Another Difference

Level Up A5E? You are not 5E enough!

Tales of the Valiant? You are too much like 5E!

...wait, what?

Strange how times change, but the complaints around these two games seem a complete 180. One needs to be 5E more, while the other doesn't go far enough to not be 5E. Something tells me the complainers are only happy with D&D, and 5E could matter less. If Wizards shifted to a d6 pool system for D&D, they would want that, and the complaints would be, "Not enough d6 pools!"

But if we want "not D&D" these days, MCDM RPG, Pathfinder 2, or Dragonbane are the places to be. We have plenty of "not 5E" systems out there; why compete if your company's strengths are in Open 5E books both sets of fans can use?

And D&D fans, even if people (and creators) go to these 5E-like games, it is better than having them leave the 5E sphere entirely. So, chill. I get the feeling nothing will be perfect for the complainers, so it is best to have my eggs in a few baskets with ethical and morally sound companies than it is living in a world where the daily drama of Wizards is all people talk about.

Honestly, this is what killed Hasbro D&D for me. I could not pick up the game without thinking of Wizards' attacks on the larger gaming community (OGL), this drama, that drama, the layoffs, the stupid statements,  everybody wins, and all the negativity D&D YouTube pushed. It is partially my fault for watching so much of that crap, I get it, but lesson learned. I am un-subbing from those 5E and OSR channels and moving on. I rarely watch tabletop content on YouTube unless it is something positive (like a preview) or live-play.

2023 was the year D&D died for me. I got caught up in the drama - and it was easy to. The OGL crisis was a surprise attack on games and communities I loved. But, as the year dragged on, I saw the true faces of different companies, communities, and groups. Wall Street companies always act the same. Clickbait producers are not to be trusted. People pushing agendas for a community don't care about the game. People who are more concerned about telling you how to enjoy something are not interested in playing a game and fostering creativity.

If it is not "about the game," then walk away.

I needed to be in a space where my worlds, characters, stories, and creations mattered more than the community politics and daily drama. New seedlings took root out of disaster, and I found positive spaces and places where I could be myself again.

I found a bunch of great games and communities, like Cypher System, Level Up A5E, and Tales of the Valiant. I tried Pathfinder 2, and it wasn't for me; no problem, sometimes things don't work out. Like many people, I felt disappointed with ToV but overcame it when I realized the bigger picture.

ToV protects all the work the Kobold Press team - and others - put into the 5E community. Who knows what will happen to D&D? They could get sold to Tencent, an overseas mobile game company, or a big-media holding firm (Disney, Warner), and everything would be lost. This is Wall Street and billion-dollar IP stuff we are talking about, and there is no such thing as "never could happen" in this world. The fact they thought they could threaten the OGL, then promised not to - who knows what the next owner thinks they could do? In 5 years, everything could change. We could be right back where we were in January 2023 after D&D is sold again.

Due to the fact it is owned by Wall Street, D&D is always on a short clock. Yes, it has been 20+ years of ownership, but the market is radically different. The media mergers alone prove this.

3rd party creators have businesses, artists to pay for, and people with homes and families to support. No one will create 5E content on "a promise to be ethical," - especially how we got here when they didn't. You can't plan 5 years out on that uncertainty or run a business. Without Open 5E efforts, the large-publisher 3rd party 5E community would collapse. The smaller market would follow.

Even if all you care about is 2024 D&D, this is serious. Do people want 3rd party 5E content or not? I would rather live in a world where Kobold Press still prints 5E-compatible books than switch to Dragonbane, Pathfinder 2, or make an incompatible system.

I would rather live in a world where an Open 5E protects all the books I have and love. Do we want to protect our wealth and investments, or let Wall Street tell us that to enjoy our hobby, we must pay a tiered subscription fee behind a locked gate - with the haves and the have-nots? Do we want a hobby where books are regularly tossed out and we are forced to pay for new ones? Wall Street creates profit by manufacturing inequity where there is none. They will remove this hobby from an open market and lock all your personal property behind a paywall.

2023 was the year everyone woke up. Or at least me.

Reality check.

But I am happier with an Open 5E system; some great ones exist. I can keep having fun with the books I have. I am not being forced to subscribe to a paywall service. I can support 3rd party creators. The books have zero drama.

And the game is mine again.