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Message: <blockquote data-quote="El Mahdi" data-source="post: 4675399" data-attributes="member: 59506">If there's anything I don't understand more than people who feel a need to attack WoTC (not just expressing opinions but actual verbal attacks) is those people who feel it's theie self appointed task to be WoTC's "Defenders of the Faith". Absolutely boggles my mind. It seems as if there are fans who are more concerned with protecting WoTC's PR image than even WoTC is willing to do.  Then you've found good company on this thread, since I don't recall anyone on here "glorifying" illegal activity. The almost unanimous opinion seems to be that WoTC was completely within their rights, and that the site, albeit useable and popular, was violating copyright. If opinions such as that are "glorifying" illegal activity, then I'd posit that WoTC's tacit approval during the months where they didn't have there own like product on line, was passively doing the very same thing. While nobody is denying WoTC right to defend there IP, how they do it is definitely a matter for debate. There's a way to do this, and not alienate your fans/customers, and there's a way that won't. People are watching very closely to see which path WoTC takes.  Bad blows that were almost entirely self-inflicted. You'll find no sympathy for this one. TSR engaged in predatory practices aimed at eliminating even legal competition through borderline (and not so borderline) unethical, and possibly illegal, actions. There was an adversarial philosophy towards fans/customers that those who ran the company felt were immature imbeciles. TSR at the time had a leader who's goal was simply to gouge these stupid RPG fans for as much money as possible, all the while enacting guidance to attack and denigrate those same fans/customers. Because of that, some fans/customers get very touchy about things that appear to be going in that direction again. (Not saying they are, but there do seem to be things happening, and perceived attitudes, that seem to be paralleling those past occurances.) However, the company failed because of gross mismanagement from the top, despite the fact that sales of D&D products were bigger than any other RPG company in the business. The history of this is pretty well documented. If someone wanted to truly defend their favorite company, so said company could stick around and make their favorite products in perpetuity, a much more effective tactic would be to make sure that their favorite company was keeping their customers happy. It seems like oversight and criticism of the company, rather than criticism of other fans/customers would be much more beneficial.  Seems to me, that when a company does what their customers want (the customers best interest), then said customers buy the companies products making the company lots and lots of money. Win-Win. Thus the guidance: "The customer is always right!". When a company decides that they are right, despite an uproar from their fans/customers, then said company doesn't remain in business very long. (Again, not saying that this is currently happening, but there do seem to be indicators that could be interpreted as a shift towards that direction.) Another applicable quote: "Pride goeth before the Fall!". Hubris and Arrogance are very close cousins of Pride.  No argument from me, and probably no argument from most everyone here. But, not providing your favorite company with feedback of what you as a customer want, including constructive criticism, could hasten that very failure which you seem to endeavor to prevent.  Agreed 100%, as probably everyone else on this thread hopes for also. I would be very surprised if you found anyone on this thread that wants those guys to lose their jobs, or for WoTC to fail. I don't recall anyone on this thread expressing, or even implying, they would want that to happen. Criticism isn't always malevolent, just as blind devotion isn't always beneficial.</blockquote>

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