Got a good one today; why doesn't the victory over greed feel good? Please head over and subscribe; I greatly like this creator and their conversational and thoughtful style.
Because greed will never go away. Evil exists in the world. Part of having a nice place to call home is the sacrifice of those in the community willing to stand up and fight for what is good.
It is precisely why people gather together in civilizations and agree on the common good. Why do we have soldiers who defend our people? Why do we have rules we all agree upon that hopefully help everyone and make our lives better, and also, in a larger sense, make the place we call home a better place too? The tabletop community is just like any other civilization that developed through history, it has a "language" and a "culture" of its own, and we were hurt by this move.
The same greedy people who started this are still at Wizards.
There is a feeling they are changing tactics, and they may try something else, so we need to stay vigilant. The sense of trust is broken, and at this point, the only thing that can change this feeling is a change of leadership - or ownership. I hate to see people get fired over this, but this also happens in a just and civil society to restore trust in the system.
The people in charge that everyone disliked are removed, and we get someone else in there and give them a chance. We don't trash the system we built and believe in for one person or a small group of troublemakers.
The greater good is a thing, and we support and believe in it.
But this is why we have diverse opinions and seats at the table for many views since diversity is a strength. And diversity also does not mean "one viewpoint, all the same." Diversity is the conversation, not the people having it. It is a huge tent full of different people and opinions, and the greater whole is all of us discussing things and coming to agreements and compromises to make us all happy.
That "common ground" thing seems so impossible these days.
The community is diversifying its interests and looking at new games - this is good. When one company has too much power, this stuff inevitably happens. This is not "the D&D" community anymore; this is the "tabletop gaming community." D&D is still a part of this community, but they have a long road to walk if they want to rebuild trust, and it will be up to them and their future actions.
I don't control that.
But the community can let them know, and it should.
But until then, I welcome the expansion of our community of gamers and commentators and all of the new groups we suddenly find ourselves in a larger group with. The tribe over the hill that plays GURPS is now a part of our community, along with those who play Pathfinder. The tribe that lives on the coast and plays Savage Worlds is also part of this community. Wargamers, like World War II, Car Wars, Warhammer, and Battletech, are invited to be a part. CCG players too! Those who enjoy OSR. People who play C&C, Swords & Wizardry, ACKS, and other games are also part of our community.
The tent is open.
Did we have tribal feelings about some of these groups before? Yes, we did. But we also grew up a little inside and realized that our personal feelings should be tempered by the needs and belief in something greater than just "us" and our divided and factional tribalism that we grew up with. We must put aside petty tribal differences because what we see now is more significant.
We have the chance to build a truly great civilization that brings many peoples of diverse beliefs and lifestyles and brings them together.
The D&D tribe is no longer the D&D tribe. We realize we are a part of something larger and have the freedom to choose what place we choose to inhabit, and having choices makes our lives so much better.
We are the tabletop gaming community and support choice and diversity in gaming.
And we raise a big tent, welcoming all.
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