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Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Removal Day - Zak S' Consultant Credit to be Removed from Future Print & Digital D&D Player's Handbooks



Interesting day. An interesting day indeed. Zak S actually made the news at the WotC D&D page. Let's read along, shall we?
To all D&D fans, 
We spent the last week listening and learning from the D&D community. 
Zak Smith, along with many others, was engaged by Wizards to provide feedback on D&D Next, the playtest which evolved into D&D fifth edition. We have not contracted with him since, and regret our choice to do so in 2014. Because of that, we are removing Zak’s credit from future physical printings and digital versions of the Player’s Handbook. 
We applaud how the D&D community supports one another and fully support the planned Dungeon Masters Guild bundle raising funds to donate to RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network). The bundle is live now and we will be amplifying it going forward! 
We are grateful to be a part of this wonderful community, and we thank you for your passion. We remain committed to working with and learning from you, the D&D community. You may always share your comments and thoughts with us on our social media platforms and we are setting up an email address to receive feedback more directly. 
Sincerely,
The D&D Team
Interestingly enough, now there are NO consultants at all listed anymore:




18 comments:

  1. Well, RPGPundit is on there, so it's only a matter of time before the internet torches and pitchforks come for him next. Five years ago edgy consultants seemed like a good idea, five years later not so much....

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    Replies
    1. I bet he doesn't make it until Christmas before OneBooShelf bans him too.

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    2. https://www.tenkarstavern.com/2019/02/drivethrurpg-bans-all-future-titles.html

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    3. According to the pics at the end of the post, the Basic Rules PDF no longer has a consultant's list at all. Whether they also take this approach with the physical books remains to be seen, but it's a pretty good probability.

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  2. So they've removed the Additional consultation credit, not just excised Zak's name from the Additional consultation credits? Okay. Not my decision, and I totally understand why WotC might not want that credit there to be sullied.

    I have no sympathy for Zak, but sometimes it's better to take ownership of the past than disown it.

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    Replies
    1. I have no opinion on Zak or his activities. But I agree about the ownership of the past. While our purges haven't reached actual death like Stalin's, it seems people have learned to airbrush and edit people out of the past.

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    2. I think WotC has whole set of business related problems that the rest of us (OSR types) don't have to deal with. The one thing WotC staffers don't want is a higher-up at Hasbro showing up with questions. It doesn't have tot be a totalitarian state issue.

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    3. Does removing consultants achieve anything? Has anyone actually "won"? Jeezus, at one point is playing the game more important than worrying about who playtested it?!?!

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  3. So does that mean they will erase everything in the book he helped with? Because whether you like him or not he did actually consult.

    This is Stalinesque.

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  4. Oh, man, Wizards of the Coast killed 10 million people?strange that this isn’t a bigger story.

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    Replies
    1. 20 million at least. But nobody in the media or academia is counting. I appreciate your witty obtuseness though, conflating "Stalinesque" with literally murdering people to advance socialism.

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    2. He didn't do it to "advance socialism", he did it to advance himself.

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  5. The world has gone completely insane. I always considered the guy to be a jerk. His exes also considering him a jerk should come as no surprise. But everybody's exes say their partner is a jerk. The guy's not even accused of a crime, let alone convicted. And last time I checked, we're supposed to give even felons a second chance. The world has gone completely insane.

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  6. If my name were on something published by WotC, I would welcome having it removed.

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  7. So... what unspeakable crimes did Jeff Grubb, Kenneth Hite, Robin Laws, S. John Ross, and Vincent Venturelia commit since they, too, have been purged from the credits page? Or are they guilty of merely having their names listed in same credit block as this Zak S person and therefore must be wiped from the historical record, too?

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  8. All my former girlfriends' accusations against me are true. Former girlfriends never ever lie or exaggerate in any way. They must be believed unconditionnaly, and not asked for corroboration or (god forbid) evidence. They should not be encouraged to bring their story the police, but instead helped to disseminate it to everyone I know and work with, ruining my professional life beyond any hope of redemption. I deserve all that, because I am an argumentative jerk. And I have a bad haircut. I envy your moral purity, and your hair. I wish Zak were as self-aware as I am.

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  9. But at least you've got a nice Fighting Fantasy profile pic...

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