WotC WotC needs an Elon Musk

[teitan]

Heck no. Why would you wish another Lorraine Williams but worse? Elon isn’t a visionary. He’s a credit taker.

 

[DEFCON 1]

What we really need is for the so-called "hardcore fans" to finally accept the fact that they are still a part of the "D&D Community" even if they are using and enjoying 3rd Party D&D products.

What's always the big complaint? "D&D has moved on from me!" And the answer to that is 'No'. No, the game has not moved on from you. Rather... ONE company is producing D&D material you don't like. Yes, it might happen to be the "owner" of the "brand "for said material... but the whole point of D&D from the very beginning has been to take the books you buy and then MAKE THE GAME YOUR OWN.

Every "hardcore fan" of D&D OWNS THEIR D&D. So it never has and never will matter which company you buy your D&D material from... because at the end of the day you are taking everything you buy and make up yourself and combining all of it into YOUR D&D. And your D&D (like every other player's D&D out there) is all a part of the "D&D Multiverse"... and thus we are ALL a part of the "D&D Community". Every single one of us could play Level Up right now and still be a part of the D&D Community. You could never touch the three core rulebooks again and only use Level Up and still be a part of the D&D Community. You can be like @Lanefan and continue to play their AD&D/2E(?) version of the game and still be a part of the D&D Community. You can be playing PATHFINDER for pete's sake and still consider yourself a part of the D&D Community!

We all desperately need to get over this inane idea that unless we are playing with the newest books that are only released by Wizards of the Coast that we aren't "a part" of the D&D Community. Give your ego a break for once. Find or make what D&D you want and play it happily, rather than stewing in your own filth all ticked off that WotC "isn't making things for you". Because you are wasting your valuable hours on this planet looking for something you don't actually need.

 

[teitan]

50% is all that gets thrown out? You’ve obviously never worked in a creative capacity. That’s a remarkably low number. As far as “needing” something to turn around? D&D is fine. It sells fine. No reports of a downturn on D&D sales, if there are it is expected due to the edition change coming. Is this “WOtC hates older fans?” grumbling? The downturn was from flooding the magic market and $250 booster packs that can’t be used in a game anyway. That whole luxury crowd that I’ve been crowing about that Elon would try to push D&D further into anyway and so far WOTC themselves have handed off to other companies like B&G and Wizkids even though they have Hasbro, who I am surprised haven’t brought it in house to maximize them D&D dollars.

 

[teitan]

What we really need is for the so-called "hardcore fans" to finally accept the fact that they are still a part of the "D&D Community" even if they are using and enjoying 3rd Party D&D products.

What's always the big complaint? "D&D has moved on from me!" And the answer to that is 'No'. No, the game has not moved on from you. Rather... ONE company is producing D&D material you don't like. Yes, it might happen to be the "owner" of the "brand "for said material... but the whole point of D&D from the very beginning has been to take the books you buy and then MAKE THE GAME YOUR OWN.

Every "hardcore fan" of D&D OWNS THEIR D&D. So it never has and never will matter which company you buy your D&D material from... because at the end of the day you are taking everything you buy and make up yourself and combining all of it into YOUR D&D. And your D&D (like every other player's D&D out there) is all a part of the "D&D Multiverse"... and thus we are ALL a part of the "D&D Community". Every single one of us could play Level Up right now and still be a part of the D&D Community. You could never touch the three core rulebooks again and only use Level Up and still be a part of the D&D Community. You can be like @Lanefan and continue to play their AD&D/2E(?) version of the game and still be a part of the D&D Community. You can be playing PATHFINDER for pete's sake and still consider yourself a part of the D&D Community!

We all desperately need to get over this inane idea that unless we are playing with the newest books that are only released by Wizards of the Coast that we aren't "a part" of the D&D Community. Give your ego a break for once. Find or make what D&D you want and play it happily, rather than stewing in your own filth all ticked off that WotC "isn't making things for you". Because you are wasting your valuable hours on this planet looking for something you don't actually need.

Yes this! All this! I don’t plan on buying One D&D but it’s not because I think WOtC hates me. I just like 5e and it’s not different than the people who didn’t jump to 4e or from Pathfinder but I am still a D&D fan and WOTC is still going to be backing products I want through licensing and collectibles and even the occasional product if it is as compatible as they claim.

