Game designer for wotc here

There are actually quite a few teams of us, but the reality of the situation is that we don't do anything.

If you have a financial interest in a game you lose the ability to bitch about "gatekeeping" fuck off Mike.

So when are you coming out with splat books on Loot, new Monster Manuals, and random dungeon maps?

>won't someone please protect m'ladies from not knowing enough

First off, please calm down. You're starting down a road I've been down before, and I know it only ends with everyone walking away from this conversation frustrated.

Secondly, that's not the point. Normal people don't quiz people on their understanding of a product just because they profess casual interest in the product, and the guys that do this are often the harshest on women. The female player could totally know all the answers, but that's not the point, the point is the guy quizzing the female player did not trust her to understand her information, which is as Mike would put it, a "toxic environment."

An understanding of game mechanics and lore-density should come from the player's ability to recall them at the game table and through their backstories, not some random dude spouting off about "builds" and "the socio-political ramifications of the Spellplague" to someone who just said they "play DnD."

>Why only mention the female players they grill?

He... He didn't? He said those people are assholes to everyone, they're just particularly assholish to women. It's anecdotal, but I agree with him, since I've seen it multiple times before.

>Loot
We aren't. Our fearless leaders believe that defining too many objects in the canon will lead to balance concerns.
>Monster Manuals
These meetings are all run by artists (yes, artists, not designers) who have literally been hired for their politics. Expect nothing.
>random dungeon maps
Built into the digital product which may or may not ever see the light of day.

>since I've seen it multiple times before.
I've seen the opposite. This is just as valid as the evidence you've just provided for your ridiculous claim.

>m'lady cannot possibly be a poser, she's a WOMAN

What the fuck is this user even trying to say

>We need to reduce the amount of content in the game because women can't remember things that they have read and it embarrasses them
Hello, Mike.

>I've seen the opposite.

That means you don't hang out with assholes, which is a good thing!

Elitism should never be tolerated. Sexism on top of it is also disgusting.

Does it hurt your poor feelings that people don't like that attitude? Tough. Grown up a bit and learn to respect people, would you? I can promise you we're all better off that way.

I've also traveled to every known gameshop to ever exist. Checkmate atheist.

the guy did concede it was anecdotal right in the fucking post

>Does it hurt your poor feelings that people don't like that attitude?
Wouldn't exactly call them people, bob

Or it means user hangs out with assholes that just so happen to be females. Females can be assholes too.

I, too, work for WotC! Wow, there's a lot of us on.

Not an argument. Try again bub.

So then it can be safely ignored. Wow!

>if you don't pander to incompetence you are a sexist
Sorry, incompetence is ugly and nothing will ever change that.

exactly.

only if you're having a podium debate we weren't informed of. If this is just a conversation, personal experiences and the interpretations thereof are fair game to talk about.

STOP GATEKEEPING ME YOUR DEBATE

I could say the same about Mike's statement because he's only referring to a specific type of gamer, yet this tweet gets posted all the time.

>Hey guys, stop grilling people on lore-density and game mechanics the moment they profess or show interest in a topic
>Wow, how dare you imply they're incompetent!

user, please. Judge the player's ability by what they bring to the table, not their ability to remember every god and goddess in Faerun at the drop of a hat.

pardon?

>user, please. Judge the player's ability by what they bring to the table
I am. What they bring to the table is incompetence and incompetence is ugly.

As a game designer for WOTC AND a succesful venture banker, I'd say classes should go. We could have a simple system where you can buy each skill individually, which would add to their stats.

My intelligence is 3 and my arcane spellcasting is two. I get second level spells and have +5 to cast them.

Mike is not referring to you in his tweet. Mike is not attacking you or calling you the problem. Mike is calling gamers who do the things he lists as the problem, and I can agree such people are obnoxious at best, disgusting at worst.

All I know is that my groups grognard somehow forgets every rule more often then the guy who rarely brings a character sheet or dice.

As a WOTC game designer I can tell you that doesn't test well with the 10-13 demographic

Jesus. Hasbro should have pulled the plug, rooted out this cult, and put the archmage in charge months ago. WotC is only going to spiral further out of control now, you can feel it.

>desperate damage control

literally what's in the tweet tho

Gods forbid you try to entertain a conversation about a specific setting someone has just mentioned they enjoy. Better not say anything about Starwars' underlying plots or intricacies, might end up gatekeeping movies then.
If players are brining a lack of knowledge to a setting that is freely available, or as Mike has mentioned, not knowing the rules, than I'm going to be weary of the player and ask them about those things to find out how much they know of it. If someone thinks I'm refusing them a spot because they don't know the rules, chances are I'm refusing them a spot because they're not willing to learn them. I'll help teach, been doing it for years now, but people need to try to come to the table with something, whether knowledge or vested interest.

>maybe if I reinterpret this PR nightmare as positively as possible I won't get fired
You're fucked.

What the hell are you talking about, we could capture all the White Wolf fans in one fell sweep. Think about it: What would they pay to be able to play the scary werebear or the edgy vampire?

"Bloodbond" skill: at 1, you've got edgy abilities, at 3 you're becoming a dhampir and at 5 BAM! Vampire. But you can walk in sunlight. And glitter when you do.

If your paycheck depends on the popularity of a game and you're trying to spin your alleged hate of gatekeeping as a social cause you're lying to everyone including yourself.

