Is WOTC/Hasbro mismanaging D&D?

[ColonelHardisson]

Now, as to the specific question - is WotC/Hasbro mismanaging D&D? No, not really. So far, they've done well. WotC's sales figures, which dwarf that of any of the d20 companies, and which have ushered in a Renaissance for D&D in which it has sold more books than it ever did in the past, indicate that many, many more people - thousands and thousands, at least - agree with this assessment. Can they do better? Sure. Even now, their output and quality both seem to be dropping, but even taking this into account, I still wouldn't call it mismanagement, by any stretch. Not yet.

 

[Sir Edgar]

Overall, I am very pleased with the majority of products that WOTC has published. Additionally, I play with 5 other experienced role players who agree that the new 3rd Edition supplements may not be to the tastes of all, but do have their place and appeal.

What is most unfortunate for me is the lack of proof reading on the part of WOTC when they release their products. Missing entries, numerous spelling errors; this irks me.

I read the posts on these boards on a daily basis and it seems that people love to bash WOTC for the majority of their products which are released. Sometimes I think this may be due to higher expectations from the "head" honcho.

I think the OGL is great and was fantastic for WOTC to develop. It gives all role players greater choice in what and from whom they purchase.

Finally, the books WOTC produce aren't bound with a Wizard Lock. Go to your nearest hobby shop, pop open the book, take a look inside and if you don't feel that it is the type of product you are going to be satisfied with, DON'T BUY IT.

Well, apparently you are in the minority, at least according to this poll. Right now, over 60% say "yes" WOTC/Hasbro is mismanaging D&D resources.

I actually think it's the third-party publishers who really need to improve their editing, not WOTC. Have you seen some of the stuff that has gone to print? Misspellings and grammar errors everywhere.

Anyhow, I believe that the "head honcho" as you say has a responsibility to produce high-quality and complete rulebooks. That's their main job now, isn't it? Let the other companies do the other stuff.

And yes, I am very well aware of my rights as a consumer. And no, I didn't buy Deities & Demigods after disappointingly flipping through a friend's copy. But I still NEED a good deities book. The third-party publishers can't make one using all of the same deities or they'd get sued. So, that's why I'm not happy.

As a consumer, I have the right to express my dissatisfaction in ways besides simply not buying a product. That is a passive attitude in my opinion. If someone like you bought spoiled milk, you might just refuse to buy that brand of milk again. But others may do something more. That's their choice, not yours.

 

[Sir Edgar]

Now, as to the specific question - is WotC/Hasbro mismanaging D&D? No, not really. So far, they've done well. WotC's sales figures, which dwarf that of any of the d20 companies, and which have ushered in a Renaissance for D&D in which it has sold more books than it ever did in the past, indicate that many, many more people - thousands and thousands, at least - agree with this assessment. Can they do better? Sure. Even now, their output and quality both seem to be dropping, but even taking this into account, I still wouldn't call it mismanagement, by any stretch. Not yet.

You seem to be equating quantity with quality. Just because WOTC sales are up doesn't mean they aren't mismanaging D&D. My main point is is that they're not fully taking advantage of their vast library of resources and access to talent to produce useful and complete products.

Could they have done a better job with Deities & Demigods? Absolutely. They should have put most if not all of the deities from 1st edition in there. They should have also added many of the demihuman deities from 2nd edition as well as new ones that have been in the works.

Could they have done a better job with Monster Manual and Monster Manual 2? Obviously, since a third party publisher felt there was a need to print "Tome of Horrors". I am sure sales of that product will be very high.

Could they have done a better job with Stronghold Builder's Guidebook? Yes, they could have included more in-depth information about raising taxes, maintaining a stronghold, governing inhabitants, etc that have all been seen in past products and articles about the topic.

Of course, WOTC sales figures dwarf d20 companies. WOTC is a corporation, d20 companies are mostly start-ups sometimes in a guy's garage.

Third edition was a big boon to D&D. I have to give big credit to all the people who came up with this more logical "scientific" way of playing. But if you are talking about OGL/d20, that would be due to Ryan Dancey's efforts to open up the game and save D&D, not WOTC producing good products. The publicity generated by the film "The Lord of the Rings" played a big part in bringing more fans to the game, too.

So, the quality of the D&D products coming out of WOTC is "dropping" as you say, but you wouldn't call that mismanagement? Okay...

 

[Other Guy]

Hm, I'm not sure what to say to this, so I'm not even going to vote. I'm a big psionics fan and I'm not too happy with the many mistakes they've made with them. However, I am thrilled by all they have done right, such as simply putting psionics in the SRD.

