References to Barbarian playtest vanished?

[catsclaw227]

I really wouldn't mind if the barbarian weren't ready, but I feel that if it wasn't ready, they never should have announced it for this month's issue. Once anyone announces anything, IMO, they should be expected to follow through on it; if they don't have the ability or intention to follow through, then they should never announce it. (This is my opinion on everything, btw, not just Wizards or D&D-related stuff.)

You've got some very high expectations for the publishing industry then. Editorial calendars get changed all the time, and articles get moved, canceled and delayed often. This can happen for many reasons, including schedule, writers not getting their copy in time, changes to the topical focus of the issue, asset availability, and editor pet articles getting priority.

The magazine publishing industry is loaded with these kinds of issues popping up.

 

[Rechan]

Don't they start charging next month? Perfect business sense.

Perfect if you want to anger your potential customers.

WotC holding back the Barb without even commenting, and possibly shoving it into an issue-for-pay, has made me consider not paying for Dragon and Dungeon.

 

[mattdm]

Don't they start charging next month? Perfect business sense.

I'll be highly surprised if they've got that together by next month.

 

[cangrejoide]

How sneaky do they really think they are?~

Wow! let me guess, the next time there is a typo in the magazine you gonna suggest some weird conspiracy about trying to confuse the readers and collapse the written tradition of communication?

Actually, there had been several GenCon previews and other spoilers that announced the Barbarian preview would be this month. Then the ToC came up and confirmed it, and then one by one they: 1) removed the entry from the table of contents; 2) changed the 'cover' picture so it wasn't a barbarian anymore; 3) changed the issue description so that it no longer mentioned the barbarian.

They did all of this without any kind of official announcement that things had changed or a reason as to why.

I really wouldn't mind if the barbarian weren't ready, but I feel that if it wasn't ready, they never should have announced it for this month's issue. Once anyone announces anything, IMO, they should be expected to follow through on it; if they don't have the ability or intention to follow through, then they should never announce it. (This is my opinion on everything, btw, not just Wizards or D&D-related stuff.)

~

Has it ocurred to you that maybe since the FRPG is being released this month the magazine should focus more on FR stuff than other stuff?


And for the record, they don't have to give a reason why.

 

[Set]

The magazine publishing industry is loaded with these kinds of issues popping up.

True that. When I worked for a paper, 'deadline' meant 'get me this by then, and have it done right, or go back to Burger King, where you will *also* be expected to get your work done on time, and get to wear a spiffy hat, too.'

I've pretty much given up on 'event comics,' since, these days, if a hotly-anticipated periodical from a best-selling team manages to get more than six of their monthly issues out a year, it's a miracle of biblical proportions.

And when I was a kid, in addition to having standards and a work ethic and a fearful motivation to not get fired and end up digging ditches, we also had to walk to school, uphill, both ways, in the driving snow in the middle of summer! And then we'd go home after working 26 hours in the mill, to our hole in the street covered with a sheet of tarpaulin, and our dad would kill us!

 

[Rechan]

And for the record, they don't have to give a reason why.

They don't have to.

And I don't have to buy their magazine because they don't.

 

[cangrejoide]

they don't have to.

And i don't have to buy their magazine because they don't.

ding!ding!ding!

 

[WarlockLord]

They don't have to.

And I don't have to buy their magazine because they don't.

DANG RIGHT!!!!

 

[fissionessence]

Well it seems like most people don't really care if Wizards spontaneously pulls hyped-up articles with no explanation (and with suspicious motives). I'm glad, because I would like to see D&D do well and make a lot of money.

On the other hand, I am sad to see that potentially subscription-paying customers have no qualms with this sort of practice. Honestly, this even will likely have no bearing on my decision to or not to subscribe, but I'd like to see this behavior frowned on enough by the fans that it could prevent it in the future.

~

 

[wedgeski]

They don't have to. And I don't have to buy their magazine because they don't.

Seriously, Rechan? I mean seriously you're refusing to spend a couple of bucks on something you obviously want? Free, or nothing, is that it? Even assuming that next month's issue will be chargeable, something for which we have no evidence?