Love the Game, Hate the Marketing

[allenw]

*shudder* I judge you not for your like of his style. To me his style always seemed elitist and excessively wordy. I like the informal tone taken in the preview books so far, as well as some of the later 3.5 books.

-TRRW

But we're geeks. "Elitist and excessively wordy" is, well, cool.

 

[Sara_G]

OK, everybody breathe. I'm the marketing lead for Dungeons & Dragons. I'm reading your concerns. Some I can understand, others I may not agree with, but like Scott said, we're focusing on the launch as the timing becomes relevant. Right now we're putting a lot of effort in the direction of D&D Experience. Since that is the first public taste of 4th edition, we want it to be great. Things will really get rolling after that.

Until then, keep talking. You're really helping me out!

 

[Scott_Rouse]

Rouse, you do know that 4chan-grade stupidity is VERY common on youtube?

The communauty can be... less said, the better.

Just youtube? I think you just described the internets.

Great articles in this month's Wired here and here about the internet and stupid stuff that happens on it

 

[kennew142]

Hmm, good point - I'm 35 and I definitely get a "This isn't your D&D, dadio!" vibe off WoTC now.

I'm 42. We range in age from 20 - 52. The average age of our gaming group is 40. None of us has felt that vibe.

 

[The Ubbergeek]

Just youtube? I think you just described the internets.

Great articles in this month's Wired here and here about the internet and stupid stuff that happens on it

yeah... but there is places worse than other.

Youtube comments - kill brain cells better than moonshine.

 

[SpiderMonkey]

Hi, Scott.

Thanks for posting. I'm just writing in this post (as I have in a few others today) to thank you for being a regular here and letting the fans have a voice. Even if many of them are determined to drive you off, apparently.

I know my gaming friends (none of whom mess around on message boards) are really stoked about what I've relayed to them from the internet and the bits that WotC has leaked.

So, thanks!

 

[Stogoe]

It's a generational thing. Geeks in their early 40s getting pissed at geeks in their late 20s cause they use slightly different language.

Yeah, I agree. I really don’t understand the compulsive spite hurled at anyone who dares get enthusiastic about their work.

Their attempts at PR haven't been having the right (read: intended) effects at all.

Unfortunately, there’s no way to avoid pissing off the minority of people whose only response to external stimuli is scorn and derision. Life’s too short, guys, and there are far more important things in the world to get ulcers from.

Clearly we are under using vowels, pets, and the lords name but seem to be on par with use of positive adjectives

Clearly, the Rouse pwns all.

It is worth noting that the harshest reactions I have seen have been the kids over on the WotC forums. That sense of "betrayal" that can only come with your first change of edition.

Huh. This is my first D&D edition change, and I don’t feel betrayed at all. In all honesty, the announcement of 4e actually revived my interest in D&D.

The decision was carefully considered and made for business reasons (read looking at the magazine business holistically) and not based on one factor like marketing potential. Magazines way bigger than Dungeon or Dragon are dropping off like flies because as it turns out, unless you are the huge (over 200K in circ) it is a crappy business model.

Yeah, it’s not surprising that a format that provides month-old information less accessibly with an ad:content ratio of nearly 2:1 is being shunned in favor of the ability to grab infinitely more news and entertainment info instantaneously over the internet.

 

[Simm]

Just thought I'd weigh in on the "cool" thing because it is one of the things that really irritates me about the 4e previews. I don't want a "cool" character with "cool" powers fighting "cool" monsters. Cool for the most part, is synonymous with fashionable and up to date.

From my observations everything cool now will become passe in time. I'd much rather be assured that 4e elements are being designed to last and remain interesting over long periods of play as new supplements are brought out.

 

[fnwc]

The over-use of the word 'cool'.

This does not seem to be a valid criticism.

 

[KrazyHades]

And of course, they forgot to bribe me. Tsk tsk!

That is a MAJOR screwup. They didn't bribe the big voices on EnWorld.

Honestly, EricNoah and PKitty and the other legends-that-walk of EnWorld probably have more sway over my opinion on 4E than anything WotC's marketing people have said or advertised.