Apparently, Kobold Press is not a fan of what Dungeons and Dragons has shown in its One D&D playtests so far. In a recent design diary, Kobold Press asserted its hope to turn Project Black Flag into a better spiritual successor to 5th Edition than Dungeons and Dragons is making with One D&D.
Dungeons and Dragons is currently designing One D&D–its evergreen evolution of 5th Edition. However, third-party Dungeons and Dragons publisher Kobold Press is also working on its own TTRPG system tentatively titled Project Black Flag. Like One D&D, Project Black Flag promises to be backwards-compatible with 5th Edition.
That said, Kobold Press isn’t convinced Wizards of the Coast is doing a great job at doing that with One D&D. In a recent design diary about Project Black Flag’s first playtest packet, Kobold Press stated as such, claiming One D&D doesn’t seem to be living up to expectations. Rather than wait and hope Wizards of the Coast can make One D&D into a satisfactory product, Kobold Press is simply making the changes it wants to see in the system for itself.
Kobold Press’ design diary was not afraid to take some pot shots at Wizards of the Coast. In no unclear terms, Kobold Press declared its desire to break the monopoly on D&D. Though Dungeons and Dragons recently protected much of 5th Edition under Creative Commons, Kobold Press couldn’t help but notice the breadth of D&D options not included in the document. Project Black Flag’s goal is to give players different, better tools for Dungeons and Dragons than what they can get from Wizards of the Coast and One D&D.
Fans of Dungeons and Dragons were surprised to see Kobold Press bare its fangs at Wizards of the Coast so brazenly. This design diary all but confirmed Kobold Press hopes to make Project Black Flag for 5th Edition what Pathfinder was for 3rd Edition. Literally beating Wizards of the Coast at its own game is no small feat, and players are interested to see if the talented developers at Kobold Press can pull it off.
Dungeons and Dragons itself is still recovering from the controversy surrounding Wizards of the Coast's attempt to deauthorize the old Open Game License earlier this year. The playtesting for One D&D was delayed by these events, but Wizards of the Coast is still committed to releasing the system in 2024. With both Kobold Press and Wizards of the Coast releasing playtesting material simultaneously, it will be up to players to decide which evolution of 5th Edition they prefer.
Dungeons and Dragons is available now. One D&D and Project Black Flag are in development.