Why D&D Is Going Down the Toilet (How to Have Fun Anyway)
I love D&D, but Hasbro continues its crapification. What exactly does that mean? And is it killing our fun? (The answer is a resounding no.) ** Join the Adventurers Guild at https://patreon.com/shortreststudios or https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCychTZf1Z2Womi56s_Ddk9w/join ** The article: https://www.npr.org/sections/planet-money/2025/10/21/g-s1-94264/a-theory-why-the-internet-is-going-down-the-toilet Bryan's Blog: https://harshmage.medium.com/bryan-rants-the-enshittification-of-d-d-bfcd75d364f7 The book: https://amzn.to/476AWjH Dungeon Crawl Classics Physical: https://www.amazon.com/shop/shortreststudios/list/1B1XG4UENAIAL?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_aipsflist_ETP261NXZJZEVHH6K6Z1 PDF: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/101050/dungeon-crawl-classics-rpg-dcc-rpg?affiliate_id=3260793 ========== ShadowDark: https://www.thearcanelibrary.com/ ========== Dragonbane Physical: https://amzn.to/47FP03S PDF: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/418106/dragonbane-core-set?affiliate_id=3260793 ========== Draw Steel: https://www.mcdmproductions.com ========== Daggerheart Physical: https://amzn.to/4hswizZ PDF: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/508832/daggerheart-corebook?affiliate_id=3260793 Nimble: https://nimblerpg.com/ ========== More ways to support Short Rest Studios! ============ Short Rest Studios Merch: https://short-rest-studios.printify.me ============ Short Rest Studios PDFs: https://www.patreon.com/ShortRestStudios/shop ============ Join the Discord! https://discord.gg/C89CBNZpbe ============ My website: https://shortreststudios.com ============ My DriveThruRPG Affiliate Link https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/?affiliate_id=3260793 ============ Shop D&D, DCC, my video equipment and more in on my Amazon storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/shortreststudios ============ Get 10% off game tables and furniture at https://legacygametables.com/shortreststudios ============ Get 10% off at Into the AM: https://intotheam.com/shortreststudios ============ Get 10% off at https://MistyMountainGaming.com with code SHORTREST ============ Get 5% off at Zyltech: https://www.zyltech.com/?aff=138 ============ Get 20% off with Homie and the Dude: https://hatdbuilder.com/?coupon=shortrest ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dungeons & Dragons 5e is at a crossroads. Many DMs and TTRPG players feel the game is becoming less about fun and more about profit, a phenomenon I'll call the "crapification" of the game. In this analysis, I'll break down the three stages of platform decay as they apply to the D&D, tracing the shift from the beloved early days of Wizards of the Coast to the current monetization focus driven by Hasbro. We look at the concrete evidence—from the OGL 1.1 disaster, the Project Sigil VTT cancellation, to the continued rise of DnDBeyond—to answer the question: Why is D&D getting worse? The good news is that DMs and players are not powerless. I explore powerful alternatives to the D&D ruleset, providing you with a list of the best TTRPG systems you can switch to right now, including ShadowDark, Dungeon Crawl Classics (DCC), Draw Steel, and Dragonbane. We also discuss how to use your existing 5e books with third-party publishers like MCDM and Kobold Press so you aren't locked into the Hasbro ecosystem. Don't let the monetization attempts of the D&D brand ruin your table. If you're a Dungeon Master looking for the best way to secure your campaigns and find new games that prioritize fun over profit, I made this video for you. 00:00 Intro 01:13 Stage 1 04:18 Stage 2 08:03 Stage 3 10:29 It's not all bad.
