paparazzi on May 5 at the kickoff of "Sports Illustrated's Celebration" presented by Cash App Visa at the Surf Club Restarant), Shea Marie, Michelle Rodrigues and Vin Diesel, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, Leila Depina, Mike Tyson and Sir Lewis Hamilton.

[itsbenedict]

the number one thing that gives these little homunculi away is that they use a photograph of a human woman as their icon on tumblr, a thing that i have never known any human women to actually do