Iosue
Legend
Kinda an odd thing to say in a 5e forum, don't you think?
D&D 5E Are you happy with how WOTC's D&D department interacts with the fans (Frequency/ Transparency/Methods)?
- Thread starter Evenglare
- Start date
Jester David
Hero
They're getting better but still have a way to go. I still don't feel particularly "in the loop". So often, I just feel taken at by their articles and not talked to.
For example, we just had a lengthy thread on a possible layoff that has still not been confirmed.
And we still don't know what happened to the Adventurer's Handbook. They really limit themselves just to rule discussion and some vague answers to other stuff.
They mostly confine themselves to Twitter, which is okay but not the most permanent way of communicating. Finding an old tweet can be painful and it's super easy to miss a comment.
Mearls recently did a Q&A on the D&D podcast, and that was great. I'd love that to be a more regular thing.
I'd love to see more activity on the forums, either the WotC ones or here. A "Ask Mearls Questions" thread would serve much the same purpose as Twitter but less transitory.
For example, we just had a lengthy thread on a possible layoff that has still not been confirmed.
And we still don't know what happened to the Adventurer's Handbook. They really limit themselves just to rule discussion and some vague answers to other stuff.
They mostly confine themselves to Twitter, which is okay but not the most permanent way of communicating. Finding an old tweet can be painful and it's super easy to miss a comment.
Mearls recently did a Q&A on the D&D podcast, and that was great. I'd love that to be a more regular thing.
I'd love to see more activity on the forums, either the WotC ones or here. A "Ask Mearls Questions" thread would serve much the same purpose as Twitter but less transitory.
UngeheuerLich
Legend
I think they are doing their part as well as possible.
Some people still talk about a not even announced book. They are very open about not announcing anything until it is sure they are publishing it. If they don't announce it it was not ready. My guess is that we see it some of that content now.
Some people still talk about a not even announced book. They are very open about not announcing anything until it is sure they are publishing it. If they don't announce it it was not ready. My guess is that we see it some of that content now.
JeffB
Legend
Yes or No doesn't work for me. Not sure I care if/how they communicate, simply because I don't care about the products or..excuse me..BRAND...anymore.
It's kind of comical, IMO. Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of Mearls, and LOVE 5E they system, but they should probably just keep quiet 99% of the time, because they clearly don't know how to interact with their fans and cover thier a$$es at the same time. They always say something stupid/unclear/better unmentioneds while they are announcing plans or products or communicating in general (like Crawford who is confused about "outsourcing"), and due to all the "hush hush" can't ever elaborate anyway, so they go back into their shells. Or the editorials in Dungeon + about how it's the successor to the magazine (print/digital) when it CLEARLY is a marketing app and has focused on upcoming video games or novels.
Then of course everyone Piles on them. If they are barely communicating at all, people are going to be far more intense and critical when they say/do dumb things and retreat. To be fair, some people go overboard. but this IS the internet. Thats been happening since day one, and is uinlikely to end. Get over it. WOTC and other companies have to learn how to ignore/deal with the overly vocal nutjobs online, co when things like:
Jury Duty is holding up stuff
Can't cancel a product we never announced
marketing app is worthy successor to the magazines
Don't do outsourcing
Are the types of things they are talking to us about, they are gonna get blasted.
They should stick to making games,keep quiet, and hire someone who is better equipped to handle internet marketing/tweeting info/making facebook posts.
But lets face it, they have a poor track record communicating with fans for the past 10-12 years. Not that * I* was incensed, I thought it was entertaining with some slight truth behind the funny, but the 4E marketing pissed a whole bunch of folks off. 3.5 era it was the same, especially when people like MC came out and gave us the real scoop on 3.5. In fact I haven't seen overwhelming support for WOTC since the lead in to 3.0 and the first couple years. Sure Edition wars were bad here and elsewhere, but overall WOTC was communicating clearly, often, and they were really trying to win our goodwill after TSR tanked. They licensed properties left and right so fans would have access to new materials...Ravenloft..Gamma World..Valuls of pandius or whatever got the official nod for Mystara,. Necromancer was given a special opportunity to recreate a bunch of monsters WOTC didn't feel the need to mess with. There was Kalamar, an officially licensed new campaign setting. They made peace with Gary & Dave. They tried to give us a "fixed" Forgotten Realms. They brought back Greyhawk (in 2E and 3.0). They had to, and really did put forth the effort, in order for 3.0 , the SRD, and the OGL to be a success ******
There were some hints of that type of open-ness and spirit of goodwill to the fans through most of the 5e playtest, they knew 4E left a bad taste in alot of people's mouths (NotI, but..)However a few months before the playtest ended, you could feel the winds of change in their communications, especially when you read the articles by Schindehette(sp?) and Wyatt hinting about BRANDING and such. THE look of D&D. THE stories of D&D. THE personalities of D&D.
*****I'm one of those people who have really enjoyed the fruits of the OGL/SRD (mostly through the OSR). And I am thankful for Dancey's vision, but I think business-wise it was a big mistake in the end, and why we now have the sitch we do with THE BRAND.
