Challenge to WotC: Initiative

[Raven Crowking]

The exact quote is: Emphasis mine. In context, Scott's basically complaining about threads where people think they are entitled to more information, and demand more. You know, kinda like this one

Indeed. Some folks would argue that other companies...including WotC during the 3.0 release....were more "interactive and responsive to a community". Some folks might also add that giving "out as much information as we feel is in the best interest of keeping people engaged and excited 8 months before the launch" is generally referred to as advertising, wich is not something that you are "bending over backwards" to do.

In context, then, I translate this as: "It kills me that we are advertising and we get crapped on for the way we choose to approach that. We would like you to believe that our marketing is the most interactive and responsive to you community that ever existed while responding to none of your queries, and not giving you any real information."

Doublespeak, in my book.

YMMV.

In any event, Deset Gled, congratulations on winning your "challenge" thus far.

RC

 

[kenmarable]

There, WotC now cannot possibly fullfill both of our requests, so we'll have to just sit back and see who they love more.

But Mommy loves me!

Don't you, Mommy?

Mommy?

....

(sniff)

 

[Raven Crowking]

So here's my challenge to WotC: Don't tell us how Initiative will work in 4e until the complete release. Revealing that will obviously tell us key information about how the entire combat structure works, and shouldn't be released until with have the full combat rules, so we don't over-react and judge it in a vacuum.

There, WotC now cannot possibly fullfill both of our requests, so we'll have to just sit back and see who they love more.

Um...you do know, however, that they can release the information tomorrow and thereby deny both our requests, right?

 

[Raven Crowking]

Well, that's done. Request denied. Challenge unmet. Thank you all for playing.

RC

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

And now for something completely different...

Slide #42, the Larch!

 

[Fifth Element]

Well, that's done. Request denied. Challenge unmet. Thank you all for playing.

Perhaps next time the "request" could be more in the form of a request and less in the form of a confrontational challenge?

 

[Raven Crowking]

Perhaps next time the "request" could be more in the form of a request and less in the form of a confrontational challenge?

You seem a tad bit sensitive to rather mild confrontation.

 

[Fifth Element]

You seem a tad bit sensitive to rather mild confrontation.

Not sensitive, but unless the confrontation serves no purpose then confrontation should be avoided. I think a request about a particular rule ("Can you provide us with some details on how initiative will work?" would be received better than what you did ("I challenge you to tell us how initiative will work.")

Being confrontational for no reason only serves to put the other party on the defensive, and less likely to comply with your "request".

 

[Sighter]

Huh.

You know, many software companies share very small tidbits with their consumers- not just flavor information. I remember the build up to Warcraft 3....

So initiative should be the first thing they can share. They can share the Saving Throws as Defenses bit, but not initiative? I hope they decide to share more soon; I'm not convinced that 4th edition is a good idea. It has no appeal to me (spend money on new version or play old version... hmm), especially since my group has no problems with 3.5.

WotC has provided some neat 'ideas' but most of them seem designed for the Hack And Slash crowd not my kind of RPG. Most of the design concepts turn me off; I'd be more interested in some Mechanics, even if its just the amount of damage a kukri deals or initiative or even how hit points work.

Anything other than "4e will perfect the D&D experience until we come up with something even more perfecter".

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

Side note, the main page news had a quote that states the 'preview' books dont have crunch in them... so we still won't see how initiative works!