D&D 5E Are the WOTC forums down or is there some sort of site issues or do they just not care about D&D anymore?

[Kyle Ropp]

As an avid listener of the podcasts, especially the Acquisitions Inc ones, I find that the lack of podcast content coupled with the lack of attention the hype train has been getting is troubling. The funniest thing is that Next has been my favorite system so far... but just like essentials... everything I like tends to differ from many people.
I guess my question is why is Next so poorly managed in terms of marketing.
Honestly they have a great product on their hands, it feels like what 3.5 SHOULD have been or at least what 4e should have been... but i like 4e too.. but anyway... it sure as hell is more exciting than pathfinder to me its just so odd that I have to come to a 3rd party forum to get an answer in less than 24 hours... I know magic the gathering is a big money machine for wizards but come on... its D and freaking D...

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

As an avid listener of the podcasts, especially the Acquisitions Inc ones, I find that the lack of podcast content coupled with the lack of attention the hype train has been getting is troubling. The funniest thing is that Next has been my favorite system so far... but just like essentials... everything I like tends to differ from many people.
I guess my question is why is Next so poorly managed in terms of marketing.
Honestly they have a great product on their hands, it feels like what 3.5 SHOULD have been or at least what 4e should have been... but i like 4e too.. but anyway... it sure as hell is more exciting than pathfinder to me its just so odd that I have to come to a 3rd party forum to get an answer in less than 24 hours... I know magic the gathering is a big money machine for wizards but come on... its D and freaking D...

WotC still cares.

As for poor marketing, WotC also screwed up marketing going from 3e to 4e. Why should we expect anything different?

 

[Morrus]

I think they've been hyping it well. Is there a single RPG gamer on the web who doesn't know it's coming? You know it is, so they reached you.

They put out 3-4 articles every week. Just today they streamed a live D&D Next game. They've had articles in Forbes, icv2, and iO9.

Assuming it comes out at Gen Con, major marketing will likely start early summer.

 

[Kyle Ropp]

but does anyone know whats the dealeo with those podcasts? or the forums?

 

[biotech66]

forums are up as far as I can tell.

 

[Kyle Ropp]

forums are up as far as I can tell.

they are disorganized, wonky, bugged and obviously not maintained

 

[Dice4Hire]

Perhaps their expectations for the forums differ from yours.

 

[Scrivener of Doom]

they are disorganized, wonky, bugged and obviously not maintained

Yes, they are the WotC forums.

They are also a wretched hive of scum and villainy. You must be cautious.

 

[the Jester]

they are disorganized, wonky, bugged and obviously not maintained

There's a big difference between good forums and good rpg products, and they rely on entirely different skill sets. I don't think you have anything to worry about; WotC has yet to produce a good electronic product of any kind IMHO, so the mess on the forums isn't a surprise to me. OTOH, everything I've seen about 5e suggests that it's going to be great, and although I'm eager for some previews, remember that we don't actually know how final things are with the rules at this point. Everyone expects it to launch this summer (perhaps as late as GenCon), but it could be December 24th, for all we actually know. So I counsel patience.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

Since I'm feeling talkative...

-When they switched the forums to the new tech a while ago it was a mess. But by now its seems as active as it ever was (or close).

-I actually was talking to a D&D 3.5e gamer a few days ago who either hadn't heard of Next, or simply didn't know anything about it. I must admit I was surprised. I guess there still are some groups who have no interest in keeping up with the news, and just play what they have. I suppose that's actually a really good indication of product satisfaction--if they can get into the game enough that they aren't even wondering what else is out there. I might be joining that group, but I don't know how long I can handle another 3e campaign (my favorite published edition, but I'm just burnt out and waiting for 5e). I'll try to entice them to give Next a try with my Persuasion.

-They did say it would be released this summer. I'd be happy if that just meant the Basic game--or even better--some mega-adventure with selected rules, so that they have more time to fine tune it and develop extra content for a December release.

-They do seem like they are spending less time giving us info. I interpret this as a good thing. It means they have most of the concepts worked out and have been hunkering down into the fine tuning and content development--rather than spending a bunch of time talking with us.