WotC WotC needs an Elon Musk

[FitzTheRuke]

Good video (strong language) about Musk. Very funny, IMO.

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

Do we even know how much "casuals" spend vs "hardcores"? I know several people who have played d&d casually for years without spending money on anything more than a set of dice. I suspect WotC is working hard on figuring out how to entice casuals to spend more money.

 

[Remathilis]

I gotta say I agree with them on this point. Each campaign setting should have whatever cosmology is appropriate for that setting, not being forced into the Great Wheel nonsense. I'm OK with some cross-setting travel, but it should be highly limited.

The exception is of course if the setting is built around the concept of planar travel. If you're doing a Planescape campaign, of course you should be able to pop off to Al-Toril or Krynn. But I don't necessarily think the Krynn you'd go to from a Planescape campaign has to be the same Krynn where you put a Dragonlance campaign, if you get what I mean. Similarly, the Waterdeep that's covered in the Dragon Heist adventure is not necessarily the same Waterdeep that welcomes spelljamming vessels as long as they don't fly within sight of the city.

Then you're just building a half dozen different RPGs that have the same general resolution mechanics. And that's fine if you want D&D to be the functional equivalent to GURPs or Genesys.

 

[humble minion]

Insert Visionary Here if you prefer you could go with Rick Berman (controversial figure yes, but he saved TNG and the Star Trek Golden Age happened because of his leadership), Brad Wright, Svend, or the head of Kobold studios (actually buying Kobold press and putting him in charge might be the most realistic and smartest ACTUAL thing they can do to right the ship).

I love Kobold Press, and I know there’s already been some personnel crossover between them and wotc, but calling them visionary is a stretch. KP sticks to their Midgard wheelhouse in the same way Paizo sticks to Golarion. This isn’t a criticism, it’s just the way they do business. They have a niche they know well, and they target it.

WotC can’t stick to one niche. They’re the centre of the hobby, like it or not, and they have to at least gesture towards supporting all kinds of games, from legacy stuff like Dragonlance or Spelljammer to horror like Ravenloft to nonlethal like Witchlight to brand new lighter and fluffier like Strixhaven. Now I certainly have my issues with the quality and design choices of some of these products, but I’m 100% in agreement that WotC needs to be able to vary the tone and style of their output to try to cover all those bases. Very few 3pp publishers (and certainly not KP) have to cover that variety of ground.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Nearly every business case study ever shows this to be objectively, provably wrong on every level.

this is objectivly wrong, and the walmart/target case study is the only one I care about... target was the #2 store in USA, and Walmart #1, but target was growing faster... so walmart 'stole' the CEO from target and started being more like target to improve.

If you are running a business, your most profitable customers---and the ones most likely to expand their purchasing with you---are existing customers.

only in the short term. in the long term you will ahve those customers age out of buying your things, if you wish to continue to the next generation you need new not old.

I'm not saying you shouldn't try to appeal to both. But appealing to the hardcore fans is the correct choice if one or the other must be prioritized.

 

[Oofta]

No, on a practical level a lot of 3rd party setting books are in fact better, because at least those setting books didn't forgot or not bother to put the actual setting in.

It's not a question of which setting us better written, which would be entirely subjective, its that on a practical level WotC didn't support the settings at all,like Spelljammer.

So it's not writing vs writing, but writing vs nothing, not even doing the job.

Better for you perhaps because you want setting books. I don't.

 

[Oofta]

Nearly every business case study ever shows this to be objectively, provably wrong on every level.

If you are running a business, your most profitable customers---and the ones most likely to expand their purchasing with you---are existing customers.

I'm not saying you shouldn't try to appeal to both. But appealing to the hardcore fans is the correct choice if one or the other must be prioritized.

You're equating hard core fans with existing fans. Hard core fans is a small minority of existing fans. Probably a small enough minority that it wouldn't make a noticeable dip in sales if they all stopped playing. Except, odds are they aren't going to stop playing they just won't buy as many new products as they could if they were specifically catered to.

So I disagree completely. Most D&D fans, past, present and future are pretty casual about it.

 

[Justice and Rule]

Insert Visionary Here if you prefer you could go with Rick Berman (controversial figure yes, but he saved TNG and the Star Trek Golden Age happened because of his leadership), Brad Wright, Svend, or the head of Kobold studios (actually buying Kobold press and putting him in charge might be the most realistic and smartest ACTUAL thing they can do to right the ship).

Yeah, when we're using Rick Berman as an example, you aren't selling me on this.

But again, I'm not convinced of your strategy as something smart for D&D, especially right now. Maybe after 4E or 3E, but right now it feels unnecessary.

They certainly do!:

Dungeons & Dragons Confirms "Sensitivity Readers" and Announces They Will Change The Nature Of Race Mechanics Moving Forward

Wizards of the Coast and their Dungeons & Dragons team confirmed they have used "sensitivity readers" in their latest campaign books and announced they will be changing the nature of race mechanics moving forward.

boundingintocomics.com

... Why are you posting one of the big hubs of Comicsgate as a source? It's basically comic book Breitbart. Edit: Eh, shouldn't make immediate assumptions. That's on me.

 

[Scribe]

Why are you posting one of the big hubs of Comicsgate as a source? It's basically comic book Breitbart. Kind of telling on yourself here.

* Naively one considers heading over to google to see what 'comicsgate' is...but no we will pass our Wisdom save today. *

Let me guess, another "issue" split largely, within the disaster that is social media, along ideological lines?

 

[Justice and Rule]

* Naively one considers heading over to google to see what 'comicsgate' is...but no we will pass our Wisdom save today. *

Let me guess, another "issue" split largely, within the disaster that is social media, along ideological lines?

The long and short is that it's just Gamersgate for comic books. To maybe give a better example that will tap into this board's expertise, here is how they cover NuTSR:

Ernie Gygax Jr. Claims Wizards Of The Coast Acted Like “Corporate Raiders” Towards Dungeons & Dragons, Criticizes Current Tabletop Trend Of Pushing Out Players Who Do Not Follow ‘Modern Trends’

Ernie Gygax Jr. Claims Wizards Of The Coast Acted Like “Corporate Raiders” Towards Dungeons & Dragons, Criticizes Current Tabletop Trend Of Pushing Out Players Who Do Not Follow ‘Modern Trends’

Ernie Gygax Jr. recently criticized Wizards of the Coast’s handling of the Dungeons & Dragons and their subscription to 'modern trends'.

boundingintocomics.com

TSR Games Fires Twitter Manager, Hires New PR Officer After Multiple Organizations Cut Ties With Company Over Founder Ernie Gygax Jr.’s Criticism Of Modern Tabletop Culture

TSR Games Fires Twitter Manager, Hires New PR Officer After Multiple Organizations Cut Ties With Company Over Founder Ernie Gygax Jr.’s Criticism Of Modern Tabletop Culture

TSR Games has fired its Twitter account manager and hired a new PR Officer after multiple organizations cut ties with the company.

boundingintocomics.com

Wizard Tower Games Anonymously Threatened With “Ruin” Over Working Relationship With TSR Games

Wizard Tower Games Anonymously Threatened With “Ruin” Over Working Relationship With TSR Games

An anonymous individual has reportedly threatened to “ruin” Wizard Tower Games unless they cease their working relationship with TSR Games.

boundingintocomics.com

(Edited to show full headlines)