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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Garnfellow" data-source="post: 3113748" data-attributes="member: 1223">That's what I thought, too -- this service, as described, sounds very cool but also a direct competitor to Paizo's offerings.I have really wondered about the relationship between WotC and Paizo. It seems like increasingly, WotC and Paizo have been crossing paths in the marketplace. WotC's forays into adventures (look at the scheduled releases for the next year); Paizo's ventures into supplements (The Dragon Compendium). Both companies have offered a few products so similar that I found myself frequently confused about which was which (Paizo's Compleat Encounters and WotC's Fantastic Locations).To me, Paizo has been doing WotC an outstanding service by consistently providing D&D products of the highest quality. And in some ways, Paizo seems much more in touch with my needs and tastes than WotC has been. I have read more great Dragon magazine articles in the last 2+ years than probably at any other time since the golden age of Kim Mohan's tenure; during this same span Dungeon (esp. the Age of Worms) has had some of the best adventures I have seen for any edition of D&D, period. All of Paizo’s efforts help keep me interested in the game and make my life as a DM easier.So I was a little disturbed when I saw WotC announce they were moving so hard into the adventure market. Hey, wasn't that Paizo's gig? And not to get all tin-foil-hatty, but I have wondered why WotC has been dragging its feet on approval of the Age of Worms hardcover or a second Dragon Compendium.At the beginning of 3e, third party d20 publishers really helped grow the D&D market by putting out tons of product at a time when the demand was high and availability of material was scarce; WotC really hurt those publishers by its ill-timed 3.5 update followed by its own aggressive entry into the supplement market. Now there are almost no active third party d20 publishers; even a great company like Green Ronin has dramatically scaled back its offerings. And I think the d20 consumer is poorer because of this loss.I am a little concerned that WotC might be doing something similar to Paizo: eating the lunch of a friend who has only helped grow and sustain the D&D market. Wizards should be closely coordinating its efforts with the good folks at Paizo; instead it looks like they are bound and determined on competing with them. I don’t think there is some nefarious plot brewing in Renton, just some stupid, possibly greedy, and rather short-sighted and short-term thinking.</blockquote>

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