Confidence in WotC

kevtar · Jul 10, 2012

Based on recent events, such as the open playtest, cancellation of VTT, online tool support (Adventure tools/Character builder), 1st edition and 3.5 edition reprints, interaction with players, and news from articles like "legend & lore" and "The DM Experience (I think that's what Chris Perkins' article is called)," what's your overall confidence in the ability of WotC to successfully manage the D&D brand?

Umbran · Jul 10, 2012

I expect they'll do well enough with it.

I think the VTT might seem a big deal among message board users, and I myself hoped they'd make it work out, but I'm not surprised to hear it didn't have the legs required to make it into full production. It was at best a product for a small section of an already small market.

I think they've notably improved their interaction with players with the new playtest. The reprints are a plus in my eyes.

Whizbang Dustyboots · Jul 10, 2012

What's the alternative for WotC with the VTT? Continue to lose money on it? The bad decisions made regarding it (like Silverlight, which some of us yelled about when it was first announced) were made far too long ago for the folks now in charge to do anything about. If anything, them pulling the trigger on it shows a certain degree of maturity and good decision making that WotC has not always been known for.

So good on 'em, I say, even if it's a day I think a lot of people would have wished would never have come.

Man in the Funny Hat · Jul 10, 2012

For an overall response I selected "fairly", but really it depends on particular things as to my confidence level - and then there's the question of, "Confident of what? That they'll finish DDN? Make money? Actually succeed in bringing everyone under a single tent? Fracture the playerbase even further?" ...

Darrin Drader · Jul 10, 2012

I think that WotC does a brilliant job managing D&D when they listen to their better angels. I also think that 5E is looking like a giant step in the right direction, so it's entirely possible that this will be great. Without any implied reflection on other companies who are also doing great things right now, I wish them all the best with it.

Fifth Element · Jul 10, 2012

I'd go with something like "E: Not really relevant to any decision I make regarding D&D."

If 5E is a good game, I will buy it and play it. If not, I won't. I don't really care about the "brand", I care about the game.

Stormonu · Jul 10, 2012

I think this question should be split in two.

Books: fairly confident

Electronic: Incompetent. I'd use a stronger word, but this suffices.

To my eyes, the 5E playtest is a fair start, and they've shown their pretty good at getting the crowd with their books. Their books have always (okay, usually) had pretty high production qualities and value.

When it comes to electronics, all I have to say is Gleemax, PDFs, Master Tools/E-Tools, both versions of the VTT, the character imager, and the electronic copies of Dungeon and Dragon. Even some of the computer games - D&D Heroes, Daggerdale, DDO, Temple of Elemental Evil (without the Circle of Eight patches). I think that about says it all.

Harlock · Jul 10, 2012

I voted fairly confident. I enjoyed 3e as a player and DM (less as a DM because of rules lawerly types and all of the new rules to be argumentative over) nearly as much as 2e and not quite as much as B/X. 4e was a mess for our group from jump street and we stopped gaming because of it. I like what little we have seen of 5e, so I am hopeful and "fairly" confident in WotC for now.

ETA: Couldn't XP you Stormonu, but I absolutely agree with the split.

Obryn · Jul 10, 2012

I'm mostly confident that they can put together a reasonably good version of D&D that a lot of people will play, and that will probably both sell a ton of books and fragment the player base even more. I am fairly skeptical it will be a new version of D&D which will grab my attention.

Even their online offerings had improved - the new CB is at a better place than the old one was. The new Monster Builder is an actual upgrade. Dungeon/Dragon had their last great hurrah about 6 months ago, but it was pretty stellar for a bit.

-O

Dannager · Jul 10, 2012

Stormonu said:
When it comes to electronics, all I have to say is Gleemax, PDFs, Master Tools/E-Tools, both versions of the VTT, the character imager, and the electronic copies of Dungeon and Dragon. Even some of the computer games - D&D Heroes, Daggerdale, DDO, Temple of Elemental Evil (without the Circle of Eight patches). I think that about says it all.

Except that we have absolutely no example of any tabletop RPG company doing the above any better. WotC is literally the only publisher to have tried most of these. There's no way that you can say, with any degree of confidence, that mixed (and mind you, it is mixed) success in the above projects isn't simply the result of the difficulties of transitioning a historically analog game and business into an emerging digital world with evolutions in technology that can make attractive business decisions seem ill-advised 6 months later in hindsight.

On a context-less level, do I have a lot of confidence in WotC's ability to create stellar digital products? Not especially; they've made fantastic decisions and they've made poor decisions. But, in context, do I believe that WotC has a better chance of pulling off successful digital products than any other tabletop RPG company out there? Yes, because they're the only ones who have.