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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MrMyth" data-source="post: 5504599" data-attributes="member: 61155">So, just to be clear - since, a bit under a year ago, they replaced several key positions on the DDI team, leading to a transition in what DDI had to offer that was "a disaster", and is only now starting to bear fruit... you would like to see them again replace the DDI team so that we can go through this same thing a year from now?  Yeah, that seems a terrible idea.   This isn't remotely true. They've actually had a good number of interesting and original articles overall, and what few adventures they've had, have been good ones. The problem has been quantity, not quality - the severe reduction in page count and number (and size) of adventures.   Largely in agreement here that those books would have been key to fully supporting Essentials. But I think you may have misjudged the cause of the abrupt drop in content production...  Last year, the D&D team split into two components. One side focusing on the RPG itself, the other focusing on expanding the brand - on stuff like the board games.  That is where resources have been devoted to. It isn't that DDI is hogging all the resources - I think it is indeed understaffed and has bit off more than it can handle. And I suspect that, in the long run, expanding the tools available will be a winning strategy. But the reason we've seen a slowdown in book content and game support is that half their design staff have switched over to these tangential projects like the board games.  Projects that, thus far, seem pretty successful.  Now, I agree that WotC needs to get a bit of focus and get things back on track. But I think that the meandering of the line and the issues with DDI have developed out of seperate situations.  Basically, you can't in one breath applaud them for the success of the board games while also blaming other departments for not pulling their weight. Those other departments aren't pulling their weight because half their design staff got shifted to the board game division.  Once again, I think they do need to get their new act together. I think DDI is... slowly... on its way there. I think better communication remains what is needed most of all.  As for the main line? I dunno. I definitely miss the Magic Emperium. I don't particularly miss the Heroes of Sword and Spell - as a whole, I think the book wouldn't have done well. But I do miss the part of it that would have addressed multiclassing for Essentials - something that I think they can more easily present online.  I think they do have some cool upcoming products - Heroes of Shadow and the Shadowfell Boxed Set. Just... not sure what is coming beyond that. I think that will really be the key - when we see some new announcements of new products. That will show if they have truly found a new focus, or are still just milling about and trying to figure out where to go from here.</blockquote>

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