GregoryOatmeal
First Post
Hey all. I'm a long-time lurker but I'm pretty heavily invested in 4E like the rest of you. A mix of mild nerd rage and perplexity inspired me to write this diatribe about WOTC's recent business strategy and my psychology as a consumer. Hopefully the bean-counters at Hasbro will take notice.
I've been playing D&D since 1998 but only became heavily invested in the game when 4E came on the scene. In the past three years I have probably poured more than $1,000 into WOTC. Like many DMs I treasure my collection of full-color hardcover gaming books. Sifting through my boxes of minis gives me the same rush of euphoria that a dragon must get from rolling around in piles of gold. I don't regret purchasing any of it. I distinctly remember my train of thought while purchasing the goods.
When I spent $400 on hardcover books I thought - These are chock-full of awesome art. They look great on the shelf as a collection, just like my friends massive collections of books from previous editions. I still peruse through the older edition books for inspiration and likewise I intend to do the same in the decades ahead with these. These relax my eyes and bring me so much joy after spending the entire working day, 45 hours a week, performing work on a computer.
When I spent $600 on miniatures I thought - While not cheap, these are an awesome value. Since all my hero quest figurines broke I can use them to replace my old HQ figures (or any other tabletop game) when I play with old friends, nephews, and possibly one day my own children. I intend for these to be with me when I'm gaming in a retirement home. Hell, I want to be buried with these things.
I recently moved and went through the process of evaluating every earthly possession to deem whether it merited moving or tossing. I noticed all of my paperbacks and board games, the ones I really enjoyed and reread/replayed and moved from apartment to apartment, were destroyed - nearly unusable. Broken figurines, missing manuals, long-lost covers, spines about ready to split. I also found a hard-cover copy of The Hobbit, from 1966, in a box full of elven runes. I'd pay $30 for something this cool at a used bookstore.
I was hoping 4E would get the same treatment as 2E and 3E with more than a dozen campaign settings, extensive third party support, etc. Instead this is what I'm seeing from WOTC:
Booklets: The content of MV and HOFL/HOFK looks really solid. Unfortunately given how much use they would get I don't think they will last as long as PHB3/MM3. Also a single column just doesn't quite do it for me... maybe one day we'll get an expanded hardcover reprint versions with sprawling pages. Until then I don't want to see the spine crack and tear on another book I really love - I can't bear the loss.
Board games: Again the content looks cool. However I like to mix my gaming materials up. Ultimately I think the products would all get lost. Looking at my broken Hero Quest box I've had since I was 6 - it's like watching a grandparent get Alzheimer's and become confined to a hospital bed. You want to have a good time with them like you used to but you just can't anymore
Box sets: The content of Shadowfell looks cool, but I wish they would just publish a 400 page hardcover book. The maps might be nice for a game and the pogs will help new DMs with the minis. The cards would never come unwrapped. Ultimately $40 is too much for a 128 page book that would probably get destroyed and a 32 page book that would certainly not last.
Online content: Again, I'm sure the content is awesome, but I work in front of a computer. And I keep up with friends on facebook, and use it to read the news, and pay my bills. I need a break! My eyes are straining writing this. Reading The Plane Above in bed at midnight is not the same as reading a PDF in front of an LCD screen. Color ink is expensive and printouts just don't last or cut it on a bookshelf.
Cards: I have yet to meet one person that is enthusiastic about adding cards to D&D. Even if I wanted to purchases these I can not imagine I could find, for the life of me, six tabletop gamers of any gaming background, age-group, economic status or any combination in my area that would even tolerate a player using purchased cards to gain extra power. I understand the importance of profit and these cards must appeal to the bean-counters for their high profit margins. I just cannot, based on my 12 years as a tabletop gamer, identify anyone in gaming they think would purchase these.
I really love the 4E system and would not have a problem throwing money at WOTC. I've always understood that WOTC is a business and businesses MUST make money, without business D&D wouldn't exist. And businesses naturally find methods to increase profit. The equation just doesn't work if the business can't create products consumers want to buy. I have been a dedicated consumer and I really feel like WOTC is no longer interested in creating products that I want to buy. The kind of of durable, sturdy products that look awesome on a bookshelf and DMs treasure for decades.
Fortunately I've found a silver lining. Importing monsters and mechanics into 4E from other systems by reskinning content from other systems is effortless. 2E books are still awesome reads full of inspiration. Paizo is now the gold-standard for production value and page-count. So until WOTC reconsiders writing MMIV, DMG3, maybe another Dark Sun hardcover and a big fat Feywild book (not a box), I'll be taking my money to Paizo and the used book stores for inspiration.
