Rate WotC as a company

[SavageRobby]

I voted a '2'. I haven't read the replies yet (although I will when I'm done posting) to not cloud my initial thoughts:

I really like their dungeon tiles. I liked their prepainted minis line (up until recently). Those are my favorite of their product lines. (And that right there oughtta tell you something.)

I didn't like their last version of D&D (3E), and from what I've read (both pro and con) I'm not particularly interested in 4E, although to be fair I haven't played 4E yet. Actually, I liked 3E in the beginning, until our group's characters started to get higher and higher level, and the game dragged down more and more.

In general, I like their production values and art on the books/tiles even when I'm not a huge fan of the content (and to be fair, I haven't bought a WotC hardback in years, so my view of that might be skewed). The minis had a few great sets, but the quality has degraded over the last year or two.

I definitely don't like their communication with fans, especially recently - since about the time of the cancellation of Dungeon and Dragon magazine. On the minis side, I found their people to be mostly unreliable (and often not terribly competent). On the RPG side, I find their communication is often arrogant and/or disingenuous.

As a company in its entireity, I certainly haven't found them to be particularly compelling, honest or trustworthy. I am thoroughly unimpressed with their technical capabilities and decision making.

Note: I don't have experience on the Magic side of things, so I have no comments there. I have been told that things are much better on that side of the company, but again, I have no experience there.


(One thing to mention - this was about the company as a whole. I've had some very nice interactions with some of the individual people in the company, and there are a few class acts there, for certain. However, that doesn't change my opinion of the company proper.)

 

[SavageRobby]

If you consider a 3 to be doing OK. Personally, I seriously think that the WotC of 8 years ago would have had at least 70% at 4 or higher.

And note that the single biggest voting group voted a 2 - suboptimal.

 

[Merlin the Tuna]

This was all so evident to me as I watched the E3 press conferences last week and a saw how market leaders improve their own products and practices, work with and appreciate their publishing partners, and inspire the consumer masses and the developers, both internal and 3rd-party, to new heights and pride in their product.

This seems odd to me. My experience has been that this year's E3 was near-universally accepted as a failure on all three fronts.

 

[Dinkeldog]

If you consider a 3 to be doing OK. Personally, I seriously think that the WotC of 8 years ago would have had at least 70% at 4 or higher.

Internet polls are even less useful. Self-selection pretty much invalidates it completely.

 

[AllisterH]

This seems odd to me. My experience has been that this year's E3 was near-universally accepted as a failure on all three fronts.

Agreed on the E3 front.

re: WOTC as a company.

I'll give them a 3 or a 4.

 

[racoffin]

I gave them a 2.

My reasons echo many of those already posted above. In general I feel disappointed with the job being done.

 

[Kzach]

Internet polls are even less useful. Self-selection pretty much invalidates it completely.

Frivolous and fun are often alike

 

[Umbran]

It really needs to be closed/deleted or moved to an off-topic forum.

If you have a problem with a post or thread, please use the "Report a Post" function - click on the little exclamation point icon at the bottom of the post you find problematic, and the moderators will be notified.

 

[demonking1]

I gave them a 6, because for me, it is all about the system, and D&D is my game of choice for almost 20 years (yeah yeah, I know, it wasn't WotC 20 years ago) and WotC has done an awesome job with my hobby.

Don't get me wrong, I can see why some people are pissed about the DDI and all their other failures, but to me, that's just small potatoes. If the game sucked, nothing else would matter, because I wouldn't play D&D and thus be a customer of WotC.

I also find it extremely amusing, that people who live in a capitalistic modern society, complain that a company treats it's competitors, no matter how small or big, harshly. This does not enter my evaluation either. Again, it's about the game for me, and as long as WotC doesn't use sweat-shops or sacrifice children on some altar in Renton, I frankly couldn't care less.

It's all about the game.

PS: Obviously, if you hate 4e and hated 3.x/Pathfinder, I can see why you wouldn't be too fond of WotC

Cheers

Congratulations to Jack99 for possible being the only sane person on this thread.

I gave WOTC a 6 because I love 4e

Before 4e, fighters would just soak up damage each round and make a standard attack. A job that could be done just as well by a cart full of meat with a dagger sticking out of one end. In 4e, the dagger in a swiss army knife that shoots laser beems.

Before 4e, wizards would shoot a couple of magic missiles, then sit back and clip their toenails while the "carts" took over. Now wizards don't have to take a extended rest every other round.

Dming is a lot easier. I'm saying this from experience.

As DnDI, we lived without before we can live without it now.

 

[3catcircus]

Congratulations to Jack99 for possible being the only sane person on this thread.

I gave WOTC a 6 because I love 4e

Before 4e, fighters would just soak up damage each round and make a standard attack. A job that could be done just as well by a cart full of meat with a dagger sticking out of one end. In 4e, the dagger in a swiss army knife that shoots laser beems.

Before 4e, wizards would shoot a couple of magic missiles, then sit back and clip their toenails while the "carts" took over. Now wizards don't have to take a extended rest every other round.

Dming is a lot easier. I'm saying this from experience.

As DnDI, we lived without before we can live without it now.

Rating their products isn't exactly rating them as a company, now is it...

I don't care whether or not you like their products - the fact is, as a subsidiary of a publically-held company, WotC needs to have a management house-cleaning because they've been doing a rotten job.