What's stopping WOTC from going back to 3.5?

[RedTonic]

I don't think anyone should or would agree. While avoiding the politics and posting only regarding the economics, there have been eight in my lifetime and 47 in the history of the USA, fwiw. Nearly a third of the years of my life have technically been said to be during periods of recession.

List of recessions in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Layoffs at WotC are part of the business plan not a reaction to economic recession.

I didn't say that this recession is unique. I wrote that "a recession" is a unique economic environment; that is, it's unlike other economic environments--not exactly a keen insight, but worth being pointed out. I'm also well aware of the history of recessions we've had in the U.S.

I have no proof either way that WotC layoffs are sensitive/insensitive to the state of the economy. Given that WotC is an American business owned by another American business, I would be surprised if their business plan is wholly insensitive to the anemic condition of discretionary spending here. And, despite an upswing in consumer spending in July, such spending is still weak.

Any business whose planning does not account for the reality of its market is asking for whatever pain results.

 

[Mark CMG]

I didn't say that this recession is unique. I wrote that "a recession" is a unique economic environment; that is, it's unlike other economic environments--not exactly a keen insight, but worth being pointed out. I'm also well aware of the history of recessions we've had in the U.S..

"Unique" means one of a kind. Perhaps you meant "unusual" though that isn't true either. Maybe "distinct?"

I have no proof either way that WotC layoffs are sensitive/insensitive to the state of the economy.

You do have proof, right here on EN World. Use google to do a search of the word layoff (Advanced search with "enworld.org" in the website field) and you'll see that they have regular layoffs during recessions and otherwise as part of their business plan. They used to do it in either summer or mid-December (almost?) every year. The lack of a recent layoff might portend that either they simply have as few employees as they can have and still run things (bringing the mags back in-house must be a blessing to those close to the edges) or that they have begun working on 5E in earnest.

 

[RedTonic]

Just because they lay off regularly doesn't mean this lay off isn't related to the recession, is what I'm saying. "Unique" also means "not typical; unusual" and "having no like or equal." I think a recession fits the bill.

 

[Mark CMG]

Just because they lay off regularly doesn't mean this lay off isn't related to the recession, is what I'm saying.

If it is going to happen regardless of the recession, as the evidence of regular (nearly yearly, sometimes twice in a year) layoffs would suggest, then saying it is related to the recession doesn't match the facts.

"Unique" also means "not typical; unusual" and "having no like or equal." I think a recession fits the bill.

If there are regular recessions that happen in nearly a third of the last fifty years then saying that they are unusual or, worse, have no like or equal, seems incorrect.

 

[RedTonic]

I don't want to further derail the topic, so I'm dropping this. If you want to continue our dictionary slap-fight, let's do it over PM.

 

[nedjer]

Which always made me wonder - you can be disgruntled, but you can't be gruntled? What's up with that?

Good news on the grammar-slapping front. We can unite in our joy that anyone who wants to feel gruntled can go right ahead. It's straight anglo-saxon for grunt or snort like a piggy. The dis is an emphasis, so we can snort like a pig or, when disgruntled, seriously snort like a pig

 

[Thunderfoot]

<SNIP>
Al-Qadim never made it to 3E or Dark Sun. It'd be really cool and pertinent IMHO to do an Arab-Spring themed campaign for those settings (maybe they kinda did in 2E for DS). Or d20 modern.<SNIP>

WotC stated they wouldn't support Al-Qadim directly for 3.X, however, for a short time they did "unofficially support" a web site that was fan based for Al-Qadim.

They gave them access to maps, helped stat the monsters and gave guidance on the conversion from 2e kits to 3.X classes and prestige classes. It was a pretty neat little site until they started to develop 4e in earnest when everything went dark for a while. If you do a web search I'm sure you can still find most of the info out there in the ether somewhere.

 

[Bedrockgames]

WotC stated they wouldn't support Al-Qadim directly for 3.X, however, for a short time they did "unofficially support" a web site that was fan based for Al-Qadim.

They gave them access to maps, helped stat the monsters and gave guidance on the conversion from 2e kits to 3.X classes and prestige classes. It was a pretty neat little site until they started to develop 4e in earnest when everything went dark for a while. If you do a web search I'm sure you can still find most of the info out there in the ether somewhere.

I loved Al Qadim, but I have to wonder if they would have trouble marketing that setting today. So many potential issues with offending people.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

And they existed back then, too. Forget the West, the East has been fighting radicalized Islam for going on 50 years.

Or are you thinking more of a reaction akin to "The Satanic Panic" of the 80s, in which people would protest it's quasi-Arabic nature?

Either way, I think we're* bigger than that




* as in gamers.

 

[GregoryOatmeal]

I loved Al Qadim, but I have to wonder if they would have trouble marketing that setting today. So many potential issues with offending people.

Meh, gamers would get it, others might be offended, it could get some attention in the press. These kind of gambits could make D&D more relevant. You could explore Arabic culture and conflicts in a very interesting way that would give people much more empathy for the issues in the area. I find it interesting when roleplaying intersects actual modern political issues. They should probably preface it with a disclaimer about stereotypes like "it's all fun and games. We draw on stereotypical icons like genies which are about as representative of actual Arabic culture as Paul Bunyan is of America"

You could totally turn terrorists and oppressive monarchs into the bad guys. You would have to emphasize that the vast majority of commoners would be essentially good people yearning for peace and less oppression. Which is exactly how the vast majority of Arabs and Muslims feel - just like everyone else. You would have to create a few crazy people that support the oppressive politicians or sew sectarian conflict or stir up terrorism.

It would be very very intersting and even educational to explore the influence of imperialism and colonialism from the US/Britain. Or the history of Palestinian statehood. Or Algeria and Franz Fanon, or the Berlin conference. I can't see any American company wanting to go anywhere near that.

I wouldn't touch religion with a ten-foot pole.

It might be smarter to explore those issues through Dark Sun since it's less obviously Arabic.