Dungeon 207

[Nemesis Destiny]

To clarify, by 'garbage' I mean, 'zero crunch, all fluff'. I make up my own fluff most of the time anyway, I pay for rules and game content. You can tell your bosses that they can take that to the bank.* No offence was intended or should be implied

Yeah, Chris Perkins is clearly one of the best and brightest over at WotC right now. I read his column religiously, and it has definitely made me a better DM, even though I will never be half as good at it as he seems to be.

* Yes, I know it's because 5e is on the way, but that doesn't mean they should stop supporting 4th, or that I have to like it. Wasn't that one of their new goals? Support for all editions and styles of play? Guess not. Doesn't earn them any brownie points with 3e / PF players...

 

[Obryn]

How is it an experiment to be doing what they used to be doing and then got rid of?

<sigh>/sigh/

I just don't understand WotC...</sigh>

Ummm... The experiment is more, "We're ONLY releasing compiled issues."

First, it was individual articles + compilation. Second, it was individual articles only. Now, it's compiled articles only.

-O

 

[Quickleaf]

Ummm... The experiment is more, "We're ONLY releasing compiled issues."

First, it was individual articles + compilation. Second, it was individual articles only. Now, it's compiled articles only.

-O

Either they're socially engineering their IP lawyers, or up is now down.

I mean, yes, yes, that makes perfect sense!

 

[hbarsquared]

Yeah, Chris Perkins is clearly one of the best and brightest over at WotC right now. I read his column religiously, and it has definitely made me a better DM, even though I will never be half as good at it as he seems to be.

Son't say this too loudly - the Christmas layoffs are coming up soon...

 

[Nemesis Destiny]

Yeah, and if history repeats itself, it's the talented ones they let go, so that they can end up working for the competition.

 

[Scrivener of Doom]

I'm actually disappointed that it took ten or so hours to correct the link so that the magazine could be actually downloaded.

I don't know why - after all my expectations of the DDi couldn't be any lower - but I really thought they would have made an effort to have the first compiled version actually ready for downloading as clearly they're trying to convince some of their customer base that they're actually interested in meeting some of the base's demand.

Son't say this too loudly - the Christmas layoffs are coming up soon...

I still maintain that the reason for the two year pipeline for Next is to minimise layoffs for the at least two Christmases.

I used to say that the beginning of the end of WotC would be the laying off of Rich Baker. That, of course, has happened. If that was the beginning of the end, then the laying off of Chris Perkins would be the end itself.

 

[delericho]

I still maintain that the reason for the two year pipeline for Next is to minimise layoffs for the at least two Christmases.

I would be surprised. Unfortunately, I suspect the decision to lay people off, and even the exact numbers laid off, and mandated from on high, probably by people who don't know exactly what's going on in the individual departments, and in response to overall company performance rather than individual department results.

So whoever's in charge of the D&D group will be told, "reduce your wage bill by $X", and it is then up to them to decide where the axe falls - but counter-arguments that D&D is doing well or that everyone is necessary would fall on deaf ears.

As for why it seems the "talented ones" are the ones let go - my guess is that's a combination of two things:

1) The big guns get paid more, so you can lay one of them off instead of two less-experienced people.

2) The big guns have a greater ability to do well. They may well therefore volunteer to go, to seek out opportunities elsewhere.

Of course, all of this may be completely wrong.

I used to say that the beginning of the end of WotC would be the laying off of Rich Baker. That, of course, has happened. If that was the beginning of the end, then the laying off of Chris Perkins would be the end itself.

Given how bare-bones the D&D team seems to be right now, just about any cut would be pretty painful. But I agree that Chris Perkins seems to have become the 'face' of D&D in a lot of ways - I guess at least partly because of his "DM to the stars" videos.

 

[Obryn]

Layoffs are usually a thing after the new edition comes around, not before.

At least, historically.

It happens in computer & video games, too.

-O

 

[MerricB]

Surprisingly long issue, especially after a fairly short Dragon magazine. Looking forward to reading it after I get some sleep.