I've been playing D&D since 1998 but only became heavily invested in the game when 4E came on the scene. In the past three years I have probably poured more than $1,000 into WOTC. Like many DMs I treasure my collection of full-color hardcover gaming books. Sifting through my boxes of minis gives me the same rush of euphoria that a dragon must get from rolling around in piles of gold. I don't regret purchasing any of it. I distinctly remember my train of thought while purchasing the goods.
When I spent $400 on hardcover books I thought - These are chock-full of awesome art. They look great on the shelf as a collection, just like my friends massive collections of books from previous editions. I still peruse through the older edition books for inspiration and likewise I intend to do the same in the decades ahead with these. These relax my eyes and bring me so much joy after spending the entire working day, 45 hours a week, performing work on a computer.
When I spent $600 on miniatures I thought - While not cheap, these are an awesome value. Since all my hero quest figurines broke I can use them to replace my old HQ figures (or any other tabletop game) when I play with old friends, nephews, and possibly one day my own children. I intend for these to be with me when I'm gaming in a retirement home. Hell, I want to be buried with these things.
I recently moved and went through the process of evaluating every earthly possession to deem whether it merited moving or tossing. I noticed all of my paperbacks and board games, the ones I really enjoyed and reread/replayed and moved from apartment to apartment, were destroyed - nearly unusable. Broken figurines, missing manuals, long-lost covers, spines about ready to split. I also found a hard-cover copy of The Hobbit, from 1966, in a box full of elven runes. I'd pay $30 for something this cool at a used bookstore.
I was hoping 4E would get the same treatment as 2E and 3E with more than a dozen campaign settings, extensive third party support, etc. Instead this is what I'm seeing from WOTC:
Booklets: The content of MV and HOFL/HOFK looks really solid. Unfortunately given how much use they would get I don't think they will last as long as PHB3/MM3. Also a single column just doesn't quite do it for me... maybe one day we'll get an expanded hardcover reprint versions with sprawling pages. Until then I don't want to see the spine crack and tear on another book I really love - I can't bear the loss.
Board games: Again the content looks cool. However I like to mix my gaming materials up. Ultimately I think the products would all get lost. Looking at my broken Hero Quest box I've had since I was 6 - it's like watching a grandparent get Alzheimer's and become confined to a hospital bed. You want to have a good time with them like you used to but you just can't anymore
Box sets: The content of Shadowfell looks cool, but I wish they would just publish a 400 page hardcover book. The maps might be nice for a game and the pogs will help new DMs with the minis. The cards would never come unwrapped. Ultimately $40 is too much for a 128 page book that would probably get destroyed and a 32 page book that would certainly not last.
Online content: Again, I'm sure the content is awesome, but I work in front of a computer. And I keep up with friends on facebook, and use it to read the news, and pay my bills. I need a break! My eyes are straining writing this. Reading The Plane Above in bed at midnight is not the same as reading a PDF in front of an LCD screen. Color ink is expensive and printouts just don't last or cut it on a bookshelf.
Cards: I have yet to meet one person that is enthusiastic about adding cards to D&D. Even if I wanted to purchases these I can not imagine I could find, for the life of me, six tabletop gamers of any gaming background, age-group, economic status or any combination in my area that would even tolerate a player using purchased cards to gain extra power. I understand the importance of profit and these cards must appeal to the bean-counters for their high profit margins. I just cannot, based on my 12 years as a tabletop gamer, identify anyone in gaming they think would purchase these.
I really love the 4E system and would not have a problem throwing money at WOTC. I've always understood that WOTC is a business and businesses MUST make money, without business D&D wouldn't exist. And businesses naturally find methods to increase profit. The equation just doesn't work if the business can't create products consumers want to buy. I have been a dedicated consumer and I really feel like WOTC is no longer interested in creating products that I want to buy. The kind of of durable, sturdy products that look awesome on a bookshelf and DMs treasure for decades.
Fortunately I've found a silver lining. Importing monsters and mechanics into 4E from other systems by reskinning content from other systems is effortless. 2E books are still awesome reads full of inspiration. Paizo is now the gold-standard for production value and page-count. So until WOTC reconsiders writing MMIV, DMG3, maybe another Dark Sun hardcover and a big fat Feywild book (not a box), I'll be taking my money to Paizo and the used book stores for inspiration.