But White Wolf doesn't make any money and their "fans" are not desirable.

literally the semantic content expressed by the words in their chosen syntax tho

It's called a reinterpretation because it is a second interpretation. Simply put, we don't believe you and you are going to lose your job.

nothing can be done about your belief. What can't be helped either is that

it's literally what's in the tweet tho

>fuck fuck fuck help I'm fucked
Yes, you are.

The cliche fa/tg/uy spends so much time clutching at their pearls that they must be worn down to nubbins by now.

remove class features, they're too confusing and exclude other classes, be more inclusive

>literally projecting the content of the tweet onto the people the tweet was aimed at
Kek, you "people" never cease to amuse.

>Gods forbid you try to entertain a conversation about a specific setting someone has just mentioned they enjoy. Better not say anything about Starwars' underlying plots or intricacies, might end up gatekeeping movies then.

Social interactions don't go from zero to sixty like this, user. If a girl says she likes Dungeons and Dragons because she watched Critical Role than you're being an asshole if you start asking her how she feels about Bane and Coffeelocks, and then getting smug and elitist when she doesn't know what a Coffeelock is and thinks Bane is that funny guy from /tv/.

There is nothing wrong with a solid understanding of game rules and setting lore, and in the presence of friends or gaming partners you can totally go all-out on discussing that stuff. But Mike has an issue with people who venture out into the world and pounce on people they only know has the scent of someone who's into what they're into.

I still have a secret weapon left

>Normal people don't quiz people on their understanding of a product just because they profess casual interest in the product.

Yes they fucking do, don't be an idiot.
If you profess a love for, I dunno, Nike sneakers.
Somebody will always ask you "no way dude, what's your favourite one?". If they can't get a decent answer they'll think you're an idiot.

See if this sounds familiar to you:
>I really love Dave's coffee
-It's ok, not as good as the one down the block though
>Really, I've always preferred that hipster place. They grind their own beans you know.
Etc...

>You aren't allowed to ask purported hobbyists about the hobby their purport to enjoy if they have a vagina
Literally execute all men

>when you try to win inclusiveness soyboy brownie points but accidentally imply that women are dumbasses

Wow.

I don't believe that the gay card is going to save you, Mike.

literally only half of the action condemned in the post above

>Somebody will always ask you "no way dude, what's your favourite one?". If they can't get a decent answer they'll think you're an idiot.

There's a world of difference between asking "what's your favorite class" and "gosh, you don't know about Pun-Pun and/or the geopolitical issues plaguing Cheliax? Psh, I guess you're not that much of a player."

Can we agree that kind of person is an asshole?

that's not it, Adam!

>more /pol/bait from that guy who doesn't know what projecting is
You need a hobby, dude.

>Can't you just concede that my strawman is an asshole???
Try looking in a mirror

Why aren't feats purchasable for exp outside leveling? Characters get your free feats when they level up and they purchase whatever fluffy feats they want for exp. Doesn't it sound better?

>Be Janitor for Hasbro
>mfw working third shift
>mfw scraping play-doh out of carpet every day
>mfw fat faggots in pastel clothing try to storm 'pony mecca'
>the fuck is pony mecca? Fucking ISIS
>"user, new duties. First shift, go here."
>meh.mkv
>Some shit offices about wizards.
>no play-doh, that's a plus
>Some queasy faggot named Mike wanders around
>Always bitching about equality
>Made some fat dyke cry because muh equality
>mfw have to mop up dyke tears
>Get roped into shitty team building standup
>mfw get mistaken for gamedev
>mfw gonna get fired for not picking up trash
>steal donut go back to work

new female players attracted to the hobby with fleeting at best interest? sign me up! maybe we can watch the big bang theory in between dungeons!
t. fellow critter

P.1 Gatekeepers use rule complexity and lore density
P.2 Many of them also have a problem with women in tabletop gaming
P.3 People are dumbasses if they are confused or put off by what Gatekeepers do in P.1
__________________________
C: Women are dumbasses

Doesn't look like the conclusion follows honestly

My only issue with this tweet is he equated liking more mechanics and lore to having a problem with women in table top gaming. It may not be he intent, iirc it's directed at a bunch of people questioning if their new hire who happens to be a woman was qualified, but that's what it comes across as.

user, I'm asking you because we apparently have wildly different views on the type of person Mike Mearls is talking about. Who do you think he is referring to in his post?

>Maybe if I phrase my reinterpretation differently I won't lose my job

The hells doe Bane and Coffeelocks have to do with a D&D setting? Is that a thing in Critical Role? If it is, take this as an example. I wouldn't be going to another table that ran such a setting without trying to learn something about it, nor would I claim to know/enjoy/like it without knowing anything of it.
Mike's tweet, to me, isn't reading about people being disruptive out of their way, but rather "barring entry" to players who come to their groups.
>Social interactions don't go from zero to sixty like this, user.
Aside from the fact I've made a female friend by discussing masturbation before and had another friendship by discussing the possibilities of placing WW2 in a D&D setting in a logical conclusion. They can go that way depending upon the individuals involved.

Why pander to a group that consists of like, 10 people

Imaginary strawnazis

But that's not what he said. He said that misogynists want to keep the game complex in an effort to keep women from playing.

Now, either the implication is that they're literally not doing anything, because women are totally capable of using complex games, and therefor the entire effort is wasted...

OR

Mearls thinks that women can't handle complex rules.

You're trying to read good intentions into a message that was EXTREMELY unfortunately worded.

So you're saying people who are elitist and potentially sexist over their understanding of DnD do not exist.

Yes, I am saying that your strawman does not exist and that your princesses do not need saving

Go fuck yourself.

Adam, do you know what an interpretation is?