 

[Reynard]

Issues about Musk aside, it's a pretty bold statement to say a company needs a complete management overhaul when that company is more profitable and popular than ever in its history, just because you don't like what it is putting out. I somehow don't think OP is actually looking out for the good of the company...

 

[Bolares]

People need to change the "If I don't like it/If I'm not the target audience the company is failing" mentality

 

[Remathilis]

BREAKING: Elon Musk to buy Enworld. He read this thread and bought the site of Morus for eleventy-billion dollars. A few highlights.

1. You can gain mod powers for $20.00 per month.
2. Subscriber posts will be sent to the top of the boards, nonsubscriber posts will start on like play page 3 or something.
3. Update: mod powers will be $8.00 per month. Payable in USD and dogecoin.
4. Anyone talking about 4e will be relentlessly trolled.
5. Everyone except op in this thread is banned.

Let that sink in!

/S

 

[Reynard]

Hiring for diversity of background and thoughts is good, but 25 year old developers who haven't had successful large projects themselves are not good choices for leadership. Leaders need to have better grasp of big pictures that young developers haven't developed yet.

This. You hire young talent for ideas and energy. Those that turn out to also understand business and have the skills become leaders over time.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

WotC needs an Elon Musk, I know I'll get dumped on for saying it, but when 50% roughly that the D&D studio works on gets tossed in the trash and the rest tends to be shades of poorly done when the D&D studio doesn't have adult supervision (freelancers Keith, Matt, or George for examples of adult supervision).

We should be getting products equal to the 5e Southland Kickstarter, instead we are getting setting products without the settings. This is absurd.

New visionary leadership is needed.

And as big as the problems with D&D are, the issues with MtG dwarf it with a major consumer revolt going on, and multiple WotC studios that have been around for years and yet have yet to produce any products at all.

Maybe this is finally the time for the activist investors to make their next more or at least close to that time because it appears they have been vindicated.

Part of WotC's problem is they are too focused on casuals, but it's the hardcore fans that create the buzz that draws in the casuals in the first place (this is shown by the Fandom survey/research that basically fandoms in 4 grades from the most hardcore fans to the most casual casuals). Their current approach is to alienate hardcore fans to court casuals, and that is a problem because it's the hardcore fans the build the foundation the gets you the casuals.

It's what made the MCU (and ignoring that truth is killing the MCU) for example.

Is this actually a joke?

Because it's extremely funny.

 

[jgsugden]

So then new business plan:

1.) "Musk" comes in and does an interview with Jeremy Crawford on D&DBeyond where he asks about the balance of the Sharpshooter feat and whether they'd release it as it is now. Crawford admits it was a little out of balance and they'd do it differently now. "Musk" fires him during the interview.

2.) "Musk" sends an email to half of the rest of the employees to fire them. He tells the rest that they'll have to work harder now. Many more quit.

3.) He orders his employees to go through and "restore" the off color content from prior editions into the books. Every racist, sexist, otherwise offensive element of D&D that has evolved out of the game over the past 50 years is woven back in as a high priority.

4.) "Musk" orders that the fees for Beyond be doubled quietly, and that they weave in a change to the user agreement prohibiting anyone not currently using Beyond from using any IP, including character names, homebrew material, etc... that was ever on D&DBeyond.

5.) The DM's guild shuts down immediately, all of the content there is 'repackaged' on a new site and sold as WotC product at a higher price. People that provided material for the guild are sent a cease and desist letter telling them they never paid for the material they provided, WotC owns it, so they can't use it anymore in their home games unless they pay the new price for their materials. Then they get a letter a week later showing a reference to some of their material in a tweet they made after the Cease and Desist, and are extorted for theft, breach of contract, etc...

6.) "Musk" cancels all physical products and says the game is 100% virtual now.

7.) "Musk" sues every 3rd party, and every other RPG game creator, as everything is a rip off of D&D.

8.) The OGLs are revoked with a claim they were never valid. It is a false claim, and everyone knows it, but he has an army of lawyers and anyone challenging it gets buried in legal costs.

Hmmmm ... I'm not seeing the appeal.