Look, I'm a Monster...

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

That's what I mean by "backfired". If it was meant to big-up 4E, and make tieflings look like cool PCs and gnomes not, then it seems to have had the opposite effect.

But I can't belief that was unintentional, since I think th reactions were pretty similar - the Gnome was seen as fun and the poor victim.

The "backfire" was more that some people didn't get the joke and felt appalled by the fact that the Gnome was portrayed as a victim.

 

[rounser]

But I can't belief that was unintentional, since I think th reactions were pretty similar - the Gnome was seen as fun and the poor victim.

The "backfire" was more that some people didn't get the joke and felt appalled by the fact that the Gnome was portrayed as a victim.

I don't know. The "all attitude, all the time" button is getting a hammering by 4E, so I don't blame folks for missing the irony (if it's there).

Why commission a viral youtube thing which makes what you've done look like a mistake? I got the feeling they were going for a "yeah, suck on that mr pansy gnome! And your stupid minion. Tiefling warlocks are HARDCORE" kind of vibe. I could well be wrong.

Or maybe it was just designed to get people talking - no publicity is bad publicity and all that.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

I hate gnomes and tieflings, but will admit that gnomes > tieflings and should have been in PHB1.

Francis just rocks, though. On toast. Who's my minion? You are!

 

[Byronic]

People don't hate Tieflings because they drop-kick Badger minions, they hate them because they call themselves Chant and then spend most of the adventure chanting and handing out brochures to emo concerts.

Seriously I kinda liked the video, it was amusing. Didn't do anything for my interest in DnD but it was amusing. I imagine it was a hit for younger viewers.. hmmm, I wonder if WotC is going for the same demographic as the Wii...

 

[Korgoth]

I don't know. The "all attitude, all the time" button is getting a hammering by 4E, so I don't blame folks for missing the irony (if it's there).

Why commission a viral youtube thing which makes what you've done look like a mistake? I got the feeling they were going for a "yeah, suck on that mr pansy gnome! And your stupid minion. Tiefling warlocks are HARDCORE" kind of vibe. I could well be wrong.

Or maybe it was just designed to get people talking - no publicity is bad publicity and all that.

I don't see any irony. The point is that in 4E you're not some momma's boy little gnome with a stupid pet, you're a kick@zz hawt goth bondage devil chick with frikkin laser beams. You fry l00zer n00bs with your devil lasers and score their ph4t l00t LOL.

"Kids, always recycle... TO THE EXTREME!"

 

[pawsplay]

But I can't belief that was unintentional, since I think th reactions were pretty similar - the Gnome was seen as fun and the poor victim.

The "backfire" was more that some people didn't get the joke and felt appalled by the fact that the Gnome was portrayed as a victim.

I was not appalled at all that the gnome was a victim. What appalled me is that gnomes got jettisoned from the PHB, then reappeared as goth halflings with squeaky voices in the MM. So not only did I lose the gnome I wanted, I got a gnome I didn't want.

So I get the joke - the characters are supposed to be ridiculous, everyone gets a chance to identy with their favorite and laugh alongside the designers. But just like any joke, there's an underlying message. In this case, the message is, "Isn't it jolly that the tieflings is in the PHB? Too bad about the gnome, but we're all still friends, right?"

But it's not jolly. Sure, we're still friends. But the changes to the gnome just so exemplify the things that bother me about the fluff changes to D&D. To the person who wrote that bit, it was all no big deal. But to me, it was a little movie about how the new D&D would never feel right to me. It makes me a little sad to be left behind. That is a big deal. There's this huge new edition everyone is excited about, and guess what? It's pretty much exactly what I don't want.

I'm not just disgruntled because I'm a big gnome fan or whatever. The new tiefling and the new gnome, and their places in the new game, are just some of many changes that make 4e a game that to me is ultimately unapproachable.

So, yeah, I get the joke. The presentation was pretty good. The only problem is that it's not really very funny to tease people who are feeling sad. To quote You've Got Mail, "Saying it's not personal just means it's not personal to you." So yeah, it kind of hurt my feelings.

I'm really glad for all the people who like 4e. I am sure many gnome-fans find the video plenty amusing. But

And you must admit, this was definitely one of the best moments of the 4e marketing campaign...

No, I really don't have to admit it. To me, it was one of the worst. It was a big ol' Internet meme that said, "Guess what, pawsplay? Disco is dead, and we're burning our slacks." It was the opposite of funny, because as soon as I watched it, I could feel the gulf between me and everyone excited about the new game. And I'm not the only one, there were plenty of other people who felt slightly offended by the video when it was published.

I know Michael Morris didn't mean any offense, and I figure WotC didn't mean offense, either. But, seriously. Dude, not funny.

 

[JeffB]

The "backfire" was more that some people didn't get the joke and felt appalled by the fact that the Gnome was portrayed as a victim.

Really? Do people honestly get appalled by this kind of stuff?


(this is a general question, not directed at anyone in particular)

As a D&D game player, I hate tieflings and like gnomes. As a "normal, I don't take games all that seriously in life" person, I thought it was funny.

I find the "angry villagers" mentality of gamers hard to fathom.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Really? Do people honestly get appalled by this kind of stuff?


(this is a general question, not directed at anyone in particular)

As a D&D game player, I hate tieflings and like gnomes. As a "normal, I don't take games all that seriously in life" person, I thought it was funny.

I find the "angry villagers" mentality of gamers hard to fathom.

Well, at least they sometimes pretend or appear to be so. I can't really see in the heads of posters, after all. (It's all the long hair)

 

[Twiggly the Gnome]

I'm not just disgruntled because I'm a big gnome fan or whatever. The new tiefling and the new gnome, and their places in the new game, are just some of many changes that make 4e a game that to me is ultimately unapproachable.

For what it's worth, I am a big gnome fan and at this point I have no issue with the cartoon because I've seen the actual 4E gnome. The write-up in the MMI appendix is eminently playable, and I'm sure they'll be even better once the the full write-up comes out in the PHII in March. In fact, this was the deciding factor for me to eventually convert to 4E rather than Pathfinder. The 4E gnome is made of awesome, while the Pathfinder gnome is full of fail.

 

[Korgoth]

Really? Do people honestly get appalled by this kind of stuff?


(this is a general question, not directed at anyone in particular)

As a D&D game player, I hate tieflings and like gnomes. As a "normal, I don't take games all that seriously in life" person, I thought it was funny.

I find the "angry villagers" mentality of gamers hard to fathom.

To clarify for myself, I wasn't appalled by it. I just found it pretentious and dumb.