Even if WotC fails at everything else, I believe the OGL is such a great thing that I cannot say they have done poorly.

 

[Umbran]

Could they have done a better job with Deities & Demigods? Absolutely. They should have put most if not all of the deities from 1st edition in there. They should have also added many of the demihuman deities from 2nd edition as well as new ones that have been in the works.

I don't own the book, but from the look I got at it in the bookstore, this would not have worked well. The original D&Dg is 128 pages, with each deity getting about one quarter to half of one page. Proper detialing in the new book seems to require more space - meaning that including everything would have made the tome physically large, and thus even more expensive. No thanks.

Could they have done a better job with Monster Manual and Monster Manual 2? Obviously, since a third party publisher felt there was a need to print "Tome of Horrors". I am sure sales of that product will be very high.

Don't equate "opportunity" with "need". A third party publisher sees a market for "Tome of Horrors". The fact that many will buy it does not mean that we need it.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

You seem to be equating quantity with quality. Just because WOTC sales are up doesn't mean they aren't mismanaging D&D. My main point is is that they're not fully taking advantage of their vast library of resources and access to talent to produce useful and complete products.

Could they have done a better job with Deities & Demigods? Absolutely. They should have put most if not all of the deities from 1st edition in there. They should have also added many of the demihuman deities from 2nd edition as well as new ones that have been in the works.

Could they have done a better job with Monster Manual and Monster Manual 2? Obviously, since a third party publisher felt there was a need to print "Tome of Horrors". I am sure sales of that product will be very high.

Could they have done a better job with Stronghold Builder's Guidebook? Yes, they could have included more in-depth information about raising taxes, maintaining a stronghold, governing inhabitants, etc that have all been seen in past products and articles about the topic.

Of course, WOTC sales figures dwarf d20 companies. WOTC is a corporation, d20 companies are mostly start-ups sometimes in a guy's garage.

Third edition was a big boon to D&D. I have to give big credit to all the people who came up with this more logical "scientific" way of playing. But if you are talking about OGL/d20, that would be due to Ryan Dancey's efforts to open up the game and save D&D, not WOTC producing good products. The publicity generated by the film "The Lord of the Rings" played a big part in bringing more fans to the game, too.

So, the quality of the D&D products coming out of WOTC is "dropping" as you say, but you wouldn't call that mismanagement? Okay...

What you seem to not be grasping is that if the quality is that bad, sales would be falling off the table. They aren't. So apparently many, many people disagree with your basic premise. Or, are you somehow correct, and everyone who disagrees is incorrect, about a subjective matter? You say they're mismanaging D&D. Many more people are buying the game now than ever before, so obviously they disagree with you. So, in essence, they've already voted in a poll similar to yours, and apparently outnumber those who think D&D is being mishandled.

As for Tome of Horrors - how much do you think a gamer was going to spend on a monster book the size of the one that would have to have been made to accomodate all the "essential" monsters that were left out? Plus, the book would've had to have a lot of new monsters or people would complain that they were simply re-buying old material (which, by the way, we saw plenty of complaints about here on the boards regarding one book or the other). This precise situation is the whole point of the d20 movement.

 

[BluWolf]

Sir Edgar,
It seems to be clear you are of the opinion that Hasbro/WoTC is mishandling D&D. That is fine. You are entitled to your opinion and you are very welcome to post that opinion here as often as you like.

I'm curious though. Why would you post a poll asking everyone's opnion on the matter when you don't seem interested in listening to those opinions?

I'm not trying to be confrontational. It just seems every opinion that has been offered that seems to conradict yours you are dismissing out of hand??

 

[ColonelHardisson]

So, the quality of the D&D products coming out of WOTC is "dropping" as you say, but you wouldn't call that mismanagement? Okay...

Re-read what I said:

Even now, their output and quality both seem to be dropping, but even taking this into account, I still wouldn't call it mismanagement, by any stretch. Not yet.

Mismanagement implies that they are running it into the ground or willfully destroying the game. This isn't the case. Just because they put out stuff you personally dislike doesn't equate to mismanagement.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

I'm not trying to be confrontational. It just seems every opinion that has been offered that seems to conradict yours you are dismissing out of hand??

It strikes me that anytime anyone posts a poll along the lines of "Does X suck?" (not just here, but anywhere), it means the poster has already made up his/her mind that "X" does, indeed, suck. Little progress is rarely, if ever, made from that point on.

 

[BluWolf]

I know Colonel.

I have a pair of pliers next to my computer I use to try and keep the number of fish hooks in my mouth to a minimum.

I never learn.