At any rate,. Vastly different company. Vastly different business model. At the top levels, the tabletop game is just an afterthought so folks best be happy with getting anything, whether you like they way they do it, or not.
/ramble
It's kind of comical, IMO. Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of Mearls, and LOVE 5E they system, but they should probably just keep quiet 99% of the time, because they clearly don't know how to interact with their fans and cover thier a$$es at the same time. They always say something stupid/unclear/better unmentioneds while they are announcing plans or products or communicating in general (like Crawford who is confused about "outsourcing"), and due to all the "hush hush" can't ever elaborate anyway, so they go back into their shells. Or the editorials in Dungeon + about how it's the successor to the magazine (print/digital) when it CLEARLY is a marketing app and has focused on upcoming video games or novels.
Then of course everyone Piles on them. If they are barely communicating at all, people are going to be far more intense and critical when they say/do dumb things and retreat. To be fair, some people go overboard. but this IS the internet. Thats been happening since day one, and is uinlikely to end. Get over it. WOTC and other companies have to learn how to ignore/deal with the overly vocal nutjobs online, co when things like:
Jury Duty is holding up stuff
Can't cancel a product we never announced
marketing app is worthy successor to the magazines
Don't do outsourcing
Are the types of things they are talking to us about, they are gonna get blasted.
They should stick to making games,keep quiet, and hire someone who is better equipped to handle internet marketing/tweeting info/making facebook posts.
But lets face it, they have a poor track record communicating with fans for the past 10-12 years. Not that * I* was incensed, I thought it was entertaining with some slight truth behind the funny, but the 4E marketing pissed a whole bunch of folks off. 3.5 era it was the same, especially when people like MC came out and gave us the real scoop on 3.5. In fact I haven't seen overwhelming support for WOTC since the lead in to 3.0 and the first couple years. Sure Edition wars were bad here and elsewhere, but overall WOTC was communicating clearly, often, and they were really trying to win our goodwill after TSR tanked. They licensed properties left and right so fans would have access to new materials...Ravenloft..Gamma World..Valuls of pandius or whatever got the official nod for Mystara,. Necromancer was given a special opportunity to recreate a bunch of monsters WOTC didn't feel the need to mess with. There was Kalamar, an officially licensed new campaign setting. They made peace with Gary & Dave. They tried to give us a "fixed" Forgotten Realms. They brought back Greyhawk (in 2E and 3.0). They had to, and really did put forth the effort, in order for 3.0 , the SRD, and the OGL to be a success ******
There were some hints of that type of open-ness and spirit of goodwill to the fans through most of the 5e playtest, they knew 4E left a bad taste in alot of people's mouths (NotI, but..)However a few months before the playtest ended, you could feel the winds of change in their communications, especially when you read the articles by Schindehette(sp?) and Wyatt hinting about BRANDING and such. THE look of D&D. THE stories of D&D. THE personalities of D&D.
*****I'm one of those people who have really enjoyed the fruits of the OGL/SRD (mostly through the OSR). And I am thankful for Dancey's vision, but I think business-wise it was a big mistake in the end, and why we now have the sitch we do with THE BRAND.
At any rate,. Vastly different company. Vastly different business model. At the top levels, the tabletop game is just an afterthought so folks best be happy with getting anything, whether you like they way they do it, or not.
/ramble
Nikosandros
Golden Procrastinator
Queer Venger
Dungeon Master is my Daddy
I like how they are announcing their products. I think it reduces angst from the fanbase when releases are not delivered on time.
Wizards is being smart, kudos to their team.
GMforPowergamers
Legend
I'm happy with it.... I just wish people on the internet didn't rip things apart...
Hussar
Legend
I'm not sure about this "everyone" thing. I think it is a handful of people who have a particular axe to grind that are dog piling. I mean, if this poll is anything to judge by, the number of people satisfied by WOTC interactions outnumbers those who are dissatisfied by 3:1. I think it might be better to simply speak for yourself and not try to claim any broader numbers. The evidence is not in your favour.
Why? All of these things are actually, apparently, true. Jury Duty did hold things up. Note, that just because someone comes back from jury duty wouldn't automatically mean that he'd start where he left off. Things get prioritised. Meaning that a free conversion document might, just maybe, be a lower priority item than interacting with the other companies that you're collaborating with to produce the next adventure path.
The outsourcing thing has had two other freelancers step up and say that Jeremy Crawford is right. And it's not like these guys were penny ante players, they have numerous pretty hefty books to their names. But, apparently, having the word from the horse's mouth, backed up by other industry individuals, isn't enough to convince people of their absolute rightness. It's rather sad.
They had that in 4e with Scott Rouse and it was a THOUSAND times worse. When WOTC was completely transparent, during 4e, and, while you might not have liked the message, the message was always very clear, people went absolutely berserk.
See, what I'm seeing here is, "Well, when they communicate about products that personally appeal to me, then they are fantastic at communications. When they make things I don't like, they are bad at communicating. See, even in your last bit about the tail end of the 5e playtest - they are still being 100% transparent and trying to keep fans in the loop. Just because you don't care for the message doesn't mean they are bad at communicating.
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