D&D leaders leave WOTC! Why did 5.5e (2024 edition) fail? (Rules Lawyer)
3,362The sudden departure of 3 of D&D's leads right after the 3D virtual tabletop was shuttered, further indicates that D&D 5.5e has not gone well for Hasbro.
A number of channels have covered how D&D 5.5e has underperformed; in this video I try to answer the question "WHY?"
0:00 Intro
3:03 D&D 5.5e has underperformed
9:47 Quiet sea change away from D&D
15:20 The OGL Plan failed
24:05 Staffing/morale crisis
28:10 5.5e made for economic, not game considerations
33:02 Unserious design process without a playtest
41:23 Mid-playtest retreat
44:25 The biggest irony
49:03 Final Thoughts
51:03 The Prophecy of Swen Vincke
Rules Lawyer playlist: "My videos on Hasbro/WOTC, OGL": • Rules Lawyer videos on Hasbro/WOTC, OGL, b...
Rules Lawyer playlist: "'Lawyer's Critique' on the 5.5e "playtest" documents, surveys": • "Lawyer's Critique" series on D&D 5.5e / O...
OTHER LINKS:
Roll for Combat: "What Is WOTC Cancelling After the Sigil VTT?" • What is WoTC Cancelling After the Sigil VTT?
Dungeons & Discourse: "The D&D 2024 Scandal Is Worse than the LEAKS" (Mar. 7, 2025): • The D&D 2024 Scandal Is Worse Than The LEAKS
Dungeon Dudes: "Five Rules to Steal from 5e 2024": • Five Rules to Steal from 5e 2024.
Dungeon Dudes: "Five Reasons to Stick with the 2024 rules": • Five Reasons to Stick with the 2014 rules.
Dungeons & Discourse: "The Online Disaster That Almost Killed Dungeons & Dragons" (Feb. 24, 2023): • The Online Disaster That Almost Killed Dun...
OldeGreybeard's "D&D 4e had an Epic VTT Fail Long Before Project Sigil": • D&D 4e Had an Epic VTT Fail Long Before Pr...
Geekwire: "Hasbro laying off Wizards of the Coast staff is baffling -- and could lead to a brain drain" (Dec. 14, 2023): https://www.geekwire.com/2023/hasbro-laying-off-wizards-of-the-coast-staff-is-baffling-and-could-lead-to-a-brain-drain/
The Rules Lawyer: "D&D 5.5e (2024) disregards DMs, martial/caster divide, WOTC job posting for making AI DMs": • D&D 5.5e (2024) disregards DMs, martial/ca...
Post with link to old WOTC articles from 2012-13 on designing 5.0e: https://rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/76327/are-the-design-goals-for-5e-currently-available
DM Lair's "“WOTC’s ‘Apology Tour #2’ ft. Roll for Combat’s Stephen Glicker and Mark Seifter"
(discussion of D&D Beyond sale at 51m25s):
The Rules Lawyer: "We're entering a NEW Golden Age of Tabletop RPGs": • We're entering a NEW Golden Age of Tableto...
Roll for Combat: "Are Tariffs Going to Destroy the Game Industry?": • Are Tariffs Going to Destroy the Game Indu...
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