Actually, our opinion does matter.

[TheAuldGrump]

Eh, you may have rambled a bit, but I understood you, so you weren't that bad.

The Auld Grump

 

[Mercurius]

With regards to the different perspectives that Azgulor and Morrus/Umbran presented, I am reminded of something Niels Bohr said: The opposite of a fact is a falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth very well may be another profound truth.

Now it may be that none of what is being said are "profound truths" but it is also true that we're not talking about "facts" (and thereby falsehoods). What we're talking about are expressions, viewpoints, opinions. I tend to hold the perspective that Azgulor, Morrus, and Umbran are all "right" - there is truth to what each are saying.

The voices of EN World mean something. Maybe not a lot, but they are somewhat representative of the hardcore base that fuels the D&D engine. If nothing else, you won't find a group of RPGers that love the game more, which in itself means something, and means that WotC should at least keep one ear to the wind.

If I was WotC I would look at En World less for a view into the mind of the average gamer (which it is not), but more as a place to get good ideas. Take this thread, for example. (Leave aside the fact that I started it - I am not self-promoting and the good ideas in the thread are not mine). It is a short thread, but you see some really good ideas. Sometimes if you work for a company you're just too close to notice these things. So if I ran WotC, I'd ask one or two employees to regularly scan the thread titles of EN World and RPG.Net and look for ideas to mine.

To put it another way, rather than looking at EN World et al as representing any specific portion of the gamer populace, I see it as an extended body of game designers and serious fans of the game, whose ideas about how the game works and ways to improve it are much more valuable than their (our) ideas about how to run a company or what our likes and dislikes are on an individual basis.

 

[NoWayJose]

If I was WotC I would look at En World less for a view into the mind of the average gamer (which it is not), but more as a place to get good ideas. Take this thread, for example. (Leave aside the fact that I started it - I am not self-promoting and the good ideas in the thread are not mine). It is a short thread, but you see some really good ideas. Sometimes if you work for a company you're just too close to notice these things. So if I ran WotC, I'd ask one or two employees to regularly scan the thread titles of EN World and RPG.Net and look for ideas to mine.

Yes, that's a great thread. There's some other wonderful gems, but they tend to get buried in long threads.

I don't know if they have time or inclination for it, but perhaps a mod(s) here on Enworld could arrange to periodically forward a "Best of Enworld Forum" to WoTC? In compensation for their time, the mod(s) could get some goodies in return?

 

[Plane Sailing]

A commercial perspective. I now work at one of the largest and most successful UK companies. £1 in every 7 spent in this country goes through our tills (!). I've recently discovered that they are so committed to customer service that when 100 out of many million customers were inconvenienced, special action was taken to attempt to retain those people as customers. Feedback is regularly gathered from all kinds of sources and used to determine development choices, but it isn't the case that everything is averaged out to an almost meaningless level of background noise. Squeaky wheels get heard too.


Very successful, customer oriented companies, gather all sources of information and assertively attempt to retain their customers. I've never worked anywhere else were this is done so much, and I've never worked anywhere nearly as successful either.

I don't think that WotC is anywhere near as customer oriented, but even so I would expect them to monitor and consider things which are discussed on sites like ENworld. They would be foolish not to, because every customer counts.

Cheers

 

[TheUltramark]

You know something amazing?

You don't need to buy a book to read it.

I can't help but notice you didnt really answer my question

You know something else?

WotC described 4e in a series of books leading up to 4e - and it didn't sound like D&D then, either. And they charged money for those books.

can you pass along the titles of these?

Hmph! Two demerits, House WotC! *EDIT* To more closely impersonate Alan Rickman. *

yes, very Dr. Lazarus

If you are going to argue, please come up with some arguments that make sense.... Otherwise you come across in a less than self flattering manner.

The Auld Grump

*EDIT 2* Please note: I am not telling you 'don't argue' - I am saying 'When you argue, make sure that your argument makes sense, and does not have an obvious hole such as reading the books without purchasing them....'

It is more fun when the argument makes sense on both sides.

getting back on topic, the notion that the opinions of message board die-hard players means anything at all to the shareholders / board of directors of hasbro Inc is laughable.

 

[mudbunny]

So if I ran WotC, I'd ask one or two employees to regularly scan the thread titles of EN World and RPG.Net and look for ideas to mine.

I don't know if they have time or inclination for it, but perhaps a mod(s) here on Enworld could arrange to periodically forward a "Best of Enworld Forum" to WoTC? In compensation for their time, the mod(s) could get some goodies in return?

:-D

Both this thread, as well as the thread started by Mercurius have been included in my weekly report. I am a regular here on ENWorld, and I regularly include links to threads here that have interesting discussion in my weekly reports to WotC.

 

[GreyLord]

Thought to add to the discussion.

Why do the forums of ENWorld Matter?

If they matter, why do they matter and not a forum like...Dragonsfoot.org?

If Dragonsfoot.org matter too, then how about other forums that are less famous/popular?

Which forums do they include where the posters opinions matter?

At which point do they get to many forums to monitor?

Which forums matter and which do not?

No offense, but if one only uses the EN World Forums, the Paizo Forums, and WotC's Forums...they are getting a VERY limited picture on what may appeal to the audience. Like appeals to like...and those who like the same things seem to frequent a particular forum, but what they want may turn off members of another forum completely off.

Who do they exactly listen to...and what are the categories for gathering all of that?

 

[NoWayJose]

:-D

Both this thread, as well as the thread started by Mercurius have been included in my weekly report. I am a regular here on ENWorld, and I regularly include links to threads here that have interesting discussion in my weekly reports to WotC.

Cool... Out of curiousity, did they ever give you any feedback or acknowledgment, like "Thanks, keep it coming"?

 

[mudbunny]

Cool... Out of curiousity, did they ever give you any feedback or acknowledgment, like "Thanks, keep it coming"?

Quite regularly.

 

[Umbran]

I don't know if they have time or inclination for it, but perhaps a mod(s) here on Enworld could arrange to periodically forward a "Best of Enworld Forum" to WoTC?

WotC already has highly-paid individuals whose job descriptions include understanding the market and choosing how they move through it: product managers and their ilk.

In compensation for their time, the mod(s) could get some goodies in return?

Well, I think regularly taking compensation from WotC (or Paizo, or any other particular major player in the market) would qualify as a conflict of interest for a moderator. If we were to compile such they'd have to be available to all who desired them.

But, honestly, I'm a volunteer - I don't even get paid by Morrus. Getting paid by WotC? Not gonna happen.